The Master of the Pathetic Glance

This is my dog. He makes some pretty wonderful faces. Please consider the following. 

Subject A: note the slight head tilt. 

Subject B: the guilt trip

Subject C: the plea for help

Subject D: the .. I don't even know what to call this.

Subject E: the "pet me, I'm cute". Careful, this one is dangerous! 

Subject F: the (no shame) belly rub

And last but not least, the "how did I end up here?" 

Love, Brady. 

<3

Finally! Fall TV!

At last! It's finally time for the premieres of my favorite TV shows... Well. Favourites since Chuck is no more. (*sob*) 

First off, The Mentalist is back. 

Starting season SIX this year... But I'm pretty sure this will be the last one. It's only one episode in, and is already riveting. <3

NCIS: Los Angeles is back. 

Sure, the show is a spin-off from NCIS which has been around forever... But I love this one so much more. Partly because of Deeks and Kensi... But there are other aspects to it that make me laugh. 

Then there's Heartland. 

Whitney... Why did you get me so addicted to this? It's a wonderful Canadian show that is starting its seventh season on Sunday. I love it. Horses, Canada, some cuties, Albertan landscapes... What's not to love? 

I watch a few other shows, including Person of Interest and Bones... But I haven't been following them as religiously as I have these three. 

The other favourites are the British TV shows of Sherlock and Downton Abbey. 

I am now a Downton freak. Thanks, British identity seminar. I'm hooked. Season 4 has begun to air in the UK, but I'm trying to hold out until January when it will air in Canada. We'll see how long I can hold out! 

I'm also fairly attached to Sherlock. It's still on hiatus, but Series Three is coming. I don't know when. But when it happens... I'll be ready! 

Basically... I'm glad it's fall. 

Oh, and tea and leaves and cool crisp mornings. I like those, too. Just... I'm a little excited it's fall premiere season. Can you tell? 

...Anybody There?

Well... It seems I have been a terrible blog-poster as of late, so I'm going to make it up to you. Soon. 

At the end of August, Kait and Marcus got married! 

(Picture by Chris Miner Photography)

... It was exciting! And pretty much perfection in every way. I'm finding it a bit weird knowing that now she lives in PEI, which is not five minutes away. I went to visit them the other weekend, and had a great time. 

I made brownies (with their lovely new mixer)...

...Went horseback riding...

...And played with a bunch of super cute critters

In terms of work, I'll be done for the season on October 15th. I can't wait! Mom and I are planning on taking a shopping trip to the US for a few days right after Thanksgiving. I'm quite excited to go! 

Ummmm... What else had been happening? 

Oh. Right. 

This is what happens when you try to eat in front of your dog.

Pretty pathetic, huh? 

<3

Nostalgia.

How in the world is it late August already? I swear this summer was given wings to zoom by even faster! Okay, it's true. I have been working a LOT, which makes the weeks just whiz by. However, I'm not ready for it to be fall already! I want like three or four or twelve more months of summer. I've been to the beach a grand total of three times. THREE. This from the girl who grew up spending months on this PEI shoreline.

 -- sigh -- 

So I actually had a few days off last week, mainly because one of the best friends I could ever ask for is now MARRIED. What. Her wedding was amazing. Beautiful. I'm so happy for them! And I'm also anxiously awaiting pictures. Has it been a few weeks yet?! Bottom line, weddings are fun, exciting, happy and exhausting. 

But, as August is ending, work gets busier. The Labour Day weekend is possibly the biggest one of the summer, probably because of its "last hurrah" type atmosphere. Yay. My siblings are getting their school supplies together and acquiring snazzy new clothes, while it's all finally hitting me.

                                  I don't have to go back to school this fall. 

My brain is grappling with this concept... And it actually, truthfully makes me sad. I love school. I'm sitting around after work, trying to figure out what avenue I could possible take (Still haven't decided. I know, it's terrible). It's quite scary, and it's like this great beastie is looming over my head, ready to snap down at any second and chomp up any plans I might make for the fall and beyond. Anybody have any horrible beastie spray? I could use some. 

Anyway, I'm desperate for something to look forward excitedly to. I hope I can get a few days off this fall and go shopping in the States with my mommy. I like shopping. And I like the States. Win win? :)

It's... August?

Well, somehow in the blur of the past few weeks, it has stopped being July and is already August 7th! Wherever my summer is going, it needs to slow down! I had four days off last week, which was blissful! The weather was sunny for the most part, which was great, and I managed to read an entire book in two days... (On a related note, I highly recommend "Lighthouse Bay" by Kimberly Freeman) not that it's at all uncommon. I loved having the time to relax and enjoy the story. 

I have been doing agility with Brady, and it's been really fun! Due to holidays and scheduling difficulties we have been unable to attend many weeks in a row. Brady is very super food-motivated... But he's willing to do whatever is asked of him, and isn't scared of much. I had an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend, which is awesome! 

Tonight I'm planning on paying some more friends a visit... In Sackville! I'm super excited, and the next two hours of work are either going to drag or fly... And I hope it's the latter. 

I recently got hooked on Downton Abbey -- it was recommended to me during the school year, and I'm only now getting a chance to watch it. Needless to say, I've finished all three seasons, and screamed at the TV more than once. It's great! Makes me glad I'm a history major. 

So, that's life lately. I test drove a few cars, and I actually loved one of them... If only I could afford it outright! Oh well. 

Plans? Who needs those?

Lately I have been grappling with many competing ideas of what to do now that I have a degree. I have entertained a myriad of options, ranging from super practical to borderline crazy. I've always felt that I'm a bit of a "jack of all trades, master of none", be it schoolwork, athletic ability (HA), artistic ability or what have you. I have a hard time selling my attributes on my résumé, as I don't want to seem too self-promoting. Silly humility. ;) 

Basically, my current job will last until the fall, but after that I need to start looking for something that will keep my bank account happy and enable me to pay off my student loans as quickly as possible. Of course, I've toyed with the idea of returning to school... But by this point it's getting a bit late to be applying for fall 2013. I haven't ruled that option out, though. I'm keen on the idea of getting my Master's degree, I just need to give it lots more serious thought. 

My father seems to think that I should open a bakery. This idea has visions of peanut butter cup brownies and Skor cheesecakes dancing around his head, while I'm just laughing. As my nan says "Sometimes you do things because you enjoy them... But that doesn't mean you want to do that for a living!" I think that philosophy applies very well here. I love cooking/baking for people... But I think the joy would quickly go out of it if that's all I did. Besides, who would want MY baking when there are much better options out there? 

At the risk of sounding cheesier than usual, ever since I saw the movie The Lucky One, I've entertained dreams of owning my own doggie boarding or doggie daycare/grooming/training centre. This dream is one that appeals to me immensely, as it involves being independent, working with dogs and people, and I find animals very rewarding to work with. While I have a degree in History, it's not impossible for me to get some kind of small business training, or take a few dog related courses. Basically, this plan has promise, but it needs some kinks worked out. 

Tired yet? There's more!

I also love (not like, LOVE) books. And reading. Mom came to me today with a printout from the job website... Apparently the local library is hiring a permanent position, with great pay and even some benefits! I know my way around the Dewey decimal system, I like libraries, and it irritates me to no end when books are not catalogued properly. (Silly people, Kingsbury comes BEFORE Kinsella!) Anyway, I think I need to go spruce up my résumé tonight. ;) 

I've also seen myself as a teacher. Whether it be in high school, teaching about the 18th to 20th centuries or at the university level, helping young adults figure out exactly WHY women's history is so cool... It's something I could see myself doing. Would I be strict? Most likely. But (theoretically) I would have an engaged class that wasn't too terribly unruly. ;) (HA. Who am I kidding?)

So yeah. I feel a bit lost and overwhelmed, but I'm trying to be okay with that, because God has a plan. Sometimes I can't see the future  (okay, I never can see the future), but I know he's got some master scheme going and he's probably chuckling at my pathetic attempts to make up my mind. Someday I'll figure it out... I hope! 

A Girl's Best Friend(s)

One of the many things I have been blessed with is an abundance of good friends. I'm the type of person who isn't truly happy unless they have someone to share it with... And while I have an assortment of close friends, I have two that emerge above all others. 

This is us... "Normal". These lovely ladies are the best friends I could ever hope for. Our years of friendship are now almost in the double digits... And Kait is getting married next month! :O I feel old. The other week we had a "good old fashioned sleepover"... We made spur of the moment plans, went for a midnight swim in my pool, and had tea with breakfast in the morning. We went for a walk, 

Went to the Clay Cafe, 

And then out for a late lunch... Which I neglected to take pictures of. (Fail.)

I love that with these two I can be completely myself without fear of being judged or having my intentions taken the wrong way. When I crack a stupid joke, they roll their eyes. They have learned to handle my sarcasm... Which can be very biting if I'm tired. 

I've also learned to walk faster, and how to (attempt) to take artsy pictures and make scrapbooked cards. The jury is still out on that one. ;) We always do a gift swap at Christmas, and usually a fancy dinner. I honestly don't know what I would do without these two. 

... Life would certainly be a lot more boring! 

<3