Long Weekend

Okay.. well let's see.. I worked graveyards last week and then bombed up to Kamloops Friday morning.. had a nap after chatting with my mom and paul and then went for coffee to my grams' house.
That was really nice.. my cousin Trista and her kids were there, my cuz Ryan, then my Auntie Mamie popped by for a bit, and before I left my Auntie Jackie came home so I got to see her. I was there for about 5 hours!
While we were talking my little cousin chloe who is 5 says to her mom Trista .. "I don't clean my room because I'm lazy!"
HAHAH! At least she's honest!
Then after that I went for dinner with Ryan and Doug... met Ry's gf Amanda who I met a few years back and is a sweetie... and got to spend some much needed time with my newly biker-ish cousin! HAH! So weird to see him all tattooed up and riding a Harley!
After a quick dinner I went over to my buddy Paul's house and we went to meet Dustin for coffee. It was good to see them both...even if Dustin's head was all holey! Hehehehe.
Saturday mom and I went to Tristas, did some shopping, went to the casino with Paul, won $$$, went for lunch, then I went over to Liz and Justin's.
It was so awesome.. I got there a bit early and got TONS AND TONS of Hunter huggles! It was so great, he would hug my neck, cuddle in, and then squeeze! It was so amazing! I love cuddle babies :D Then J and L made an amazing dinner, along with the contributions from their friends (gotta love potluck) but Liz's lasagna was AMAZING! The BEST I've had in.. well FOREVER! :D
Then we had a great round of quip it.. "Correct-yo-teeth"!!! HAHAH! oh man.. it's incredible what some people come up with ;)
Then we played Suburbia.. booyah our team won! Even though I was the non-teaching link I sure came up with some good answers.. HAH! Foo-foo berry and green apple indeed!
After everyone left Wendy, Justin, Liz and I got to play Settlers.. OH MAN! What a WICKED game! I love love love it!!! I need to convert my man into a games man :D
I got home a bit late, but it was so worth it.. love you guys!
Then Sunday was a day spent shopping for mom's house... I surprised her with all the goodies I picked up.. we de-cluttered her living room a bit... I felt like I was on some reality realty show and was staging her house :P She loved all of it! Then grams and Auntie Jackie came over for dinner and we had a lovely visit and great food again.
The rest of the night was just spent relaxing, visiting with mom and Paul, and reading.
I left early Monday morning and made it home by 10.. no traffic at all! Gotta love leaving early.
All in all it was a really great visit.. so much better than the last stress filled visit I had. It was great to see all my family.. I miss them and wish I could see them more! If only I had a jet and more $$$ for gas and toll! *don't we all!*
The last few days have been just relaxing.. today Ry was finally off as well so we did a TON of running around and crud. I went to Old Navy and spent a bit of $... good thing I only go there every 2 years or so :D
Anyhoo.. now I'm just wasting time before bed... so.. toodles!

Cutest Baby and Pug EVER!!!

So lastnight Ry's old roomie came over to visit.. and brought his gorgeous baby Mya. (which is good b/c we told him he can't come over without her ;))
Anyhoo.. she was fascinated with Nalla, and started to shake and giggle when Nalla licked her, or me!
Here are some pics of the happy girl! (she's about 5 months now).... At first she didn't seem to sure...



Then she thought.. HEY! This is soooo fun :)







And as a bonus some pictures of our fat little sausage.. I mean Pug! Hehehe.. she's gotten so porky.. but she's too cute :D

FINALLY PICTURES!!!

I can't believe it finally worked!!!!
So this is the crazy mutant plant that Ry bought for me... So cool!!
What a sweet guy :)



This is a close up of the stem that is me and Ry joined together.. Hehehe!!



This is a pic of our bookshelves..


And here is our super deal sideboard that we got for the dining room of our kitchen!!

*I LOVE the vase we bought too... and the flower we got from Michaels (I picked it out :P) Ry didn't like it but when we got it home we both LOVED it!

And this is a bigger pic of the dining room...

*yes there is some crap off to the right.. it's our BBQ because our house is being pressure washed! HAH! Good thing I haven't wanted to BBQ :D

I know the quality isn't that great because I took the pics at night and the lighting kind of sucked.. but whatever! I am going to get some more pics posted at a later date of the rest of the house.. since I realized I haven't posted any!!!

Where do I start?!?!

So things have been going really well. I've been working a ton.. managed to get a couple of OT shifts last block so that was good. But it kind of sucks because I haven't seen Ry a whole lot since he's been super busy at work and such... I see him for a minute here and there.
The other day I stopped by his work and wrote a couple things down on a list that he needed to pick up for work for him.. and as a goof I added "Flowers for Jen Jen because you love her" (yes he calls me that :P) Anyhoo he freakin actually bought me flowers! It was so awesome! And they were so cool! He's all.. look at them.. really look at them.
And finally I saw it!
It's freakin crazy! The two in the middle are joined.. they grew together.. and you know what he says? The two are us.. together, and the other two on the side are Nalla and Cara :) How sweet!

I love that guy :D
Anyhoo.. because we havent' seen each other much we decided to take some days off together (I had 4 off and booked one extra). So we spent most of our days just hanging out, doing stuff around the house and such. Saturday we went to IKEA and bought the much needed book shelves for the office (FINALLY!!! we finally finished the room!!!!) While we were there we picked up a couple of other things and decided to browse the As-Is section.. because who doesn't!!! And we see this gorgeous side board for the kitchen.. it's the same black brown as our mirror that we got there.. and it's reg. $290 on for $149 because one of the drawers sticks. Well I notice a SMALL scratch.. and we got it for $125!!!
Isn't that awesome!!

Anyhoo.. then today Ry's friend Johnny came up from Washington. Ry has known him for a long time but he goes to school down there and they havent' seen each other in AGES. Well he came up and I FINALLY got to meet him. So we went for lunch at this restaurant on Granville Island.. soooooo nice out today! Sat right by the water.. it was gorgeous!!! Then we went out to Capilano Suspension Bridge.. unfortunately we didn't have our freakin camera.. but wow! It was great! Ry doesn't like heights we found out.. but we did the whole treetops and such.. and of course bought some fudge!!! :D Can't leave without fudge! Then we went to the Cleveland Damn and then we went up to Grouse! It was so awesome I hadn't been out there before and we caught the lumberjack show and then this bird show.. it had some hawks, a falcon, and an owl... it was soooo awesome! Then we had a quick bite over looking the city! It was beautiful and such a wonderful evening!! OOH! I forgot.. we also saw the grizzly. It was so sad to see them enclosed, but it was so majestic being so close to one! then we saw the Timberwolves.. I really don't think they should be held there :S
Aside from that.. it was a gorgeous evening and I had a great time! It was good for Ry to see his buddy again, we got along well and well... it was just a great end to a wonderful bunch of days off!

**blogger is not letting my load pics.. so I will try again later**

Well... where do I start?!?

Well first off, I thought I would finally post a pic of my beautiful little baby cousin Mara! She's soooo cute!



So there you go! As I get more pics I will post more :D

Life has been treating me pretty well. I'm all done my on the job training and I'm working for a living now! I've heard I'm pretty well liked so far *knock on wood* so YAY! I was invited to go out for Day 7 Beers (every day 7 people on a crew go out).. but I got switched half way through my block of 7 days to graveyard shift.. so I didn't go. It's nice to be invited though! Sara and her crew went out that evening and she texted me and asked me to come.. but I was already sound asleep :D

I'm enjoying my job. I don't have too much interaction with the inmates so it's not too bad. Plus I'm not the newest anymore! Hehehe.. we had 5 people from the latest grads come to Kent so they're the newbies! ;)
It's not that easy getting used to the 7 days on though... but I'm sure it will be a lot easier when I'm not switching shifts in the middle of those 7 days. It was sure tough last week working 6:45am-3:00pm then having to come back at 10:30pm-7:00am! I was lucky though because my buddy that I gradded with was also on graveyards so I carpooled with him and another guy. It was nice to not have to drive!

Ry and I hadn't gotten a chance to see each other much but we spent the night hanging out on Friday and then Saturday when he got off work we had BBQ then went to see Pirates... FINALLY! It was SOOOOOOOO good! I laughed a lot and I can't WAIT for the next one! I'm not too happy with one bit that happened at the end.. but we'll see what happens I suppose. It was kind of annoying because we were told there was an extra scene so we waited through ALL the credits.. which took FOREVER.. and it was a brief 5 second clip! But whatever, it was nice a cool, and just a nice time for Ry and I to be together. The theatre was packed still, but we got some really awesome seats and enjoyed just spending time together :)

What else... we went to Ry's nieces 2nd Birthday..it was fun. She is just the cutest! I WANT BABIES!!!! But not for a while.. hehehe..
I think Ry and I might got somewhere nice and hot next year.. like Thailand! I'll try and bank my vacation from this year.. go to Toronto to Kelly and Allison's wedding, then later in the year... THAILAND! Or somewhere.. I want beaches and heat :D

This weekend was our wind up ball tournament.. it was good! We lost our first game, so yesterday we played at 9:20, 10:50, 12:30, and 2:40!!!! It was nuts! We lost our last game (the final) by one run in our second extra inning! It kind of sucked.. but it was soooooooooo HOT! All I wanted to do was get home and have a shower! We won cool backpacks, and we also won those fold out double chairs with the table in the middle for winning our division! WOOOHOOOO! It was a lot of fun and I'm glad that I ended up on this team!

My family is good.. hoping to get a chance to go up to Kamloops for a day or two in August or September. We'll see how it works out... I'll let you know just in case I can meet up with anyone for coffee or something!

I know I probably have more to say, but I think that will have to do for now! Because this is pretty much my last day off and I have a stinkin lot of stuff to do like vacuuming, dusting.. all that good stuff :D

URGHHH!!!!

I HATE ALLERGIES!!!!!!


And now I'm going to be sleeping so I can get up early for work... yeeehaww!

Holy Hot Batman!!!

How's it going everyone?
Guess what??
My cousin Brent is a Daddy! His wife Monica gave birth to their daughter Meira *I'm not sure of the spelling yet* This morning. She was a month early and has a bit of fluid on her lungs so they haven't got to hold her yet.. she's in baby ICU. The nurses say she'll be fine.. and I'm sure she will..but if you could keep her in your prayers. Apparently she's darker like Brent, with Dark hair that is SUPER DOOPER curly! I can't wait to see that little angel!
I am totally loving this hot weather! I haven't had a lot of time to enjoy it.. yesterday was Sara's wedding.. we were outside for a bit, so that was nice.. but the rest of the night was spent in the hall. I have to say she looked beautiful and the flower girl and ring bearer? TOO cute!

And of course the happy couple.. Sara and Ian :)

The wedding was nice, the hall looked beautiful, Sara looked great.. we all had a good time all in all.

Today was soooooooooo gorgeous! I knew it would be hot so I occupied my time being around water.
I took both cars to get washed, did some work for Ry at his office, had lunch with him, then I came home to play with my Pug.
Last year we bought her this pool.. and she didn't really like it. She would jump in for half a second, and jump right out. We thought for sure she would love it b/c she loves to jump in the bathtub. Well.. I dug out the pool today.. and I couldn't keep her out of it!
She was running around, jumping in and out of it, putting her head under the water to get her toys... Nalla has it figured out!! It was so much fun.. here are some pics!




This is Nalla looking a little rough after splashing around...


And this is sweet Nalla beat after running around so much!!


Tonight Ry and I went to the Keg for dinner.. it was really nice. All in all it's been a great weekend.. got to see my friends, spend some quality time with Rylan and my girls! *although Cara kitten was sleeping and sunbathing for most of it!*

Hope everyone has a great week! Back to work tomorrow!!!

Well.. it's official!

I am a Correctional Officer with the Correctional Service of Canada.
I have photos to prove it!!!!


This is me and my friend Anna:

And this is me signing my certificate with the Acting Warden:



*too bad I had bad hair! LOL!

I can't wait to find out where I'm going!

Thursday I finally find out where I'm going.. today we were talking to a guy from Pacific.. he was in the class before us. I'd really like to go there, but I think that I'm going to be sent to Matsqui.. We'll see I guess.

I got my Diploma from UCFV in the mail today!

Yeehaww!

It's comin' together folks!

Today was fun.. we made up scenarios in class that we had to respond to.. I got to be an officer on a gun walk with an AR 15 .223! It was pretty sweet. Great learning tool let me tell you! I also go OC Sprayed in the eyes.. luckily it was only inert ;)

Holy Moly Batman!

Did you know that in just over 2 days (aka Thursday Afternoon) I will be an actual, fully sworn in, Corrections officer for the Correction Services of Canada!
A real live CX working a FEDERAL job.. making REAL money with REAL benefits.. doing something that I have been dreaming of (in one way or another) for a loooong time!

I'm so excited, nervous, and just plain STOKED!


YAY! I will post pics after my grad friday!
I got my hair done this weekend.. it looks so not rooty and gray like it was :P
Plus I got some much needed gardening done.. although I had KILLER allergies all day partially because of that! Grrr! Crazy yesterday being all gorgeous, then hail/rain/thunder/lightning, then sunny again!

Gotta love BC!

Miss you all!

WAHOOOOOOO!!!!!

I PASSED!!!

I am so happy! Thanks for all your well wishes :)

And happy belated birthday to little man Hunter! What a kid.. I can't get enough of that cute little guy! Can't wait to see him again!

And... Congrats to Tara (Ry's sister) and Chris.. they're having a baby!

Nap time now!

AHHHH!!!

10 weeks has just FLOWN by!
I have my Part A Exam tomorrow.. aka if I don't pass.. I'm done!
Wish me luck please!

I'll let you know my results tomorrow folks!

Animal House

Well.. apparently the creatures of our neighbourhood enjoy my garden! This morning we were watching the news and Cara started towards the sliding door, with Nalla barking behind her. Sure enough there is our friendly squirrel hopping along the fences between our yards. This is not so unusual because one of our neighbours has a feeder for the little guys and they must run along our fence to get to her house. What was unusual is when he was hopping along with his newly acquired nut, he took a detour.. into my garden! The crafty little guy then began to dig a hole in which he could place his nut! While it was cute.. the hole just happened to be under one of my plants!!!! He didn't keep up too long because Nalla was getting pretty excited and startled him off. No worries though, he went back to our neighbour's to get another nut and carried it off somewhere beyond my garden.
He was really cute.. it's fun to watch the critters go about their routines.. I love where we live... I couldn't imagine living in a concrete jungle!
We are definately blessed :)

Funny.. this used to be my nickname!!!

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

NEW CAR!

Ugh.. feeling so drained and poopy this week... guess that's what happens when you feel not so hot then go into arrest and control. It's kind of nice b/c it was a short week, the days go quickly during arrest and control, and OMG! it's FRIDAY!
You know what is even cooler though? WE GOT A NEW CAR!!! It's a 2006 Accura RSX... it's HAWT!!! And yes.. it's a 2 door manual.. no worries though.. we still have the family CRV ;) No ring for Jen for a while.. I'll just be wearing my key chain for a bit.. Hehhee..
Anyhoo.. this is our new baby!

My Girls!!!

So we have been looking at cars... UGH! Such a hassle!! I feel so drained, and Ry feels even more drained than I do! We're quite the pair!
It's a toss up.. do we just get a 99/2000 Civic Coup/Sedan/Hatchback or do we spring for the new Civic?? There isn't THAT much difference in price.. so we'll see.
Anyhoo.. when I uploaded the froggy/kitty pictures there were a bunch of Nalla/Cara pics on the memory card.. so here you go!
I love my girls and I love my Ry soooooooo much :) (however all the pics we ever take are of Nalla and Cara.. but I'll try and find one of Ry ;))

*Side-note: I was trying to post captions for the photos but it wouldn't align properly.. so you'll be seeing Cara giving Nalla kisses, the Pudgy Puggy, Gymnast Cara-Kitten, Cuddle-Pug, My Girls, and the love of my life Ry :)

Cara's Adventure with Froggy

As promised.. here are the pics!
This is Cara-kitty and her friend Froggy.. soooo fun :) We have this super cute video of when he was hopping away, he kind of hopped into our fence.. regrouped and slid through. It was a fun way to start the morning. I think Cara was a bit bummed that she didn't get to chase the froggy *hehehehe*

What a rainy day!

Well today is one of the first days off TOGETHER that Ry and I have had in a loooooooooong time!
It's been pretty slow.. but it's nice. Our fun for this afternoon?? WEll so far it's been this...
I went to get a coffee and Ry was looking online for cars (because we are sooooooo sick of sharing one vehicle).. and all of a sudden Cara started chirping and jumped on top of her little pagoda thing to try and see out the blinds. She was really meowing so he decided to see what the fuss was about.. and there is a big froggy in our garden! He was sitting on the retaining wall for a while, now he's exploring the dirt! It's so cool!
Oooh! Froggy just hopped away :( But we got it on video!! I'll post pics in a bit!

Hidee-Ho!

Hola!!!

So things are good.. busy as always.. almost at the end of week 6!!! Holy crud batman! I can't believe how quickly this time has flown by. It will be nice to be settled and working and get a routine going... it will be tough at first since I haven't really done shift work like this before.. but at least I will be able to get into a routine and have my "real" life begin. I feel so growed up :) I passed my self defense section today.. WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO! I got 174/180... not too tough but ya.. I was pretty stoked because I had some problems to start with. Now we have 2 days of class, then back to arrest and control and baton.. ooh! I can't wait til handcuffs and batons ;)

Other than that, it's been freaking beautiful here! I LOOOOVE this weather! Wish I had the energy to enjoy it! hehehe.. but lastnight we had ball.. OMG! So warm.. we played with an auto out because we were short a person and we still won 17-7! I really like my ball team. They are late 20s early 30s for the most part, super fun, and have made me feel nothing but welcome from my first game!!!!

Anyhoo.. I really have to get a move on.. I'm beat and I have a ton of homework so it's time for a cat nap!

Talk at you guys soon!!!

Happy Mother's Day..
I miss you mom :)


On a side note.. I passed my part b assesment for Corrections.. so it's all pretty much down hill from here.. just a ton of studying for my final exam. Then I quit my job today!!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOO!!! No more retail! It was kind of anti-climactic.. there was hardly anyone working.. it was busy.. there was no one there to say goodbye really.. but it was a relief. Now I have time to study, time to spend with Ry.. it will be great :)

Anyhoo.. now I have to study and watch the final of Survivor. EeEeeeeeEEEEE!