She's Got Legs

Okay, let's see... where are we? It has been a couple of weeks since I have posted. I am really trying to be more consistent with this, but things have been crazy lately.

As most of you are wondering what the status is on my friend Patty, well, her leg is being amputated the week after Thanksgiving. This weekend we are having a "LEGacy Bowling Tournament", in honour of her leg. We also have to come up with a 'LEG' of some sort to bring her. Only Patty would come up with that! I am putting my creative hat on, because as always with Patty, most creative gets a prize! We are also raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society, which Patty is going to make one lump sum donation to Shear Madness. We reached our goal of $10,000 a couple of weeks ago, and we are now wondering if we can make $15,000 by December 31, 2007.

So, I have temporarily moved back to my parents' house while they are in Italy. The main reason is to take care of my dog (who officially became THEIR dog when I moved out and they wouldn't let me take her) and water the plants/grass. It took some adjusting to. My condo is on a busy street, so at night, I hear buses, transport trucks, emergency vehicles and other miscellaneous traffic noises. Annoying, right? Not at all. It's like my very own nature tape. However, my parents live on a quiet street, so the nights were pretty hard for me at first. I contemplated recording the sounds from my condo bedroom and bringing them to my bedroom at my parents. I adjusted.

The next thing to get used to was the dog sleeping in the bed with me. Not a big deal when she was at the foot of my bed. However, the second night I woke up to the dog breathing on me, as somehow, we were suddenly SHARING A PILLOW!!! It was crazy. We quickly worked that out, and now we usually sleep back to back - literally. She HAS to be touching me, all the time!!

This week is PREMIERE week for all the new shows! I LOVE this week! It is so exciting. I also hate this week, because it is when I am reminded just how much TV I actually do watch! It is crazy. Take tonight for example: I have five hours of TV that I have to watch in 3!! How am I going to do that? I watch Survivor (always thinking that, YES, this WILL be the last season), I watch ER (always thinking, that YES, this WILL be the last season), I watch Grey's Anatomy (because I am NOT crazy), I watch CSI (the Las Vegas one - for obvious reasons, and cause Warrick is a HOTTIE) and I watch Newport Harbour, (because I am 12).

I make plans around my TV shows. This holiday season, I will be will working two nights a week, in the mall, as a gift wrapper. I chose my shows based on my TV schedule. Tuesday nights - Dancing with the Stars Results show - only watch the last 5 minutes to see who gets the boot, and Wednesday nights - Private Practice and LOST (which doesn't start 'til January, so I am good). I can PVR Private Practice (if it even lasts that long - the premiere was good - not superb, but good). Ah, the PVR... I can go on for days about that... I LOOOOOOVE the PVR!

Work has also been busy. We are in contract negotiations with our Contractor, and I am invited to attend the meetings. I am, however, not allowed to speak at the meetings... unless spoken to. Direct quote from my supervisor! I guess he thinks that I might say something that could hurt the negotiations... something like, "SHUT UP YOU WHINY BABY!!!!" But really, would it be that bad?

Peace Out Peeps!
P~

Big Girls Don't Cry

Well, I am back from Vegas, and it was a fantastic trip. But this entry is not about Vegas. I will save that for another day. Today's entry is full of sadness, anger, hope and love.

A really good friend of mine found out yesterday that she has to have her leg amputated. Because of Cancer. Her WHOLE FREAKIN' LEG. I am devastated for her. She has 3 young children that need their mama, a husband that needs his wife, parents that need their daughter, siblings that need their sister, and friends that need her.

Selfishly, I am taking this really hard. I can't imagine my life without this friend. I am also having a hard time with this, as she is the first person that I know to receive a diagnosis of Cancer since I have shaved my head. I did it to help SAVE someone's life, and I guess I was thinking (or maybe hoping) that I would never know that "someone" - well, now I know EXACTLY where I want the money to go to. I want to shave my head all over again, if it means keeping her around.

I am trying to be very positive, especially when I am around her. I had a good cry when I got off the phone with her last night, but I am refusing to cry in front of her. Emotionally, I am not strong - I cry over commercials, but something came over me last night that I just can't describe. I will be the Rock that she needs throughout this.

The surgery to remove her leg could take place as early as this Wednesday, so she has a lot to process right now. She is struggling with her emotions, and rightfully so. I feel very helpless right now. And I don't do well with that.

She is going to be okay. She has to be.

So, if you could just think good thoughts every now and then for her, I would really appreciate it.

I love you, Patty! :0)

Peace Out!
P~

Look At Me!

Look at me! Back again - and it's only been a day. I am trying to make a real effort here! So, today is Saturday and this might be the first entry that I haven't started at work. In fact, this may be the only entry that I haven't done at work!! Oops~

So tonight we are having a Martini Night with the girls. I am most excited about this and will post some pictures so everyone can enjoy. I am responsible for making an appetizer - which is what brought me here today. I was looking for something new and fun and ended up blogging about it! Only in 2007 would that happen!

For Martini Night, we had to choose 2 songs - 1 old and 1 new for a contest. Music + contest = Me WANTING to WIN!!! LOL I had such a hard time picking my songs, especially because we have been on the 80's train this week at work, listening to some of our favourites - such as, TIFFANY, MILLI VANILLI & BOBBY BROWN (pre-Whitney & pre-crack-cocaine!) I was somewhat tainted with my choices, I think. But nonetheless, I still want to win!

As most of you know, there is a new craze called Facebook. It has taken over lives and relationships! It is crazy - and I love it. My favourite part is updating my status so EVERYONE knows what I am doing and when. Wow, that makes it sound a little creepy - and self-centred!

Okay, so back to finding a yummy appetizer.

Later!
P~

P.S. Vicki & Cass - I hope you guys are having an awesome day at the wedding - I can't wait to hear all about it!

Oh My God, We're Back Again!

Okay, so it has been just about 4 months since the last time I posted an entry. First and foremost, I want to apologize to all of you who have been waiting for a new entry. Sorry Vicki.

Here is a brief summary of what has gone on in the last 4 months:

-Most Importantly, I think: I SHAVED MY HEAD TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY!!!!
-Work was crazy busy with lots of students and lots of audits
- My cousin's wedding was in July and it was awesome! Tons and tons of fun while planning, preparing and executing the fantastic day!
-Planned a third trip to Las Vegas - we leave next week
-Became a Harry Potter addict - I am already on book #4
-Spent lots (but not enough) of well deserved time at the cottage
-Tried to spend time with family and friends as much as possible

That, sadly, is pretty much it!

So yeah, I shaved my head. Laura and I did it together. We were totally excited to do it. It took place on July 9th, 2007, at Rhododendron Gardens in Mississauga. We wanted to do it by Ricky's tree, but it was raining, so we couldn't. Tim shaved my head and Dave shaved Laura's. Our goal was to raise $10, 000 for the Canadian Cancer Society, and to date, we have almost reached our goal - we are just over $9,000 (I can't remember the exact figure).

The event took a lot of planning, hard work and dedication - not just from Laura and myself, but from family and friends. It was a blast!

My hair is growing in pretty quickly - quicker than I thought it would. I do have to admit that some days I wish it was all back, and some days I think it was the best decision I ever made and think about keeping it short!

It has also been very overwhelming to hear the awesome things that people have been saying. I have gotten so many compliments - and I am not referring to my appearance. Last summer, I was fighting through the awful things and the attack on my character that my cousin, so undeserving, laid on me. This summer, I am dumbfounded at outpouring of love, appreciation and admiration that I feel so undeserving of. How can 2 events that are so different, make me feel the same, yet so completely different at the same time?

I know that my cousin was completely wrong about me, and a year later, more than anything, I pity her and feel that she is lost without knowing how to find herself. I am no longer angry at what she did, but I know that there is no fixing it either. I am just trying to move on and live my life as if they were never a part of it. As you can imagine, easier said than done.

Okay, enough about that - now for the happy thoughts!!!

My niece turned 2, and I think she knows more words that I do. She has caught my singing bug and we can be found many evenings just singing our little hearts out, mostly to our favourites - "Old MacDonald had a Farm" and "Ring Around the Rosie". She is my whole world and I can't imagine her not being around. She is funny, saucy and the cutest thing. I wish I could bottle her and bring her with me everywhere I go.

I have also complete BOTH of my Las Vegas scrap books, which also took some time. They turned out great, if I do say so myself.

Speaking of Las Vegas, I am sure that you may be wondering why I am going AGAIN, and what I am going to see that is new this time! We are going for Timmy's 30th birthday and we will be seeing LOTS that we haven't seen yet - including Celine Dion (WOO!), the Neon Sign Graveyard (double WOO!!), the Hoover Dam (Seriously? Seriously!) and finally we are going to Red Rock.

Of course, we will be seeing a lot of Kerri and her good friend (now mine too) Deon! We are all very excited about this. The we is myself, my sister, my brother-in-law & Laura.

Lastly, I am going to talk about Harry Potter. How I missed this phenomenon for the last 10 years is beyond me. I started reading the series at the cottage and got through the first book and half of the second by the end of the weekend. I was hooked. I am trying, very hard, to stay away from any websites or anything to do with HP, so that the end isn't ruined for me. So far, so good.

I think that sums up my 4 months now. I PROMISE that I will write more frequently now, and that it will be more exciting than this post was... it will include pictures and other fun stuff too (I don't know what that will be)

So for those of you that are still checking this blog, Vicki, I hope you enjoyed the new entry!

PEACE!
P~

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of... ...Heckling!

So, we went to see the cast of The Hills on Monday night. Ang e-mailed MTV.ca and they said to show up at 888 Yonge St. before 6 PM and we wouldn't be turned away. A win, if you ask me...

So, we left work at 4:15 and headed to the T-dot. On our way, it began to rain so bad that even with my swish-swipers on the fastest they could go, I could barely see. But, we were determined, so on we went. 407 to 427 to 409 to 401... I didn't know we had so many 4's Hwys... When we were on the 401, it was still pouring and my cell phone started ringing. It was Susanne - the Vegas bride - she wanted to get her nails done at Yola's - where I go. So, I was trying to give her directions over the phone, drive in the down pour, figure out where we were going, and watch for the slamming of the brake lights... GOOD TIMES!

While waiting for the light to turn green on the off-ramp of the 401, we noticed a girl crossing the street, and her pants were wet from walking in the rain. They were wet all the way up her leg, to her mid-thigh. Ang and I burst out laughing - we SO knew that that would be us in a few minutes.

Cruisin' down Yonge St., we worried that we wouldn't be able to find where we were going. All of a sudden a looked up and saw the most giant sign that said "MTV CANADA"! We had arrived. We then noticed the throngs of people, most of them soaking wet, in line. With luck on our side, we saw a green P, just to our right, and it was a block away from where we wanted to be. GREAT! We pulled in and were told that it was $13, but if we weren't out before 9 PM, our car was going to be locked in overnight. Hmmm, no thanks! We pulled out of the lot, but were on the other side (not Yonge St.). There was metered parking, and as we were driving, the 2nd spot became available. We quickly jump in the spot and fed the meter as much as we could.

We started walking, Ang realized that she forgot her wallet, but no biggie - CLEARLY we were over the age of 16. Our tops fit us correctly, our pants fit us correctly, we were wearing coats - we were not 16. Side note - as we were parking, it thankfully stopped raining!!

We turned the corner, saw another, shorter line than the first, so decided to line up there. The girl in front of us told us that this was the line for the people that had e-mailed MTV and had received a confirmation e-mail. I looked over to Ang - we were SO in. Except that she forgot the e-mail, and her wallet. Really, MTV, we are who we say we are, we just don't have ANY proof!! Let us meet LC, PLEASE!!!!

There were so many random things that happened after that.
- Two clearly gay men that just made us laugh - not that we think gay people are to be ridiculed, but they were just so funny. Those butt-clenching, bag carrying fashion gurus! We LOVE you!
- The same people walking up and down Yonge St. OVER and OVER!
- The Po-Po -or rent-a-cop that drove his Prelude to MTV to direct traffic.

Ang and I couldn't stop laughing. Then it got good. Suddenly, the rent-a-cop came over and told us that the show had started and we weren't getting in. It was only 6:15. The outrage that ensued was hilarious. People yelling and screaming. People demanding to speak to MTV reps. Ang and I busted out laughing. Some girl walked out into the middle of the street so EVERYONE could witness her outrage. She was mad. She dropped the F-bomb. Then her mom told her to get off the road. Ang and I - laughed again...

Ang walked out a little to see what was happening, and I was still standing in the line. Just as she was walking away, a car started to drive by, and someone yelled out the window, "WOOOOOOOO THE HILLS!!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!", so we all looked up. We had just been heckled. By a Muslim woman in her hijab. Picture it in your head before you judge me for typing that. Being heckled by a women who wears a hijab to protect herself from being judged by others, who wears it to show that she will not fall to peer pressure, that will not be brainwashed by society, who wears it so people are forced to get to know her personality and not what she looks like. HECKLED!!! The irony is just too much! Ang turned around and looked at me, with, I am sure, the exact WTF!?!??!?!?! facial expression that I was looking at her with.

And we busted out laughing... and laughed, and laughed, and 5 days later, are still laughing about it.

'Dust In The Wind

Before I went to Vegas the first time, I was told that the Stardust was coming down on New Year's Eve. I was bound and determined to see the Stardust and get some pictures of it. Unfortunately, it was already boarded up, so we couldn't go in, but I was able to take some pictures of the building.

Stardust Hotel and Casino - December 2nd & 3rd, 2006.

I felt very sad that I wasn't able to go into the Stardust, but at least I had seen the inside on "Saved By The Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas" and I was able to see the building in person, before it came down.

When I was preparing to go back in March, I was talking to someone that has been there before and he said that he had heard that the Stardust DIDN'T come down on New Year's... I figured I would see for myself.

Our flight from Denver was delayed, so we got into Vegas late. In the cab, we decided that we were going to check in, hit the sheets and start fresh the next day. It was already midnight Vegas time, so 3 AM our time. At the hotel, the man checking us in informed us that at around 2 AM, we would hear a large "BOOM" sound as the Stardust was being imploded. That night. As I was standing on Vegas soil. Instantly, I was no longer tired and couldn't get my bags in the room fast enough and get myself to the Stardust.

The other girls were just as excited and we quickly headed down the strip. There were already a lot of people milling about and getting the "best" spot. As we were doing the same, we came across 2 older ladies. They were wearing Stardust jackets and said that they were a couple of the original cocktail waitresses that worked at the Stardust when it first opened! I was in such awe, that I FORGOT to take a picture of them. I am still kicking myself for that one!

We set ourselves up directly across the street from the Stardust and waited. And waited. And waited. At about 2:15 am (5:15 am Ontario time), a few fireworks went off. The excitement in the air was indescribable.

I was able to catch the next sequence of events on camera. This is what the Stardust imploding looked like through my eyes.

Stardust Hotel and Casino - March 12th, 2007.

Fireworks leading up to the main event.

Fireworks went off all through the building.

Just seconds away now. The crowd was cheering, some through tears.

The Official Countdown was in the centre of the Stardust.

The building was actually coming down. These pictures aren't bright enough. And they don't do the moment justice.

The cloud of smoke was all that was left.

Walking back to the hotel. Can you believe that we were in the opposite direction of which the wind was travelling. There was so much dust!

Stardust Hotel and Casino - March 13th, 2007.

Peace Out Peeps!

Oops! I Did It Again!...

...Take so long to post, that is.
It's April 20th - where has the time gone? It has been awhile - a long while since I have posted last. Here is what has been going on with me!

Today the weather is going to be 21 degrees. I am in love. With the weather. I got a pedicure yesterday and it is super cute. In fact, here is a picture of it.

I have a cute blue flower on each of my big toes. You can see it better in the picture below:

Preparations for my cousin's wedding are in full swing. The invitations are done and will be in the mail next week. The Bonbonieres are wrapped and ready to go (after we put the tags on them) and the first of 2 showers is this weekend. Our dresses should be in next month!

Since being back from Vegas, we haven't been able to get back on our work-out schedule. I am hoping that changes this week - can you believe I actually MISS it!?!?! I must be coming down with something.

I am almost finished scrap booking my FIRST Vegas trip. I told myself that I am not allowed to go back until I have scrap booked BOTH trips. Why I am punishing myself, I don't know.

My niece is speaking so much now. She is stinkin' hilarious and wants 100% of my attention. If I look away from her for one second, she calls me -"ZIA!!!" and if I don't look at her, I get "ZIA PAA-WA!!!!!". I love it. She rocks!

Work is still pretty busy, but looks like it won't be for much longer. I think we did pretty good. It only took us 3 weeks for our learning curve. I wasn't around when the Blue Box was rolled out, but I am sure that it took longer than 3 weeks to get a handle on things. We Rock!

On Monday night, I am going to MTV live to see (not meet) the cast of The Hills. Yes, I am 12. And I love Lauren Conrad. And Whitney. And Audrina - a little.

Top 5 Favorite Songs this week:

1. Over It - Katharine McPhee
2. Weak In the Knees - Serena Ryder
3. Listen - Beyonce
4. Just Another Day - Serena Ryder - AGAIN!
5. Not Ready to Make Nice - The Chicks - just can't let that song go!!!

Hope everyone has a happy, sunny weekend!
P~