just finished

Last night on my way home I finished listening to this audiobook - "The Goodbye Quilt". It was an adorable story about a mom having to let go of her only daughter who is on her way to college. I loved how they intertwined their relationship with the road trip journey they took to take the daughter to her new school. I would recommend this for an easy Spring Break read!

karma and the oscars

This weekend didn't start off too well but then Sunday's freak snow storm brought with it the ultimate lesson in Karma. After that - the end of my weekend was happy and sweet :)

I didn't watch the Oscars last night for several reasons: 

• We don't have cable.
• I haven't seen "The Artist".
• I don't think that anything about "The Help" is Oscar worthy.
• I knew that Perez was going to tell me who was the best and worst dressed anyways.

Did you watch?

paranormal activity

Last night Chad and I watched "Paranormal Activity 3" and he seemed more on edge than I did watching it. We love horror and thriller movies and this one kept me wondering "what the heck is going to happen next?" But when the movie was over, I had to go back and watch the first scene over again. I get that the sisters clearly don't remember what happened to them as children but I really wanted the ending to come full circle and close the storyline off. It didn't but I still did love the chills I got while folding my laundry afterwards - wondering if just maybe, something was watching me. Yes - we are sick and twisted people but I love it anyways :)

bad things always happen in 3's

This has been a rough week for me. I can't believe that Friday is already here again but I also can't believe how much happened this week while the days were flying by. I've had a few unhappy moments this week:

#1 - Work argument and disagreement.

#2 - Soccer disappointments.

#3 - The third one hit me at full force - hard and painful. My mom phoned me this morning and long story short, my Grandmother may have lung cancer and she is suffering right now - in a lot of pain and finding it hard to walk. I was numb when my mom told me and then it hit me and I am crushed.Scan on Monday and doctor appointment on Thursday so we will know more next week.

Sending out all my love and prayers to her. Wishing her pain free days and happiness. Love you Grandma! xo

just one of those days

I have no clue when, where or how this bout of the blues came on but it has hit me with full force. I am grumpy, I am moody, I feel depressed and I am out of it. Basically I am just in a big old funk and there is no reason for it - I love my job. I love my family. I love my husband. I love that the sun is shining. I love soccer. I love life. Hmm - hope this passes soon - I got too much to do be dragged down by this feeling. Bring on happy town :)

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I came home from my work event last night and Chad and Lexxus were already fast asleep so I watched "Water for Elephants" and - just like the novel - it bored me something terrible! I spent more time playing on my phone than actually paying attention to the movie. But I do agree - Robert Pattinson does make a better human being in movies than a vampire!

recent movies and yes, i am a nerd

Last night Chad and I finished watching "Larry Crowne" with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks. Without Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks I think this would have been the most boring movie on the planet but their on-screen chemistry kept me awake. Haven't seen a really great movie in a long time it seems.

Chad went to bed early because he wasn't keen on my next library rental ... "Black Swan". I wasn't sure what to expect either but I actually kind of enjoyed the artistic thriller and thought that Natalie Portman (who I normally can't stand) did a wonderful job playing a self-obsessed, perfection seeking, multiple personality ballet star. Not great but interesting enough.

 This made me laugh - literally - out loud. Had to share :)

And I found this little lovely on Pinterest and it is SO me. Sorry I don't know who this belongs to but thank you for pinning it - too adorable!

a new favourite thing!

LOVE! My new go to lip balm. I picked this up at Target this weekend and fell in love at first use! It tastes delicious and tingles when you put it on. A must have addition to your purse or pocket!

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my new favourite iphone app!

So many updates, news reports, blog posts, etc. in one place. I now can check my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google Reader updates from one app! I am pretty obsessed - and I can get all of my Hollywood gossip here too! And it's free! Check it out - you won't be sorry once you get the hang of it!

flipboard

holiday parties and stomach cramp hell

WOW - Just found this in my drafts - wonder why some of these didn't send? Technology - so can't live without it but it does drive me nutso from time to time!

Friday - We had our soccer Christmas party. I was the DD for Chad and my parents. I cannot even begin to tell you how annoying my soccer team is - ha ha. Love each of them to death but trying to get them to get organized for the gift exchange game was pure hell. Finally got it all together and I shared some lotions, body wash, etc. gifts with Gillian - we split ours in two so we got the best of both worlds. Chad and Rob drank together so Alli took them home while I drove my mom, Jim and Gillian home. Chad fell asleep on top of me snoring. Good times :)

Saturday - Finished our Christmas shopping! Woohoo! Then home to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks and a nap. Back out to Chad's parent's house for their tree trimming party. Super fun.

Sunday - Up at 2 am with the worst stomach cramps of my life. In the bathroom from 2 am to 10 am and thought that death was coming for me. Must have eaten something that did not agree with me. Tried to sleep for a few hours but Chad and Lexxus would not leave me alone. Met my parent's at the house that we are wanting to buy and looked around. I am still in love. To Chad's parent's place for Chad to shovel the driveway and home to finish my file work that I do on the side. Watched some Christmas specials including Smurfs, Garfield AND He-Man/She-Ra and in bed by 8:30. Still having stomach pains today but only when I eat :(

sidney and chance doing what they do best ...

WOW - Just found this in my drafts - wonder why some of these didn't send? Technology - so can't live without it but it does drive me nutso from time to time!

Looking adorable!

so true!

WOW - Just found this in my drafts - wonder why some of these didn't send? Technology - so can't live without it but it does drive me nutso from time to time!

monday morning update

WOW - Just found this in my drafts - wonder why some of these didn't send? Technology - so can't live without it but it does drive me nutso from time to time!

Friday ... Exhausted from the week so I just made some BBQ Chicken Wraps and watched "She's the Man". Chad went to bed super early and I finished Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad. Yeah, yeah - it is a "junior" reader book but I love it just the same!

Saturday ... Up early to clean and decorate and get ready for Chad's Birthday Party. Then I met my parent's at Costco and got all the food ready. Home to relax for a bit and wait for the guests. More people showed up then I thought were going to so I was happy about that. It was a great night and I think everyone had a good time (a group of people played "Apples to Apples" until 1:00 am so I think they had a blast - ha ha).

Sunday ... Not feeling 100% in the morning but got up and cleaned up after the party. Then we watched "Corpse Bride". Then Chad made me (I was not really prepared to face the word at this point) go do some grocery shopping and in return he took me out for Pho for lunch so it was a win-win I guess :) Then home to watch "Sleepers" and have a nap. Up to watch some episodes of "Burn Notice" (our latest DVD series we are watching) and then watched "The Social Network" (this movie was filled with horrible acting and the story line wasn't the easiest to follow but I found it absolutely fascinating - just imagine how big Facebook really is!!?) Then off to Save-On to pick up ice-cream for dinner (never do this so it was quite the treat) and then home for more "Burn Notice".

life is good

Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that ultimately - LIFE IS GOOD! There is no denying it - when the sun shines, when my husband hugs me just because, when I get to spend time with my friends and family, when I play a good game with my fellow Ninjas, when Chad makes me an amazing Sunday night dinner, when I get to take a hot bath and read Vanity Fair, when I get a Monday morning email from my best friend, when I wake up each morning ... life is fantastic. Must remember this more often!

This weekend was filled with early evenings because Chad is still not feeling 100%. Friday night we watched  "The Smurfs" and I just had a wrap for dinner because Chad didn't want anything. Cute movie - very much like "Alvin and the Chipmunks" but I giggled every time they inserted the word SMURF for a bad word.

As soon as the movie ended, Chad hit the sack so I stayed up to finish watching "Crazy, Stupid Love". If this movie didn't have the actors that it does in it, it would have been a horrible movie but the relationship between Steve Carrel and Ryan Gosling saved the movie. Best line ever: "I loved my wife even when I hated her." Every married person can relate to that I am sure!

Saturday we ran across the line to do some shopping and then we came home so Chad could have a nap before heading to my cousin Nick's 14th birthday dinner! I cannot believe he is 14!!! He has finally grown a few inches and his voice is changing - never thought he would ever turn into a man. He will always be my little Nick! We watched the Canucks crush Toronto 6 to 2 and then went home early because again - poor Chad just wasn't feeling right. We watched "Friends With Benefits" which was super adorable and I now have a new crush to add to my list - JT baby!

Sunday was filled with shopping, lunch and soccer. We lost 2-1 in our second play-off game. Sucked because it was directly due to poor reffing and us not being in great shape. Oh well - at least we played a thousand times better than last weekend! I came home to have a hot bath and Chad made a yummy steak, potato and asparagus dinner on the BBQ - can't wait for summer dinners on the patio!

And now - another week begins! Here is a little "Heart of the City" to start your week off right! She sure does make me giggle and she is so me. Enjoy friends!

wish list

I am dying from my love of this and I don't even have kids! My future little him or her must have this. They are bound to be an organized freak because both his or her Mommy and Daddy most definitely are! Sorry kid - you will just have to learn to live with it the way we have :)

my first daily planner via

today's inspiration

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my current crushes

I got this idea from reading the fabulous blog - eighteen25! What a fun way to share what you are into these days! A big thank you to Jamie for the idea!

iPhone App Crush

instagram

Male Actor Crush

ryan gosling

Ice-Cream Crush

world class chocolate from baskin robbins

TV Show Crush

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Music Crush

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What are you crushing on today?

valentine's day love

My Valentine's Day cookies from Momma VBD. So freaking thoughtful!

My Valentine's Day card to Chad this year. I pity the fool that fell in love with me! xo

not good

At work and at home I use Google Chrome as my web browser of choice but for some of my new online work programs, I am forced back into lame old Internet Explorer. I was just playing around with Blogger in Internet Explorer and my fonts come up COMIC SANS of all things and everything is wonky and does not appear the way I actually have it set up. What a bummer! Not good when you spend all this time picking certain fonts, styles, colours, etc. only to have the view skewed on different computers.

What web browser do you use and why?

random thoughts

I had a nice HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY post up yesterday but sadly, I was threatened with a virus so had to delete some things. Better safe than sorry! We didn't get up to much last night given it was a Tuesday so we ordered pizza, shared a bottle of wine and watched some "Glee". It was actually a really nice evening but the best part of yesterday was the electronic flowers I received in my in-box from my father-in-law. Made me smile and happy the whole day through!

I have been listening to this audiobook to and from work for the last week and I am really surprised at how bored I am with this one. I usually love Ms. Wickham's novels and was delighted when I saw this one at the library but I just can't get in to it for some reason - maybe it would have been a better choice to read rather than listen.

I just finished this book which was the first one I read on my Kobo! Loved the thriller story line but I found myself skimming through some parts that just didn't really seem to add anything. I think this one would be an amazing movie and I don't usually say that because 9 times out of 10 the book is always better. Think "Twilight" :)

I saw this in the theatre but wanted to watch it with Chad to see if he enjoyed it as much as I did. He didn't. Just proves that a chick flick is called that for a reason. :)

P.S. Yesterday was my parent's 20th wedding anniverary AND my mother and father-in-laws' 41st (I think) wedding anniversary. Such a day of inspirational love. I am honoured to be surrounded by such long lasting love and my parents are a true illustration of how being each other's best friend can get you through anything! Love you all! xo

crap

I was using the iPhone app, BlogPress, and it was so easy to use but apparently it is known to spread viruses. I  had to delete my last few posts because the photos transferred from my iPhone to Blogger through BlogPress were carrying a "possible" virus. Good bye possible dangerous posts and photos. Back to the regulatory scheduled program soon ... had to delete my Valentine's Day post today but hope you all have a fantastic evening filled with love, passion and romance ... and if not - I wish for you chocolates and wine!

i know, i know ... we are wee bit behind the times

So one day randomly I had mentioned out loud in a group that I had put my name on the wait list at the library for the first season of Glee. I have never seen an episode but really wanted to see what all the hype was about so I was committed to watching the full first season - as long as I didn't have to pay for it! Husband overheard this and said, "I would love to watch that with you!" I was floored. So. Not. His. Thing. But - we are a couple of discs in and it is pure, easy enjoyment for both of us - he laughs even more than I do and we both tap our feet during the singing/dancing numbers. Hope to watch some more this weekend and then bring on season two! Oh wow - we are so cool :) Happy Weekend Friends!

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jaclynvdb

today i am 33

So Happy Birthday to Me! Today is my 33rd birthday and I think I am one of the last human beings on earth who LOVE celebrating birthdays. I love everything about birthdays and my new thought on them is that I am celebrating another year of life and my wedding anniversary is another year of survival :) It also pays to grow another year older. This morning I enjoyed a FREE Starbucks beverage. Tonight I will enjoy a FREE dinner at Denny's. I will pick up my FREE gift from Sephora this weekend and I am hoping that I was in time to sign up for my $25 gift certificate from the Boathouse for my birthday dinner on Saturday  night. Seriously - what isn't good about your birthday??! Feeling so much love today - and feeling so happy and blessed that I feel better today to enjoy it!

Now - the only down side to today is that I am off to renew my license - wish me luck :)

P.S. - Saving a piece of cake for you today Dad. xoxo

how to be tranquil

I love all the inspiration I get from the Tranquility du Jour blog. They just listed two more "manifestos" to help keep you on track and living a tranquil life on a daily basis. Enjoy the inspiration!

a not so "funny" movie but heart makes up for it!

Chad and I watched this movie recently and I actually thought it was going to be way worse than it actually was. I am not saying it was great by any stretch of the imagination but there were some funny parts scattered throughout ... not enough for a movie called "Funny People" but it did keep our attention. 

I know that I post a lot of "Heart of the City" comic strips on my blog. I just love her. From the moment I read my first strip years ago, she was my hero and favourite. She is so much like me it is ridiculous - and the interaction between her and her mom brings my mom and I to tears with laughter some times - way too familiar territory. Enjoy!

new item for wish list and currently ...

YES PLEASE!

toms ballet flats

I am almost finished listening to Ellen's audiobook "Seriously ... I'm Kidding" in my car to and from work. I was really looking forward to this when my name came up for it at the library but honestly - I cannot wait for it to be over. Normally I love you Ellen but these three discs are PAINFUL. I am annoyed beyond anything but more annoyed with myself or not just turning it off and suffering until the end. I do that sort of thing - I have an obsession with completion. Candles are good for me that way - they burn until they disappear ... something to nothing. Love it!