Monday, May 31, 2010

Even Monsters Love Photo Booth

Well, I was home from work this afternoon (with a stomach ache), so I put my time to good use, and finished the three little monsters I started a bit ago!


Like l.o.m. (little orange monster), these little buggers are more than a little lively!


Maybe they are taking after me a bit (or maybe this is just monster-nature), but the first thing they wanted to do was play around with Photo Booth, and - well, I'm a pushover. These are the results. Yikes! I hope Christine and Chip are willing to put up with goof-balls! OK - I'll admit it - I joined in the fun, too!


I will try to get them sent out this weekend, along with some other treats, but first we may tour Vancouver together (they are insisting). Cross your fingers for some sun this weekend!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Dinner Date

My favorite part of just about every day is the time I get to sit down with Sebastien for dinner. We are both busy, busy people, so on those crazy nights, frequently we prepare something quick (usually a stirfry or burritos). Every night, one of us sets the table and puts on "dinner appropriate music" (what that is, is debatable - sometimes even Hot Chip is okay dinner music; sometimes not). We hold hands across the table and say the following prayer (by Satish Kumar - although I didn't know this before just now):


Lead me from death to life;
From falsehood to truth.

Lead me from despair to hope;
From fear to trust.

Lead me from hate to love;
From war to peace.

Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe.

Amen


After we say this prayer, I feel quieted, and we can continue on with a lovely dinner. Even though it is sometimes a much quicker meal than I would like, I really appreciate the time we have to gather our thoughts, join our hands together, and give thanks for all our blessings.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

33 (!) Years Ago....

Far, far away in Upstate New York, a mother and father had a baby girl. They named her Hope, for their expectations for this young one were great.


She went off into the world, and had many adventures, and expectations and plans of her own.


I appreciate so much everything you, my family and friends, did along the way for this little girl (if you haven't figured it out, it's me). Your love is very apparent, and I am so lucky for it!!!

Gosh darn it, I love birthdays!

(The top picture is with my dad; the bottom one, with Chip and Grandma Telford [I would love to do a Young Me / Now Me of it, if Grandma T were still with us!].... I looked for photos of me as a baby with my whole family, and didn't find any! Next year, perhaps.)

Have a wonderful day!

Monday, May 17, 2010

We've Come a Long Way, Baby!

I am writing this post in response to my sweet, intelligent, and wonderfully creative friend Jenn. She is always doing fun projects around her house, and with her kids, and recently she asked, "So what is your favorite thing in your house? Something you or your child has done or something thrifted/bought out and about? I love sneak peeks into everyone's special spaces!" So, I thought I would give her (and many of my friends and family who unfortunately haven't been able to visit Vancouver) a sneak peek at my favorite part of our little home.

When Sebastien was away this past fall, I was pretty down in the dumps for a while. I was very busy: studying for a really big exam, going out a lot with my friends here, taking walks and having dinners, and using every opportunity I had to talk with Sebastien. --But I was still sad. I considered moving to a different apartment in a different neighborhood (just for kicks), but then thought it would be too much work, on top of my already busy schedule. I decided to put my energies into positive changes around our apartment that would be a nice surprise for him, when he returned. In a day of cleaning, I found some picture frames, and then I went out the next day to find 3 more matching frames in the alley (if I haven't told you about our "magic alley," I would be shocked - it has given us the most interesting stuff we have in our apartment)!

Anyway, I wanted to feel some productive creativity, and finally inspiration struck. I spent over a month arranging and rearranging all these frames on a table in the middle of our living room (I had been listless around the house, to say the least). Finally one Sunday, I wanted to turn my mood around, so I went to the hardware store around the corner and got a few new bottles of paint, and went to town on the frames. My idea was that I wanted a whole wall that would complement the paper poppies I made, and that would cheer me up a bit. The paints I bought were magenta with glitter, fire engine red, basketball orange, some light hard red, and some french grey (I already had yellows, black and white).


It definitely took me WAY too long for this whole project, but I am STILL cheered up every time I look at the fun frames and photos of family and friends. I think it is nice in the context of the rest of our bedroom too - it definitely brightens it up a bit!



Thinking back on the many projects that Sebastien and I have taken on in our three years here, we've definitely come a long way. I am very happy with all the work we've done, and look forward to more fun projects like this (although I hope they go a little quicker!).

To conclude, I will repeat Jenn's question: "So what is your favorite thing in your house?"

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Whistler Weekend

Here are some pictures from last weekend, my not-so-secret getaway with Sebastien:

First Things First

Get Our Bearings a Little - We are Basically Staying Between Whistler and Blackcomb

Forecast For the Weekend? High in Spirit, With a Chance for Relaxation Throughout the Day

Happy to be Out of Town for a Couple of Days

The View of the Mountains Through the Binoculars

The Biggest Surprise, a Few Hours in the Scandinavian Baths

I Fell in Love With the Chairs - I Think I am Going to Have to Find Some for Me!

As Always, I Made Sebastien Go Watch Skateboarders

I Was Sick the Whole Time, so This Is Pretty Much as Active as I Got the Whole Weekend

Some Skunk Cabbage on Our Walk - Right Near a Picnic Spot

The Beautiful Quilt in the Beautiful Whistler Library

I think I am ready to go back again!