Friday, October 24, 2008

"Take a chance, take a chance take a take a chance chance"

I love boardgames. Always have, always will. But there will forever be one that stands out in my mind, that game among games that truly shows you the essence of one's character. A teetering slope that can turn nasty at the drop of the die. No matter who you play with I find you need to reign it in, because at the hour and a half mark, things can get real ugly, give or take Park Place. Last week Amanda, Mark and I pulled up a seat and proceeded to in the most sportsmanshiply fashion to yell, whine, argue and barter our way across the board.

Monopoly. Ah, the joy...


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You can tell a lot by how each player sorts their money: Amanda prefers banklike sorting, and I like mine all in a stack....and then there's Mark....

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All down hill from here!

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Note: The title of this blog is solely dedicated to one of my best cousins Krafty K...the person who has forever instilled in me to break into ABBA whenever reaching for a chance card.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

"Sound of the drums, beating in my heart"

I've liked hockey for as far back as I can remember.

But on a cold shivery night nearly two years ago, it turned from a torrid lusty affair, into a commited loving relationship. That's right, I fell in love with hockey. We all sat huddled close, bums frozen to the sub-zero metal of the stands, our eyes torn between the the blaring scoreboard and rough scrape of the sticks. With the buzzer ticking down those last agonizingly delicious seconds, the puck shot its way across the goalie crease; and for a brilliant slice of time everything slowed in that perfection of granted childhood dreams. My ten year old cousin had won his tournament along side the rest of his Southland Speed Hockey team.

Whooping excitedly through the halls we came across the tallied score banner, and in what I now refer to as a 'fit of jubilant afterglow' I ripped the sticky tape and ran hysterically giggling from the arena. My younger cousins howled following behind the trailing meter of paper. What sealed the deal in my mind was the look on Marc's face, this look that completely reinforced my belief that there was no pizzaz in quiet pride, and expressive gestures were far too underrated.

Since then I can't help but equate hockey with that sense of over the top pride, love, joy, overwhelming excitement. This past Sunday the boys mangled together two on two street hockey and it brought me back to that childish glee. And really at the end of the day, what is better than capturing childish glee?

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Okay, forget what I said about glee.  This is serious stuff....
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And here's some of my favorite bugsy thrown in for good measure!

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Monday, October 20, 2008

"And when you figure you out love is all that matters after all, it sure makes everything else seem so small"

It's part of the human condition to be afraid, and being incredibly human I've always had my fair share. Stairs with no backs, dark basements, freddy krueger, rickety houses. I've got a pretty standard case of don't-like-to-be-alone-itis; all of my fears echo this. But weeks ago I faced one of my biggest while scrolling through my regular blog sites. In a simple post Jasmine Star wrote that she feared not saying I love you enough.

In six words I felt like a spotlight had shone hotly on the tightest place in my chest. My hands clammed, throat squeezed and it took a good handful of minutes to be able to gulp down the reality of my very palpable fear.

I've always been one of those people who gushes affection, it was one of the very best things my Mum taught me how to do. One of the very best things she knew how to do. Our life was turbulent at best sometimes, but even in the shakiest moments I never doubted her love for me or me for her. When she died, I realized that even saying it every breath didn't feel like enough, and that my heart would always wish desperately for one more chance to say it.

In the heartbreak of my loss for her, I've realized how many more chances I get to say it to all of the other wonderful people in my life. So in a celebration of living life to it's fullest brim I've been pinning essays in hallmark cards to all my loved ones, a small token that hopefully shows they are always in my thoughts, my heart.

Here are some of the classics I picked up recently:

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

"Make it last forever friendship never ends"

"2wit Function: noun: Astuteness of perception or judgement; the ability to relate seemingly disparate things so as to illuminate or amuse."

Or as I like to call it, really clever humor. Now everyone has their own style, me myself I usually prefer the self-deprecating variety, but my friend Marissa, she has the gift of wit. Humor so quick you might just miss it if you're not careful. Putting aside all biases, I think she really could give Ferris Bueller a run for his money.

If I had to pick, I would have to say it's my most very favorite thing about her. If I didn't have to pick I could go on for days with everything that makes her one of the shiniest gems my life has ever stumbled upon. The way her dashboard always finds its way to classic rock, no matter what the city. Her abundant love for all things pink, Disney, and my little pony. Her intensely intelligent political arguments. Her complete and utter dedication to Foose. The way she rattles the nails in my true love soapbox. The way she's been my friend so all-encompassingly these past seven years it's hard to blink into a past where we could not have met. In short I love her, most ardently.

And as for Marwa, well she's got a similar paragraph. She's shown me that in the silences of people and their relationships, if you look closely you can truly grasp the beauty of the human condition. And I think for the rest of my time on earth, my heart will always enjoy those silences most with her. She is so caring that it's painfully breathtaking, her strength and fervor for those she loves is a talent beyond what most have been given, and I know my dented and battered spirit might not have made it out beating without her fierce protectiveness and love.

I hope cheesy pop always rates highest on her nano. Hope that no one ever understands why I like From Justin to Kelly but her. Hope that her Edward comes along sooner than later. Hope she always reminds me to change my toothbrush when it's splayed. Hope she never forgets the swiffer dance move. Hope I can become half the woman she's become. Hope that she is my friend forever.

And after all that soppy mush we can finally get to the good stuff, here's the pictures from our Edmonton trip a couple weeks ago...

Marissa and Marwa inside the whale mouth @ West Ed
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Best Bday cake ever.
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I know, you're jealous!
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Walk down by the river valley..
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You never know when you won't get to say I love you again, and so I have to say it one more time, I love you both, to the moon and back.

Monday, October 13, 2008

"Oh! The good old hockey game, Is the best game you can name; And the best game you can name, Is the good old Hockey game!"

I had one of those amazing weekends, you know the ones that stretch so wide it feels like the start of another week just might not be so bad. It was one of those.

Friday seemed like it would never come, and when it finally did I had the awesome surprise of meeting up with a friend on his way to the airport for an amazing boys trip to Costa Rica. Yes, as I sit and type this with a sweater and the furnace on, they are on a beach, surfing in gorgeous sunset. But, don't worry I'm not jealous at all :)

Saturday, we hit up the Calgary Flames Season opener. And in completely ignoring the health conscious part of our brains we ordered not one, but two large nachos. And coca-cola. And four malts. I blame the Saddledome really, something about the atmosphere just begs you to eat those vein clogging foods you'd never normally consider. We ended up losing, which was a complete bummer in overtime, but it was still a great game to watch. As big of a fan of hockey as I am, I haven't been to very many games and Uncle Keith got us row eleven centre ice, so seeing the sweat down Lombardi's face was worth it all.

Sunday we did the trek up to Sylvan for Thanksgiving. I think I've finally gotten to a place where some of these holidays aren't nearly as hard as they've been in the previous two years. It's so hard to even consider sinking into a melancholy mood with how crazy my family is, and I wouldn't really have it any other way. Crude, loud, hilarious, I am thankful for every person and what they bring to the table.

So all in all it was a fantastic weekend, and while my outer thighs might not be thanking me, my heart sure is.

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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

"All Kinds of weather, we stick together, the same in the rain or sun, two different faces, but in tight places, we think and we act as one"

I can't quite pinpoint the right word to describe my sister. 


Hilarious.   Beautiful.   Loving.   Kind.   Outgoing.   Giggly.   Reasonable.   Serious.  Organized.   Conscientious.   Dependable.   Perceptive.   Sensitive.   Original.   Open-Minded.   Creative.  Practical.   Enthusiastic.   Intellectual.

I could go on, but in a word, she's wonderful.  She reminds me to be exactly who I am, never anything else.  Someone who subtly and unconsciously reminds my eyes to lighten, heart to burst, and soul to feel like it's okay to let itself be unburdened.

I wish so many things for her, that I've creased them like crunched post-its into the folds in my heart as if the allusion of keeping some things secret somehow grants them into fruition.  When I think of all that life has to offer, it's happinesses, pains, hurts, accomplishments, hurdles...all the things that make life life, I can't help but naively plead a bargain with all higher powers and twisting fates to let the tearful heartbreaks of my life grant her a free spirit and a heart unbidden with pain.

But, I suppose that's what being a sister is.  And if there's one thing I am certain of, it's that being her sister, truly is one of the most all encompassing joys I've ever been given in this life.  A couple weeks ago I got to spend one of the best possible Friday nights getting re-aquainted with my never far, inner-goofball.  With Dad and Alixe at the Elton John concert, we channeled the Sir himself, blasted Rocket Man and with the help of Canon's self timer we had a night to remember.


Friday, October 3, 2008

"Life is a highway, I wanna drive it all night long..."

To say the term best friend seems so incredibly inadequate, it’s almost laughable. After all we’ve been through it’s hard to really find any words that can do Marissa and Marwa any sort of justice at all.

It’s been nearly eight years since I gulped down the dread of high school rejection and walked up to their table in the cafeteria. I’d been fifteen a handful of days, and in Grade Ten a handful more, but I still knew how quickly cliques formed, like impenetrable little venn diagrams that no matter how much you longed to overlap never seemed budge easily.

I had seen them as ‘cool kids’, a band geek to the core in my Junior High years I wasn’t quite sure I could make the daunting leap, but for once I shoved my shyness to the deepest part of my stomach and launched my name at them in some sort of spastic high pitched shriek. To this day, I wonder how they didn’t knee-jerk it out of there faster then you can say ‘freak show’ but I guess fate is fate.

We’ve been nearly inseparable since, and I can’t begin to imagine a life any other way.

This weekend, more precisely in six hours, Marissa and I are squeezing onto the QE2 to visit Marwa, who has been sentenced to three more semesters at the University of Alberta. So I won’t be around this weekend, but I do promise once I’m back I’ll be sure to keep updated with regular posting.

And because a post with no photos is no post at all, here’s a sneak peak for next week.

Braye. Camille. Bennie. The Jets.

More to follow next week :)