Om nom nom.

Look who was in town this weekend! Genie Holly!

Leah made a delicious meal for everyone in honour of her visit, and I Sarah the picky eater, COULD NOT GET ENOUGH. Some crazy bean dip appetizer, vegetarian lasagna for the meal and Guinness chocolate cake WITH cream cheese icing ANDDD strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert. Top it all off with oodles of wine and French-press coffee.

My tummy. Was so soar. Oh man, best meal of 2010 hands down. Can I have your recipe for the cake Leah... And the lasagna? Please oh please! E-mail or comment it or something, I need to try and recreate that extravagant experience.

It was nice to see the Tookster again, since it has been practically a year since our last conversation. I can't wait until I have to just turn on the television to get my daily Holly fix. :) (For the record, I picture her in a Disney show... or maybe a teenager in some sitcom - would you agree?)

I kick baby seals (but not penguins).

I like when the news has nice stories. And really awesome stories of seal justice. ERGHHH, PETA. If someone is reading this and thinks the seal hunt "scandal" is worthy of terrifying costumes and pies in politicians' faces - GO AWAY.

My head is splitting today. You know that episode of The Simpsons where Homer is in 3D and at the end, while he falls into the "real world" he gets split up into a million and one pieces? That's pretty much the kind of headache I'm battling right now. (Clip found here, though in German lolz, the part I'm referring to can be found at 6:15 if you are truly curious.)

Spent last night not playing Risk with the loveliest of the lovelys. We watched Dr. Suess and war propaganda cartoons instead, hilarious really and truly. And Felix the Cat!!! Oh man, does that bring back the childhood memories.

Tonight Alex and I will be heading to the Blue Rodeo concert, perhaps followed by an evening of dancing doontoon. Shall I see you there?

Alex².

One of my Christmas presents from Alex was this badass dude - a handmaid ookpik. For those of you who might not know, I "collect" ookpiks (meaning I have one that I drunkenly purchased while in Iqaluit). Traditionally, they are little owls around three inches tall made of seal skin.

Alex carved a piece of wood and covered it partially in fur and then individually glued on each feather. Do you remember seeing him whittle on his front deck this summer? Ookpik II was what he was working on and yes he exuded months of effort. I've found me a special lad.

I went on a VERY important date this week with Ms. Robyn McHugh. She is my true love and never ceases to amaze me with her creativeness and hilariousness. Or the fact that her heart is so loving that it shines right through the very words she speaks!

I wish everyone could have a Robyn in their lives and sometimes I dwell on the fact that in a couple years we might not be able to live in the same city - or maybe even the same country AHEM. But wherever life leads us I know we'll be able to continue our not-so-secret love affair. We have the kind of relationship that spans time zones or whatever else comes our way.

For those who are curious about my plans for this semester, here they are! I am going back to school part-time, distance classes only. This is so I am free to make my own schedule and not feel so CONFINED by my studying and subsequent grades. Somewhere between my first and forth year of university I lost my inability to separate school and life. Both suffered because of it.

This means I will be working part-time with, you guessed it, DRC and the three hooligans. I'm really excited to be child rearing again, especially since it's a make-my-own-schedule kind of deal. How lucky am I! DRC actually screamed and danced with happiness for almost ten minutes when I told her I'd like to come back. I am very much feeling the love.

I am slowly trying to regain my blog mojo. 40 posts for 2009? I think that says a lot about the kind of year I endured. Like you know whatever.

But we've got our love to pay the bills.

Ah, the holiday recap. Christmas with Alex was truly magical. New Year's Eve was very memorable. Christmas Eve Alex and I visited his dad's house and my parent's house and arrived home around one a.m. to open our presents/stockings for one another.

Christmas morning his sister Chelsea dropped off all of MY presents from HIS family. And let me just say I have never been quite so flabbergasted. There had to be at the very least twenty, one from almost everyone on his mom's side of the family. (And phenomenally well picked out to boot, everything from a new laptop bag to tickets for a concert in January)

We then went to our respective parents' homes and met up later that day to hang out with my family. We spent a TON of time with my parents this holiday season, thank you Alex for coming with me so I wouldn't go crazy. :)

My dad taught Alex how to tie a tie, d'aw:
New Year's Eve was spent at McKayla and Phil's, and oh what a time! There were dips and chips to be had, as well as Mario Party 8 for Moo and I (invite me up again soon Moo for a rematch!). The night took the concept of drunkenness to a whole new level. Though just three coolers for me! I've lost interest in drinking over the past few months for some reason.


And I carried on one of my favourite Christmas traditions, driving around and looking at Christmas lights! This house looked like Christmas had up and barfed on it. Not only were their CARS covered in lights along with the holiday music blaring, but all of the lights individually flashed in time with the music. It took several minutes for me to get a shot with all of the lights on at once:

Belated holiday wishes to you all! xo.

I am not my own, for I have been made new.

I remember Meagan and I used to joke that our lives would probably end when we turned twenty or so because we couldn't imagine them after that point. We had no idea what we'd be doing - what we'd even want to be doing. In our youth there is very little room to wiggle off the path that our parents or society tell us to follow.

But somewhere between high school graduation and our early twenties we are expected to forge a place in this world for ourselves. We're given no tools, little guidance, and lots of opportunities to fail.

Up until 2009 nothing exceptionally bad had ever happened to me. Nothing exceptionally great either. Basically, nothing exceptional. There were very few, if any, life changing moments.

2009 chewed me up and spat me out. It gave me feelings I can tell you right now that I have never felt before. How do you go two decades without experiencing every feeling there is to feel? I don't know. I wouldn't have believed it a year ago.

Never have I shed more tears. Never before have I experienced more moments of disbelief, anguish, mourning, love, humbleness, forgetfulness, gratefulness - every emotion ever times a thousand.

At the end of '08 I moved out of my parent's house and into THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL PLACE ON EARTH. Fuck Disney World, because Merrymeeting was WHERE IT WAS AT. I lived with two of the most strong and amazing women I have ever met (as well as a kindhearted sailor and a lovely Frenchman) and without them I would have crashed and burned during the very first month.

There I found the first boy I have ever said "I love you" to. In February he made me a mixed tape (literally), slipped love notes under my bedroom door and has loved me unconditionally ever since. Sometimes I wonder if all the strife and grief I've gone through this year is the karmic justice I pay for getting to have someone so wonderful in my life. Then I wonder if the depths of my emotions have just stretched. I guess I'll never know. But I wouldn't trade him for anything - not even a pony.

I responded to an ad on the job bank in January so I could pay my rent. As a result I spent the year helping raise three of the most ridiculous and hilariously amazing kids I've ever met. That family kept me afloat. They gave me a reason to drag myself out of bed after tragedy struck me again and again. Every time I was angry with God, with the world, it just took an afternoon of shooting aliens in the park to make me realize that everything is always moving. Time is always ticking. Why waste it being angry when I could be having fun?

I lost both of my maternal grandparents within the span of one month this summer. And to be honest, I haven't been the same since. My grandmother's death... I still can't talk about it. I still can't think about it without crying. I loved, I LOVE, her so fiercely. Always have and always will. I think I might have to leave it at that.

At the end of September I moved in with my boyfriend. It was a decision I don't regret, though I would have to say if I had my time back I'd want some more roomies. It gets super lonely/easy to be reclusive. This is a chapter of my life that I'm still writing so we'll have to come back to this one at the end of 2010.

The end of 2009 kicked my ass. A lot of stuff built up and up and up until OH MY GOODNESS WHAT A SURPRISE SARAH'S BODY AND MIND CAN'T HANDLE IT ANYMORE. And splat, the two collapsed and failed. I have been to the doctor about a dozen times in the past couple months. I have received no answers and my questions keep building. My last doctor's visit ended with my mom screaming at my doctor and me searching for a new one. For the first time in my university career I actually had to have some of my exams deferred.

But thanks to thousands of years of Chinese medicine, I've gained solace in acupuncture (that stuff REALLY works!). I also have an appointment with a specialist in two weeks. Answers will be gained! And my fear of having fear (or my anxiety about having anxiety) can be overcome. I will not let the wrongs and insecurities of 2009 leak into my shiny new 2010.

So that was my year. Sure there was other stuff, but these are the memories that stick out. This is the stuff that has shaped me into the Sarah of 2010. May the Sarah of 2011 be so lucky.

This is my 651st post (aka Those Awesome People).

As you all may remember, I have had costume parties on two or three years running for my birthday for my birthday. October thirty-first on the date (2006, 2008, 2009... 2007 I just went to Jingle Jim's, and that's the year I turned nineteen to boot)!

As per usual I had my camera at all occasions. And because he loves me, Patrick arrived in dashingly spooky costumes each time. But I noticed something oddly bizarre about the picture we took together this year...

What's so bizarre you ask? Take a look at Halloween '08:


We did not plan this! It was a spoooooky Halloween coincidence. Here are some more pictures from this years birthday basharooo. Costumes were a must and everyone went nuts with their amazing outfits and ideas!

It was an awesome nights and my little home was packed to the seems with the most awesome kind of people. I bring you: those awesome people.


I made a delicious trail mix with baked pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin Alex and I carved, yum yum.

They only want you when you're seventeen.

So apparently it's the middle of November. Did you know that? I'm still digesting the news that summer is over. But my winter tires have found their way to my car so it must be true.

I got a new computer for Christmas. Christmas came early this year as Old Dell-y lost another adapter (that would be the fifth in a tragic series of laptop adapter suicides). It's this one and it's white and no I don't like that it's white and I paid an additional $200 to ensure that IT'S NOT WHITE but Bryan from Future Shop FUCKED ME OVER. I see you Bryan with a "y" and I remember you, YOU'VE MADE AN ENEMY.

Time is getting the best of me like it has been doing since this year began. Or maybe since my first year of university (though this year seems to be an especially hard one for my time management skills... or lack there of).

I've been partying for the past couple weeks what with birthday alley cramming mine and Alex's birthday parties in an eight day span. We are in a constant state of picking up empties, wig hair and feathers. It's true!

I don't have the pictures from MY birthday party on the new computer (they are stranded on Old Dell-y, but I will gain access to them this weekend, I promise). But here are a few of the cuties who showed up for Alex's smash and crash.












Happy twenty-first birthday to Alex and I, thank you all so much for making them very, very special. LOVE.

Keeps the doctor away.

I had a bad weekend. Got the flu like woah. On the upside, all the friends came over for a rip-roaring sayonara Merrymeeting party on Saturday. And I do mean ALL the friends. Thanks everyone, it's a little easier to say goodbye to this wonderful place now.

While I crawled (alright, drunkenly staggered is probably more accurate) up the stairs and into bed around 1:30am, everyone else stuffed the remainder of their booze in their pockets and headed down to da bars.

My boy lost all his goodies dancing (and I do mean all: wallet, iPod, cell phone, sweater) and he came up the next morning looking like his dog had died in some sort of freak accident. Moral of the story? Always keep your shit in your bra... though I suppose that really couldn't apply here anyway.

So to start the week off right (because yes, despite what your heart might tell you, for some reason it's actually Monday already), I am sharing the cutest little blog that everyone can enjoy and get some smiles from. A Lego a Day! Dude makes little scenarios with his Lego men and posts a picture everyday. They're really good!

Chin up, wha.