This past Sunday, I was fortunate to attend the launch of my dear friend, Kimberley Moore’s, first book, a children’s book called Lucy and the Light Bulb.

Let me make this clear: I am a supah-fan of children’s books, and DO NOT think that they should be limited to children…especially because, if you consider the illustrations, they are awfully close to comic books, which are definately not limited to the consumption of children. Some of my favourite night time reads are by authors Blume, Silverstein and Munsch. Holy tangent…

This book is very heartwarming and I am so so proud of my fabulous author friend. It is a story about a sad young woman who encounters a little girl, full of life and light, on a city bus. The child’s candid and sweet approach to the ensuing conversation effects the young woman’s outlook. Touched by a child’s wisdom, who can’t relate? 

I encourage you to buy it here.

I love this project! Found this over at Sparkletopia today, and it is very timely. I have been feeling pretty un-brave lately, uncertain of myself as I blaze brand new ground…I forgot that action taken to propel yourself forward is brave in itself.

With that said, I have been very work-brave and emotional-brave lately, so I picked a new brave to be today. I bought new sneakers and started running. It was fun, running along the beach, singing a little song when it got tough, and paying attention to the surroundings.

I wonder what kind of brave I will be tomorrow? And I wonder how many times I can use the word “brave” in a single post…

My favorite thing to say these days is: “monkey humper”. How can you not appreciate the simple fifth grade eloquency of these words? AND it fits in wherever and whenever one is looking for a just a little more description and colour in the vocabulary.

That is all.

…monkey humper.

I have been back from vacation for one week and think it’s time to express my gratitude for the days gifted to me…the ones allowed me the time to completely decompress. So, two thumbs up, Okanagan!

Thank you for:

• Morning hikes.
• The vineyards,
• And subsequently, the vino.
• Naps!
• Peachland.
• The Gasthouse.
• Martini madness!
• The boardwalk.
• Sunshine and gardens.
• The mountains.
• Afternoon dance parties.

Hope you rested up over the weekend, Gemini, because today was just a taste of the wild week that is in store for you. Keep your running shoes at the ready!

A glimpse of my fantastic Saturday, wandering around downtown behind my camera lens. Hope your Saturday gave you time to reconnect too…

It may be the change of seasons coming, but the recent events in my life have got me thinking about the past, in that: “yeah, those were some good times even if they didn’t feel so good at the time” way. I spend a lot more time laughing these days, especially when a much forgotten memory sneaks back into my stream of consciousness.

These recollections seem to have a summertime feeling to them, so I have been playing some of my favourite summertime songs on the ipod. On the top of the list is “Nightswimming” by REM.

It feels like so long since I have written. Life has really been rolling so fast lately that I have barely stopped to get a glass of milk and some cookies, if you know what I mean. But it has been so so good.

My fabulous last few weeks has included:

1. Weekend visitors (Nanny and Poppy Hurrah!)
2. Wild crazy work weeks
3. Cocktails and dancing with some of my favourite people
4. Afternoon hikes in the woods (Do you think I can climb that hill?)
5. Reading my butt off
6. Cleaning out the gardens and cursing the squirrels
7. Family barbeques
8. Impromptu dinner parties
9. Lounging in the sun
10. Ending up in places I didn’t think I would be

Hope your weeks have been as filled with crazy wonderfulness and joy as mine!

We spent this beautiful spring day running errands and moving a friend, very busy for a Sunday…Ended with a lovely barbeque and a bottle of red wine.

The highlight of the meal, though, was dessert. Isn’t it always? So hard to not start with it! A huge platter of fruit and a delicious vanilla pineapple dip.

Melissa’s Super Yummy Fruit Dip:

Somewhere between moving into the new house, changing jobs last year, and gutting the home office after the roof leak, I lost my copy of “I’m a Mountain” by the lovely Sarah Harmer. All I know is that after loading up all my albums into iTunes last May, it did not make it in.

And it’s been bugging me. Gone the way of dryer-eaten socks, hair elastics and single earrings, I can only guess.

I have been especially introspective in the last months, thinking a lot about my place in this crazy wide world and finding the inspiration to continue that journey in the most unlikely places.

The missing album was part of a weird Sarah Harmer soundtrack that I needed to hear, as part of my reflections and meanderings through lives past. Starting with “You Were Here” (out on my own for the first time), continuing with “All of Our Names” (trying on my first “grown-up job”) and leading into…the AWOL album.

This week, downloaded “I’m a Mountain” from iTunes and have had a good listen, so my mini-soundtrack is complete. It is completely bizarre, the way certain pieces of music tether you to specific events and periods of time. That album is somehow linked to the very beginnings of my existentialist ponderings…

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I encourage you to check out ‘Escarpment Blues‘, a documentary about the environmental debate surrounding the gravel mining in the Niagara Escarpment.