#20 - Brent's Cove

My friend Jess is from a little town in out port Newfoundland called Brent's Cove - population.. less than 200. It's this beautiful little town with a heart shaped bay where everyone knows everyone and the people are all welcoming and super friendly. We decided to go after a bottle of wine each last weekend and the three of us - Myself, Jess and the boyfriend - quickly made arrangements to score some time of work. Although we only managed to get one day, we did the 3 hour drive out on Saturday and then back again on Sunday. It was well worth the trip.


Her family was so amazing, making us all of these Newfoundland traditional dishes: fish and brewis and bologna stew. There was so much food, beer, homemade wine, laughs, adventures and great memories. We'll definitely be going back again soon. 

Baby Jace!

Welcome to the world Baby Jace :)

This handsome man is the newest addition to our family. Mommy and baby are ecstatic and Lauren told me she didn't punch anyone during labor! I figure that's a good start to motherhood! 

#79 - Shaun of the Dead, Changeling & Snatch

Since I enjoyed the first two movies on IMDB's Top 250, I decided to continue on watching two more, with hopes of finding more gems I was oblivious to!

So, Shaun of the Dead.. yeah, I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone. I mean I watched it, but it was a forced effort. I'm not a huge fan of Simon Pegg ( Shaun) or this style of movie, and I haven't seen a Zombie movie that I liked yet, but I went into this with an open mind - at least I tried, I promise. But if you like Zombie comedies and Simon Pegg this movie is for you! Unfortunately for the makers of this movie, I will never watch it again! 

Changeling was an inspiring story about a woman named Christine Collins, played by Angelina Jolie, and is based the true story of Christine's journey to find her son after he goes missing. Despite all the odds against her Christine is unwilling to give up the search for her son and refuses to lose faith that her son will return to her. This moving shows the desperation and hope of a mother who refuses to go along with what she knows is not right. This is a movie that I would highly recommend to everyone.

All I'm going to say about Snatch is that it's a story about a diamond the size of Texas and Brad Pitt doesn't wear a shirt is most of it. You need to watch it. 

On another note....

Today is my day off, which means I'll be doing some cleaning, organizing for school and some relaxing. I'm thinking about starting Friday Night Lights and watching the episode of Bachelor Pad I missed last night. This weekend we didn't do any hiking, the weather was too warm for us to have done the hike. We ended up just spending an hour outside, in which we got two nice lovely sunburns, and then running inside to devour cotton candy ice cream. 

weekend soundtrack.

I have been looking forward to my weekend off since I had a horrendous day at work on Tuesday. So this weekend I'm in CB with the boyfriend where our sole goal of the weekend is to do whatever we want. We are planning on relaxing, eating children's cereal while watching cartoons, drinking too much wine, tanning (if it actually decides to be nice on my day off), maybe heading to the beach, and doing a little bit of hiking (weather permitting of course). So for this weekend I am actually going to use an entire CD for my soundtrack. For those of you who watch How I Met Your Mother this is for you and all those Barney Stinsten fans...


Barney's Get Psyched Mix


1. You Give Love A Bad Name - Bon Jovi
2. I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sisters
3. Lick It Up - Kiss
4. Paradise City - Guns N` Roses
5. Dancing With Myself - Billy Idol
6. Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions
7. Panama - Van Halen
8. Thunderstruck - ACDC
9. Dr. Feelgood - Motley Crue

This is perfect music for hiking a mountain, driving or dancing around in your underwear! 

I feel as though I should give a little update on my life aside from the 101/1001 list! 


My parents just got back from a trip across the province, which meant that my brother and I got to spend a little quality time together. We cooked some meals, watched some TV and had a half an hour discussion on which restaurant to order from when we didn't feel like cooking, or well I should say when I didn't feel like cooking. At 19 my brother has only mastered the skill of cooking salmon and KD (a very odd combination) but neither of which I am particularly fond of. Also when my parents are out of town I don't have to fight my dad for the coffee pot at 9am ( he drink decaf - what's the point to drink coffee if it doesn't have caffeine?)  

Other than that I've been working mostly, which has been very frustrating this week. Sometimes I feel as though I'm the only person who really works at my job and does what's supposed to be done. See, we don't really have a supervisor at work all of the time, but since I've been there for 5 consecutive summers and am the oldest by 3 years I was designated supervisor by the manager. But when you're only a few years older than everyone and there isn't always that much work to do it's hard to get them motivated when there is actually work to do. Also, some of the girls that I work with aren't the most responsible which resulted in my 5 hours shift tomorrow changing into a 9.5 hour shift -  meaning I had to give up a shift at a different job. So needless to say I am really looking forward to a relaxing, uninterrupted weekend off with my boyfriend. 

I'm also trying to remember to bring my camera with me more often so I can take some of my own pictures for my blog rather than stealing others photos (today's visual aids are courtesy of Chasing Pavement). 

#92 - Books Books Books!

#92 on my list - Ask 10 friends to recommend books for me to read. So I posted in my Facebook  status for my friends to recommend books for me. I got more results than I expected. So I'm expanding my list, because I absoloutely love to read and most of my friends aren't suggesting romance novels so that will also help out with # 81 - Read 101 non-romance novels! 

The verdict is in and the books are as following:


1. The Help by Katherine Stockett  - Sara J
2. The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela Carter - Carolyn M
3. Mercy by Jodi Picoult - Gail B
4. Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland - Amy Y
5. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie - Stephanie H
6. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell - Ruth L
7. Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult - Marquita W
8. American Gods by Neil Giaman - Kieran S 
9. Twenties Girl by Sophia Kinsella - Kate T
10. The Stand by Stephen King - Andrew B
11. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - Pat C
12. The Hunger Game & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - Taylor W
13. House of Hate by Percy Janes - Jayce W
14. The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

I'm so excited to start reading all of the books that my friends have suggested! And I'm so thankful to have so many wonderful friends who have suggest so many great (at least I hope!) books for me to read!

#79 - The Philadelphia Story & Rain Man

To officially kick off my 101/1001 list I sat down and watched The Philadelphia Story and Rain Man. I started at the bottom of the 250 list to hopefully work my way up to the best movies. But starting with The Philadelphia Story and Rain Man was an excellent decision on my part. 


I was really nervous to start with The Philadelphia Story because it was made in 1940 which means that the movie is black and white. The movies stars Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn and story is based on a romantic comedy where everyone wants the girl! I would highly recommend this movie to everyone!

My next movie won the Best Picture in 1988, staring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man. As soon as I told my boyfriend that I was about to watch this movie he told me that I was going to love it. I actually don't know why I haven't watched it before. This movie was so inspirational and I encourage everyone to get out there and watch it right now! Like now.. GO!

I can't wait to continue with the Top 250 movies and the rest of my list! 

Music Monday: John Mayer

John Mayer is always my go-to artist. His soothing voice is perfect to listen to while driving, cooking, cleaning, reading, and just about anything I can think of. He is one of the artists that always puts me in a good mood and relaxes me after a stressful day. He is always on my playlist when I head to he library to write a paper. 


John is currently on tour promoting his new album Battle Studies. 

Check out his website for lots of fan extras.

John also writes a blog about all aspects of his life, including photos of his dog Jack Bauer. 

And So Begins the 101...

I have 992 days left to my 101/1001 challenge and I have yet to complete anything from my list. I have been making lists and thinking about where I can start instead of actually starting. I think I was scared to actually start because it would mean that I had actually committed to the list and to trying to complete these tasks in 1001 days. 


I decided that the best place to start would be with #79 - watching all of IMDB's Top 250 movies. Surprisingly I've only seen 31 of this ever-changing list. For example, I was looking at the list this morning and Cary Grant's Arsenic and Old Lace was #249 but checking now #249 is listed as Rain Man (1988). So I think I'm going to save the list right now and watch all the movies that are currently on the list. I'm excited to really get started with this list, there are so many influential movies that I haven't watched and so many that are considered classics that I haven't seen. 


Since I'm off tomorrow I'm going to take advantage of a late night and watch #250 ( I thought I'd start from the bottom of the list and work my way up!) with Cary Grant's The Philadelphia Story (1940). I'm looking forward to a nice black and white movie with a big glass of red wine, when I told my boyfriend of this he said it sounded like a perfect relaxing night (not to mention the 1940's heartthrob Cary Grant added to the mix, but of course my boyfriend didn't think like that). 


I also started working on #77 tonight as well - make a custom recipe book. A co-worker of mine, is starting her 2nd year of flight school in a month and couldn't cook if her life depended on it (I'm told her stir fry looks like hamburger meat). So I told her today at work I would make her a recipe book with pictures so she could see what she needed to be doing in order to have her food come up eatable. So when I made fajitas tonight for my brother and I, I took pictures so I could start the cook book. She's really excited about this, which got my really excited and it's a great excuse for me to try cooking some new meals to add to her recipe book! I was also thinking about maybe putting up some of the recipe's (with picture) on here. But for now I'm going to concentrate on making the recipe book for Anne so that she can eat good, healthy food this year at school. 


So cheers to actually starting my 101/1001! Hopefully once I really get into this it'll be easier to get going on the rest. I think I'm going to start working on more tomorrow on my day off! 

weekend soundtrack. better late than never.

We're obviously half finished with the weekend so maybe I should have titled this "Saturday Night at Home Organizing, Movie-Watching and Catching Up on Sleep Soundtrack." But that would have made a really long title. 

Last night I was in CB, two of my really good friends Mark and James were in for the weekend so I made the trip down last night to see them - and then made the trip back this morning for work. We had a really enjoyable evening with lots of laughs, drinking, memories and stupid moments. Which is what usually happens when the three of us get together. 

I worked all day, and work again tomorrow. Therefore, tonight I'm going to be taking a look at my 101/1001 list and really seeing what I can start doing and start planing for those that are going to require more work. I'm also going to watch a movie and relax after that, although I know I should clean my room. But here is what I'll be listening to while doing whatever I decide is more fitting for my mood:

Previous Love - James Morrison

Better Together - Jack Johnson

Assassin - John Mayer

If It Kills Me - Jason Moraz 

Because You're A Woman - Brett Dennen 

Goodbyes, Hellos, & See You Laters

One of the most depressing things about growing up and getting close to graduating from college is that your friends slowly start to move away. While they all move away for different reasons - continuing school, work, family - it doesn't seem to make saying goodbye any easier. This weekend we said goodbye to our friend Cee who has graduated and is heading to Malaysia for a visit with her boyfriend before heading back to Zimbabwe. We all had a lovely dinner at The Bistro and then a tear filled morning with one last brunch before she headed off.


On a happier note, my friend Tiff is in town for the week. Getting to spend time with Tiffany is always an easy way to make my week a little brighter. I saw her for the first time yesterday when she stopped to visit me at work. Tiffany's visits are always insightful because we can realistically talk about our future, what needs to be done, how we can do it and how the hell we managed to grow up without even realizing it. Sometimes it feels like Tiff and I are still in high school, but then it hits me that we're grown up when we start talking about what we want for our future. 


I spent some time with Jillian, I friend of mine who also graduated this year. Luckily she'll be heading to the other side of the island for more school so I'll still get to see her when I get a chance to make it out to St. Johns. But it still won't be the same as having her around all the time and attending classes with her, or having our famous library dates. 


I've come to realize, while I'm so excited to get back to school in a month, that things are going to be so different this year. With many of my friends having graduated and moving on there will only be a few of us left and a sure sign that life is changing and that we're all growing up, whether we want to or not. 

101/1001

Kayla from Ramblings of a Small Town Girl has inspired me to participate in a project called Day Zero. This project encourages you to make a list of 101 specific things that you want to do in 1001 days (approximately 2.75 years). Many people have bucket lists or 25 things to do before you turn 25, but this list give you a reasonable amount of time to complete such tasks. 


It was much harder to come up with 101 things than I thought it would be. When I initially sat down to start writing my list I thought I was going to have to cut things from my list but instead it took me a few days to come up with 101 things I thought were important enough to be put on such a substantial list. 


After I looked at my list, I debated if I really wanted to commit myself to this project, so I took a look at the website and decided that maybe this is really what I need to get out of the funk I seem to be in lately. So I signed up, created a profile, and added a list. 


Starting tomorrow, Friday July 30th, 2010 - I have until April 13th, 2013 to complete the following list:


Indulge
1. Fall in love
2. Buy myself a nice piece of jewelery
3. Buy something from Etsy
4. Buy a piece of Art from an Art Auction
5. Eat ice cream Sundae's with homemade ice cream
6. Spend and entire weekend watching movies
7. Shop at a farmers marker
8. Spend an afternoon reading in the sun
9. Get a tattoo
10. Dye my hair brown
11. Spend and entire afternoon in an antique store
12. Buy myself a new camera
13. Have a candlelight dinner
14. Spend an afternoon reading in the park
15. Buy a real vintage dress
16. Dance in the rain


Explore

17. Visit Europe

18. Visit two new states

19. See New York

20.  Stay overnight in a new town (within my province)

21. Visit Cape Cod

22. Take a family vacation

23. Hike Gros Morne Mountain

24. Take a week long camping trip

25. Eat at 10 new restaurants

Education

26. Graduate with a BSc in psychology

27. Get accepted into one of my top 5 grad schools

28. Get all A’s as final grades for a semester

29. Become a member of the CPA

30. Take a course I wouldn’t normally register for

Expand

31. Visit the Museum of Natural History

32. Learn conversational French

33.Try every red wine from Portugal

34. See a Broadway production

35. Perfect an Indian dish

36. Watch and understand the Rugby World Cup

37. Learn to make an authentic dish from three different countries

38. Join a book club

39. Get a job as a bartender

40. Make 5 new desserts

41. Learn to drive a standard

42. Make curry from scratch

43. Make a soufflé

44. See a play 

Caring

45. Sponsor a child for 1001 days  (at least)

46. Donate blood 5 times

47. Volunteer once a month within my community

48. Go through my closet and donate all clothes that doesn’t fit or I no longer wear

49. Make a $100 donation to a charity every year

50. Plant a tree

51. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years

52. Grow a plant

53. Bake cupcakes for a friend for no particular reason

54. Pick 5 people who have changed my life/inspired me and write them letters

Healthy Choices
55. Join a gym and go three times a week
56.  Give up all soft drinks for a month
57. Give up coffee for a month
58. Give up fast food for  a month
59. Go swimming once a month
60. Join an outdoor club or group
61. Learn to snowboard
62. Successfully complete P90X
63. Go zip lining
64. Run a half marathon
65. Be able to do 100 push ups


Money Wise
66. Put away $20 for every goal I complete
67. Start a travel fund
68. Put $25 of every cheque into the travel fund
69. Put $100 extra into the travel fund each year
70. Get a grant/scholarship for grad school
71. Have all my Christmas shopping finished by November 30^th, 2010
72. DIY all my own Christmas wrapping paper and cards


Misc.
73. Go on a picnic
74. Fly a kite
75. Knit a scarf
76. DIY a custom picture/bulletin board76. Make a custom recipe book
77. Make a custom recipe book
78. Make a list of 101 things I am grateful for
79. Watch all of IMDB 250 top movies
80. Read 5 biographies
81. Watch every episode of The Simpson’s
82. Read 2 Jane Austen novels
83. Watch The Godfather
84. Have (and maintain) an old-fashioned pen pal for 1001 days
85. S uccessfully complete a 30 for 30 challenge
86. Have 101 followers on my blog at the end of the 1001 days
87. Document as many of the 101 items as possible
88. Read 101 non-romance novels
89. Spend an afternoon with my Nan learning to make bread
90. Take my parents out to supper
91. Make 5 skirts (and wear them!)
92. Ask 10 friends to recommend a book and read them all
93. Host a dinner party
94. Make my own wine
95. Give a creative gift rather than buying one
96. Learn to curl my hair
97. Spend an afternoon with my mom
98. Watch a sun rise and set in the same day
99. Make pizza from scratch
100. Write a letter to myself  to open at the end of the 1001 days
101. Write another 101 list at the end of the 1oo1 days


I know that some of these are going to cost more than the others but I hope that I enjoy each and everyone of these items and that by April 13th, 2013 I have completed everything on this list. When I hit publish post I am going to pour myself a nice glass of red wine and toast to the next 1001 days. 

weekend soundtrack.

I am off for the weekend and I am heading to CB (which is about half an hour away) for the weekend to spend some time with my boyfriend and his family. Until tomorrow when I get in the car I just plan on relaxing in my room, maybe surfing the internet, and taking a much needed nap.

The plan for tomorrow is to get in the car and hit shuffle on my ipod and see what the day brings me. Therefore for this weekend's soundtrack I'm going to do the same...

1. Love Song for No One - John Mayer

2. Caravan Holiday - Stereophonics

3. Intuition - Feist

4. Forgiveness - Collective Soul

5. So Long Sweet Misery - Brett Dennen 

John Mayer is the perfect mellow song to start my weekend, especially since I had to stay an extra half hour at work today. I am also tending bar tonight at my community's annual festival. I'm interesting to see how working until 2am is going to sit with someone (myself) who is usually in bed before 12 every night.