I was never comfortable with my figure. I was always verrrry tall and verrrrry thin, and I used to feel quite uneasy in my own skin. But I guess there is a positive side to getting older after all – the surge in confidence is definitely the biggest (and possibly only) perk (or the  not-giving-a-damn kicks in more).

I turned 30 last month. Mike and I celebrated our one-year anniversary last weekend. My wedding photographers are artistic geniuses. So I decided to treat myself to a one-on-one boudoir-style shoot with the female-half of my wedding photographer duo last Saturday. I asked a girlfriend to glam me up with big hair and makeup, and I brought everything to the studio, from a few sexy numbers to Mike’s football jersey as well as his shirt and tie from the wedding. The amazing Davina Palik was unbelievably easy and professional to work with and I was completely at ease – in fact, we had a lot of fun! She photographed me for 2 1/2 hours and I got a CD of 60 pics, with straight-on shots, silhouettes, and everything in-between.

I think all women out there should treat themselves to this self-indulgence. A good photographer like Davina can find something sexy about every lady, giving you encouraging direction and making you feel like a true model. I may hate my ridiculously long legs or bony collarbone or narrow frame, but I guess I don’t mind my flat stomach so much anymore (I’m sure one day I’ll LOATHE myself for hating that flat stomach when I was younger), and some of the shots Davina took really accentuated my tummy. I’m soooo pleased with the pictures (and so was my husband- haha!).

We all have an inner sexy minx… and I think you should capture it!

I was a real theater buff in high school. It helped that we had one of the most incredible drama programs led by the most incredible drama teacher in the whole wide world (love you, Ms. Hasko!). For four years I learned and performed and watched skits from some of the most popular (and even obscure) plays and musicals. I saw lots of shows including Rent, West Side Story, Grease, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, and more. I absolutely loved our drama community. So it’s no surprise that I completely fell in love with the TV show Glee.

Glee is one of those programs that both kids and parents can watch together. It’s definitely slightly risque, but it has also addressed topics of bullying, teen pregnancy, homosexuality, dressing provocatively, and many other youth issues. It’s helped foster discussion in living rooms and across dinner tables. It’s helped parents see what today’s teens are going through. It’s helped kids see they’re not alone. I think it’s been a fantastic learning tool for Gen Xers, Yers, and everyone in-between.

A few of the young actors from the show, all of whom are older than 18 (but who also portray high school students who are under 18) recently appeared in a controversial (and overtly sexual) spread in GQ magazine. A lot of parents were outraged that these role models had chosen to do such a suggestive shoot, and that show producers supported the decision.

It’s a fine line. While I do think that shows like Glee are too far and few between, and that it’s a great positive influence for young people, I do wonder why these actors chose to do such a blatantly “adult-themed” photo shoot for a men’s magazine.

But then I smack myself in the forehead and go “DUH!!!” – I know why they did it!! It’s because they can. What 28-year-old man from Calgary (Cory Monteith) wouldn’t want to be sandwiched between two scantily-clad beauties, one hand on each of their asses, for men across America to see? And when these pretty girls aren’t portraying high school students, why wouldn’t they want to unleash their sexual prowess and show their grown-up womanly sides (Dianna Agron and Lea Michele)?

I guess today’s youth can idolize the “characters” on Glee, but they also need to learn about real life, which includes this corrupt, deviant little microcosm known as Hollywood, where girls become women, men love to be loathed, and there’s always a saucy flavour of the week.

Do you think the Glee castmates were out of line posing for GQ?

Yesterday, Mike and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary. It seemed strange to celebrate such a “young” milestone when we’ll be hitting our 14-year anniversary in April. But I took the opportunity of this special day to finally put together a giant shadowbox with all my bridal shower/bachelorette party/wedding keepsakes, and this project, of course, got me to thinking about some of the memorable moments of the wedding weekend…

1- On the Friday morning before the wedding, my parents came in from Ottawa and my dad and I did airport runs. First up: my girlfriend Danielle and her husband from Florida – it was her first time in Canada and words cannot describe how exciting it was to have her come up for the weekend. Next was my dear friend Val, who had traveled from St. Louis to share in my day. The three of us had coffee at Starbucks on St. Catherine Street before the rehearsal, and I remember sitting there, in awe that I the three of us were together again, hanging in my city for my wedding… amazing.

2- The night before the wedding is a blur of dinner at a local brewery, a rehearsal at our chapel (where my parents had been married 30 years before), and drinks with friends and family at Ye Olde Orchard pub across the street from the hotel.

3- It was a cold, damp, rainy day when I woke up on my wedding morning, but I couldn’t have cared less – the day was finally here, everyone had arrived safe and sound, and I couldn’t wait to get things started! But first, we had hours to spend at the salon.

4- The most stressful moment of the day was the hour before we left for the church – I had stayed with my parents at the hotel, and the room was bustling with friends, family, photographers, videographers, etc. We ordered pizza, changed, and convened in the lobby for a few quick pics. Then, we were off!

5- The moment it “hit” me that everything I’d dreamed about was finally happening was moments before walking down the aisle – me, my mom and MIL, my flowergirl and all my bridesmaids were in the bridal suite in the front of the chapel, and as I looked around the room, seeing my four closest and best friends from the various phases of my life all in one room, looking beautiful and about to lead me to my husband, I got completely choked up with happiness and went around the room teary-eyed hugging each of them (while Jackie chimed “Stop crying! You’ll ruin your makeup!”).

6- The ceremony is a happy, beautiful blur, and I remember just panning the crowd in complete disbelief that all of these people were under one roof – my husband’s three sides of his family, my family, friends from life, school, and work, from near and far, all there for us. I still can’t believe it.

7- The reception was fantastic, another blur of dancing, hugging, laughing, crying (mostly happy tears), taking pics in the photo booth, eating white-chocolate covered fruit, singing the chorus of “Mustang Sally” with my cousin and aunt with the band (who was headed by my incredibly talented uncle, who kept everyone on their feet and really made the party a party), smooching with my handsome groom – it was A-MAZING.

8- When Mike and I got home, we were exhausted. I barely had the energy to shower off all of the makeup and hairspray. But we still sat for hours and reminisced about the night…

9- Sunday morning I hosted an out-of-towner breakfast before everyone headed home. It was as if I had blinked and it had gone from airport-run Friday afternoon to bidding farewell after Sunday breakie. I cried quite a few times that day, not only when I said goodbye to my long-distance girlfriends but also when I finally had a quiet minute to digest what had just happened – the whole weekend and experience was indescribably beautiful. I remember my dad calling me a few days later to say he was still on a high from the weekend because he had had the most fun he’d ever had in his entire life. It really was the very best weekend of my entire life.

Since I was on a bit of rant over the things I hate last Friday, today’s RANDOM THOUGHTS… will look at things I luuurve!

1- I love the smell of clean laundry. I love walking outside in wintertime past a building with a dryer vent and taking in the sweet smell of warm fabric softener and fresh clothes. And nothing’s better than climbing into a bed with clean, crisp sheets and pillows (I spray everything with Lysol before cozying in).

2- I love coffee… all coffee… flavoured, regular, strong… with honey, cream, or milk… in a porcelain mug or a cardboard throwaway… sitting in my living room or a cafe downtown… sipping it in my car or on the ‘tro… topped with foam or sweet whipped cream… sprinkled with chocolate shavings, cinnamon or a dash of cocoa (or all three!).

3- I love the sound of kids laughing. Corny, I know, but really- when a kid just giggles from their gut, completely out-of-control, without a care in the world other than whatever it is they find funny in that moment, it warms my heart. There are two little ones who get a kick out of running up and down our hallway in the apartment building, and they’re uncontrollable squeals of delight make me smile every time as I hear them run by my door “boom boom boom booooom WEEEEEEEEE!!”

4- I love the beach at night. There’s nothing like it, and unfortunately, every time I go back to Florida I don’t quite make it to the sandy shores after sunset. But my friends and I used to sneak onto the beach late at night during high school when we were too young to get into bars and up too late to do anything but loiter. The sand is less annoying in the evening because you’re not all wet and sticky, so it doesn’t seem to find its way into random nooks and crannies. You can hear the waves crashing but you can’t quite see them. The stretch of beach is so dark it seems endless and infinite. It’s amazing.

5- I love writing blogs… I’ve always loved creative writing and writing without a ticking deadline. And I love reading the blogs of dear friends whom I have met in my awesome industry, so after reading wordaddict you should also check out these gems:

Driving MsMiranda- Fun, knowledgeable, connected, and oh-so-rockstarish, this blog explores everything about cars, driving, and much more. Miranda proves that this fast-paced industry isn’t just for the boys!

Thxthxthx- Every day Leah writes a thank-you note to something totally random- and it’s always totally cute!

Davina + Daniel- I’m biased because they weren’t only my wedding photographers but they’re also my dear, dear freinds, but I still stand by my belief that they are the most creative and talented photographers in the whole wide world, and I could look through their shots allllll day long.

OnceWed, Unity Weddings, and Intimate Weddings- THE most STUNNING wedding blogs ever – even though I’m never planning a wedding EVER again, I still go to these eye-candy blogs daily.

I’m loving food photography – I’ll find things that look appetizing in person, but then when I take photos of the dishes it doesn’t quite convey the yummy-factor. So when I’ve been working on my various cooking and arts n’ crafts projects I’ve photographed them, and here are a few of my fave…

Chicken pot pie (made with all the Thanksgiving leftovers)

2 c. cooked chicken or turkey

1 1/2 cups leftover cooked veggies (I used carrots, roasted white and orange potatoes, and broccoli)

1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. chopped onion

1 minced garlic clove

1/3 c. flour

1 3/4 c. chicken broth

2/3 c. milk

s&p

Cook butter, onion and garlic in medium pot until onions are tender. Whisk in flour. Slowly add chicken stock and milk. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, boiling gently for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cooked chicken and vegetables. Cook one more minute and remove from heat.

Prepare pie crust (enough for a bottom and a top). Place bottom layer in pie pan and pour in filling. Add the second layer of pie crust on the top and seal edges. Cut a few slits or use a fork to pierce the top of the crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown (cooking times may vary).

We recently threw a mini baby shower for a dear friend who is having her second child. She told us the only thing she needed was diapers, so we decided to have a diaper cake contest. There were four cakes in total (and probably close to eight packs of diapers worth), and although mine was a pitiful example of my arts n’ crafts’ skills, the winning cake was fantastic (the 2nd one pictured).

Diaper cakes are a great way to help mom and dad stock up prior to baby’s arrival as well as get a few of the essentials (these cakes also included pacifiers, bottles of baby lotion, washcloths, toys, and more).

Blueberry pancakes

Although I probably should try and make these with whole wheat flour to up the nutrition-factor of these yummy morning (or late-night) treats, the blueberries in them are healthy and oh-so-delish (and turn the pancakes blue – now who doesn’t love eating something blue?!).

(Courtesy of AllRecipes.com)

3/4 c. milk

2 tbsp. white vinegar

1 c. all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. white sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

2 tbsp. butter, melted

1 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Cooking spray

Several months ago I wrote a blog called “There are no coincidences” that generated a lot of traffic and comments. It’s a belief that I am constantly reminded of – to me, everything happens for a reason. And this has especially been true of the friends, co-workers, and people in general who I have known throughout my life.

During my school years, many people came and went, and the ones who stuck around, I mean really stuck around, are the friends I cherish today, who keep in touch despite the fact we’re in different countries and separated by a criminal amount of miles. This is why I love Facebook: it allowed me to reconnect with so many friends from my past, friends I may have slighted, may not have taken enough time to really get to know, friends who now post comments and read my blog and share their stories with me.It’s a true gift.

Even the friends I have made since moving back to Canada, people I met through other friends, former co-workers, university-mates, people in the industry I’ve been lucky enough to know first on a professional level and then on a more personal level, have all played a part in my life and made me who I am today.

Each and every “character” who has come into my life fills a little niche in my heart. Without even one of them I would be a different person. And because of this profound part they’ve individually played, I simply can’t chalk up my encounters with them as “coincidence.” They were put on my path for a reason. They were meant to teach me something about myself and the world in general. And if you asked me, I could tell you what lessons I’ve learned from you. Go ahead- just ask!

Even when I’m sitting on a terrasse sipping my morning coffee, and that 80-year-old man saunters up to tell me his secrets to longevity, while I may be thinking “why do I have such a friendly face that people feel the need to come and talk to me?”, I still feel this pull to listen to what it is he has to say – because he must have something to teach me (and in the end, he did…).

Too often we rush through our daily schedules of work-dinner-bed without taking a moment to think about those seemingly random people who drift in and out of our lives… some stick around for 10 minutes and some for 10 years, but they both contribute something equally important to our characters. Are you taking the time to slow down and notice?

1- I hate having a “friendly” face. It means that when I sit on terrasses to have my pre-work coffee and smoke I have to make small talk to the 80-year-old man who still walks 14 blocks every day, eats lots of citrus, and thinks I’m a Dawson student…

2- I hate shopping at Maxi. It means I have to bag my own groceries. The bagging part isn’t the part I hate – it’s the PRESSURE!!! All of those angry shoppers lined up behind me, their food inching closer and closer to mine as I frantically shove things into bags. And then I get home and my can of apple juice has turned my loaf of sliced bread into a squished hardened bread brick and everything is just all wrong…

3- I hate the people who smoke as they walk through my apartment building. Granted, I may be a smoker, but when I go down to the laundry room to get my CLEAN clothes and someone’s been smoking, it’s just gross. Same goes for the narrow unventilated hallways and the lobby.

4- I hate electric shocks… they scare me. I always get shocked when I walk through the grocery store – the handle zaps my hands and I jump and look like someone with Tourette’s in the middle of the produce department. I used to have a teacher (MR. B) who knew of this fear – he was in charge of the school newspaper, and when I was drawing a  blank or gabbing away, he would shuffle across the classroom and then hold his “charged” finger an inch away from me until I got to work (and I’ll tell you – it was effective!)

5- I hate that when it’s “peace” time during mass, people are so scared to TOUCH someone else these days that they flash you the two-fingered “peace sign” instead. Like REALLY?! We can’t even shake hands anymore? I hate that…

(Geez… with all this hate being thrown around, maybe next week’s RANDOM THOUGHTS… will be about things I love!)

I’m not rubber and we’re all glue…

A 13-year-old boy in Texas shot himself in the head after years of bullying and torment for being gay. Seth Walsh, also 13, hung himself from a tree. Tyler Clementi, 18 and a freshman at Rutgers University, jumped off the GW bridge after his roommate broadcast a video of Tyler with another guy.

I’ve been saddened by all the news of teenagers committing suicide after being bullied. I was even more shocked when I read a recent article that used the term “bullycide” – we have a word for it now? What is happening with our youth?

Sure, bullying has been a part of the “teenage” experience for decades (probably centuries). Kids pick on other kids – it’s just one of those things that’s part of growing up. But just as kids don’t smoke on school grounds anymore (at least it’s not permitted) and teachers don’t give students the strap, bullying seems like one of those social trends that, in today’s age of being open-minded and accepting, would have fallen to the wayside.

This is particularly true of making fun of kids who are gay. While we still have a long way to go when it comes to giving equal rights to gay people, aren’t we, as a society, more tolerant of the gay community? I remember being in high school (I graduated in ’98) and seeing the few openly-gay students get ridiculed and picked on, but being gay was a relatively newer concept for my generation. I’m not condoning the fact that they got bullied, but what surprises me is that today’s teenagers are still just as close-minded and cruel. Today we’re more tolerant than ever before (aren’t we??), people are more willing to express themselves in the most outrageous and unconventional of ways and it takes a lot to “shock” in today’s free-spirited world (doesn’t it??). So why haven’t our teenagers evolved?

I don’t think there’s any one person to blame, but I do think everyone is playing their own part in perpetuating this bullying problem. I think some parents are passing on their old-fashioned ideals to their children instead of bringing them up to be tolerant, kind people. I think some teachers are to blame because they just don’t give a damn – they go to their job, go through the motions, and collect their paychecks. But I also think that’s because our teachers are underappreciated, and therefore they’re tired and burned out, so now some blame falls on the government. I think television and other mediums are contributing to this intolerance by loosely using expressions like “that’s so gay.” And it’s these factors that have created a generation of kids who aren’t more understanding and compassionate but just as bull-headed as past generations.

I was 5’10” and weighed 110 pounds soaking wet in middle and high school. I put up with my fair share of name-calling and bullying. I can remember hiding in a bathroom stall or coming home and bee-lining it to my bedroom to cry over the latest nickname I’d been given – and sadly, by today’s bullying standards, this was minimal. I felt loneliness and sadness, and I can’t even begin to imagine what a teenage boy or girl who is gay must go through on a school day, hiding or trying to defend who they are.

So I ask you again: what is happening with our youth today? If they can’t grasp the fundamentals of kindness and acceptance then how have we evolved as a society? Are parents and teachers stepping in enough to ensure kids feel safe and protected and free to be whoever it is they want to be? Are your kids helping to defend their classmates when they witness bullying? Are teenagers being taught compassion?

I don’t know…

I’m working on a little Christmas project and needed to find some old photos, so when I was home for Thanksgiving I went through boxes in my parent’s basement. Since moving away from Florida, I’ve never had all of my things in one place, so I hadn’t flipped through my countless photo albums, yearbooks, and two FULL photo boxes in more than 10 years.

My childhood down south feels like a dream, a beautiful blur of friends and firsts and sunshine. It was the time of my life – it really was. But I know that, back then, sometimes it didn’t seem so – I experienced my own teen angst, went through my share of arguments with friends and heartbreaks with boys. It’s much easier to look back and only remember the homecoming dances, sneaking onto the beach late at night and talking with friends till sunrise, taking trips to Universal Studios and Busch Gardens and the Keys.

I often think that one day, I might look back and think fondly of this time in my life. I’ll be living in a house with two kids who have jam-packed schedules, balancing my career as an award-winning novelist with maintaining my reputation of being the hostess with the mostess, and I’ll remember my cozy apartment nestled behind the giant tree that would sway while I lounged on my balcony sipping sangria and reading my Martha Stewart magazine. I’ll long for the carefree days I often loathe today. I’ll dream of the lack of responsibility I had that riddles me with guilt right now. I’ll yearn for the lack of expenses that seem to bog me down these days.

There’s something special about every phase of life. So the next time you feel like things are “ordinary” or maybe not as “special” as they used to be, just think: one day, right now will be the time of your life…

There are three people I’ve always been intrigued by and have read up on extensively: John F. Kennedy, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and John Lennon. Lennon would have celebrated his 70th birthday tomorrow. Most of you know that my husband and I spent the night in the John Lennon/Yoko Ono room at the Queen E a few weeks ago. But I’ve also visited The Dakota (where he was shot), met Yoko Ono at at art exhibit opening a few months ago, and I’ve read a number of books about this beloved rockstar.

So for today’s RANDOM THOUGHTS… I present a few lesser-known facts about John Lennon.

1- His best friend for years and years was Peter Boyle, the dad on Everybody Loves Raymond. I find it amusing to watch him on the show and wonder if John would have found Frank Barone humorous…

2- John Lennon was expelled from school when he was 5.

3- Without glasses Lennon was legally blind.

4- John Lennon would often refer to his other half Yoko as “it.”

5- John Lennon hated the dark and slept with the light on.

6- He apparently drank up to 20-30 cups of coffee every single day.

Interviewer: “How do you think you’ll die?”
John: “I’ll probably be popped off by some looney…”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!