Random Channel Surfing

Throwback to August (top pic) and last weekend (bottom pic) with my three little birds.  Now that I'm entering the last week in my twenties, I'm especially thankful for these three women and everything that they have contributed to my life. I love them and I feel especially blessed to be a part of their lives and all their major milestones.  It's ironic to me that 2008 was the year that brought the most changes to their lives. The year I was falling in love with a city, Nicole and Janis were falling in love with their guys and Jenn was graduating from nursing school. The year I was so ready to leave Edmonton, my friends were expanding their roots to the city's soil. But our trip to Montreal in 2014 proved something to me: that while I adore Montreal and will end up there one day, these three women are integral parts of my life. Their love, support, and friendship is vital. They are a constant reminder that despite my fears and unease, "every little th...

February 20, 2016 was a day of so much smiling my cheeks hurt. Of so many happy tears that I kept having to check my makeup. Of an overall awesome feeling of joy that was as infectious as it was instantaneous. My best friend married her best friend and to look at their beautiful shining faces, beaming with love and radiating elation, I couldn't help but believe that my own person is out there. Because a love shared between two people like Nicole and Rylan--two people who understand and complement one another to their very core--can't be as rare as I've made it out to be in my head. No; seeing them on their wedding day made me oh so hopeful that that kind of love is everywhere. You just have to know how to recognize it; you have to know how to tend to that love; you have to be willing to make small (and sometimes big) sacrifices; you have to be willing to commit to one person over and over and over again; you have to be willing to accept them, flaws and all; and you h...

  I'm feeling nostalgic.  This time last year, I was in Montreal with these good-lookin' kids. These pictures were taken on (what I think) was the best day we had there.  We started with some breakfast at a bistro a few blocks from our "apparte"; got caught in a storm; went shopping at Ste.-Catherine (where I bought us girls friendship rings); got loaded off $2 hi-balls at the world's cheapest sports bar; got more liquor at the dépanneur, which proved to be quite a fun experience for the boys; drank at Place Jacques-Cartier (just like the locals do!); watched the boats at the Vieux Port; had poutine at Nix and my old stompin' grounds, Montreal Poutine; and kicked off what was, without a doubt, the best holiday I've had to date.  Montreal is amazing, but being there with my gang made it SO MUCH BETTER.

It's always so much fun when I can see my lovely girls during the week! It's a shame that Jenn couldn't join us, but she's usually so tuckered out during the week that when she bowed out, we totally understood. Also, side note: I strongly recommend Magic Mike XXL. So much hot. Too much hot. I almost want to watch it again haha!

Nicole sent out an email to all of us bridesmaids as a way of introducing us to one another. She wrote a paragraph on each of us and I just love what she wrote about me. The woman knows me very well. It's going to be so awesome sharing another adventure with her :) Gah! I'm so excited for Nicole and Rylan's wedding day!

When we were in high school, Nicole and I were pretty obsessed with a Canadian band called Swollen Members. Now, one would think, "How is it that these two angelic girls would like a band with such a salacious name?" And the answer is simple, really. Nicole and I were hooked on their hit "Fuel Injected". Like, we were pretty much rapping geniuses whenever we rocked out to the song. And we were committed fans. Like, we went to autograph signings and begged our parents to let us stay out way past our curfews whenever they rolled through town (because Swollen Members concerts never end at a reasonable time. No, Nicole and I -- underage and virginal and innocent -- would stumble out of Red's at 4:00 AM or later on nights we'd go to a Swollen Members concert. And the reason for our stumbling? Second-hand weed inhalation. I kid you not. That shit was strong .) Anyway, the last time Nicole and I went to a Swollen concert was back in 2004, but tonight we are goi...

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Tonight's the night before I fly out to Montreal with the girls and their fellas. Half of me is restless and anxious and fighting the hiccups, while the other is blissfully aware of how blessed I am to be going on this mini vacation. Seven days of mischief and laughter. Seven days of music and feasting. Seven days in the one other place on the planet where I truly feel at home. I can already smell the rain on the pavement and I can already imagine how wonderful our time there will be. How did I ever get so lucky?

Camping is not my first choice when I'm planning a short trip. No. I usually think about going to St. Louis to visit my sis and her family, or about going to Calgary to see a concert, or about going to see Mel in Toronto. Camping is never my go-to and it's especially not ever on my list of trips I'd like to take. Like, ever. And it's not that I don't like camping, or that I've never done it, but rather that when I think of taking trips, I envision myself touring museums, or seeing a band live. I never really think about campfire and woodsmoke. I never consider sleeping on the cold soil. I never think about spending an entire day in the sun. But this May long weekend, the three ladies, their fellas, Dustin, and I met at Pigeon Lake for one of the most loved-up weekends I've had in a long time. Our days consisted of snacking and chatting and we passed the time enjoying ourselves by the fire at night. Our last night, the coldest night, we picked each othe...

I'm reading this book by Rainbow Rowell called Attachments and it's about this guy who works at a newspaper and monitors the journalists' emails and through the process of monitoring email, he inadvertently falls in love with a film critic who works there because he thinks she's charming and nice and funny, and he accidentally learns (by reading her email...) that she finds him physically attractive and that she refers to him as "My Cute Guy" (McG for short) whenever she talks about him to her bestie, and, as I'm reading this novel, I'm seeing so much of my relationship with Nicole on paper. Because the film critic, Beth, and her best friend, Jennifer, are loyal to one another and are candid and loving and respectful, and it's making me appreciate my friendship with my own best friend all the more. It's making me giggle at the ridiculous names we would give to the cute boys we'd regularly see (but never had the guts to actually talk to...),...

Last night was Rylan's 26th birthday party. I went as Rosie the Riveter and was joined by other feminist icons such as the Paper Bag Princess (Tamara), Cat Woman (Janis), Wendy Darling (Nicole) and Satan as Britney Spears (Seth). It was a grand old time and fun was had by all. Steph, Jenn, and Dave joined in the fun later that night and it was SOOOO MUCH fun to see the three of them! They even ended up staying well past 2:00 in the morning! Here we see two white boys gettin' down to some Biggie. n.b.d.

This Friday was a gift. It taught me that even when the four of us have a disagreement (for lack of a better word), we care about one another and work hard to improve our relationship.  I love these three women with all of my heart. I honestly cannot imagine my life without their light and love. 

We celebrated Nicole's roaring 20s before the Great Depression of turning 30 sets in in three years over the weekend. It was fun playing dress-up and, hey, I'll admit that it gave me the perfect excuse to buy the red lipstick I've been wanting to buy for the past three years. (Another push came in the form of an online article I read here .) Anyway, Nix always throws the most amazing parties. Look at the attention to detail! I was seriously geeking out over some of the stuff she did. Janis channels her inner Greta Garbo. Seth as Charlie Chaplin (especially loved his real 'stache!). Nix fashioned her sauna into a speakeasy.  Poisson rouge. Fab Four. Besties Five Ever. This was the best pic we took all night, in my opinion. Nix says this looks like a silent film poster about three best friends in the 20s: Janis is the cute, boy-crazy one, while Nix is the dramatic, wannabe actress, and I'm the sweet goofy...

So Nicole moved into her own place on Sunday. Own as in she bought it. She owns  it. It's hers. Funny how us three (Jenn, Janis and me) live vicariously through her ;) The crew: