Category Archives: Birthdays

Happy Birthday to my Furbaby

Posted in Birthdays, Daphne by

Before there was Isla, there was Daphne.

Back in 2004, when I first moved to Kamloops and was having pangs on homesickness and missing my main man Tanner, I begged and begged my dad to let me get a dog. It only took a couple of months of nagging, and finally he said that I could get one. “Consider it a Christmas present,” I believe is what he said. So, cash in hand, I started searching the “Pets for Sale” ads in the local buy & sell publication. (Nope, I didn’t even look on Craigslist or Kijiji!)

To be honest, I didn’t have a specific breed in mind when I started to look. Labs were probably going to be my number 1 choice since my mom already had one, but they need a lot of attention, especially when they’re in that destructive puppy stage. If I learned anything from having Tanner as a puppy, it’s that they are wrecking machines.

I eventually came across an ad for Alaskan Malamute puppies. They weren’t pricey – only $150, and they were ready to go. After researching the breed a little bit, I decided to call the person selling them, and shortly after that, I was off to pick out my new puppy with Kyle in tow!

As it turns out, the reason why the puppies were so “cheap” was because the litter was an accident. Another crazy fact? There were 10 pups in the litter! I couldn’t believe how cute they all were, especially this one little doll with the bluest eyes. She was the runt, but managed to somehow push her way ahead in line and was born 7th instead of last. Kyle advised that I shouldn’t get the runt, but I couldn’t resist her. After a few cuddles, I handed over the cash and was the new owner of a little puppy. I chose Daphne as a name, after the character from Scooby-Doo, and the rest is history.

Baby Daphne, the night I brought her home. (6 weeks old.)

Baby Daphne, the night I brought her home. (6 weeks old.)

Since bringing her home nearly 10 years ago, a lot has changed. She went from being the solo dog of the house to having a partner in crime four years later (Kyle’s dog, Molly) when Kyle and I moved in together, then back to being a lone wolf when Kyle and I bought our townhouse (strata bylaws allowed only one dog per unit, so Kyle’s sister “adopted” Molly), then being the Alpha Female when we adopted Campbell two years ago.

DSC_0014Daphne has taught me a lot. Patience, for one. That first night was the HARDEST I had ever experienced, having to get up three times because she needed to pee. She also had digestive issues, which caused a horrible runny poop mess on more than one occasion. (After switching her food, it was quickly fixed.) She also showed me the value of the almighty dollar, as her vet bills often skyrocketed with emergency trips to the vet, special medication, and blood work.

Still, I wouldn’t give her away for the world. Today she turns 10. While she’s starting to show her age in that she’s slow and stiff when getting up sometimes, and displays a bit of “Old lady crankiness” from time to time, she has moments of excitement and puppy-like energy. (Usually when there’s treats or a soccer ball involved.) I know her days are numbered, but for now I’m just going to enjoy every moment I have with my ol’ Daphne.

Here’s 10 fun facts about Daphne:

  1. She doesn’t have a bark, but a “talk.” Think Chewbacca.
  2. She has many nicknames, including Old Balls, Daffy (Isla’s name for her), Tron, Dapher-Dan, and Dapheroo
  3. She can hear the block of cheese coming out of the fridge a mile away.
  4. She loves to get her face REAL close to anyone she meets. We have dubbed this “Face Too Close” and everyone who knows her looks forward to her display of affection when they come to visit.
  5. I could brush her for an hour and probably not get all the dead fur out of her coat.
  6. She once escaped the house and just casually walked up and down the sidewalk until some neighbourhood kids brought her back home.
  7. She does surprisingly well in the summer. Usually she finds a shady spot on the lawn and lounges around.
  8. When walking anywhere, she has one speed. I don’t know if it’s in her blood as a freight pulling dog, but she could go along at the same pace for hours and not get tired.
  9. Her breath is horrible. Like, peel the paint off a tanker ship horrible.
  10. She often thinks our laminate flooring is lava and won’t step foot outside of our carpeted bedroom. She’ll just stand in the doorway, whining and panicking.
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Happy Birthday, Daphne!

May your winters be always be snowy!

Jan28

Isla turns 2

Posted in Birthdays, Growing Up Isla, Isla by

To my sweet little girl, Isla:

DSC06079You’re 2-years-old today! How fast does time fly, as it seems like just yesterday Daddy and I were carefully (and nervously) bundling you up into your carseat for the first time every to take you home from the hospital. I remember the day clearly – it was wet and raining, but you didn’t make a single peep on the way home. You loved your first car ride and still love them to this day. 

Of course, you’re a lot more vocal now – pointing out all the things you see out the window (“COW! CAR! BIRD!”), and singing, how you love to sing! You’re a little camera shy, so it’s hard to get it on video, but you love singing along to your favourite songs on the radio. You seem to know most of the words to a few songs right now, so I thought I’d make note of them here so you can look them up when you’re old enough to read this:

1) American Authors: Best Day of My Life
2) Pharrell Williams: Happy
3) Avicii: Hey Brother
4) Lorde: Royals
5) Ed Sheeran: Sing

Those are all pretty popular songs right now, and I’m sure you’ll groan and think those songs are SOOO 2014, but you really do like singing to them!

You’re getting smarter and braver every day too. You refuse help more and more often and Daddy and I just have to let you do things your way. Your newest accomplishment is walking down the stairs by yourself; you go a little slow and Daddy or I have to watch and make sure you don’t take a stumble, but you’re getting better every day. You’ve learned to count to 10, although sometimes you leave the number 6 out, but every now and then you even count to 14! By the way things are going, you’re going to be better at math than me. 

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You have mastered feeding yourself and your favourite foods would definitely be pasta and rice. You love all kinds of fruit too and even eat your vegetables. Your favourite TV show is Sesame Street and when it’s on, the world stands still. Your favourite characters are Elmo and Cookie Monster – you love to pretend to eat cookies like Cookie Monster and sing along to “Elmo’s World.” 

Of course, nothing makes me happier than seeing you hang out and spend time with Daddy. You have an amazing little bond together – watching baseball together and playing “Scare Me” – where Daddy pretends to sleep and you “scare” him awake. You give him the best bedtime hugs and kisses and I just know you’re the #1 gal in his life.

You’re the best kid ever, Missy Love, and I wouldn’t change anything about you. We’re so lucky to have you in our lives and you bring so much happiness everywhere you go. 

Happy Birthday, Isla! Mommy loves you!

Happy Birthday to Me

Posted in Birthdays, Life by

So, today is my birthday. Most bloggers would take the time to write a post reflecting on the past year and what it means to be whatever age they are now. I have a hard time writing reflective posts, but I’m going to give it a go and see what happens.

 

via we <3 it

28. That’s how old young I am today. Just one year away from being 29 – that eternal age that every woman claims to be once they are over-the-hill. Sometimes I forget that I’m closer to the age of 30 than I am to 20. I definitely have learned a lot over the past year, even though it seems to have flown by. (By the way – why does that happen as you get older – how time just seems to speed right up? Anyway… )

What does it mean to be 28? I mean, really? You can’t really identify with the early-20’s kids – the ones who are just graduating from university all bright-eyed and full of ambition, but you don’t want to lump yourself with the folks in the 30+ class just yet because you are indeed still figuring life out. (Not that all 30-somethings have their shit together.) I know that at 28, I’m still figuring out my career. (I talked about it in this post.) I feel like I could do 100 different jobs and still not find the “perfect” one, but sometimes, life isn’t about finding that quintessential dream job. I was employed by my dream employer at one point, but that sadly ended. Cue me regrouping and getting new training with a fresh set of skills. Are these going to lead me to the perfect job, dream-wise? Well, probably not, but it will very likely lead to the perfect job to help support my family – and sometimes that’s all that matters.

So what exactly have I learned in the past year? Well, I’ve learned that I’m pretty good at being a mom, which is one bright-side to job deterioration. I don’t know what kind of parent I’d classify myself as, but Isla is getting smarter every day and I love being able to watch her learn and grow.

I’m still learning that being an adult sucks. There’s bills and mortgages to be paid, and believe it or not, money doesn’t grow on trees. You’re forced to face the truth of situations and you really have to assess situations and figure out the best course of action. It’s tough and hard and most days I hate having to make decisions and would rather not do it, but I’m a grown-up with responsibilities not only to myself but to my husband and daughter too.

I’m content on where I am at 28. I don’t feel as though I’ve missed out on anything and am happy with every choice I’ve made to get to where I am today. I’m not really one to make a statement saying where I want to be at a certain age, other than happy and healthy. Cheesy, yes, but who wouldn’t want that?

Regardless of all this jibber jabber, I’m more than certain that I’m ready for whatever the next 365 days wants to bring my way, good, bad or otherwise. For today, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy turning a year older :)