Kitchen Sink Post

Well, there has certainly been a lot of stuff going on that is worth noting, but I find that I have been very bad about posting any of it, and now most of it is out of date and less exciting. Where to begin?

I just got back from 3 days in Edmonton. There was a seat sale on for WestJet for $19 one way, so I jumped on that deal...and what a deal it turned out to be...$38 return trip becomes $182 round trip with all the taxes, fees and FUEL surcharges. It's getting to be fucking ridonkulous to travel anymore, and I feel bad for all the people who are paying for flights out here for the wedding. A few of the out-of-towners managed to take advantage of the cheap seats deal, but that's still a pretty penny. But I digress. Edmonton. It's a strange trip back to a place I recognize, but which is changing at such a rapid pace that it actually worries me that next time I go back, I'll get lost. I bounced from Wendy's couch to Holly's couch after a day, and I thank both ladies for offering me a place to crash. It was certainly good to see Wendy, since we haven't seen her or Missy in about 3 years or more. And I always love my Hollydays!

While in Edmonton, I went on a couple of power shopping sprees, managing quite a haul for limited cash, but what I am most proud of is my new tattoo. It's just a small sagittarius symbol on the back of my neck, but it means I'm halfway to my goal! I plan on one more tattoo and a small nose piercing before September :) To be honest, I don't know many other people who are going through their teen rebellion phase at age 29, but I don't mind it at all. After a lifetime of being good and being afraid of anonymous opinions of me, I am ready and indeed embracing the opportunity to be comfortable, indeed proud of who I am. I'm aware that my new adornments may give the professional world opportunities to reject me, but I have also become aware of the fact that I am a capable, intelligent woman, and the right opportunities will overlook some small ink spots.

What else? Well, my parents got a dog. Mojo, a shitzu-poodle cross, is quite the character! He's short, furry, cute, and very playful. Mum fell in love with that little face as we walked through a pet store at the mall, and had been mulling over the decision to get a dog. Well, 2 or 3 weeks later, I was going through the store again, and he was still there. As an older pup already (4 months) he's harder to sell because everyone wants their puppies younger, and my heart just went out to this pup who no one seemed interested in. He was even on sale :( I called mum to let her know he was still there. She had gotten over the idea of a dog, but I guess my call got her thinking again. She mulled it over some more, and I was careful to spell out the reasons for and against a dog with their lifestyle, but in the end, the only thing to do was to go meet this dog and see if he would be compatible. We spent about 5 minutes with the little booger, and Mum, Morgan and I were just taken with him. Some phone calls later, Mum had a dog. Mojo has settled in with my parents very well, and he is already Dad's bestest little friend. As a puppy though, he's not without his troubles; he's still hit or miss with his potty training, he doesn't yet "do" walks very well, and he gets overexcited, which means he stimulation marks (pee), usually on me. He's only been with us less than 3 weeks, but the little booger has become a part of the family. He had a severe reaction to one of his immunizations last week, and he almost didn't make it, making us all scared, but he came through like a champ and cemented his spot with the Poitras family.

Let's see. I went back to work briefly last week, no thanks to the intake person at the temp agency I work for. I ended up doing an end run around her, through the general system, and within hours had TWO jobs lined up through one of the other agents. Last week I was with an investment firm, and on Monday I start 4 weeks with a Crown Corporation. In the meantime, I desperately need to find a part time job, because the wedding fast approaches, and I have depleted a significant portion of our savings to cover my expenses while I wasn't working.

And another bit of big news for us was that Gail swung through town nearly two weeks ago and we did an engagement photo session with her. So far the outtakes are awesome and candid, and it just confirmed for us that we made the best choice asking Gail to do the photography for the wedding. We never doubted she'd do an awesome job, but after working with her, we got a feel for how she likes to work, and importantly, what kind of creative work she can and will do with the surroundings she's given :) We did a big portion of the shots on our balcony (with a few harry moments involving her on a chair ON THE 23rd FLOOR, cause she's quite a bit shorter than Rod), and she got some awesome shots of the cats (well, Max at least. Purrball wasn't cooperating with the camera). We then headed up to Burnaby Mountain Park for some glorious sunset shots, and finished with a short session at SFU. If you get the chance, I suggest you visit her flickr page, not just for our engagement photos which are part of the Vancouver 2008 group, but because you'll see some awesome work. Word of warning though, if you are hungry and can't get to food quick enough, you're in trouble, cause this lady does delicious food shots. She makes food I wouldn't touch with a 100 foot pole look so damn yummy!

I'm sure there's a lot more, but some of it is not fit to print, and some of it would bore you to tears. Plus, it's soooo breakfast time here. Nevermind your attention span after all my nattering...my attention span has officially quit for now.