Day 8 - A Picture That Makes Me Laugh

"Also I wouldn't want my child to be a social pariah so there's that."

This is an example of a cartoon by Natalie Dee, an artist who fascinates me!! She definitely is not for everyone, and she sometimes / often uses profanity & vulgarity in her computerized drawings, which she publishes online daily. She has a warped brain, her comics have dark, sarcastic & witty humour. Her style is easily recognizable and since I have been following her website for years I get her jokes pretty quickly. She used to loathe the idea of having children, and now she has one. She loves hot dogs, her dog and mocking her husband, American politics & media. She hates cats & stupid people. The following is a link to her January 2011 comics:

http://www.nataliedee.com/archives/2011/Jan/

Day 7 - My Most Treasured Item

My most treasured item is my 10 year anniversary ring. To me, it is perfect!! Chris got it for me to celebrate 10 years of marriage on August 23, 2007. I chose it at Adama's Goldsmith in Southgate Mall. It has a burgundy ruby in the center, which is my July birthstone, and there are 3 diamonds on each side. I lost it for a year in behind a drawer in our dresser, and it made me sick and haunted me for year! I prayed and prayed that I would find it, and one day Chris did! The band is 18K gold and it is thicker than my wedding & engagement rings. It is a real treasure to me especially because it represents the years of work, sacrifice & love we have put toward our relationship!

Day 6 - Someone I Would Like to Trade Places with For a Day

I would like to trade places with my Grandma for a day. I suspect that she silently tolerates a lot of pain daily and I think that it would be a nice gift for her to be relieved from her stresses for 24 hours and be able to have my healthy body for a day. I'm sure she would love to be "young again" for a day so she could play with my 3 kids and spend time in my comfortable home. I think that after a day in my Grandmother's life, I would appreciate all the luxuries and health that I am blessed with (even more than I already do!!)
P.S. I'm pretty sure that she would think I'm nuts for dreaming this one up!! LOL

Day 5 - My Favourite Memory

My favourite memory is my 30th birthday on July 11th. We saved up for a year for my first trip to Europe. It was a trip to see the art, architecture, cities & sights I had dreamed of seeing from the time I was a child. We landed @ Schipol airport in Amsterdam and then we took the high speed train to Paris. As we entered Paris, Chris told me that for my birthday present he had a limosine waiting for us. I said,
"Wouldn't it be great, just like a movie, if the driver was holding up a sign with our name on it?" Guess what happened!!!! Our massive name was on a white card! The Sicilian driver lead us to the car, and as I left the train station I looked back at the facade of Le Gare du Nord and the tears started streaming down my face... it was ornately carved with sculptures and columns... unlike anything this small town girl had ever seen before... I put my sunglasses on and cried all the way down the Champs-Elysées, under L'arc de Triumph to the Hotel Claridge Bellman, because of the beauty of the architecture, blaconies, cornices, the gold covered ornaments on the Pont Alexandre III bridge, the Seine... We unloaded our luggage in our small hotel room. The wall paper was a burnt saffron colour portraying a pastoral scene, and had a matching duvet cover. This type of decor could only be successfully pulled off in Paris. We decided to explore and chose a restaurant near our hotel, La Fermette Marbeuf 1900 and had a fabulous dinner. For dessert, Chris had the Creme Brulee and a cappuccino. Then we decided to go for a walk, and crossed a bridge and saw the Eiffel Tower. We went up it in the elevator, and the lights on the bridge began to sparkle as dusk fell. There was a warm summer breeze as we enjoyed the view of Paris at night. This is my favourite memory of the happiest birthday of my life. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Look at you,
So into me.
I am wise enough to know
You will suck the life out of me,
And then move on.

Day 4 - Something I'd Like To Do Again

I had the BEST time in Europe. I would definitely like to return. I could imagine spending a few more days in Paris, walking, walking, seeing the sights that I missed and returning to my favourites. I would go to Notre Dame this time, and see the parts of the Louvre I had no time to visit. I would return to lovely Versailles to see Marie Antoinette's private quarters and just walk in the gardens again.

I would get off the train to wander the countryside near Mt. St. Victoire, which Cezanne painted about 60 times. I remember seeing it through the window, and wanting to stop and stay! I would return to the Cinque Terre in Italy and spend more time walking & boating between all 5 lovely towns, feasting on the local fare! I would return to Florence, and see the things I that I missed, like a tour of the interior of the Duomo and to view the Boticellis in the Uffizi Gallery, walk through the Ponte Vecchio, and buy some leather handbags in the market.

I would love to return to Rimini and soak up the sun on the beach!
LORD, I LOVE ITALY!! xoxoxox

Day 3 - My Favourite Shows

These are my three favourite shows currently on TV!

Desperate Housewives is the only tv show that Chris and I watch together; it is in it's 7th season and I fear that it may be near the end. We find the witty writing and the hilarious characters very entertaining. I love the friendships & the dynamics among the women on Wisteria Lane!

I also love the characters, setting, wardrobe & plots in Gossip Girl! I absolutely LOVE New York City, and while I was there I was thrilled to be at places where the GG characters were filmed in the Upper East Side, Central Park, or where they ate their lunch while attending Constance Billard School, on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example!! Gossip Girl is in Season 4, and my favourite on-again off-again couple is Chuck (played by Ed Westwick) and Queen B Blair Waldorf, played by Leighton Meester. B's character dresses very high class and preppy. In the fall of Season 3 when Blair attended a polo match wearing a Tiffany Key necklace, I fell in love with it and Chris bought me one for Christmas!! WOW! Then in the fall of season 4 2010, the girls pledging to enter fraternities were also given Tiffany Keys!! Serena Van der Woodsen, played by Blake Lively is gorgeous & has a very sexy yet classy style. Oh and I was thrilled when Chris and I attended the musical "Chicago" on Broadway that the character Mr. Humphrey from Gossip Girl, Matthew Settle, played the lawyer in the musical!! This was the role played by Richard Gere in the movie adaptation of Chicago.

Big Bang Theory ROCKS!! I love the science, the nerdiness and the hilarity of it ALL!

Day 2 - Someone I've been close to the longest

<- okay maybe I am a bit of a speed demon (on @ Seadoo in the Okanagan)

The person whom I have been closest to the longest is my friend Marla Jean. Our mothers were friends from the time we were born, so we grew up together. Her house was a kilometer down the mountain from the pristine plateau our log house was built on. My mom taught her cartwheels, how to bake & clean and about Jesus Christ. We spent many pleasant summer days together, playing along the two gurgling streams on our acreage, raking the leaves off of the ground to create "floors" for our playhouses. I remember reclining on tree trunks that bent across the creeks, sharing what was going on in our homes & hearts. We used to play in the hayloft of our barn, or go horseback riding or bask in the sunshine on the hay bales... My dad would groan when she would break up the peace of the wilderness by yelling, a 1/2 a km away, a "haloooo Bonnie-Jean!"

In high school we chose different paths and friends.... I chose friends who were Christian girls, pursuing spiritual lives... but still Marla & I were close confidants. School girl friendships often wax and wane as you grow up, get married, and have children; but I have to say, that Marla and I are closer than ever. She has changed so much since high school. She pursues Christ and loves her family passionately! And we know that through the roller coaster that is life, although we are a province away, we are only a text or a phone call away! Always ready to support each other and share a prayer. Love you Mars Bar! :) From your Winding Road friend, Bonnie-Jean.

Proverbs 18:24
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Day 1 - Something I Like

I like Skiing, A LOT! I would like to go every weekend. I grew up in the mountains and used to ski 3 times a year with my school or family... but I have always wanted to do it more often. Then I moved to Edmonton, our nearest mountain is a 4 hour drive away. Life gets in the way, it's hard to follow your passions.

Last weekend I went on a road trip to Banff with my lovely snow boarding friend Simone, it was a wonderful girls' trip!! I became myself again, for 2 1/2 days. It was divine, much needed, therapeutic. On Friday evening we drove 3 1/2 hours to Calgary & chatted all the way. We met up with Miss T & Simone's sis and went to the Blues Can to enjoy some live music from Chicago. On Saturday we toodled our way through Canmore & Banff and then swam in the pool at the Banff Springs Hotel where we were staying. On Sunday morning we had breakfast room service and then we skiied @ Sunshine Village. We have had a tonne of snow this winter, so there was some fabulous powder. We started with Standish Mountain on the Strawberry Express, but the runs were too short and easy. My favourite run for the day was #27 World Cup Downhill, on Lookout Mountain using the Angel Express. Now if I could only ski more often I would love to spend the day on Goat's Eye! My next ski trip will be with Chris @ Lake Louise in March!!!

30 Day Challenge

30 day challenge.....
Credit for these topics go to "Dawn." Not sure if she created them herself, but she is my source.
Day one: A picture of something you like
Day two: A picture of you and someone you’ve been close to the longest.
Day three: A picture of your favorite show
Day four: A picture of something you’d like to do again.
Day five: A picture of your favourite memory
Day six: A picture of someone you’d like to trade places with for a day.
Day seven: A picture of your most treasured item.
Day eight: A picture that makes you laugh.
Day nine: A picture of someone that got you through the most.
Day ten: A picture of you and the person you did the craziest things with.
Day eleven: A picture of something you hate.
Day twelve: A picture of something you love.
Day thirteen: A picture of your favourite band or artist
Day fourteen: A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day fifteen: A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day sixteen: A picture of someone that inspires you.
Day seventeen: A picture of someone that recently made a difference in your life.
Day eighteen: A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day nineteen: A picture of when you were little.
Day twenty: A picture of somewhere you’d love to travel.
Day twenty-one: A picture of something you wish you can forget.
Day twenty-two: A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day twenty-three: A picture of your favourite book.
Day twenty-four: A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day twenty-five: A picture of your day.
Day twenty-six: A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day twenty-seven: A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day twenty-eight: A picture of something you’re afraid of.
Day twenty-nine: A picture that can always make you smile.
Day thirty: A picture of someone you miss