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?)

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.

July (oh please don't Facebook these faces).

The moral of July:
One must always swim in city pools during the day, doing said activity during evening hours will have one of the following results:
- Being chased out of pool in underwears by policing figures
- Losing shoes
- Six inch gashes on legs
- Paddy wagon scares
- Getting caught by a running police figure who then insists that you may not put on your bra
- Scaring the shit out of everyone, both involved and indirectly involved
Or that could all happen. On your 19th birthday. Silly friends. Happy birthday Brittany!

Doesn't humidity suck? This summer is so sticky! I'm glad I don't live in the south, I would melt away.

Bouncy castle.

This was us last Saturday, happily prancing through the trees at Bowring Park. It snowed on Monday. But that's Newfoundland for you, and really, who can complain? It IS still May after all. We've been having crazy nice weather this month (I am tanning nicely, thank you for asking).

I spend five days a week at the dinosaur park with my young charges, playing slide conductor and juice hander-outer. And thus when the idea comes up of going to the park on my day off - I usually stay home. But I sucked it up. For the good of humanity and all that.

Life is racing past me and I have nothing to show for it. Except amazing bffs (and bf!) who keep me laughing and riding high in the clouds. I wish I could have a party for them all. Just that handful of people who mean so much to me. Maybe I will this summer. Have a little brunch in my backyard complete with a buffet and mimosas. Hmmm, yes indeed. I'll keep you posted.

I'm going to go race into those clouds again. See you on the flip-side, yo.

We share the cool gene.

What else are you going to do on a Tuesday evening but hang out with your bestie on the side of Mount Scio Road. In the woodsy part of course. The sun is setting, can't you picture it?


She makes me feel happy and grateful and humble every single time I hang out with her. Robyn completes me Jerry Maguire style!

These pictures are so scrapable, Robyn. And not a single one was photoshopped!

Fated.

Aren't we painfully cute? Robyn makes me grateful for the little happys of the world, thank you my dear.

As most of you can probably tell, my blogging has slowed down substantially. There are several reasons for this and I can proudly tell you that ALL OF THEM ARE GOOD.

I have taken the lemons of winter sad times and squeezed them into the delicious summer lemonade which is right now. Happy happy.

It was kicking around twenty degrees today (in April, I know, global warming is awesome... for now) and I spent the day outside lying in the grass trouncing the boy at checkers and being silly with my little lady. I do love the curly haired folk.

I visited Mommy this afternoon and she graciously bestowed upon me a new burner for my oven (I might have put a Dollarama oven mitt on a hot burner, oops), a bag off potatoes (to use on the BBQ she gave me the week before, wow my mom is awesome) and a slice of apple pie.

I am surrounded by people who are more generous than you can possibly fathom, for this I'm grateful.

But as it breaks into summer, I'm reminded of the things that need doing. Not chores, for they're too fun to be chores! Scrapbooks that need filling with pictures that need taking. Letters to be written and posted. Books to be read. Paintings to be painted.

Can you feel it? Life is coming back to the city. The BBQ is going every night, stop by with a pack of wieners or a steak and we'll have a chat.

You move like a rolling wave.

I've been living! Spending my vacation with the special ones and loving my independence.


I can't explain it any better than these pictures can.

I lost a blonde snowman making girl this week, the Swedish princess as well. But I'm gaining back my scientist next month. Seeing off two of my boys to their new home a few roads down (yes! Joey is leaving my couch after four epic months, he will be missed).

Every morning this week I've woken late in bed, an unshakable smile on my face.

Run, neon tiger, there's a lot on your mind.

This was a unique Valentine's Day all together. Some people despise the holiday, but I have always remained indifferent. The moment I stepped out of bed I was reminded that I am living an entirely new life this year.

My brain has been working in overdrive mode so much lately I almost forgot that my roommates (and the two boys who sleep here every night) are a gift in themselves.

Sentimental much.

I just wanted to share a few pictures from our Saturday morning communal breakfast (which is hosted every Saturday morning around one, if you care to stop by). Twas made even more special by the holiday.

Love you.