update...

Things are going really well.
I'm almost done all my xmas shopping and I'm going tonight with my parents to get the family xmas tree and Ryan and I are going this week to get our tree as well!
 
Our new place is really growing on me. I was very hesitant at first to be honest. As it was such a strange place. And I say that because it's a loft above a yoga and art studio. So, of course it's gonna have a weird shape. But because of all of it's features, it makes it so unique in a way. I honestly feel like I'm renting a small cabin. Which I love. We finally got our couch delivered and I found a carpet that I loved. So it's starting to feel cozy and complete. Just need the tree :)

it's been awhile...

Alright, so a few things have happened recently that I would like to make note of :) 

Firstly, 
I got my wisdom teeth removed...5 years too late but they're FINALLY done. 
The whole procedure wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. My mom and my bff came with me which made it a million times better.
When the nurse finally took me in I could feel myself getting more and more nervous. Probably because she was suiting me up for, that's right, an operation. haha. But I have never been through any kind of operation before. So it was all a little scary. She put those weird stickers on my chest and ribs and then oxygen tubes up my nose which was uncomfortable and smelled funny. The nurse was fantastic though. She could tell I was nervous so she kept asking me questions which helped keep me distracted.
Then the doctor came in. Bah! His job was to put the needle in my arm. OH JK, it wouldn't go in my arm so it had to go in my hand. AWESOME. Haha, okay it wasn't THAT bad. But I hate needles and that was awful. But, the moment the needle was in, I remember him saying "Okay Nicole now we're going to give you some medicine to make you feel really happy" and then the next thing I remember hearing him say "Your doing great, Nicole" and then the nurse was asking me to sit up and walking me over to the recovery room and then my mom and Christina were there and then I was home!
So, going under was definitely the better option. I don't remember a thing and I was in a great mood when I woke up haha. There's videos to prove it! haha. (Thanks tina)
The recovery hasn't been all that great tho :( The fun part was I got to stay at my parents house for three days. So that meant hanging out with Shadow and my mom spoiling me by making mashed potatoes and jello and soup. It's been over a week now and I'm FINALLY off Advil. The pain lasted longer than I was hoping it would but at least it's a one time thing! And now every time I go to the dentist I won't have to ever hear "you need to get those out!"

Secondly, 
Ryan and I moved! What a gong show.
My mom and dad came out to help on Saturday and then we had 3 of our friends come out Sunday morning and Christina (what a life saver may I add) came out at the end of the day on Sunday evening to help with the rest. Oh, did I mention that during the last few loads the power went out?! Ya, that really made moving so much better haha.
But we're slowly finding everything it's place and it's coming together nicely. We just need to find a couch!
We're going to miss our old place though! So sad leaving it. There were many firsts in that apartment :) Lot's of memories, but, we must move forward right?

Thirdly, 
CHRISTINA AND I BOOKED VEGAS. 
98 days.
NINETY EIGHT DAYS. 
I'm so excited. This is will be my first big trip ever and my first plane ride. Which I'm super nervous for but what is life if we're not experiencing and conquering the things that make us afraid right?
We're planning a day trip to the Grand Canyon which I'm super pumped for. 
AH!! Life, your exciting lately <3

(Last photo taken at our old place <3 )

Be Brave With Your Life

Ask yourself this,
Are you living, 

Or just existing ?

"there's gotta be a moment"

So, this past weekend Ryan and I went to the Matt Good show downtown.
I will admit, I wasn't all that excited for it since Matt Good isn't exactly one of my favourites. 
BUT, I also have to admit that my opinion of him has changed and I'm a much bigger fan now than I was before!

Ryan had bought the meet and greet passes so we had to be there for 4pm. There was about a group of 50 of us so it wasn't too hectic. We got to go in as they were doing sound check. It was probably one of the coolest things I've seen. Plus the whole band had everyone laughing and we got to sit in the front row. After the sound check and after Matt played 4 acoustic songs, we all had a chance to ask him a question if he wanted. After that we all had early access to the merchandise table which was pretty sweet because I hate waiting in those lines.

After the meet and greet we had an hour and a half before the doors opened again. So Ryan and I went to grab dinner at a place called the fish shack. SO TASTY. If your ever down on granville and want to try something different, do it! I had the tastiest cesear and their menu is awesome.

The opening act was SO GOOD. It was Scott Helman, he sings that song 'Bungalow' that's always on the peak and the fox. He did a GREAT job. I was super impressed and he had the whole place laughing. He's only 20! He had such confidence and talent. Jeez, and here I am at 25 and still figuring shit out haha. His other songs were really good to, I will definitely be downloading his music.

And Matt Good was SO GOOD as well haha. His band members were fantastic as well.
All in all it was a fun night :)

11/11/11

Yesterday was a beautiful day. 

My mom and I went to the ceremony in Fort Langley and it was lovely. So many people turned out for it that we were spilling into the streets! It was the first time I had actually gone to a local ceremony. It felt really amazing standing there with everyone while giving our moment of silence.
Afterward we went back to Cloverdale where we had lunch and walked the puppies!

Don't just dream of it

I'm just going to vent a little...
Life is so short. It's SO short. How many times do we hear that in day ? Far too many. But yet, I feel it still doesn't get through to people's heads.
I think some of us spend far too much time worrying about the other people in our lives rather than ourselves. 
I'm 25 already. 25! I know to some that's young. But soon I will be 30. Then I will be in my thirties. Yuck.

O.k, maybe not 'yuck'. I understand that growing old is a privilege denied to many. I understand and respect that but, to me, If I don't have 80% of my 'bucket list' checked off by the time I'm 30 I'm going to feel like I failed in a way. You know? I know that life doesn't have to stop at any certain age. That you can keep doing whatever you want to do. But that's just my personal opinion.

There are so many things I want to do. That I want to see. And it's a TERRIFYING thought that I may not get to do them all.
Life is what you make it. I know. But I want to make mine great. I want to have tons of stories to tell later on and pictures to look back on. I don't want to regret a single thing or be wishing I had done something that I wanted to do. 

Anyway, like I said earlier, I'm just venting.


On a positive note, 
Vegas and London are slowly becoming more and more real !! Speaking to travel agents and slowly getting prepared. I couldn't be more excited.
My first plane ride ever. So. Excited.

xx

happiness is all around us; you just have to let it in

Took my momma to Aldor Acres this morning <3

T.Hiddleston

One last thing for today...
Have you seen this man?
Have you?
I will marry him one day <3

Just a little update

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog with my adventures. I just haven't been able to find the time to actually sit down and write about what's been going on.
Ryan and I have been trying to get out fishing as much as we possibly can since it's salmon season. I'm not a big fan of salmon fishing, I prefer the more laid back trout fishing but it sure is beautiful this time of year. Especially up in Chilliwack where we like to go a lot of the time.
Christina and I haven't been hiking much but we miss it dearly. We plan to keep in good shape over the fall and winter and be ready for tons of mountains next hiking season.

Halloween is coming up and I still have zero idea of what I'm going to be or if I'm even going anywhere. It's on a Saturday so I'm surprised I haven't heard of anything going on...unless there's a reason for that and nobody has invited me anywhere ... haha.

Also, I guess it's safe to say now, that Ryan and I are moving! Woo! It's literally going to be the easiest move ever since it's about a minute walk down the street haha. Our friends who own the coffee shop told their friends that we were looking for a place and it just so happened that they were going to be looking to rent out their apartment. It isn't much bigger than our place now but it has laundry and a patio and much more storage. So I'm super excited about that. It doesn't happen until Dec. 1st but there's lots of work to be done.

Our trips to Vegas and London are still in the making. I almost cry with excitement whenever I think about going to London too much. I know the time of our trip is still so far away but I just can't believe that this is finally happening. I have been waiting so long to be able to say "I'm going to London with my friend"

Something else new? Well... I think I'm on my way to slowly becoming a pescetarian (person who does not eat meat but eats fish) I'm not sure though. I'm still very torn. I've been watching tons of documentaries lately as well as doing my own research and the results are terrifying. The only thing I find myself having trouble with is breakfast. Breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds and Tim's are just not the same without a slice of bacon on there haha. To say I'm planning on never eating meat again is not the truth. I'm just having a hard time being okay with it right now. I also gotta say that I'm not having as a hard of a time as I thought I would with not eating meat. And I actually feel a little better in terms of how I feel once I finish a meal. I can eat a massive veggie burger and still feel good to go for a walk after. But if I eat a giant beef burger I usually feel like I need a nap. I cheated on Thanksgiving and had turkey and gravy...I was in the bathroom that night for over 2 hours...
We shall just have to wait and see what the future brings with this whole meat thing.
Other than that life is pretty much the same. There's obviously days that are more difficult than the rest but I guess you gotta take what you can from it. 

Talk soon Mr.Blog! 
xx

Mr. Waltz

I just had to make a post about how amazing this guy is. 

I like a lot of actors and even claim to be married to a few ... haha.
But in terms of being a great actor. This guy is definitely in my top 5. I can't get over how easily he steals any scene that he is in. No matter what role he's playing he makes you believe whatever he wants you to.

The opening scene in Inglorious Bastards is currently my favorite scene with him. My eyes become glued to the screen every single time.

When I heard that he's going to be playing the bad guy in the new James Bond movie I was so excited. I don't think I've ever looked more forward to a Bond movie before. If you've never seen him act before, stop what your doing and check it out.
This guy deserves to win each and every award that he's nominated for.

Finally

I would just like to write this memory down as it was an amazing experience. 

Ryan and I went fishing in Chilliwack early Monday morning. We were up at 5am and left the house around 6am. We got to the river around 7am, a little later than we were hoping, unpacked the car, got our gear set up, and headed down the trail until we found a spot that looked good. 
It was dead quiet other than the sound of the rushing water, seagulls, and eagles. 

We were fishing for about 10 minutes when Ryan turns to me and says "Hey baby...do you have your bear spray over there with you?"
Two things go through my mind:
1.) Okay, this guy is trying to be funny. There is probably a chipmunk, an eagle, or maybe even a deer that is standing right behind me. 
Or
2.) There's literally a bear standing behind me.
I turn to see Ryan's face and he is looking past me with a serious look. So right then and there I know he isn't kidding. I immediately feel panicked as this is the moment I have been waiting for. All the prepping for what to do. All the teaching myself how to act in situations like this...All of it was finally happening (Yes, I'm making this sound dramatic because it was! haha)
I finally turn around to indeed see a bear standing about 20 - 30 feet away from me. We make eye contact for about 5 seconds and what do I do?....EVERYTHING YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO DO. I drop my rod, turn my back to him and run towards Ryan. As I get to Ryan and turn back to look I see his little bear butt running away into the woods (Exactly what people told me would happen).
Then, the panic attack set in. I started shaking and was having trouble breathing. Ryan was excellent and calmed me down super quick. Once I was settled, I instantly was thinking 'I wish he would come back!' Haha. 

All in all, I'm definitely a little embarrassed with myself. I wish I had remembered that they do not wish to cause you harm. He was probably just checking us out and seeing if we were going to catch him a yummy fish!
Even though I ruined the moment by freaking out, I still feel so incredibly lucky to have gotten that moment. He was absolutely gorgeous. And those eyes were something else. I wish I could have captured the moment but I suppose it makes it even more of a special one.



(This was the closest picture I could find of what his colors looked like.)
 

We're so strange

So, we were driving home from fishing a few days ago and this song came on the radio.
We ended up dancing and making complete fools of ourselves to strangers on the street. And now we sing it to eachother daily to make us laugh.
I love those moments when I'm reminded of just how much I love that guy I'm dating ;)
I just had to post it here cause it's been stuck in my head all morning. Just that stupid chorus over and over and over haha.
The music video is pretty sweet to hahaha. Oh boy bands..

1 month down, 11 to go

 I love this girl & miss her a ton
<3

London Calling

Okay, here is the list of things that I want to see (so far) when we go.
(Told you I was making this list, Tina haha)

-Harrods
-Sherlock Holmes Cafe
-Sherlock Holmes Statue (Westminster)
-Natural History Museum
-St.Paul's Cathedral
-Stonehedge
-Speedy's Cafe (Filming Location of Sherlock)
-Westminster Abbey
-Buckingham Palace 
-Changing of the guards (Hopefully)
-Town of Bath (Jane Austen)
-Get a photo inside a Phone Booth
-Ride a double decker bus
-Ride the Tube
-BIG BEN (obviously haha)
-The View from the London Monument
-Borough Market
-Tower of London (Crown Jewels)
-Baker Street
-St.James Park (Near Buckingham Palace)(If it's nice out)
-Nunhead Cemetary
-London Eye (If not too busy)
-Windsor Castle
-See some medieval castles. (Maybe Bodiam)
-Thames River (haha)

Hampshire, England (1 hour from London )

-Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)
-Winchester (Cathedral and College)
-




If/When we go to Paris while we're there :

-Eiffel Tower (Obviously)
-Notre Dame
-Moulin Rouge?

New Inkage

So if you haven't guessed from my last entry, I got two more tattoos yesterday.

I am in LOVE with both.They turned out exactly how I wanted them to.

Can't wait to get more!! ;)

"Deep in my heart there's a trembling question..."

If I Can Dream - Elvis Presley

"There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue
If I can dream of a better land
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand
Tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true
There must be peace and understanding sometime
Strong winds of promise that will blow away all the doubt and fear
If I can dream of a warmer sun where hope keeps shining on everyone
Tell me why, oh why, oh why won't that sun appear

We're lost in a cloud with too much rain
We're trapped in a world that's troubled with pain
But as long as a man has the strength to dream
He can redeem his soul and fly
Deep in my heart there's a trembling question
Still I am sure that the answer gonna come somehow
Out there in the dark, there's a beckoning candle

And while I can think, while I can talk
While I can stand, while I can walk
While I can dream, please let my dream
Come true, right now
Let it come true right now"

  

Can't listen to this song without breaking into tears. It's so powerful and the fact that it was one of my aunt's favorite songs make it so much more important to me.
I love you aunt Pat and miss you everyday. 

and thank you to Geoff, my tattoo artist for bringing exactly what I pictured to life. Your amazing at what you do.

 

 

 

 

ZBB, thank you for making such amazing music

This came up on my randoms playlist this morning...
I can't get over how emotional this song is. Zac Brown Band, you are truly one of my favorite artists.

Thanks for making me cry before work.
I think I've made at least 3 people cry telling them to listen to it (Sorry Christina)

it's an endless quest without knowing what your quest is

Ok guys, I'm officially lame. But this one made me cry. This kid says everything so simple and I've heard it all before but it really hit home when I heard them play it on the radio this morning. Just want to put it here so I remember to listen to it every once in awhile. 

We are so small and so are all of our problems. We let such small things consume our minds that we forget what a big world we live in and how beautiful life can really be. I need to remember that more.

"...Keep those pieces alive." - Brittany Ybarra

oh my goodness, these last few days have been jam packed!

Friday was a tough day. But it's comforting knowing things are settled now and it was nice having family and friends around for support.

Friday night ended up being fun :) Ryan and I took my dad and uncle sturgeon fishing. My uncle said that the last time he caught a sturgeon was when he was about 8 years old. So I was so happy when that rod finally starting going off. It was just a tiny baby sturgeon but still put up one hell of a fight. Making us believe he was much larger than he actually was. It was a nice afternoon watching the sun go down and talking and enjoying the picnic we had brought with us. 

Saturday was pretty epic. Tina and I decided to do two hikes. Yes. Two. Mount Thom and Teapot Hill. They were both short and sweet but still a challenge. I definitely still feel sore today from that. We brought our pups with us which made the hiking that much more enjoyable. It's always nice to see your pups having such an awesome time as well. 
After hiking we grabbed lunch at Cora's. YUM. 
I then went to go visit my parents for a little while and drove back to Fort. Where I passed out for about 3 hours.
After I woke up Ryan and I got ready and went out for a date night to the Lamplighter restaurant. The food ended up being so much more tasty than I thought it was going to be. Afterward, we walked down to Wendels and shopped around the book section for a bit and grabbed dessert. 

Sunday morning I slept in till 10am. It was glorious. We made pancakes for breakfast and lounged around the apartment for awhile. We decided to go for a walk down the Fort to Fort trail which Kobe was happy with because he got to go swimming. 

Later that evening I went to Granville Island with Coral and Jenelle. We explored around the town for a bit before heading to the Keg for dinner. We ended up being seated in a girl's section that Coral knew. So we got pretty spoiled with free appies and drinks and she even pretended that we were there for Jenelle's birthday and got us a free dessert. Even though we were dying from all the food already, we ate every bit of it because it was so tasty. It was such a fun night. I don't hangout with those girls very often but it's always an absolute blast when we all get together. 

All in all it was a fun filled weekend which I really needed. It's hard not to let the passing of a family member consume you and bring you down. I find it's very important to miss them but to also realize that life is a gift and your family would want you to live it, every moment as much as you can. To remember them always but to live your life. I'm so very grateful for my family and friends that I have in my life. It would most certainly be a lot more difficult without them <3

" don't say goodbye, say so long "

"You may be out of sight 

but never out of mind.

I miss you & love you"

r.i.p Nana

<3

prone to wander

Dreaming ...

See you next year beautiful

Well, one of my best friends has decided to leave me yet again! 

I'm honestly so proud of her. The things that she has accomplished and continues to is just wonderful.
She will be teaching in Japan for the next year. How cool is that?!?
It's so much easier for us this time around because when she left for Disney she rarely had service, but this time she has access to wifi and her cell phone all the time. We've talked every day so far since she left on August 1st. She's settling in nicely and is loving it so far. I can't wait to hear all her stories that are yet to come. 

Brittany, Kelsey, and I all spent our last night together going for dinner to Olive Garden and then going for a drive into Glen Valley to watch the sunset together. It was very emotional but so nice that we got that last night together :) 

Counting down the days! <3 

 

Granisle Round 2

Not much to say except that Granisle was AMAZING. I love it up North.
It's quite a long drive, about 12 - 13 hours depending on how many stops you make. We had breakfast at Cora's the day we left and we're on the road about 8am and we arrived there around 9:30pm. I love road trips and I especially love the drive to Granisle. Some of the views are so pretty. We even saw some wildlife like moose, deer, and foxes. The foxes were friggen adorable. We live in such a beautiful province. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I feel so lucky to live here.

Fishing was spectacular. A fish every cast and they were all gorgeous. I even pulled out a sockeye and some Steelhead. Only 1 pike minnow which was awesome because we don't want those haha.

We spent the majority of our days fishing all these spots that Diane and Eric and only a few locals know of. So the fish were feisty and ready to eat. Made it fun as I didn't have to use just worms, got to use a lot of salmon eggs and flies and spinners. Was fun to mix it up. Another cool thing that happened when we would fish is that the eagles would keep an eye on us. It was one of the most amazing feelings ever because they would fly so low to check out if you had any fish. I never really understood just how big they are until this trip.
One of the spots we went to was crazy! It took us a long time to find because it had been a few years since Eric had fished it. It was so overgrown, but I guess that's a good thing because it means not many people had went down there if any at all. While we were all bushwhacking we noticed the grass and bushes were all pressed down around the berry bushes, a little nerve wracking but we kept going. We also found some huge bones that were lying around, that didn't make us feel too welcome either haha. The hill to get down to the river was intense. I had to butt slide the entire way. It was well worth it though. Such a beautiful spot and we caught lots of fish.

One of the days we spent going for an ATV ride. I was a little nervous to drive it so Ryan drove for most of the first part of the day. But I was getting jealous so I finally got up the courage to take over and OH MY GOSH I'm so happy I did. I had an absolute blast. I was driving so fast and purposely going through mud puddles and over bumps and logs. It was so much fun. I need one of my own.

We were sad the day we left. Next year we plan to go longer as 5 days is just not enough. Too many fish so little time.


Sorry in advance for all the photos, there were so many it was hard to choose!