Part of the Pack

Enjoying the lake
Being one with the hounds!

Japanese Feist

On friday night James, Dianna, Tayo and I went out for some japanese fast food...ramen and gyoza. I am not a die hard fan of ramen, however the last place we went to was REALLY good, but maybe that was early pregnancy and salt addiction speaking. This place we went to today James and I have been to in the past (I only ordered gyoza and rice then) its suppose to be the best in Vancouver, and always has a line up no matter what time of day...however I personally preferred the last place :)


I just wanted to post this since I noticed James' original chopsticks(one broke in a weird spot) THEY ARE CROSSED...he always nags on me when I accidentally do this! Muahhahaa
So after we finish, we are standing outside the restaurant and I notice at the "pub" beside the special of that night FRIDAY...hello I will be back in March!
A late night stop for some gelato, I ordered pineapple and raspberry sorbet.

Client photos

We all know what that means...more dogs, these are not from today, but it was such a successful day at work with a few of my stubborn clients so I wanted to celebrated some of the critters I adore!
This guy has come a LONG way since his first crazy walks, jumping and biting and ripping all our jackets (3 of us work for the company) he is so calm and lazy now haha. Aaah blue sky, it was an ugly day today...a preview of our gloomy grey winters yuck!
Sweet sweet super cricket. She is about 15 years old, losing her hearing, but still has that beagle nose. I think I'm her favorite, since I am the only one who get her to walk quite the distance and for longer than 15 minutes ;)
Mick - what an awesome aussie, I'm pretty sure our walks are done with (her pawrents book random walks throughout the year for a 2 week period) but his markings are as striking as his personality.
Karma-licious the forever puppy looking lab, everyone thinks she is a pup! Very loving girl who is full of kisses, but I keep my distant as she is a notorious POOP eater...why do so many do that gross!
Lastly...Shelagh - bo-belaaaa. Always on the hunt for those pesky squirrels, she has been a stinker lately with taking off into the woods after them, its that time of year. So unfortunately I have been keeping her leashed mostly lately, but I love her dearly...and her spit bubble hahaha.

Country Side Beauty

This was taken somewhere between Vancouver and Hope on our way to Kelowna. I was super happy that it turned out pretty since it was taken while Jim was flying down the highway like a maniac hahaa. I love the mountains here in BC, it always looks like a water painting or something along those lines.

Romantic Moonlight

I was totally excited to see the new theme for this weeks contest, this picture is not great, but it was ironic that I managed to capture a theme appropriate picture when I had no clue what the new theme was.

It was a full moon on monday night, and tuesday was our first night of camping in the Okanagan and the moon was just amazing unfortunately no tripod and shaky impatient pregnant hands did not allow me to get a good shot of the moon, so then I just decided to have fun and draw with the moon.

I was like a kid bringing home her first A+ paper, so proud when I took this heart shot, so I think its worth the post, even if its not overly artistic... I LIKE IT hehehee It was my second attempt at a heart, as I realized after taking the first phone, I had to draw the heart upside down...so again quite proud haha

Yikes!

So I already blew my goal of trying to get updated with everyones blogs, I still have not added the new people who have joined since I went MIA. My girlfriend has been staying with us for most of the week, as her place is being renovated, so needless to say its been a busy week, and I am just exhausted.

I did however brave the challenge of bringing my "real camera" to work...call me crazy trying to juggle 5 dogs and a big camera, and a backpack full of dog gear, and a poop bag in hand...yep CRAZY! So of course I will post some pup pictures...which is about 90% of the pictures I post hahaaa...occupational hazard? no life but dogs? animal lover hobby? Who knows but I do love to snap up my animals, or any cuties I run into, so if you get sick of fur creatures, then just skip over, because my life is animals, sleeping, or ahhhh baby stuff, yep I almost 17 weeks already and have no clue about being a mom, or what is the best crib, stroller, diapers whatever for the little one...but I won't bore you with that, I will leave baby talk for my other blog hahaa, this is clearly my animal blog! Ha!

These 4 dogs all live in the same house, there is a 5th one(another cocker), who has a foot sore so he is not walking with us for a few days...they are a newer group and quite the handful but cute so when they are driving me CRAZY, they give you that look and you forgive them hehee.

Mogito - a rescued mexican stray

Buddha - Mo's brother (these two are living with "gramma" for over a year, as her son and his wife, are in the states for a school program or something along those lines) He is a bull in a china shop!
Sweet Sweet Little Lily - another rescue, a face only a mother/or me could love her tongue hangs out and she has the droopiest eyes, but I now have a love for cockers hehee
Emma - Lily's "sister" a stick obsessed chocolate lab (aren't they all? hehee)
And Lily taking a break getting ready to roll around for some great back scratches on the pebbles!

Bugs Eye View

Beach Days!

Emi just loves to dig in the sand, she was covered in it afterwards.... But managed to shake alot off for her model shots!
Yes that is someone swimming out there, crazy is the only word I have to describe them. I put my toes in and its ICE WATER.
Mr. Not so graceful (aka Cotton) right before he chest dived into a log, haha poor thing

I have spent the last 3 days at the beach, well yesterday was more the evening at 2 different beaches. I am just soaking in as much as I can of this amazing weather we are having. June has just been so awful that I was really starting to miss Ontario's HOT HUMID summer's!

I have a new blog, that will be more wordy with pictures as well, so I will try to blab less in this one, and also TRY TRY TRY to get back into posting. I miss you ladies so much. I honestly don't know why I do not have time to even check in on WB, I work part time, and do not have after work activities or hobbies, I don't even workout lol....but somehow my boring life consumes me now hahaa.

James and I finally agreed to get the Canon Rebel, while I reallyyyyyyyyyyy wanted the Nikon D80, the Rebel was on for a great price and came with the Lens Kit. I am loving how lightweight and "small" in DSLR terms it is. I have not really been playing around with any of the manual functions, but am addicted to the "sport" setting for getting action shots of hubs at baseball, and Emi at the dog park, or beating up Cotton.

Anyhooo new blog if anyone is interested in reading me blab and seeing "other pictures" is

housefullofcrazy.blogspot.com

It's mostly to keep family and friends who live far away updated with our lives!

I have so many pictures, I will post most of them on the other blog, and try to limit my favorites to here, starting...tomorrow :P

So sorry

Wow I have been MIA for so long, my apologies! This has been a very emotional and crazy week. My company has been looking after a cat while his parents are gone for just over 3 weeks. I have been doing most of the visits. He is AMAZING, meows at you before you can get the keys in the door, hugs me (literally) when I pick him up, and then continues to climb up me and wrap himself around my neck while I get his food ready. Then we sit on the couch for a snuggle, where he nurses on my sweater/pants whatever...he obviously never grew out of that habit and I find it adorable! When I am getting my gear ready to leave he will lay on my shoes and has tried to bite my ankles...he is so lonely and it breaks my heart. Anyways I saw him tuesay did our normal routine, then wednesday their was no meow at the door, my heart dropped as this was NOT normal for him. I thought maybe he was sleepig searched the apartment no Noogie, got his food out thought maybe he would come running no Noogie...I called my boss in a panic, got her voicemail. Searched the house again, and I mean searched, the washer the dryer, the freezer, stove, all of their cupboards, and dresser drawers (I felt like a creep) no sign of him, but there was 2 pees and a poop in the litter box, so I am 100% sure he was there when I left tuesday and have proof of it wit the dirty litterbox(we scoop everyday)

My boss searched teh place, I searched thursday and put up missing signs. Went to the SPCA on friday, no sign of him.

Lastnight my boss got a call that she missed and did not realize she had a message till 2 AM, and it was a neighbor saying they have the cat on the poster, but can't keep him as the roommate is allergic to cats and they have no litter box etc. So she figured they let him back outside and went over at 2am to search the neighborhood (again) with a flashlight...could not call this guy that late.

She tried to reach him today but got his machine, and got a call back a few hours ago, she finally got to his place a few minutes ago and its HIM! It's NOOGIE! I overwhelmed right now and can't wait to see him :D

This is what he does with me

Hopefully I can get back into my blog and weddingbells. Oooh and James really wants the new Rebel he was playing with it at the store the other day (without me!) and almost bought it for me weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I really love SLR and can't wait for a digital one!

Coast to Coast

I usually only get around to one posting a week, but I figured I would give the heads up...I am leaving for New Brunswick in a few hours. May 16th is my grandparents 50th anniversary and my Aunt who lives in Alberta has planned a little party thing, I have not seen my Aunt or her children (who now have their own children) in about 12 years!!!

I have not seen my grandparents (either side) for almost 3 years, and my mama's mom alzheimers is getting very bad, none of my relatives have even met James hahaa (well one aunt and uncle) so this should be a veryyyyyy interesting trip.

Unfortunately we are only going for 4 whole days, since today does NOT count I do not land in Moncton till 11 grrrrr, I hate losing a whole day to plane travel. I am flying with Emi, so the flight could be intersting as well hahaa! Send us some good weather vibes, and hopefully I get a few good pictures to post when I get back on Monday!!!!

ciao

The Love Shack

James really wanted to propose to me around Christmas (2006) I think mostly because we were visiting my parents but he hadn't yet found a designer that he "clicked" with alot were super swamped and saying the ring would take months and months. So instead he asked my dad for approval while we were visiting, and found this stone as one of my christmas presents, he did not say the words "will you marry me?" but I knew it would happen soon. We had already been talking about marriage and life so the proposal was not a huge surprise but the stone was...funny story or at least to me we were at my aunt and uncles a few days before christmas celebrating with them, and I noticed a similar stone with a different quote in their dining room and said "oh I love these, always the perfect wording!" And James got this funny look on his face, I just ignored it thinking he was being his weird self. Well prior to going to my relatives we had been shopping, he went his own way to look for stuff and saw this stone...and picked it up, then said "no she will think its tacky and cheesy" and put it back down. Ha! So after visiting with my relatives and him seeing me excited about theirs he made a trek back out to the mall fighting with the crowds determined to get this stone!

We were married in the Dominican our "celebration of love and life" non traditional wedding, we wanted to involve our guests as much as possible, so I had one of my best friends say a speech and explain a Blessing Stone Ceremony, we wanted to remember what everyone had said so we had our guests write it on one rock that we kept, here are a few favorites, I believe the top left is from my mom the top right my sister, bottom left my dad, and bottom right Dianna who did the ceremony....needless to say there were alot of silly sex and baby making ones, lots of laughs and embarrassed faces when I asked everyone to read them out loud ha! My favorite from the best man Nick who took our pictures I can't seem to find, I think he used a yellow marker and it has faded...but it said something alot the lines of crazy sex for ghaki making, Ghaki is sort of like devil child, or just young kid, in Japanese it was James' nickname in his group, passed down from the original ghake Nick himself, since James was the youngest in their group (they went to highschool in Tokyo)

And this we bought while we were in the dominican, I have a totally cheesy love center sort of thing set up on this window, with a little stone statue from the wedding coordinator from our hotel, this stone, the quote stone....lots of stones, an orchid from James lots of sentimental "junk" hahahaa.

Girls Night

My friend Dianna came down to visit last night...so we celebrated in honor of the up coming Sex and the City movie with what else.....COSMO's, I have not had a good cosmo since our college days. It brought back memories as we sipped and chatted into the night.

I like to make them with Raspberry Cranberry Juice, gives it a sweeter touch! I try to not look at the pictures of the week until after I uploaded my photo...so I don't feel as though I am copying someone ha! And I was so good, did not look and then when mine loaded and I checked it so many great drink shots I don't stand a shot...maybe we should start a wannabe competition hahaaha!

Rewind!

So we all know I have been having a very hard time keeping up to date. I am still missing my camera cord, so I have to take my memory card out of the camera I use stick in an old one, WHICH IS SOOOOO SLOW, so it takes an hour to upload all my pics, which is why I procrastinate uploading pics. These pics are older from when I was house and dog sitting! And probably a few from when we went up to whistler for dogfest.

Which means you will probably see our camping pictures (we went from April 28-30) next week hahaa.

Emi went in for surgery on thursday to be spayed. So you will probably see conehead and stitches shots in 2 weeks hehee. She is doing good we are being couch potatoes together, which means hopefully I can finally get to my pictures (organizing that is) and getting stuff ready to visit family in New Brunswick....oh and the million pounds of laundry I have to find time to drag to the laudromat.

Emi is 6 months old as of yesterday!! I can't believe we have had her for 4 months already...she's getting so big, I can hardly remember how small she used to be....she is 15 lbs now WOW, but sure as heck does not look that heavy.

Let's see what pictures I can dig out to post!

Emi and Lucy playing tug, they are the same age, Lucy is a bordercollie/lab mix

You know me and the macro, I can never get Emi to sit long enough, so Hogan was a great subject!
I love that you can see his white hairs, he's I believe 7 years old.
Hogan trying to take over the chair
Our furkids, Emi looks so big, she is so small to me, until I see her at different perspectives like this one
Walking the dogs in Steveston, only Hogan would brave the cold water.
This pictures makes me hear the song Safety Dance, by Men without hats....you can dance if you wanna!!!
Driving up to Whistler, a "through the window while the car is moving" shot is mandatory!
Bedhead??? Ha Me About to join the parade. FatMan, and the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Cotton won 4th place (honorable mention) for his Batman costume hehee. Animal torture at its finest
And lets end the day with another car in motion window shot!

Flowers Flowers Everywhere...

Wow I cannot believe its April 25 and my last post was the 10th, please someone slap me back into reality hehee!

I have been consumed with pet sitting, and dog boarding, my poor house finally got a tidying up today, but it was pretty nice out so I did not want to spend much time inside. We are camping next week, so I will be gone from monday-wednesday, but hopefully I can get some shots of us camping with our fur family...yep we are bringing them all ahhhhhh.

Send the good animal vibes my way please....and the sunshine, rain is in the forecast for the days we are gone...but lets be honest this is Vancouver and the weather is never right and I personally think its the most bogus job out here since its completely underpredictable in this city ha!

Well enough blabbing lets get to the pictures already right?

Some pretty flowers from around the city...I have no idea what half of them are, feel free to let me know :D
Wasp Hideout

Sakura - Cherry Blossoms, one day I will see the "real deal" in Japan, James used to live on Sakura Dori (Cherry Blossom Street) and he said it was amazing (right now he says CRAZY) how they lined the streets and created a tunnel you drove/walked through!
Daffodil

Mount Doug

These pictures are from 2 weekends ago when we went to Victoria, I know tsk tsk, suppose to be from today, but seriously my life is pretty boring, and also busy. We dog and house sat last weekend, I think I got some great shots, but can't find my darn camera cord, it may be in Victoria (AAAHHHH) we are pug sitting Cotton again, and then dog and house sitting again next week, and we might even be crazy enough to attempt to go to Whistlers Dog Fest with FOUR DOGS, count that...1, 2, 3, 4 yes 4 is the number of insanity!

We have been apartment hunting all month as well, and having no luck, I am beginning to really HATE HATE HATE this city, and I am normally a pretty happy person hehee. The renters market is so tight in Vancouver right now, I am guessing its due to the soon to be here Olympics, all the students that normally move out and go home for the summer, are not moving but subletting for 4 months fully furnished, and what the heck good is that to me, so that is seriously all thats on the market, or perfect places with a very strict NO PETS POLICY, and as you all know we have 3 furbabies. I do love our apartment now and the area, but its a bit small and we really need to be closer to work, mostly for James. But it would be nice for me as well since most of my day is spent driving from clients homes and around the city, at the end of the day hopping into my car and dealing with traffic for 20 minutes is tiring...and yes I realize thats nothing compared to the 90 minute commuters, but its my blog and I am allowed to whine!



Last night was James' birthday, we really did not do much and I have no pictures :( but we will be celebrating with my girlfriend from Squamish and her boyfriend when he flies into Van next week Yayyy.



Anyhoo I will zip the lip and show you some fun pictures from our climb up Mount Doug, its hardly a mountain, it took maybe 20-30 minutes, we were on some very "off-beaten" trail and had to do a bit of rock climbing hahaa that was interesting, especially for Emi, she LOVED the hike... probably because little treats in the form of rabbit poo were everywhere for her to munch on YUCK...no puppy kisses from her for awhile...okay seriously zipping them now.

Emi - Little Mountain Dog I love her stance!

I like the stormy sky in this shot!
Got to love the timers, especially watching Jim jump off a rock and race over to us, without falling down the hill hahaa
Rock Face!
Another portrait of Emi, can you tell I am in love with her :D, she's 5 months old and I think hit a growing stump lol
Arbutus Tree...at least I think
Downtown Storm heading our way
These are from Queen Elizabeth park near our place, we were walking Emi and came around a "bushle" of trees to find the entire area swarmed with ducks and geese, I am pretty afraid of birds, especially bigger ones like swans, geese, and turkeys (attacked as a child!) Emi was there to protect, on a very tight leash, she loves to chase birds, and could probably catch one and would fight it till death I'm sure!
I had to take this picture, it was as close as I would get to try and justify how many freaking birds their were! My hands were shaking ha...I'm such a dork!