Friday, June 29, 2007

The End of the Week

Happy sigh... I love Fridays before Long Weekends. Especially when they come at the end of a loooong week. They're crazy, but it's so great to know that there are three days ahead of me to do things other than stress about my clients 24/7.

Good things that happened this week:
- Had two incredibly happy client meetings in a row this morning
- Got all my weekly status reports done today - on time!
- Managed to not get missing-work-level sick
- Had a chance to catch up with Rocky on the phone
- Made plans to see Kristen next week
- Actually, properly cooked dinner two nights in a row
- Got down to two amazing candidates for our new Project Manager... second interviews next week, and hopefully some help for Lindsay *soon*!
- The Boy brought me tiger lilies at work today (awww...)

The Cocoon team is kicking off the Long Weekend in style with a wine tasting and dinner at Kyle and Jill's. I'm bringing an organic, pesticide/herbicide-free red wine from Spain that Anja introduced me to. Who knew that you could drink wine and get smarter at the same time? :)

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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Thinking Cap

In case anyone is in the mood to use their brain on this fine Thursday morning... A few articles I've read recently that I found particularly thought-provoking.

Immigration: The Case for Amnesty
TIME Magazine, June 07.07
Read it here

An iPod Has Global Value
New York Times, June 27.07
Read it here

Prince Charles Becomes Carbon Neutral
USA Today, June 26.07
Read it here

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Identity Crisis

It's official. Geoff and I are registered for Athens. Kind of excited and exhausted and terrified all at the same time, because that means I need to get my ass in gear to be able to run the 10K four months from now. I did all the sign-up stuff online last night, which ended up being super-funny because I had to do it all with this strange name - because by the time we're travelling, I'll be married and will no longer be Lindsay Hildebrandt.

And I completely forgot that they'd instructed me to do that, because I had another weird moment this morning when I checked my email and I had a message confirming travel details for Lindsay Wright. I was like 'WHO?!' And then it all connected again, but it was still strange. Even though that change is still three months away, I've had a few moments today where I think I've been mourning the loss of ME just a little bit. I'm so excited to marry Geoff, but it's a little bit funny to think that my name is going to be different. I have a lot invested in being me (and at least some of it is good!).

Another weird thing that happened yesterday... I stopped at Superstore after work to pick up a few things, and I had midway through my shopping when I heard this announcement over the intercom: 'All shoppers and employees should evacuate the building immediately. Please remain calm and move quickly to the nearest exit.' Apparently, there was a gas leak or something... Anyway. I went next door to Rona and picked up some Tim's and looked around for a half-hour, then returned to Superstore (which had since reopened). Call me crazy, but I had been almost done my shopping and I did NOT feel like starting all over again somewhere else - and having to go to two or three different stores to pick up all the random things I could get in one stop at Superstore.

I walked to the deli section and retrieved my basket from the floor, exactly where I'd left it - and had an awesome time zipping through the almost-empty store in record time. It was kind of surreal to walk through the aisles with randomly abandoned carts and baskets left all over the place. Almost like the rapture or something. (Do all Superstore shoppers go to heaven?)

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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Wanted

WANTED: Potential Locations and Teenage Models for Photo Shoot in early July

We are currently scouting locations and shortlisting models for a day-long photo shoot coming up in early July. 

Our client is a non-profit group that provides services to Manitoba youth. Because of their non-profit status, we will not be able to offer payment for your help, but we promise their undying gratitude - and you'll know that you were an integral part of a campaign that will be helping local youth learn to deal with their problems early, before they become too big to handle. 

Here's what we're looking for:

LOCATIONS (Winnipeg only)
1. Home - Bathroom x 2
2. Home - Living Room
3. Home - Teenage Girl's Bedroom (large)
4. Home - Rec Room / Basement (with an older couch)
5. School - Stairwell

We're not looking for showhomes... We're looking for normal, everyday spaces. If you think you might have a room or two that could work, please take a few digital pictures of each room from different angles and send them in an email that also contains your street address and how we can get a hold of you.

MODELS
We are looking for four girls and five guys of all shapes, sizes, and social groups. You don't need to look like a model. Models need to look like they are between the ages of 14 and 18. If you know someone who might be interested, send at least two digital pictures (no group shots, please, unless you clearly identify who we're supposed to be looking at) - preferably one pic that shows your face and one from a little bit farther away. Send them by email and be sure to include your name, age, and contact information. Note that, if you are under 18, we'll need your parents to sign a consent form for you to participate.

If you or anyone you know might be able to help out, please contact me by email no later than Friday, June 29 at lindsay (at) cocoonbranding (dot) com.

Thanks so much!

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Training Day

Today was the day I planned to start training for my 10K. The formal training doesn't start until August 31, but I need to be able to run a mile by then... And I can't run a mile. Not even close.

I woke up this morning and the sun was streaming in through my window. I lay there and smiled as I thought to myself, 'What a perfect day to begin training!' I lay there for a minute or two and imagined myself running across the finish line four and a half months from now. And then I began my morning ritual of wiggling all of my limbs and extremities in turn, trying to assess the damage. Ooh... Not good.

It's one of those days where I wanted to cry. I want to run a 10K to raise money for The Arthritis Society that will find treatments for this disease - or a cure. You'd imagine that the universe would be going out of its way to help me accomplish this goal. But alas, that's not the way the universe works.

And because I understand that, I didn't cry. I got up, got dressed, and went to work. I went to work in my comfy shoes, so that I can go on a nice long walk during my lunch break. Because I can still walk - and not being able to run today is not a reason to sit and feel sorry for myself.

And I'll try again tomorrow.

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Monday, June 25, 2007

Weekend Update: Nancy Drew Edition

The rest of my weekend was significantly less dramatic than my Saturday morning.

On Friday night, I helped Emily find an outfit and some accessories that made her feel like a capital-s uperfox for her cousin's wedding on Saturday. After that, we went to see 'Nancy Drew' - and ate popcorn for dinner. I love friends like that. The movie was okay - very pre-teen, and not very old school Nancy Drew-esque at all - but my undying love for all things Nancy Drew outweighed my 'they ruined it' snobbery by just a little. And so I deem it OKAY, with a little hesitation and just a tiny bit of heartbreak.

After Geoff's car show on Saturday (SO HOT! and that's just talking about the weather, because I really know absolutely nothing about cars), we stopped in at a coed bridal shower for friends of his, and then had a good old-fashioned movie date to go see 'Ocean's Thirteen.' I enjoyed it. A lot. It was just a great, simple, super-fun heist movie that was really easy to watch.

Yesterday, I went to church with Geoff for the first time since our engagement and we were swarmed by lots of old people who were very very happy for us - and a few younger people who were very very happy for us. Then we grabbed a few things and headed out to spend the rest of the day at the lake with my parents. The beach was unbearably hot, but the water was so cold that my leg muscles started spasming when I tried to be brave and go swimming. We went for a boat ride instead, which was really nice. And then had a great barbecue dinner, and headed for home. I'm so glad we went - it was super-relaxing, and a really great end to the weekend.

And now you're all caught up. The Boy is picking me up from work in a few minutes, then we're planning to start our gift registry this evening - which is a freakin' huge project for two people attempting to merge their households (and equally strong opinions on both aesthetics and functionality). And it's funny because we've both been living on our own for long enough that lots of the things we do have aren't really in great shape anymore. My 'stuff' has seen a full seven years of enjoyment, abuse, and - yep, I counted - ELEVEN roommates. Plus me. This shall be an exhausting excursion, to say the least... Especially after a very full day at work.

Still, it's an evening of 'shopping' without spending any money. I should just guzzle a Red Bull and enjoy the experience.

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Saturday, June 23, 2007

Small Dark Cloud

Call it waking up on the wrong side of the bed or whatever you want to, but some days you seriously can't win. I woke up happily enough, no big deal, but ever since I left my house this morning it's like there's been this tiny little cloud of DOOM over top of me.

Oh, be quiet. I know I'm dramatic. Humour me :)

First, I got up early and got ready to go meet Geoff - who informed me when I arrived that he had double-booked himself, so I got a little bit kicked to the curb (which left me a little bit unimpressed).

Brunch plans cancelled (and all dressed and done up with nothing to do), I went to go cheer myself up by window shopping for shoes. The man working at the store was super-nice and showing me some of their new shoes - including a pair I fell in love with, but was more than I could justify spending. It was at this point that the nice old man smiled at me and asked, 'When are you due?'

OH. MY. GOD. I know that older, less cool people may be blind to current fashion trends, but I AM NOT the only person in this city wearing loser-fitting tank tops. I looked him right in the eye, and answered flatly, 'I'm not.' To which he replied, 'Well, it looks like you're wearing maternity clothes.'

I suspect that, at this point, I probably should have dropped the pretty shoes and stormed out of the store. I was so incredibly offended - and feeling really, REALLY bad about myself. So I did what any self-respecting girl would do. And I bought the expensive shoes to cheer myself up. And headed over to McD's for BAD FOOD so I could smother my emotions in grease and carbs.

I was the second car in line at the drive-thru took, and I placed my order quickly - but was informed that their juice machine was broken, which made me cranky. And then I pulled up to the pick-up window and waited - literally - 10 minutes for my food. I was seething. But still too polite to be mean to the drive-thru girl who finally gave me my 'food.' Argh. Sometimes I wish I could unleash the inner bitch, but I knew that it wasn't her fault... And just because I was miserable, there was no reason to wreck her day too.

Anyway. After that, I did what any self-respecting young professional would do. I went home and changed. And then I came into the office to bury myself in work.

After two and half hours of productivity, I'm feeling much better about myself. And much less upset with Geoff and the rest of the world. Now, I'm off to go show my support to The Boy at his car show (which I seriously don't understand the purpose of... but whatever).

And hopefully enjoy a little bit of sunshine :)

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Friday, June 22, 2007

Honoured Guest

Yesterday afternoon, I had the absolute privilege of attending the wedding of two people who I love very much: Anja and Kyle. I say privilege, because there were only ten people invited to this gorgeous, simple little wedding in the Leo Mol Garden at Assiniboine Park, followed by a barbecue in Kyle's mom's backyard.

There's something kind of crazy about what you feel when one of your very best friends gets married. With Anja, there's another layer, because no one deserves this happiness more than she does. We're all such big fans of Kyle - and I've never seen her so happy. It's no secret that her friendship means a lot to me. Who knew that the super-thin, super-pretty, incredibly intimidating older girl with an accent (who made me redo her filing system on my first day working at an ad agency when I was 19) would turn out to be Anja :)

It was an honour to be there. And I'm still smiling today. Because a better thing could not have happened to better people.

And maybe a little bit because Switzerland *makes* you take your husband's last name on your passport :)

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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Superfox Lives

Have I mentioned recently how much I love the store I picked for our wedding dresses? I'm working with Seventh Avenue Fashions on Academy, and Gina and Melina are absolutely amazing. I feel so calm when I'm there, and you just have this feeling that you're being very well taken care of.

They were incredible last night. I got a round of hugs and apologies when I got there, then they went right to work making sure that I found a fabulous new dress - one that doesn't feel like a compromise or a Plan B at all. It's the new Plan A. And we found a gorgeous bridesmaid dress to go with it. My mom and my sister met me there, and everything got ordered last night. It's all fixed, and I'm happy. I didn't realize how much it had affected me, but with all of that taken care of again - I feel really excited about the wedding again. It's all coming together, and it's going to be so great.

Oh, and I have preliminary invitation details taken care of. Chuck is designing them (which makes me incredibly happy), and a printer we work with often actually volunteered to print them for free.

And we're starting to make some honeymoon plans. We're planning a vacation for about a month after the wedding, which just totally feels right (beginning a month later, not a month long - LOL). That month will give us time to get settled in and recuperated from the wedding, and I think we'll have so much more fun. Right now, the tentative plan is to fly into Athens and spend a few days doing some sightseeing and running for Joints in Motion (the finish line is in the Olympic Stadium... how incredible is that?!) and then take a ferry over to Santorini and spend a few days on the beach. After that, we want to fly to London for a few days (my favourite city in the world...) - and then home again.

Amazing. It's so cool how things are falling into place, and how they're better than I imagined it could be. Is my utter contentment coming across in printed form? :)


The Olympic Stadium in Athens


Santorini

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Monday, June 18, 2007

Weekend Update: Father's Day Edition

Oh, come on. I know you're all just falling over yourselves, wondering what I've been up to all weekend.

On Friday, I finished up a completely insane week at work - then rushed home to throw a couple of things in a bag, drove out to Niverville, and hopped into my mom's car. We spent Friday night (and all day Saturday) at Falcon Lake, which was really, really nice. We built a fire and sat outside for a little bit, then climbed into bed and watched a movie. Well, more like half a movie - we were both exhausted :)

Val and the girls joined us after lunch on Saturday and we spent the entire afternoon at the beach. Total shock to me that Saturday was considered 'beach weather' by ANYONE, but we had a lot of fun. Anica and Sophie spent hours in the freezing cold lake water, and Mady happily splashed around the shore (and chased a nearby puppy).

Yesterday was Father's Day, and I feel so bad that we never really seem to have time for MY dad. We had lunch with my dad's family and dinner with my mom's family, but we ended up just giving my dad his gift at the lunch thing - and our little family didn't really get to spend any real time together. I know that's just kind of how it goes (and I know I'm incredibly lucky to have grandfathers around to celebrate Father's Day with), but I think my dad is pretty incredible and I wish this special day was just a little bit more special for him every year.

After our Father's Day barbecue in the evening, the woman in my mom's family gathered to have a bridal shower for my soon-to-be new cousin-in-law, Erin. It was good to get to know her a little bit more. She's a lovely girl, and it will be great to add her to our (gigantic) family when she marries Chris on June 30.

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Sunday, June 17, 2007

The Superfox Manifesto

aka Things You're Supposed to Think and Not Say

This is by no means directed to anyone in particular. None of the people who actually need to hear this read my blog. I just feel better when I get things out of my head and out into the world :)

I know that everyone's happy for Geoff and I, and the news of our engagement and upcoming marriage. And that's amazing, incredible, wonderful. We want - and need - your love and support and congratulations.

But I have a little secret, and my secret is this:
You rob me of a tiny little piece of my joy when you use the f-word around me.

I have a dream that someday people will be able to let go of their preconceived ideas of what is 'normal' when it comes to love, life, and happiness. I am very much aware that I'm older than the 'normal' age for a church-going young woman from a small town to be getting married. But in terms of our country's general urban population (which is the world I've chosen to live in), I'm still *years* younger than the average. So is Geoff, for that matter.

I found a journal entry a few months ago that I'd written when I was 19. In it, I was musing about the fact that so many of my friends were getting married and commenting that - if I had any say in it - I thought that 26 would be the 'ideal' age for my own wedding. Of course, people don't get a heck of a lot of say in when and how they fall in love. But it's funny how things work out sometimes: I'm turning 26 in two and a half weeks.

Which is probably why hearing the f-word is so confusing and upsetting to me. In my day-to-day world, I am constantly hearing things like, 'Getting married?! Holy cow! You're so young!' But when I come home and spend time with friends and family - and all the people I know and love the most - there it is again: the f-word.

What is the f-word, you ask? FINALLY.

This engagement doesn't feel like FINALLY to me. It feels right on time, and kind of strangely perfect. We are going to be 26 and 32 on our wedding day, and I wouldn't change that for the world. I can't speak for Geoff (LOL, I'm almost his wife - of course I can!), but I loved my eight years between high school and today, and I know that I'm a happier and more confident woman for having had that 'single adventure time' on my own. I had a heck of a lot of fun and grew one impressively strong backbone. I did things that scared me shitless, I loved and hurt and pieced myself back together again (and again [and again]), and - most importantly - I figured out exactly who I am and exactly what I want.

So it hurts me when you talk about how you thought this day would never come for me. Or when you make comments like 'what do people do when "older" people get married? do you still have a shower for them?' I smile and laugh it off, but it cuts somewhere deep inside of me. Because I don't feel abnormal. Not until other people make me feel that way.

I know that you're happy for us. I love that. I really, really love that. But please be happy for us in exactly the same way that you were happy for all your other friends and family who got married in their own perfect time. Maybe 18 or 20 or 22 was perfect for you. But 26 is perfect for me. And in the end, we're all happily and wonderfully NORMAL.

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Friday, June 15, 2007

Destruction of Zen

(updated @ 17.02)

I swore I wouldn't cry about this wedding. And I don't know if it's just the wedding, or - more likely - the culmination of every single emotion I've been feeling this week. But I got a phone call today from my dress store to let me know that they (the manufacturer) discontinued my wedding dress.

After a couple of tears, lunch with my incredibly supportive and sympathetic fiance, two phone calls with my mom, and a couple of conversations with the store, it looks like Plan B will be okay. I had a dress that I liked *almost* as much, and they will be paying the extra fee for a rush cut on it. They are also going to make a call on Monday to cancel the bridesmaid dresses that were specially selected to be a perfect complement to my Plan A dress. Which means that I need to go there on Monday after work and make a final decision that my Plan B will be okay as my New Plan A, and pick - and order on the spot - a new bridesmaid dress that works as a perfect complement to the Plan B / New Plan A wedding dress.

Did that make sense? :)

I know it's ridiculous and that I over-reacted. At the end of the day on September 30, I am going to be married to Geoff. The details of how exactly that happens are not important in the grand scheme of life, the universe, and everything. But I'm a perfectionist. And I NEED to feel like a superfox in my dress. And I NEED for my girls to feel like superfoxettes in theirs. I love them, and they are fabulous, and I want to make sure that their dresses are just as special as mine.

Anyway. I am off to the lake with my mom for some serious girl time and R&R. With any luck, the entire world will seem a little bit more manageable when I return.

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The Art and Science of Grieving

The older you are, the more bad news you will have received - that's a basic, logical fact. Something that's not quite as rational is when you grieve - the who, the where, the why.

I've always had a hard time with that. There's some part of me that is very socially aware, and knowing that there are people out there with more reasons to grieve than I have makes me hesitant to grieve at all. I'm so afraid to take away the legitimacy of someone else's grief by adding in any of my own.

But I'm abandoning all of that today. And I'm just letting myself hurt. Not because of any logical, rational reason. But just because I hurt, and because that hurt needs a place to go in order to heal.

The art of grieving is so individual, so incredibly and fascinatingly unique. Some people need to crawl inside of themselves, and others need to surround themselves with people. Some need a clear mind to think through every facets of their emotions and experiences, and others need to drown and dull those same emotions in order to keep going. Some can't sleep and others can't wake up. Everyone operates on their own basic survival instincts, but no one's instincts are the same.

Geoff and I ran into each other in our grief last night. I've been reeling a little bit all week, and unable to sleep. He got the news yesterday afternoon that a friend of his had died unexpectedly, so his grief was raw. Our house last night would have been a fascinating case study for someone if you'd been able to peek inside the window (and you could have, because the living room curtains aren't up yet). Interestingly, we both needed to keep busy. I hid in the kitchen and made dinner. He worked on installing his TV in the living room. But as much as I needed some space to be alone and process what I was feeling, I needed to know that he was there. I kept on coming out of the kitchen and needing to see him, or needing a hug - no words at all (because I could see that he needed his own space), but then I could go back to what I was doing. He probably would have been fine if I'd gone home and left him alone. But maybe it was the best marriage training we could have had.

I slept so well last night, finally. But I seriously wish I hadn't. Because even though I'm wide awake today, it hurts so much to wake up and have to remember all over again.

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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

To Diet or Not To Diet

If you can't handle the truth, there are millions of other websites that you can go read. And in that spirit of authenticity, here's what's going on in my head today.

I have struggled with my weight practically forever. More accurately, I have struggled with how I *feel* about my weight - in reality, I've never really been that big. But I can remember feeling fat as early as kindergarten, and comparing myself to other girls in my class. I have always cared so much about what I perceive other people are thinking about me. And those things - combined with a personality that demands perfection and control - pretty much made me a classic case of a girl at risk to develop an eating disorder. I didn't know that until I was in my early twenties, in therapy to try to beat bulimia - which I eventually did.

And so here I am. Probably 40 pounds heavier than I was in high school. About to turn 26. About to get married. About to start dedicated training for the Athens marathon. And feeling so much societal pressure to diet.

But here's the thing: I don't think I can do it. I've fought SO HARD to get to a healthy weight, to a place where I can feel pretty good about myself. A place where I can actually enjoy food again instead of being scared of it. I'm not willing to risk all of those things just to quickly drop 5 or 10 pounds before the wedding. Never mind the whole fibromyalgia thing, the marathon training thing, and the fact that my wedding is only three and a half months away.

Now I'm not entirely sure if that is a voice of empowerment talking, or if I'm just too scared to try. I choose the former, but I'm a tiny bit uncomfortable about the idea of the latter.

How 'bout you guys? Is anyone else brave enough to share about the moment you finally felt good about yourself and how you look? Did you try to lose weight before your wedding? Would you do it differently, knowing what you know now?

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Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Chronique

Just for fun, one of the coolest websites I've stumbled across in a while: Chronique Couture. They sell all kinds of accessories for fabulous people who just so happen to live with disabilities.

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In Defense of Good Grammar


Thanks, Gloria, for making my day and bringing attention to the glory and splendour that is the underappreciated apostrophe. (Click to enlarge.)

Read the entire article here.

Or just enjoy the cartoon :)

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Monday, June 11, 2007

Another Crazy Weekend

Oh, don't get all excited. Not 'crazy' as in wild and frivolous. My weekend was simply busy and full of STUFF. Let me recap briefly.

Met up with my mom, Emily, Jessica, and Anja on Saturday morning to make a final decision on bridesmaid dresses - got everyone measured and everything ordered. Surprisingly quick and painless... Guess that's what happens when the dresses are pretty universally flattering: black and strapless and knee-length (and when all your bridesmaids are skinny and gorgeous).

Jumped in a car with my mom right after, and drove to Morris for my grandparents' auction sale. I'd never heard of such a thing... But apparently, when people get old and sell their houses to move into seniors' apartments, they have auction sales to clear out all the superfluous contents of their old houses. Fascinating. I hadn't intended to bid on anything, but I ended up taking home an ironing board, a quilt, a set of golf clubs, and a treadmill. It was kind of fun, in a weird old-people/small-town kind of way. After the sale, the family cleaned the house top to bottom to get it ready to sell. We were all SO TIRED when we finally got home around 9 pm.

Yesterday, I slept in and then made an appearance at the Niverville Fair (I know, too funny). My friend Mandy was performing in the afternoon, and I'm so glad I went. She's so adorable and so incredibly talented. The highlight of my afternoon - other than running into Erin and Emily and Marie-Eve and a bunch of other friends - was when they called up Mandy to lead a song with the big black gospel choir performing later in the afternoon, totally unrehearsed. Funniest thing I've ever seen, made even funnier by the fact that our tiny little whiter-than-white Mandy totally rocked.

If you're not already an Amanda Falk fan, check out her music on MySpace www.myspace.com/amandafalkmusic - and then go buy her CD. Now. Go.

No other news, other than the fact that I'm resembling a cooked lobster today. You know that kind of sunburn when you'd like to have an option of just peeling off all of your skin and starting over again?

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Sunday, June 10, 2007

Small Town

Sometimes, I think it's pretty cool that I grew up in a small town. It's nice to know everyone - and it's fun to know everyone's business. It creates this incredible feeling of community.

But there's a downside, as we've all experienced again this weekend. When there's a tragedy in that small community, everyone hurts. These aren't random people whose lives have been forever changed, they are random people who you know - some of them very well. And that compounded hurting of all those people (plus your own feelings about it all) makes my soul ache.

Our little high school was too small to be losing people like we have this year. My prayers are with you.

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Friday, June 08, 2007

Just Posted

In case anyone knows anyone who might be interested...

Project Manager / Account Exec (full time)
You're a natural born communicator and build relationships with people easily. You're not scared to tackle the challenge of taking a big, crazy idea and making it reality. You're looking for a job you'd want to come to even if you won the lottery. Oh, and you're kind of disturbingly detail-oriented. Our ideal candidate will have some related post-secondary education and a few years of work experience where you've demonstrated great communication, management, and organizational skills. Sarcastic sense of humour, easy-going personality, and a cool toy collection will also be considered assets.

Interested? Send your resume and cover letter to work@cocoonbranding.com no later than Thursday, June 21 at 10 am.

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Connecting

Facebook is pretty much the funniest thing ever. It is laziness in its most glorious state. Basically, you can broadcast information to everyone you've ever met in one fell swoop - which is awesome when you don't feel like telling a story a thousand times (like, say, if you suddenly find yourself engaged or something). It's like the gossip chain in a small town on speed. And heck - I grew up in Niverville, a town that's perfected the speed-of-light informational transmission.

Anyway. The reason I note that today is that - in the last 36 hours - THREE people I know have announced pregnancies on Facebook. And for some reason, I find that quite amusing. It must say something about our society, I'm just not sure what. People used to say that computers and electronic communication isolated us. Now, I'm often blown away by how this technology allows us to keep in contact with so many people we would have lost any form of relationship with otherwise. Not that having someone as a Facebook friend is a 'relationship' - but it lets you keep track of where people are and what they're up to.

In other news, my dress is ordered. I wanted my mom to see it before it was all official (and irreversible), and so she met me at the dress store last night after work. I tried it on for her, and she immediately started to cry. I'm taking that as a good thing. Meanwhile, my dad and Geoff were fixing some stuff at the house and doing some manly problem solving to figure out how to mount Geoff's fancy new tv on top of the fireplace. After our appointment, the four of us went for dinner to Hu's on First - it was a nice evening. It makes my heart happy to see how well they all get along.

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Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Not-So-Wascally Wabbits

Have I mentioned that we have a couple of tenants at our new house? Rabbits. Or more accurately, baby bunnies. They are about the size of a teacup and they are SO CUTE.

We saw them for the first time when we were working on the yard last weekend - two of them, tiny and brown. And then last night while I was weeding in the front of the house, something suddenly moved in the bush that was six inches in front of my face. I'll admit it - I'm prissy and I'm a girl. I screamed and jumped backwards. And then I looked a little closer, and saw that I'd scared the living crap out of a tiny little (SO CUTE) baby bunny rabbit. We locked eyes for a second, then he ran underneath the front steps.

I have NO IDEA what to do about these little guys - or why they are living in River Heights. And I know they won't stay little, and then they'll be bona fide pests.

But they are SO CUTE.

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Flesh-Coloured Thumbs

So I totally suck at gardening. I spent last night in a state of total confusion... See, the house boasts a whole bunch of gorgeous flowerbeds. All are full of perennials. And I simply cannot tell the difference between a flower and a weed! Some of them are obvious. Some are NOT OBVIOUS AT ALL.

I ended up working for an hour, then giving up. I will need to invite someone over to take me through Gardening For Dummies, and point to each green thing while saying, 'That's a weed. That's not a weed. That's... I actually have no idea. Good luck with that.'

Other than that, it was a very good day. Geoff and I met with the great people at the Millennium Centre and made a decision to have our wedding there, a decision we're both super-happy about. More details to follow, of course, but we've decided on (ready for this? it's super-fast!) Sunday, September 30. Crazy. It's all starting to feel so real now, and I'm getting really excited.

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Monday, June 04, 2007

Better Than Happy

Whew. What a difference a day makes. My fever seems to be gone (fingers crossed), and I am feeling eerily calm.

Today, I finalized the bridesmaid roster, booked an appointment for tomorrow to wrap up details and make a deposit on our first-choice ceremony/reception venue, and - ready for this? - FOUND MY DRESS. Anja met me at the dress store after work for an official Round Two, and I am so glad that we did. It's perfect. It's beautiful. It's my wedding dress. And I have two words for you: SUPER and FOX :)

I'm getting married. Holy crap. It's all starting to sink in and I'm so happy. We're so happy. Better than happy... I'm utterly content. Content and absolutely determined to enjoy the next few months of preparations.

I'll be cursing this domesticity tomorrow evening when I'm up to my elbows weeding the millions of flower beds in Geoff's backyard.

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Monday Morning

Ugh. I miss waking up in the morning and feeling healthy. It's been a little bit of a long stretch of rough mornings. I seriously wish I could have stayed in bed for another hour or two... or ten. I'm a little concerned that it might be something nasty. I've been running a fever since Thursday, my nose has been stuffed up since Saturday morning, and my throat's been painful since yesterday. Ew. I HATE being sick.

Yesterday was fun. I brought Geoff and my dad as my 'dates' to an event I was speaking at - the Manitoba Seniors' Active Living Awards. Funny stuff. Those old people were AWESOME. They were downright spunky, and made my attempts at 'active living' seem pretty lame. It was kind of fun to get to be a part of that whole event - I think it's a great idea.

We spent some time in the backyard in the afternoon, picked up groceries, nothing too exciting. In the evening, Emily came and joined us for dinner and a movie. It was really, really nice. In all the chaos and insanity of the last couple of (incredibly happy) weeks, I missed NORMAL.

I'm planning to do my very, very best to manage my schedule and try to get myself healthy again this week. It's too important not to.

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Sunday, June 03, 2007

Weekend Update: Wedding Dress Edition

Add a new fear to my list: I'm afraid that I'm not really a natural bride. I suck at it. Either that, or all of you just faked it better than I can.

I went dress shopping with my mom and my sister on Saturday morning/afternoon. It was special. And I had *some* fun while we were doing it. But honestly? It felt stressful and frustrating. My current theory is that I've become so independent that trying to pick a dress with other people there (even people I love) was frustrating - but it's not really socially acceptable to just go pick your wedding dress by yourself. I know what I like, and I have full confidence in my ability to pick something that looks nice. I buy jeans by myself, I buy shoes by myself, so I'm not really sure why we're expected to ask for everyone else's opinion about this clothing purchase.

I must say, though... Wedding dresses are amazing. I was a total superfox. I'm pretty much deciding between two very good options at this point. I just need to decide *soon* because it's almost too late to order.

Other weekend highlights or points of minor interest:
- The weekend kicked off with some bona fide insanity at work on Thursday and Friday, helping to promote SensPledge.com in Winnipeg - don't underestimate how exhausting that was in this Anaheim-loving town!
- Geoff and I had a bunch of his friends over on Friday night for dinner, to see the new house, and to see vacation pictures. It was so nice to have the house full of friends.
- Managed to (finally) find a stove that both of us like - and it was on sale! It's being installed on Monday, and that makes me very happy. Geoff was less happy, but cheered himself up with a new fancy TV. Which I enjoyed almost immediately by popping in a DVD and watching Carrie get back together with Aidan (again). Geoff is such a good sport :)
- Spent some time in the backyard this weekend. Geoff mowed the lawn, did some weeding, and installed some lighting on the deck while I planted a few flowers and vegetables, and sat and did nothing but enjoy the sun and recuperate from dress shopping.
- Went for a walk and checked out a few blocks of the Academy Road summer street festival on Saturday. Very cute.

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Friday, June 01, 2007

REALLY Overwhelmed

I just received an email in my Inbox from someone involved with Wednesday night's event, a prominent Winnipeg businessman. He let me know that he'd be sending a cheque to The Arthritis Society on Monday for $4,000 to help me finish my fundraising for my next marathon.

I don't have words to describe how I'm feeling right now. I need to do the math, but that just might have been enough to put me over the top of my fundraising goals - which would mean that I can focus solely on (much needed) physical preparations for the run. Any money that people donate now will be icing on the cake.

Amazing. Absolutely amazing. My entire week has been full of happy surprises. I am so very blessed.

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