Jason Reeves | Photographs and Memories

I found out there was a new dog park in my area and was super excited this morning! It’s hard to find a good off-leash area for Bailey. So we took him out this afternoon for some doggy playtime. The park was really nice. It had a small dog area for dogs under 30 pounds and a bigger area for all dogs. The place even had pic-nic tables and benches, as well as water bowls for the pups. But… even with all that luxury, Bailey was not impressed. Not sure if it was because it was a new location, if he was just totally disinterested in dogs that were there, or if he was just being shy… which is totally not like him. Bailey is an active dog. He loves saying Hi to everyone and including everyone when he plays. He likes to run circles, tease and chase.

So we gave him some time to warm up to it… but no luck… and back to his old park we went. There is another park we usually take him to any chance we get. Though it isn’t exactly a closed off off-leash area for dogs, they got vast green grass fields. Right when we got there, he became his energetic happy self again. So maybe it’s the grass haha. The dog park had wood chip trails and play areas… we guess he’s not into that. Picky dog haha

Happy Bailey

Notice something different about me? Glasses! (duh.. what else lol). Since I’m working at a computer full time now, I figured I’d give my eyes a break from wearing contact lenses. Lenses can dry out your eyes, as well as trap in dust dirt germs, or even scratch the surface of your eyes! I wore lenses all through university and do admit, I didn’t take the best care when wearing them. I was a busy girl… overnighters at school would require me to wear them through the night. Eeek. So to relieve my eyes, I’m going to switch back to glasses for a while. Can’t really say how long I will last with this though… glasses always make me feel so not put together, tired and lazy for some reason haha. Anyways, since I invested time this morning to get “ready”, I thought I deserved to go picture crazy!

Oh yeah! My friend came back home to Vancouver, only to tell us that she’s going back to Japan again!!! Wow, I wish I was in her shoes lol. For the last year, she has been there on co-op in Osaka. And though I really wanted to come visit, I was stuck in school and had no savings for a trip. So right when I found out she was heading back, instant planning for a Japan trip!!! O.M.Gee seriously, my ultimate dream vacation is coming true. I’m totally done school this time around and was able to book off some vacay time from work! So plane tickets purchased and now it’s time to plan plan plan. Uber uber excited. I will go there and probably spend every dollar I’ve earned (lol okay no I won’t, but maybe…).

Here’s us. She’s so Japanized now!

Today marks Bailey’s 1st Birthday. Jason and I will try to fit in all the things that Bailey loves doing . Longs walks, dog parks, cookies and treats, and biting our ankles. Excited about going to the dog bakery today! Yumz for Bailey!

Taylor Swift | Untouchable

People say that having a puppy is a lot of work, and it is. But I think that is little to sacrifice for a companion who will be loyal to you, who will love you know matter how you look, what you own or what you do. I read a quote somewhere before that said something along the lines of how we humans have people to see, things to do, places to go while our pets only have us. I admit, there were times I got impatient and frustrated at his mistakes, but I think I can say that I’m past that now. He may be just under a year old, but he has still managed to teach me so much. Bailey has definitely made me smile more everyday, I probably yell more everyday too… but we won’t get into that .

Stars | Your Ex-Lover Is Dead

Happy B-lated Christmas Everyone! Lol, sorry for the lateness. This holidays was SUPER busy for me. But I’m glad that I got to spend this holidays with everyone important to me: friends, my family, Jason’s family and of course Jason and Bailey. Jason got Bailey a Santa suit! He makes a great Santa!! But for some reason, once the suit goes on… Bailey just plops down on the ground (like below) with his arms and legs tucked in. And he does his “I’m miserable” look . He’s usually a crazy dog that laps back and forth in the hallways. But Bailey+Santa Suit = *Plop*. I guess we know how to calm him down now . It was Bailey’s first Christmas, and I think it was quite stressful for him with Jason and me running around and leaving him alone so many times while we ran errands, prepared for Christmas parties, baked and cooked.. etc.

As soon as my exams were done, I started planning for my Christmas party with the friends.  It’s been a while since I’ve organized something for my friends (therefore lack of group pictures for the last few years haha), but it’s been very difficult with everyone getting really busy with school or work. For those that don’t know, I’m in an engineering science program at Simon Fraser University. Since my first year I’ve met many awesome individuals and have gained amazing friends. Usually I end up planning these events (yes we actually have to thoroughly plan things haha) just for us to hang out, otherwise… basically nothing happens and we all carry on with our busy lives.

Jason had this idea of decorating gingerbread houses for the party. But for a group of 10 people, buying those prepackaged kits would be way too expensive! So being me, thinking “how difficult could it be?” I decided to make the kits myself! Save money! It ended up being a lot more work and effort than I thought. Jason and I spent two nights cutting and baking them, ending up with 5 gingerbread kits, 7 gingerbread men, a forest of gingerbread trees, and a broken mixer. Each piece was unique, as I didn’t have any cookie cutters haha. But it was all worth it in the end. We all had a lot of fun decorating them + eating them . Gingerbread Houses + Steak Potluck + Birthday Cake + Gift Exchange + Board Games. That sums it!

I got a lot of great thoughtful presents this year! I am so very thankful. There is a list, but I’ll pick out a few that were easy to photograph . Sometimes it’s the small gifts that are the best! Part of Jason’s present was discounted balls of yarn and some crochet needles and I LOVED it! One of the “to do’s” on my list is to knit a toque. I thought I’d advance myself up a level from knitting scarfs and give toques a try. He got me the perfect colours! I can’t wait to start! OMGosh knitting is now another new craftsy hobby of mine! I SOOO need a craft room in my future home . I also got my first vinyl toy! I love Latte and Mozzarella from the Tokidoki Moofia gang. Why? Because they are blue+white+grey, my FAV colours. My sister also got me the best book ever! It’s a photo project book. I’m so excited about reading it! Lol can you tell how excited I am?

Post Christmas is Boxing Day in Canada (similar to the US’s Black Friday sales). The Future Shop (big box electronics store) sale started online on Christmas eve, and Jason and I were sitting in front of the computer trying to get the door crasher deals online. But the online store was total failure!! Did you guys ever hear of an online lineup!? We were in a virtual lineup to pay, and somehow right when we hit the front… they pushed us all the way back to the beginning. We were so pissed. Why? Because Jason and I really wanted a KitchenAid mixer haha (we broke my hand mixer when making gingerbread). Well that wasn’t all we were getting. We also wanted to get a $299 Acer Laptop for my dad and an external HD. With much disappointment… we decided to brave the cold and line up on boxing day for our much desired KitchenAid mixer. So boxing day morning, we woke up at 3am and drove out to the Future Shop that is basically out in no where (Langley, BC) and lined up. Surprisingly, we were very close to the front of the line! Sitting outside in the cold wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, it was definitely an experience . And by 6am that morning, KitchenAid Mixer+Laptop+External HD were all in hand . Now… it’s time for some serious baking! Muahahaha. (Jason just got us a baking cookbook *yey!*)

And because any post wouldn’t be complete with a self-taken photo. Happy holidays everyone! Wish everyone the best in the New Year. There’s going to be a lot of changes from this point forward, lots of big steps for me this year. Wish me luck!