Best News

Here you can be anything.
I think that scares you.
I've been here before but only by myself.
What giving up gives you and where giving up takes you.
I've had and I've been.
Here in center frame, there's only air.J
ust enough space to fit.
I said it out loud over and over but what do I know.I
said it out loud but it did not help.
I'll stop now.
Just so I can hear you I stay up as late as it takes, as long as it takes.
I promised I'd see it again.
I promised I'd see this with you now.

Jimmy Eat World, in concert, in Calgary

Awesome!
L

My Winning Streak Continues!

Last night we finally opened and played our new game of Yahtzee.

It’s been years since I played and my memories are all of playing with my Dad... he was good at Yahtzee. I however was not good. I’ve never been very lucky at dice games, so while I was excited to play I was a little nervous too.

Brad and Cora and I played and the first game turned out much as I expected it would... I did not do very hot, in fact I was very obviously in last place. Determined to not end the game on such a sour note I insisted we play again (it didn’t take a whole lot of arm twisting). In my very first turn I lucked out and rolled the coveted Yahtzee!!! That helped my score for sure. The rest of the game continued on a positive note and come the end of the game I’d won! I was definitely surprised and now I’m excited to play again... it might be my new addiction.
L

Golf = Life

When you think of classic date activities, two you normally come up with are bowling and mini golf... two things I happen to be really bad at.

It must have been at least 5 years since I’ve mini golfed and it was an embarrassing experience, I came in dead, dead last. There was no confusion over who lost that game, it was certainly me. So when Dave invited us mini golfing to celebrate Naomi’s birthday the only reason I said yes was because I knew Brad would want to go. I regretted accepting the invitation pretty quick though and was not looking forward to golfing, I wracked my brain trying to come up with reasonable excuses for us to back out. I came up with nothing convincing though so we headed off to golf.

Surprisingly I ended up having a fantastic time! The course was really fun, with little streams and a waterfall. No one took the game too seriously (except the ridiculously annoying kids behind us) and we laughed and visited and loved it.

Possibly the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life...I’ve tried to recreate it in picture form. It was just as impressive as you think it was :)

The biggest shocker of the evening came when we looked at the scores though... I tied for 1st place! Never before have I done that well. I’ve enclosed a copy of the score card so you can share in my victory with me. Notice the three circles, yeah, that’s right... those are three hole in ones! (Guess they made up for all the holes I did horrible on)

7 over par is not to shabby in my books.
L

Stampede Breakfasts

Over my years working downtown I've discovered that one of the benefits to my central location is the number of Stampede Breakfasts I'm able to attend.

Last year there was the Private one my building threw for us, the one at 5th Ave Place, the one at Petro Canada where we didn't actually eat because the line was scary long and there was the one on 8th ave put on by the Calgary Firefighters. Add that to the 2 church ones I went too, one Stake, one IRC and I had a record breaking breakfast year.

Sadly, this year does not look like it will measure up.
I finally made it to my first breakfast this morning hosted by 1st Calgary, it was a great start too. Eggs, sausage, ham and of course pancakes. Having eggs tips the scales on breakfasts for me though. Because of my honeymoon I've missed the Stake breakfast, because of my marriage I'm not eligible for the IRC one :) I've since moved buildings (only across the street) but apparanty being temporarily the only tenants in the building doesn't warrant a breakfast. I will be heading over to the 5th Ave breakfast tomorrow which is usually a real good one. Last year they had fruit toppings for pancakes and hashbrowns.

2 down from 5... sad really
I suppose there's always next year
L

p.s. I discovered through the course of this blog that I have a difficult time typing/spelling pancakes. I always mess it up and have to go back to fix it... funny

The Apartment that Almost Wasn't

So remember the great little place we found, the one with the ugly green carpet? Boy what a drama it’s been.

So we go see the place with the owner Brenda, she tells us it’s ours and all is good. We’re supposed to go give our damage deposit to Jennifer the resident manager on Monday.
So Monday comes and we head over to see Jennifer. She has no idea we were coming, doesn’t know who we are and has us fill out an application! Application? But we were told it was our apartment! Jennifer calls Brenda who does not clear things up and has Jennifer complete the application with us.

It’s official, we’re concerned.

So we wait the next day hoping for a phone call but not surprisingly neither of them get back to us. It’s now Wednesday, and we don’t know where we’re going to live, we’ve missed out on a week looking if we don’t get this place and the cherry on top... we put that address on 500 wedding invitations!

So Brad calls Brenda on Wednesday, she tells us that we postdated our cheque and she doesn’t want that and we need to go see Jennifer to fix that and “a few other things” whatever that means. So we go see Jennifer. Once again, she has no idea we’re coming and as it turns out doesn’t even have our cheque, Brenda still has it. So she calls Brenda... ha, Brenda thought Brad was someone else when he called... our cheque looks fine but no decision is made. She has our application. So we wasted our time going over this apartment to come up with no results! Argg!

So we go home and call Brenda... starting to feel pretty nervous and stressed at this point.Up until now we’ve felt pretty sure that Brenda hasn’t ever remembered who we were so Brad walked her through the entire encounter we had with her. Reminding her that we’d asked for the apartment number so we could put it on our wedding invitations. She finally remembered us but wasn’t at our office so she told us to call her tomorrow morning. She does tell us that it’s 99.44% sure that the apartment is ours so we’re feeling a little relieved.

Brad calls her this morning, after numerous phone calls she finally makes time for him and tells us that she wants Jennifer to redo our application... What?! Why!At this point Brad’s slightly frustrated and asks why were weren’t told that last night when we were there?!

She got a bit defensive saying she wasn't in her office last night and they already have another application for that suite. Then she realized that Jennifer and herself are to blame for our situation, not ourselves and she's "putting it through". Brad asked when we'd find out if we have place to live, and she replied "I just said I'm putting it through, you have it."

So finally, after some stress and ridiculous management we have a place to live!
L

I made up a really simple floor plan so you have an idea of what our apartment is like, the area I left plain is filled with the awesome carpet :)

Celebration

We officially have a place to live!

Brad and I have been becoming more and more concerned. I gave my notice to move out of my place so come the end of the month I was going to be homeless.

Brad has been so good about finding us listings to look at so we’ve gone to see a bunch of places and called about even more.

Here are a few highlights

1. The all inclusive $600 basement suite
   For $600 dollars you got:
   - Utilities
   - Satellite tv
   - Internet connection
   - A bathroom practically in the kitchen
   - A “kitchen” with no cupboards or counters
   - The all in one, space saving unit... picture it, 2 small burners, a sink directly attached to that and below... any guesses? An oven you say? No silly, it’s obviously a mini fridge. (I tried to find a picture, I wanted you to see it but I couldn't find anything close)
   
   
2. In the basement suite that smelled like live animals, upon noticing the hot plate and the toaster oven the landlady says, “A toaster oven and a hotplate, the same functionality as a oven. Right, cause I can make a cake in a toaster oven :)
   
   
3. The tiny, tiny apartment. We walk into the bathroom... wait, there’s no sink? Don’t worry, it’s sunk behind the door, completely invisible when the door’s open, but it’s there.
   
   
4. The Landlord who refused to let us move in because he wanted a single person. He didn’t want complains about hot water running out, and you know, one single guy is much quieter than a married couple.
   
   
5. The basement that made me cry. Not quite crappy enough to dismiss immediately.
   
   
6. The super ugly green shag carpet in our new place that’s getting us a $50 discount
   

So here’s to our new to us, small but cozy, 1 bedroom, perfectly located, ugly carpet possessing, 4th floor, balcony off the living room apartment.

We’ll have to have you over for dinner (in small groups, I mentioned it’s small right?)
L

100

So I know it’s been a while since the last post but there’s just a lot of pressure... this is officially entry number 100. Hard to believe I’ve posted that many times.

My company moved offices this weekend, I’ve been trying to get settled in this new space. It’s nice. Different but nice. This morning they were painting the walls by the elevator banks, we’re the only tenants in the building and there’s no air conditioning, you’d think that means the building is hot but it’s surprisingly the opposite and it’s freezing in here today! I’m drinking hot chocolate hoping to warm up.

To commemorate this milestone entry here is a list, 100 of my favorite things

1. A Clean House
2. A Day in the Life
3. A Good Nights Sleep
4. Apple Juice
5. Babies
6. Bath & Body Works
7. Blogs
8. Brad
9. Broccoli
10. Cake
11. Carrots
12. Cats
13. Cheesecake
14. Chinese Food
15. Christmas
16. Clean Sheets
17. Concerts for Bands I Love
18. Cooking
19. Cooking Dinner for Brad
20. Crave Cupcakes
21. Cutting Brad’s Hair (preferably with the guard on :)
22. Dark Chocolate
23. Days Off
24. Downloaded TV Shows with no Commercials
25. Family
26. Finding the Perfect Card
27. Flowers Delivered to my Office
28. Friends
29. Genealogy
30. Girl Movie Marathons
31. Girls Nights
32. Gummy Bears
33. Hawaii
34. Holding Hands with Brad
35. Horses
36. Hosting Parties
37. Hot Chocolate when I’m Cold
38. How Quiet My Office is Right Now
39. Irena Smith
40. Kissing
41. Lack of Clutter
42. Lappy
43. Laughing
44. Lions
45. Lipgloss
46. London
47. Mail Merge
48. Makeup
49. Making April
50. Making Brad Blush
51. Max Factor, Calorie 2000 Mascara
52. Mika – Grace Kelly
53. Movies that Make Me Jump
54. Music
55. My Bed
56. My Cell Phone
57. My Gamecube
58. My iPod
59. My Kitchenaid
60. My Sparkly Diamond Ring
61. My Wedding Invitations
62. Napkins
63. New Clothing Before It’s Been Washed
64. New Haircuts
65. New Socks
66. Pedicures
67. Perfume
68. Pictures
69. Pie
70. Pompeii
71. Puerto Vallarta
72. Quiet Moments
73. Reading
74. Run Kid Run
75. Salt & Vinegar Chips
76. Saved by the Bell
77. Saved by the Bell – The College Years... sigh, Professor Lasky
78. Shopping (when you have money)
79. Sleeping in Late on Saturdays
80. Straylight Run
81. Summer
82. Swimming
83. Tablecloths
84. The Ballet
85. The Cello
86. The Hush Sound
87. The perfect pair of shoes
88. The stationary tray that’s attached to my new desk
89. The Temple
90. The Wedding Website
91. This Fish
92. Those Mac commercials
93. TV Box Sets
94. Typing
95. Veronica Mars
96. Watching Brad Squirm and Laugh While I Tickle Him
97. Waxed Eye Brows
98. Weddings
99. Wrapping Gifts
100. Yo-yo Ma

Here's to another 100 entries :)
L

“i've been waiting, i've been waiting for this moment..."

For those of you who haven’t heard the news yet I’m sorry I didn’t call you personally, there’s just too many to phone...

I’m engaged!

Bradley Wiebe and I are getting married on July 20th.

I’m sure you’re waiting for it... don’t worry, I won’t disappoint you... the Wedding Website is almost ready to launch :) There will be far more details there so hold tight.

Here’s one little blog worthy tidbit...

My whole life I’ve had this one goal; to move UP the alphabet. Being a West my chances were pretty good too. I hated in school how I was last for everything! There were those few glorious days where teachers would start from the bottom but they were few and far between. It’s less noticeable now that I’m older but I still feel the effects. When we get our flu shots at work I have to wait all day, sometimes almost having to stay after work. It’s my children I’m thinking about now, I didn’t want them to have to suffer through being last their whole life. So I was right on track with this goal for quite a few years... I started with a W (below me even) but then moved up to an M, and then an H and finally to a B! All the way up! None of those last names worked though... somehow I managed to plummet all the way back down to a W.

So I was looking at our ward directory the other day... Brad’s name is right below mine so if you think about it, my name will be eliminated and Brad will move up a spot... it’s like I’m not moving at all. I suppose that’s better than nothing. And my initial’s will stay the same, that’s saying something.

It’s a good thing he’s worth every bit of the sacrifice.
L

Middle Name Pride Day 2007

Well if you missed then I’m sorry cause it was a great night!

Delicious food, great people. Good times had by all.
Same time next year
M (Michelle)

Jane-Almus Day (Belated)

I know this post is a little belated but I thought everyone deserved to read the great Jane-Almus Day origin story. That's right, we've created our own holiday.

Tips for hosting a successful Jane-Almus Eve event

1. Brown and Green must be worn
2. Lasagna, with spinach, is the traditional meal
3. The Jane-Almus Day story should be read (preferably with toasts at the end)
4. Either Jane or Al should be in attendance
5. The badge with the official logo should be worn by all

I wish you many Happy years of celebrating Jane-Almus Eve!

The Jane-Almus Day Story

The amazing story of Jane-Almus day
Began in a land far far away.
In Floreana, the green leafed land
Where Jane and Al first took their stand.
When but wee babes were Al and Jane
A tyrant rose to power bringing horror and pain.
Mort Inopinee de Muerte was his name
Nothing would ever be the same.

Al and Jane grew up under the shadow
Of his black lies and promises hollow.
Until one day they expressed their hate
And agreed upon an Auspicious date
When Muerte's tyranny would be destroyed
And so they plotted and they ployed.

The "Green and Brown" was the paper they began
It was a way to stick it to the man
Green for life and Brown for earth
Freedom or Death - political rebirth.
They gained a loyal following underground
And soon faint rumors of freedom began to sound.

The infamous day they decided their coup to play
Was in the middle of Jane and Al's birthdays.
The eleventh of February the vote decided
Would end the bondage of a people blighted.
A suppressed people would rise to the top
And a deplorable despot they would stop!

They gained connections in Muerte's court
With his personal assistant Alberto Port.
Port poisoned Muerte's lasagna with arsenic
With the intention more than just to make him sick.
Unfortunately Muerte switched plates with his wife
Much to Jane and Al's chagrin and Muerte's strife.

So Al, Jane and their followers threw caution to the wind
And stormed the palace gates with no intention to rescind.
Fire, blood, soil, and sweat swirled all around
Until at last Lord Muerte lay dead upon the ground.
It was Al who dealt the death blow with his mighty sword
And Jane who kept them fighting with passion out-poured.

A monument now stands in Jane-Almus square
To remember those courageous souls who had fallen there.
And so it is now on Jane-Almus Eve
That we must to their memory cleave.
We wear green and brown to symbolize their zeal
And eat lasagna, which was Muerte's last meal.
So we thank you all for your participation
And invite you now to a toast and libation.
- Jane Kearl

L

Happy National Compliments Day!

Here are some compliments for people that I love... maybe one’s about you? You’ll just have interpret and choose the one you like best :)

• You look cute in a hoodie
• You make the best cookies I've ever eaten
• You smell so good :)
• You make me feel needed
• You’re so good at sharing personal stuff... it makes people feel how much you care about them
• You’re probably the best guy I know... I have nothing but good things to say about you and you deserve nothing less than the greatest girl. Stop dating those girls that don't deserve you.
• Best cheek rubs... oh how they linger ;)
• You’re my Best friend and you always know the right thing to say
• So willing to share... so willing to help and such a desire to make others happy
• Probably the best roommate I’ve ever had
• You make work bearable, even enjoyable at times :)
• Best big brother I have
• Oh how I love thee dear, just because you’re you
• That candy graham still makes me smile
• Yay to new friends!
• Hardly any time spent together these days... I miss you
• Sunday Dinner wouldn’t happen without you
• I miss our dinner’s together... can we start them up again?

I know some really amazing people... thanks for being so wonderful!
L

2007

It's official, New Yea'rs Party 2006 was successful!! My Mom had this brilliant idea that I should use mini lights around the house so shesent a ton home with me. Fantastic roommate Janine and I hung mini lights all around the ceiling in the living room / dining room upstairs. We put lights on the baseboard of the wall that leads to the basement, went around the kitchen door, down the stairs and had lights all around the ceiling and the baseboards downstairs too. It looked fantastic! We had icicle lights hanging in front of the window upstairs. There was food and music downstairs as well as up. I forgot to count but I think at midnight we probably had 40 ish people here? I bought noisemakers, those things you blow that unroll (you know what I mean?) and sparklers to light after midnight.Someone brilliant took the liberty of finding a New Year's countdown on line so we could all watch my laptop. Auld Lang Syne played in the background as we lit our sparklers and hugged and wished each other a great New Years... it was pretty magical really :) I finallymade it to bed around 5 am.The next morning was a standard New Year's day... breakfast (with the neighbors) and lots and lots of lounging. A relaxed trip to the mall and a super satisfying nap rounded out the day.

I expected this year to be a bit of a let down, last year I was in London standing by the river Thames watching some of the best fireworks I've ever seen. Sat on plastic wrapped newspaper provided by super thoughful British Men and ate British candy to keep us warm. I held the hand of a British Boy (and we know how I feel about hand holding ;) and shoved through some of the biggest crowds I've ever seen. Got slightly stalked by a super creep on a double decker bus, watched as men from the same bus bounced a parked car out of the way so the bus could make the tight turn. Tried to find a bathroom while everything was closed and froze in the coldest winter in London in years. Of course I would take the cold with me :)

This year somehow managed to stand up next to all that though. I hosted a succesful party where everyone seemed happy. Had an extremely loud countdown. Got nuzzled on the neck and the offer of a kiss. The crowd cheered my name and I blushed. The house looked fantastic, I managed to clear up all three of my dramas so I started the New Years drama free, friends on with all. I got to spend this year with all of my friends. I got to kiss (on the cheek) at midnight and basked in the glow of the ambiance of my mini light lit house.

Not a bad way to start the year
Thanks for helping
Happy New Year to all
L

Prize Winning Pie

have this reputation as sort of a Martha Stewart-ish figure. I like to cook, it’s something I think I do well but I’m not really a fan of having to prove it. So the thought of a pie competition was intimidating to me (funny that I came up with the idea eh?). People expect me to win; they expect me to make something sensational... what if I let them down? What if their image of me is shattered... who am I then?

I didn’t want to make a traditional pastry pie... everyone would do that. Luckily my brilliant Chef brother is in town. Together we came up with an idea for a Skor-Chocolate, Peanut Butter ice cream pie with a yummy corn flake crust, just like Mom used to make. It must have been enough because my reputation is safe for another day, Best Presentation is good enough for me :)
L

Ward Hike

What a successful day.

The hike turned out to be so much fun, not very hard, just nice. It was really hot but lots of the path was shady. Once we got to the lake there was lots to do, like swim if you're crazy! That's glacier water! There were people rock climbing and lots of people having lunch. We hiked down on the hard path and had such a beautiful view of Canmore. Once we got to the bottom we had some delicious sandwiches and juice and such.

I was pleasantly surprised with how well the day went. A few more people would have been fun but I liked that group that we had. Check out the pictures so you can see all the fun you missed.
L

Happy Birthday to Me

I’m 25 today

It feels like a big deal, like a big number, you know?

How did you celebrate your 25th?

Mine will start with Breakfast with some friends. Then I’m going to the Calgary Stampede (now that I live in Calgary it tends to steal my thunder). I’ve never been to the chuckwagon races or the grandstand show, so I’m excited! I’d like to fit a Crave cupcake somewhere in there too but we’ll see if time allows it. Ideally I’ll receive multiple phone calls from all the good friends that are missing today and end the evening with some fireworks.

I’m not sure I’m where I thought I’d be at 25 but life is good.
L

Sunday Dinner with Cam

Ever had an evening so good you weren't sure how any other would top it...last night was that night.

Sunday dinner with Cam was full of many pleasant surprises. We were a little concerned about the dinner because Cam was nervous and we felt we'd kind of forced him into hosting but all our concerns were for naught...Cam not only held his own but he took it to the next level.

It started off as any other dinner, set up and preparation. None of knew what we were eating but we'd been given very specific instructions on what to bring so we were looking forward to seeing it all come together. Kabobs were on the menu for the evening and the question was raised...what makes a shish kabob different than a regular kabob? Jane is happily cutting some meat we found in the fridge when Cam opens the oven to reveal mostly cooked marinated steak and chicken, in an act of pure instinct Jane freezes, "Cam am I cutting up your dinner for tomorrow?" The fridge meat was in case we ran out, which we didn't but it was a beautifully classic moment.

I was whipping cream in an ice cream bucket due to the lack of a bowl when I noticed cream all over the counter...when using an ice cream bucket to whip cream make sure you check for cracks in the bottom of the bucket. :o)

Cam amazed us once again by pulling out "the BBQ set". It was so awesome it defies description. Dinner was delicious, dessert was a perfect ending to the meal.

Next came out Catchphrase...I'm a little ashamed that the girls were beat 3-2 by the boys...it never should have happened. Personal highlight of the evening "Shut up Nathan!" I don't think I've laughed that hard in a year, it brought me to tears. Thanks Cam

Just when we thought the evening was coming to an end Cam stepped it up again and out came the smores.

The evening ended with a chuckle after us being not so subtly kicked out so Cam could head to bed...the memories from this evening will be long lasting and hopefully the next dinner is not shadowed by the overwhelming success of this one.

One of the highlights of 2006 for sure!
L

Middle Name Pride Day!

Happy Middle Name Pride Day!!!

Hope everyone is celebrating...I have a pretty sweet party planned for the evening. We're all going to go by our middle names for the evening.

If you didn't already get the evite you should stop by my house tonight at 7:00, it's going to be a good time!

Hopefully I'll update this with pictures of the actual event...hope to see you all tonight!

Have you ever had a day where you were so bored that you typed up your grocery list and organized it by the layout of the store? (I know, pathetic) That was my day yesterday...today looks like it will be about the same...hopefully I'm wrong.
At least that was the first really boring day in a while.

Stay tuned for Middle Name Pride Day Pictures
M (Michelle)