And I Can Throw A Volkswagon A Whole Half Block

I went to a car show last weekend with Shawn because being married to Shawn sometimes means doing stupid shit that I don't care about. It's okay though, because this week Shawn is going to learn that being married to me sometimes means going to see The Time Traveller's Wife.

Anyway. The car show. The main reason I went was that Shawn's band played a few sets. I love watching Shawn rock out. I'm a bit of a groupie, I won't lie.


The dogs did not behave at the car show. Wolfgang barked at every single dog we encountered and Stella tried to roll in every stinky thing she could find.

Bringing the dogs was worth it though, if only because I managed to get what is possibly my favourite photo of Wolfgang ever:

He's cruisin' in his V-dub, yo.

The Lazy Sunbathers The Sun Burns Through To The Planet's Core And It Isn't Enough They Want More

You guys ... you guys! I bring on the crazy and you all bring out the lovely and here I am, a little verklempt. Thanks for talking me off yet another bloggy ledge. Same time, same place, next month?

I'm having a motherfucker of a day so I am unable to faff about for Friday Faff but let me point you in the direction of awesomeness:

Amanda wants to know: What's your bacon number? (mine is 4)

Lemon Gloria introduces baby Jordan.

Georgia makes me crave bread.

Right. In five hours I will be arriving in my favourite place in BC for three glorious days of sunshine, excessive Pimm's consumption, and hopefully a few bocce tournaments. I am beyond excited. I haven't peed from excitement yet but clearly that is a possibility.

Have a great weekend, lovelies!

I Know We Are, We Are The Lucky Ones, Dear

I took the puppies to my parents' house last weekend to let them run around the backyard.

The pups started chowing down on this plant. They could not get enough of it. It was hilarious.

Hilarious ... until we got home and the pups started vomiting. A lot.

A frantic phone call to my dad to find out the name of the plant and a frenzied google search later, I found this website.

I searched for the plant name (iris) and read that the worst symptom the pups could have was vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Considering that some plants can cause seizures or coma or kidney failure or death (eep!) it was like winning the fucking lottery.

I feel so stupid. I watched my pups eating the plant and didn't stop them. The situation was completely avoidable but because of my stupidity, my pups suffered through an afternoon of gastrointestinal distress.

The pups recovered 100% by the next morning but my anxiety level remains high. I can't watch my pups all the time or control every single thing that goes in their mouth, but I have learnt my lesson. If we ever manage to get out of our condo and into a house, I will be tearing up every plant on our property and replacing it with puppy-friendly foliage.

Just Beat It Beat It Beat It Beat It No One Wants To Be Defeated - Take 8

I bought beets at last week's farmers' market. They were smaller and fresher than the beets I buy in the grocery store. They were so fresh, they still had the greens attached. I asked the farmers' market lady to remove the greens for me because they were too big to fit in my bag and it's not like I was going to eat them anyway. And then my mom's head melted. The farmers' market lady did not remove my beet greens. The beet greens went home with my mom. Apparently beet greens are very healthy for you and if you can buy them locally, they are fresh and tender and delicious. However. I did not make a resolution to eat beet greens once a month.

Look, Mom! No greens!

I boiled my beets and then sliced them and tossed them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and feta cheese and then threw them on top of a green salad. It pains me to say this but I ... well, I liked these beets. A lot. I'm going to say it was the addition of cheese that made these beets palatable but I have a horrible suspicion that I might be starting to like beets.

It's The Eye Of The Tiger It's The Thrill Of The Fight Risin' Up To The Challenge Of Our Rival

In response to The Discovery Channel's Shark Week, Maxie and Jenn have declared this Tiger Week.

There are many reasons why I prefer tigers to sharks (#1: tigers don't give me nightmares) but as I'm feeling rather sporty today (hockey pre-season starts in one month!) I thought I'd keep this sports-related.

Tigers -vs - Sharks: Sports Edition

When thinking of sports, what pops into your head when someone mentions tigers? Tiger Woods, described on Wikipedia as ranked "among the most successful golfers of all time." It's Wikipedia, people. Wikipedia does not lie.

And when someone mentions sharks? The San Jose Sharks, a hockey team that has never won the Stanley Cup (for non-hockey fans, winning the Stanley Cup is like winning the Super Bowl or ... whatever it is when you win the baseball.)

Let's recap:

Tiger Woods? Champion.

San Jose Sharks? Not champions. At all.

Tiger > Sharks

That is all.

I'll Kill Him With Karate That I Learned In Japan

The heat has officially left Vancouver and today is a gloomy, rainy Monday. That - and the limited sleep I got this weekend - has left me in a Friday Faff kind of mood.

* * * * *

Thank you for all your kind comments on my anniversary post. We had a great first anniversary. To kick things off, Shawn's Mom made us a fabulous barbecue dinner. On our actual anniversary, we had dinner at the Irish Pub where we got married and then went to the beach and ate cupcakes from the bakery where we got our wedding cupcakes. The next night, my mom and dad made us dinner. It was a bit odd - we were not expecting our families to participate in the anniversary celebrations - but very nice.

* * * * *

Shawn wants to shave Wolfgang's mohawk. I hid the clippers. It's a battle of wills.

* * * * *

I have decided not to part ways with my t-shirt collection. To celebrate, I wore this shirt to work on Friday:

* * * * *

I spent three hours at a farmers' market with my mom yesterday. Three hours is far too long to spend at a farmers' market, especially when you keep finding treats that you have to have. I came home with: ten pounds of blueberries, a giant bag of bell peppers, organic dog treats, paw balm for Wolfgang's cracked paws, a huge loaf of organic seed bread, a bottle of dried garlic, locally grown beets, and an awesome birthday present for Turtle that I can't reveal because she reads this blog. I could have spent hundreds of dollars. I am officially grounded from farmers' markets.

* * * * *

So. The reason I didn't get much sleep this weekend. I started taking karate (is it bad that I can't help but say it "kara-tay" like Ross?) My first class was Saturday morning and I spent the rest of the weekend in agony. My muscles HATE ME right now. I woke up at 4am on Sunday, writhing in pain from ROLLING OVER. I have the opportunity to go three times a week but I think I'm going to start off with once a week. At least until I stop wanting to die after each class.

Sing Me Spanish Techno

Shawn and I were out shopping on the weekend when he got a call and we had to go straight to the hospital. It's not my story to tell but I will say that everyone involved is okay and for once it wasn't me who needed the medical attention.

So. We go straight to the hospital.

It wasn't a hospital I'd been to (or heard of) before. We got a bit lost on the way there because the hospital is in the midst of a residential area and we didn't trust our navigation system as it took us along the winding, suburban streets.

We arrived and found Shawn's brother and the three of us entered the emergency room. It was a bit odd; the room was small-ish and very quiet. There were a lot of old people there, IV-pole in tow, and youngsters with sports injuries. We were the only people there in the mid-20's - mid-30's age range and we attracted a fair bit of attention. It wasn't until later that I realized why. Shawn was wearing a t-shirt with skulls and other skull-type things on it. His brother was wearing his motorcycle leathers. As for me, I was wearing this shirt:

(you can buy it here)

We were quite the motley crew, is what I'm saying.

It could have been worse. I could have been wearing my "MEAT IS MURDER. Tasty, tasty murder." shirt.

Sigh.

I guess the moral of this story is that I should throw out my t-shirt collection and start dressing like a grownup. The thought that I've reached that point in my life makes me die a little on the inside.

Held My Heart Deep In Hair Time To Shave Shave It Off

Last week, Great Vancouver experienced record-breaking heat. BC generally has a mild climate. Last week? NOT SO MILD. Vancouver recorded its hottest day in city history on Wednesday ... and then broke that record on Thursday.

In BC, the average home does not have an air-conditioner. We have two fans, which helped a lot, but our condo was still like a sauna. Every day we would shut the windows and blinds, direct a fan onto each of the puppies' crates, and leave them a bowl of water; and every day we would come home to two miserable puppies.

So I shaved Wolfgang.

He wouldn't let me do his legs much, and he was pretty pissed whenever I tried to get near his head, so he's looking a bit disproportionate.

Bobblehead!

The mohawk he's rocking is pretty fucking sweet, though.

I Never Thought I Could Love Anyone But Myself Now I Know I Can't Love Anyone But You

Dear Shawn,

One year ago, we did a little of this:

and a lot of this:

and a bit of this:

and, erm, just a little bit of this:

We laughed,

we cried,

we danced,

and at the end of the day we were married.

This past year has been a ride; we've had our ups and downs but I wouldn't change a thing. I love that you match my stubbornness and intensity; you don't let me stomp all over you and though it may not always seem like it, I do appreciate that you try to keep me steady. And I appreciate that you still love me when you fail to keep me steady.

You rock, dude. I hope our second year of marriage is as much fun as our first year.

Love, Hillary

She Told Me She'd Love Me Like Fireworks And That's The Way I Like It

Two years ago today, Shawn and I decided to walk down to the beach to watch the Celebration of Light (annual 4-day fireworks show in Vancouver.) Our old apartment was near the beach, so after work we grabbed a blanket and headed down.

We stopped on the way at Fatburger to eat dinner and I remember waiting forever for a table. When we left the restaurant the street was completely clogged. Cars aren't allowed into the West End on firework nights; it was just hoards of people all heading to the same destination.

We decided to screw the beach and watch the fireworks from our apartment. The view wasn't as clear as it would be from the beach, but we could put up with a few highrises in the way if it meant not having to deal with the gongshow on the beach.

We stopped at True Confections to pick up dessert. I got the lemon cheesecake. Shawn had something chocolatey. Because I always get the lemon cheesecake and Shawn always gets something chocolatey.

When we got home we sat in bed and watched the fireworks outside our window and ate our yummy desserts and Shawn asked me to marry him.

I don't remember all the sweet things he said but I do remember being so verklempt by the situation that I only managed to choke out "I guess so" as my answer. Yes, I said I GUESS SO when Shawn asked me to marry him. I will never live that down.

And then we took this horrible-quality picture that I love because I was so happy and (I'm assuming) Shawn was so happy and we have this horrible-quality picture to remind us of it. The end.