Masthead header
9.14.06

The Humph – in action.

Last night Humphrey graduated from intermediate level doggie class. We are so very proud. Especially because until about an hour before we were supposed to leave, Dan and I forgot that we were supposed to have taught Humph a trick to perform at graduation. Knowing the rest of the class, they would have been working hard at theirs all week – We had a lot to live up to.

So we scratched our heads, but finally came up with something easy and more or less suitable. Or so we thought. After the tenth time trying, Humph got bored and went looking for his ball. We gave up.

That is until class. Everyone else was doing a trick and we couldn’t be shown up that way (knowing Humph was the smartest pooch in the class :), so I gave it a try anyway. In front of a crowd and a video camera. So daring. He he he. Apparently, I didn’t give Humph the credit he deserved – he came through with flying colours!  I was so pleased …
Here he is…Humphrey the magnificent! (Click the pic and enjoy the show – and ignore the underwear flash…please).

dsc_0043_sm.jpg
Filed in: Pets | Photos
comment
September 14, 2006 - 9:26 pm

Jen - Nice work! I was picturing Humph to be smaller than he is. Thanks for sharing the video!

September 15, 2006 - 3:50 am

Shannen - I never thought that most of our far-away friends and family haven’t really seen more than just pictures of the Humph. Yup. He’s a good size. Weighed in yesterday at a whopping 65 lbs. Thankfully he hasn’t grown much since we got him…I’m not sure the cats would tolerate anything bigger.

September 15, 2006 - 8:10 am

Kris - Hey…I still haven’t seen the Humph and I’m right in Ottawa. Or Orléans, rather. Anyways, love the video! What a smart boy.

September 15, 2006 - 9:28 am

shannen - You are quite right, Kris. We should make our upcoming housewarming party a ‘Come check out the new pad and meet our hound’ party.

I’ll even teach him a new trick for it!

September 15, 2006 - 11:05 am

LISA - My favorite part of the video (other than Humph being brilliant and adorable at the same time) is the woman at the end who screams ” YEEAAAHHH!” Wow. she must really be into dog tricks…..unless that was Dan…

September 16, 2006 - 4:32 pm

shannen - Ummm…that was me. 😐

September 16, 2006 - 6:49 pm

Alicia - I soooooo knew that was you.

9.14.06

Calgary summers …

Sure, phenomenal skiing is an hour away, but they have to put up with this as a forecast for September 14-16:

Snow way!

It numbs the pain of living in the flat east a little bit 😉

Filed in: Weird Stuff
comment
September 14, 2006 - 1:33 pm

shannen - I would say it numbs it A LOT!

Oh right…I don’t ski. Or snowboard. The mountains are for scenery only in Shanland.

I could easily stand to wait another 2 or 3 months before forecasts of wet snow begin.

September 14, 2006 - 9:25 pm

Jen - Yep its been raining allllllllllllll day. Which provides an excellent day for me to lay on the couch and do nothing since having the teeth pulled out!

September 15, 2006 - 7:50 am

dan - Yikes. I remember how that felt. How are you doing? Sounds like you’re on some Tylenol 3?

You have to post a picture like this, by the way …

September 15, 2006 - 9:33 am

Jen - Haha! I remember that. Actually, I’m not really that swollen. But they are hurting this morning, more so than yesterday. Boo.

9.12.06

Holy Crap!

dsc_0003_sm.jpg

My new ‘do.  I love it!

And while I was out at Rideau Centre chopping the mop, I passed by Gap Kids.  And then I stopped, turned around and went in.  Hesitantly.  It was my first visit.  I knew it would be hard to resist.  Man, teeny baby clothes are cute.  I decided it was time to make my first purchase for Peanut.  She is now the proud owner of the cutest shoes.  Ever.

dsc_0006_sm.jpg

Filed in: Photos
comment
September 13, 2006 - 7:40 am

Kris - Um…pardon me, but those ARE the cutest shoes ever. Peanut/BGF will be well…shod?

Cute haircut too…I may have to see what Dawna can do about my ‘do. Which is getting quite horrifically long and more and more difficult to straighten.

September 13, 2006 - 8:07 am

Shelly - Yowza!! Shannen with short hair! how unexpected!

September 13, 2006 - 8:15 am

Shannen - It is unexpected. I’m not one to plan these things for too long, or they won’t happen. I’m a spontaneous haircutter, though it only happens once every 75 years.

It looks a bitty messy/choppy in the pic. This may or may not be due to my nap on the way home. I’m excited to see what I can do with it myself.

Change is good.

September 13, 2006 - 9:24 am

Sonja - Back looks fantastic – now turn around!

September 13, 2006 - 10:32 am

Mike Machargo...the Macharg - GAP….I approve…i am the unofficial GAP demi-god you know…ok, keep shopping

September 13, 2006 - 1:50 pm

Jen - OOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Wow! You went short! That’s awesome and I think it looks way cute.

Show the front!

Good for you!!! Any slight panic attacks along the way? There would have been a lot of hair on the floor!

I had a hair crisis after I talked to you on Monday. I ended up having to go to a new place on Tuesday at lunch to get it fixed. It turned out SO DARK it felt like I was wearing a wig. I didn’t even want to come into the office on Tuesday, that’s how bad it was. Its better now though thankfully!

New hair rules!

September 13, 2006 - 1:51 pm

Jen - Oh BTW those are the cutest shoes ever……

September 13, 2006 - 10:00 pm

Dean - Two thumbs up on the aformentioned shoes! Peanut is a very lucky girl considering I had to wear A baggy Pocahauntus sweater (and not to mention a haircut that was ridiculously hideous), spandex leggings or “stirrup pants”, and those dinky little canvas shoes with a shoe lace that wouldn’t be long enough to strangle a worm!

Anyway.. I also think that peanut is lucky to have such a yummy looking mummy! I think the new do looks great from the back! Show us the front! I dare you!

love you
Dean
*So shannon chops it all off…Dan, does this mean YOU are going to try for a longer style? My preference is the business in the front, party in the back otherwise known as a mullet…or perhaps you should consider a “skullet”! Than peanut would be REALLY lucky!

9.12.06

Hard to beat…

I went into this past weekend knowing it would be busy, but didn’t know how satisfying all the *busy* would be.  It started with my first free pre-natal yoga class with Claudia, and was almost immediately followed by a manicure with Sonja and Michelle at The Spa. The weekend was already fantastic – and it wasn’t even 5 o’clock yet.

dsc_0066_sm.gifSunday was just as amazing.  We got up early and hopped in the car with Sonja and Mark and headed out to meet Michelle and Gary at the apple orchard!  I haven’t been apple picking since I was a young cub and I was excited to replicate a photo my mom took the last time I was there.  Though I remember the trees being a lot bigger when I was six…which is obvious…but still worth mentioning.  Most of the apples we saw were reachable with both feet on the ground; the ladders were almost unnecessary.  That is until Sonja and I went on the hunt and found the perfect one for my picture.  Et voila!

So, back to the story. 

We got on the tractor and drove out toward the red speckled trees.  We had the choice of Spartans, MacIntoshs or Lobos and after a quick lesson about how to pick them and which were best for what purpose, we were off!  We quickly filled up 2 and a half bags (and ate 1 or or 3 pieces in the process) and then hit the stand for freshly baked donuts.  Just-picked apples are delectable.  So are warm donuts.

dsc_0081_sm.gifThe day was capped off with a downtown photo-taking mission (my favourite part), an apple-centric dinner, which the girls prepared while watching Sixteen Candles.  Each dish we chose had fresh apples as an ingredient, and somehow no one complained about being appled-out, even after they had finished their second or third helping.  We served an apple and broccoli salad, baby carrots glazed with apple, porkloin with and apple and prune cream sauce and we finished with apple crisp. 

Gary claimed it was the best meal he’d had in 2006.  I might agree.  Plus it was fun to break in our dining room table and guarantee that the boys treat us to the same kind of meal in a few weeks…though something tells me theirs will involve less preparation and more burgers.

Some of my favourite moments……

dsc_0083_sm.gifdsc_00451_sm.gif

dsc_0019_sm.gifdsc_0020_sm.gif

dsc_0040_sm.gifdsc_0042_sm.gif

dsc_0073_sm.gifdsc_0075_sm.gif

Filed in: Friends | Photos
comment
September 13, 2006 - 7:38 am

Kris - Awww…I’m so jealous of your weekend! I was supposed to go to an orchard on Sunday but didn’t end up getting there. Dang. Take us with you next year!

September 13, 2006 - 10:53 am

Shannen - You are so coming next year. Well worth the drive out.

September 13, 2006 - 1:44 pm

Jen - Those are great pics!

September 13, 2006 - 2:43 pm

Gary - Mark is sure eating the shit out of that apple.

9.8.06

Vegas, baby!

I consider myself (and Shannen and I as a team) good at managing our money. The last few years, most excess money has been sunk into two things: houses (973 and 428, respectively), and travel. Spending money on your home is absolutely necessary at the beginning, but hopefully tapers off once you have things where you like them. We’re nowhere close to the tail of that spending on the new house, but I think I can almost see it. Waaay off in the distance.

Travel spending, on the other hand, does not tail off. It keeps going and going and going. Our families are scattered across the continent, so there are the periodic visits that we look forward to. But I (and Shannen and I together) also have a serious leisure travel bug. I value experiencing new places and cultures above a lot of other things.

So, even though we are mired in endless house expenses and have a little girl on the way, we’re going to Vegas, baby! November 3-6, which coincides nicely with Liz’s visit there for work. We’ll warm it up for the party crew (pictured below), which arrives the weekend after. We tried to make the dates coincide, but it wasn’t in the cards.

Vegas isn

We plan to hit a show (there are 4 different Cirque de Soleil shows – too many options!) , see some of the sights (don’t have enough time to make it out to the grand canyon this time, but I would like to some day), visit with family … and oh yeah, some gambling! I’ll be spending a bit of time at the roulette wheel – providing me with your lucky number between 0 and 36 in comments may garner you praise upon my return.

Filed in: Money | Travel
comment
September 8, 2006 - 7:08 pm

Jen - Strange. I didn’t know I was going to Vegas with the Nichols’ + Jason! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!!

September 8, 2006 - 7:10 pm

dan - Oops – I know, sorry 😉 I should have doctored the photo to put a black bar over your eyes.

Though there *is* still time to book your ticket!

September 10, 2006 - 2:19 pm

Dean - Dan, what are you supposed to be in the picture…isn’t that a little child’s costume?

September 11, 2006 - 8:39 am

LISA - That picture was exactly what I needed first thing Monday morning. I am hoping that was taken on Halloween……anyway, put some money down on Black 8 for me.

September 11, 2006 - 10:06 am

dan - Hey Dean,

Thankfully, I am not in that picture. That’s our friend Jason in the middle, in a Robin costume. And yes, I think it was meant for a little child 🙂

PS: Gary on the right is the Riddler, Michelle on the left is Wonder Woman, and Jen in the back is not dressed as a superhero.

September 17, 2006 - 5:33 am

jason - glad to see that photo hasn’t died yet. Anyone else wanna stick pictures of my ass on their websites go ahead, there’s plenty of my ass to go around.