Chugga Chugga to the Ekka!

I was a nervous wreck on Sunday morning as I prepped for the Ekka (which is some kind of short form of "Exhibition"). What to wear, what to pack, how to get there? I'd been told there would be masses of people at the Showgrounds. The Queensland tradition includes fair rides, animals on show, edible and wearable goods for sale, fairy floss (cotton candy), dagwood dogs (corn dogs), and the iconic Ekka Strawberry Sundae (left). It tastes a lot better than it looks. Also -- the $5 bag of cotton candy may not look like much next to the $10 bucket, but once you get it home, it's more than enough sugar.


When Jody and I finally got to the train station, the railway staff were very helpful. We were finally on our way, and the wait was worth it... we got to ride on a steam train! My Grampa loves steam trains, and my Grampa is awesome, so I love steam trains too :)

My beginner hip hop class was performing on one of the stages, and although I was sure the crowd would be friendly, we'd only been learning the two routines for three weeks. The emcee called our group to the stage 10 minutes early, so we missed the essential walk-through before going on. Eeeek! I fumbled a couple of steps and turned the wrong way once, but I wasn't the only one. I'm still glad I got up there, and overall, our group looked pretty good.

We started out old-school with Run DMC's "It's Like That," then continued with T-Pain. I was a bit shocked that the audience got into it - some of the crowd squealed when they heard, "Turn all the lights on!"

In case you don't believe me... I'm in the black hoodie and shiny pants :)

Balboa vs. State of Origin

Once again I've missed State of Origin - I was at a dance class! Tonight we learned beginner Balboa, which was great because I haven't done Bal in years, and nothing beyond the basic step. It goes something like this, but usually, much faster once you get the hang of it. It's great when you're tired from too many fast lindys in a row, or when the lights are low. If you're doing it right, it feels like you're floating.



Once you've got a handle on the basics, you can also combine it with swing, and dance...wait for it...bal-swing, where you get more moves to play with, and can let go of your partner.



Am I the only dancing librarian? If there are more of you out there, what styles do you do, and do you prefer partner dancing or solo? I've taken hip hop when Jody wasn't free to take swing or ballroom with me. Do you kick it in the club with whatever the music tells you to do? Or do you stay far away from moving to the music (at least before a few drinks)???

A Blurb and a Beat

Not much from me tonight, just a blurb. Today I've been busy "assignmenting," to borrow a friend's term for paper-writing. I hope I'm as on track as I think I am because it's due at 5pm tomorrow!

I gave my mind and my muscles a stretch tonight by going to a swing dance class. It's been ages since I've taken a class, or danced with anyone other than Jody - and that's mainly been in our living room when the mood strikes. (He and I met at a dance class.) So! My little feet were triple-stepping and my ears were treated to some swing as I did some gentle, slow-paced lindy hop.

Hip Hop Mondays

Nothing beats the Monday blahs like my hip hop class. It's just five girls in the company of Rihanna and Chris Brown (though not together) with the occasional 90s flashback. Oh, do we have fun! Our current routine is set to "Picture Perfect," and as far as we know we all look great - we have no mirrors in our dance practice room!

Now that we know the steps, we can start to put the routine together and do it back-to-back, which is giving us a pretty good workout. It might be heading into winter, but after the warmup dance and one or two run-throughs, the sweatshirts have been flung into the corners of the room. Our instructor, Katie, is pretty awesome - charismatic, encouraging, laid back - and she's got skills. Funky sexy hip hop skills.

All of us were in black and grey this week, and we looked like a dance troop. We're really starting to come together as friends, too, over the past six or eight weeks. The most experienced dancer there - who's done ballet and contemporary before starting this class - mentioned that our personalities were starting to come through the moves, and she loved seeing it in us when it was her turn to watch. Hip hop has been such a stretch for me, coming from a swing and ballroom background, and I'm still trying to take up more space and make things big and strong on the dance floor. It's what I wanted, though; it's a chance to grow, and push myself, and see how it feels to dance solo.

Mondays aren't so bad. I tie my hair back and pull on my silver high-tops, and I'm ready for hip hop.

West Side Story Down Under

In celebration of spring, the Sydney Opera House has put on a Spring Dance series with free movies showing on a huge Sony screen, outside on the forecourt. I didn't make it on Friday for Fred & Ginger's Swing Time, but last night I "frocked up" (Sydneyspeak for dressing for the occasion) and took Jody out on the town.

We arrived at the Opera House in time for a dance with the live band hired for the occasion, and managed a clumsy cha-cha with our bags still on our shoulders. Next, there was a performance to "Sway" by three couples from Broadway Ballroom, but to be honest I wasn't overly impressed - not that I can do better; it's just that it's nothing when you've seen world-class couples doing showdances at ballroom competitions. (We are, however, currently looking for a ballroom class to join.)

While "Sway" shimmered through the warm night air, we found a small area to seat ourselves on the steps. I can't tell you how glad I am that we brought a small pillow and the foamy from my Penguin Parade adventure to sit on. My pashmina shawl and Jody's cotton sweater proved to be enough warmth for the duration of the film, but our legs were quite cramped after two and a half hours in our chosen spot. Enough griping - on with the show.

I watch West Side Story every couple of years, and the song "Maria" always gets stuck in my head. Somehow the show seemed cheesier than usual at this viewing, but on the other end of the spectrum, a group of teens laughed at an unintentional double entendre I've never noticed. I won't share it here, because now I fear it has ruined the scene for me, and I wouldn't do that to you.

Jody has never seen the movie before, but he was surprised to recognise some of the music. It surprised me too! Apparently the band Yes, a contemporary of Pink Floyd, did a B-side cover of "Something's Coming" - Tony's revelation that change was just around the corner. I have to say that "Tonight" is still my favourite WSS song, though, and it brings back memories of singing the alto part in my high school choir. On that note, how is it possible I've been out of high school for nearly ten years?

I can't imagine the school budgets for art, drama and music being cut any more than they already were a decade ago. My two high schools had a decent budget, I suppose, but I remember us having to be resourceful in set and costume design, and I'm positive many of my teachers gave their own time to make shows happen. I hope this isn't the end of support for the arts. Without it, I can't see how the world will gain its next Stephen Sondheim or Leonard Bernstein.

The Best Risk

It would be so much simpler to describe the ideal life, or the easy life, or even the hard life. Maybe I'm trying too hard to focus this entry. I think my view of my Best Life changes daily. If it's a Monday and I have a job to go to, even if I have "a case of the Mondays" I know I'm better off than many people. If it's a Friday and I have something fun to go to, I have a sense of anticipation and an excuse to get dressed up. I live for the weekends, when I can read at leisure, take a dance class, Skype my best friend.

For the most part, though, my best life is a work in progress. It's something that's happening now, not in some distant future. I couldn't wish for a better partner than Jody to share the craziness that is our early married life in Australia. I have an education, a loving family, healthy and fun ways to fill my spare time, belongings and indulgences, accomplishments I'm proud of and goals to work toward.

What's best is not always the easiest. So I'm trying to enjoy the life I have, building on it to create something more - something that will give me satisfaction but leave lots of room for improvement. I wouldn't say I'm 100% content right now, but if I were, where would I go from here?

As Jody and I were in the early planning stages of our international move, about this time last year, I was asking anyone and everyone what they thought. It was my uncle who said to me, "The people I know who have taken risks are those who ultimately succeed."

It would have be easier, more ideal, to remain in a town where I know the people, the neighbourhoods, the flow. It was hard to leave. It was impossible to stay.

My best life, then, involves taking some calculated risks. Last year's was a big one, but we haven't regretted our decision to move in favour of dual job opportunities. Already, it has increased our chances of success in the future. Sometimes, my approximation of my best life revolves around much smaller risks. Last week I went to a dance class, and tonight I went back. That I went to a dance class is hardly unusual. It was a risk because I do not consider myself cool enough to hip-hop. (I am so uncool I wonder if there is a hyphen between hip and hop.)

So get out there - pop and lock, talk to that hot classmate, pack your bag. Risk a little, and live.

So You Think You Can Dance - Highlights

Reality TV shows are in no danger of disappearing, and Australia has no shortage of them. Thankfully they aren't all as cringe-inducing as Hell's Kitchen or as insipid as The Hills - reality? fiction? who cares?

Dance. Scores of Australians thought they could, and battled it out in couples, singles, groups and constantly changing pairs every week - sometimes with more than one routine to show off per episode. If a dancer found themselves at the bottom of the list, they had to perform what the judges called "Dance for your Life," which was always nerve-racking and sometimes surprising. Without a "Simon" type judge I liked this show a lot more than American Idol. The blonde host is singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte (Alive; Someday Soon). I'm a little behind in posting this, but I wanted to highlight a few of the best routines of the two-hour finale. The Final Fours' performances are embedded from YouTube, with the judges' thoughts and favourite clips of each dancer's progression throughout the show.

All I can say is, Go Talia! The 18 year old ballerina shone every week, proving she could do much more than plié when she put her mind to it. That girl worked it, and she came out the winner.

Her duet with Loredo, to Taylor Swift's "Love Story," had viewers clamouring for more - it was voted "favourite moment." Here she is with her final performance.




Another standout was the "suitcase routine" done by Top 3 contender Amy and her partner Damien. And I must mention how much I want her outfit...




The group routine inspired by the movie Kill Bill was awesome. So much is going on, but every dancer breathes purpose into their role, without taking away from the ensemble piece.




In the end, the Final 4 became the Final Two, and just behind Talia was Charlie. Charlie was always a character, and you could tell how much he loved dancing and entertaining the crowd. In this number, Single Ladies, he teams up with Penny from the Top 20 - and you can see how she's a frame for his incredibly charismatic performance.



And finally, Ben - who now thinks he'll go on to be a choreographer. Ben nearly sold himself short in the auditions, but fortunately the judges sensed there were things he could do that he hadn't shown them in his audition piece - and, just like that, he got a ticket to Top 100 week. I didn't really like his final performance, so here's his duet to Beyonce's "Diva" with Talia instead.



There was also a guest spot that left me breathless: New York dance company Pilobolus' (shortened) duo routine known as "Symbiosis." It showcases strength, grace, and awe-inspiring trust. Disclaimer: Pilobolus often performs in little or no clothing, so any content on their website - or YouTube for that matter - may be unsafe for work or a home office with curious small people nearby. This clip is work-safe.



Wow. That was a lot of good dancing. Hope you enjoyed it!

Random Memes - thanks Courtney!

I’m supposed to take the fourth picture from the fourth album in my pictures folder and post it - random, just the way I like it!

Ooooh, it's a good one, too. I don't have four albums up on Flickr yet (just got it recently) so I went to Facebook.


Mmmm cake! This photo was taken by my husband of only a few hours. We were waiting in the airport for our flight to San Francisco to begin our honeymoon! I barely got to eat at our reception so I had the catering staff pack me a little box of sandwiches and a little box of cake. And I was still wearing the dress I'd changed into mid-reception, with my tiara but no veil, which caused people to ask what I was all dressed up for. Ohhh my goodness, the cake was tasty. A friend made it for us; raspberry with vanilla cake was the layer you can see, and chocolate with hazelnut was the other. It was gorgeous, too.

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Then, according to Courtney and Toni, I should grab the book nearest to me (which unfortunately I haven't started yet; I grabbed it from the lending library) and go to page 56. Then type the fifth line and the next two to five lines that follow.

OK, so this one is called A Perfect Match by Patricia Veryan - it's a Regency romance - because I need something light to take to the beach. Yes, beach. I know it's February  but I'm in Australia. Hmm. Well, this could present a problem. This particular copy seems to have its pages out of order. So I will choose a page at random, since I can't find 56 in its rightful place. Here we go, page 46.
"She kept her eyes downcast, her heart thumping so violently it was all she could do not to betray herself. How smug he sounded, doubtless gloating over how he had, as Lady Branden said, 'gulled' his trusting nephew!"

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And in case you haven't seen it yet, here is a reposting of the 25 Random Things meme that's been flooding Facebook. Just to keep things interesting, I'll change a couple things...

1. I make really awesome banana walnut chocolate chip loaf.
2. Our grandparents let Pam and I drink coffee when we were young. I still don't know if it was decaf or not.
3. I am a game snob - but really good games like LocoRoco, Ico, and LittleBigPlanet have managed to hold my attention.
4. I always wanted to be a figure skater, so I started ballroom dance in university and hoped I would love it - I do, but I need more time and money to practice.
5. I've never tried Red Bull or any other energy drink.
6. I kept rose petals from my first boyfriend until I got married.
7. It's been my dream to be a writer since I was very small, but I'm not sure I have the drive to do it right now.
8. I was accused of plaigirism at age 10.
9. I have seven email accounts.
10. Except for one haircolour-in-a-box no one noticed, I didn't dye my hair until I was 26.
11. I read The Hobbit for the first time in grade 7 - it was supposed to be something I read aloud with my dad, but he couldn't keep up with the weird names and all the characters, so I finished it on my own.
12. My Gramma used to knit sweaters when I was small, often matching ones for me & Pam - my favourite was either a turquoise one with a fuzzy angora panda, or one with a dinosaur that had stegosaurus spikes that stuck out.
13. Sometimes I get the urge to straighten racks or t-shirt piles in a store - and I haven't worked in clothing retail since 2003.
14. I always thought I'd be better at being on time when I was older. Sigh...I've improved (!) but I'm forever keeping people waiting.
15. I used to hoard my Halloween candy for months.
16. My favourite thing to eat is breakfast, particularly Eggs Benedict - but I rarely get up early enough to eat breakfast, so I am constantly at odds with my favourite meal of the day.
17. You can barely tell I've read a new book because I don't crack the binding or fold the pages or leave it open upside-down.
18. Laughing at peoples' mullets is one of the great, small joys of my life.
19. The Crazy Kitchen at the museum in Ottawa is stuck in my childhood memories as one of the best things ever.
20. I've traveled by plane on three holidays in my life: New Years Eve, Canada Day, and Christmas Eve.
21. I love my MacBook, possibly even more now that it's been through a tea-spillage disaster and survived - I've had its thermal paste replaced so the fan would run properly.
22. I couldn't begin to guess how many times I've seen The Princess Bride.
23. I was on the JV soccer team for one year in high school.
24. It scares me a little that I usually know what Jody means, even when he says something that doesn't come out right.
25. Three months is the longest I've ever been apart from my sister, until now.

A Very Good Day to be Me!

Today was a wonderful day!
I saw Jody off to work, did some things around the house, read some of my book (Philippa Gregory's Meridon) and then left for my hair appointment. Even though my usual hairdresser was unavailable (again - we seem to be having issues with scheduling) I took a chance on another stylist at my usual salon, *plus* took a chance with a style I've been thinking about for awhile. I am so happy I didn't chicken out! She took five inches off the back and between three and four off the front (it was layered). I left the colour alone for now - I might go fully brunette again in the fall.



I walked to the nearby mall and saw my grandparents by chance, so we sat down to eat Subway together. Grampa was waiting for some new glasses from our eye doctor across the street, so they had about 45 minutes to kill. After our sandwiches I said I wanted to go buy a new shirt or two, and ducked into Reitman's. Twenty minutes later, I came out with two pairs of summer-weight dress pants and *three* tops, all at fabulous prices and all fun but professional. So excited! It's like I had my own mini "What Not to Wear" episode. I never find so many things in one store. Granted, I have to get the pants hemmed, but that's no big deal. I am in love with the blue and white blouse with smocking in the front that I bought, as well as the pinstriped pants. I met up with my grandparents, who shuttled me home. I then went upstairs to get books for them to read, and a pie plate they'd loaned to me containing watermelon. It's nice to be in the same city so we can share things.

I did some laundry, which as we all know is terribly exciting (blech). I talked to M on the phone, which we all know is terribly exciting (yay!). I posted pictures of my new haircut on Facebook. At 4:30 I checked out the 'spa' near our place and was very impressed with how painlessly and perfectly the girl did my brows. I'll be back another time.

I went immediately to Jody's gym, and checked it out, it being my first time there. We thought it would be a good way to spend time together, and get him out of the office at a reasonable time. He was a little late meeting me so I jumped right into a dance class that was taking place as I got there. It was awesome! "Dance For Joy," it was called, and we danced and tae-kwon-do'd and yoga'd our way to working up a sweat and, incredibly, smiling. At least, I was smiling - the guy next to me didn't think he'd come back. Anyway, I quite enjoyed it. Unfortunately it's not included in the cost of monthly membership. But it felt so good to be doing exercise beyond walking and partner dancing, I might go again regardless.

Jody & I walked home and made breakfast for dinner! Yum. Which of course reminds me of Juno, because breakfast for dinner is also Bleeker's favourite. Dinner was accompanied by some terrific jazz on CBC Radio 2, including Fever and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. Gorgeous.

Essentially, the only thing missing from today was chocolate. I guess I'll fix that tomorrow - otherwise, it was a very good day to be me! The exercise equals happiness and the pampering makes me feel beautiful. I took a break from this blog to make dinner, and now that I've picked it up again it is just past midnight and time for bed. I now go off to sleep, a very happy Julia.

Ultimate 5 : It Begins

I haven't been posting lately. Scratch that; I haven't posted in a long time. But I figure I can manage thinking of five things every week or so to get me going, so I've come up with something I'm calling Ultimate 5. I will pick a topic, be it food, music, event, book or life-related (in short, anything; and I'll take suggestions) to start me off. I will then list my top five, and write a little about each one. I might write chronologically, or I might "rate" entries. Who knows.
So, for my first week: Ultimate 5 Firsts.

(If you're reading this on Facebook and not seeing images, you'll want to go to the original note - there are photos.)


1. Date
My first official date ever is still a highly memorable event in my mind. It could be that I was 14 and had a date with someone two grades ahead of me, when my parents had told me earlier I couldn't date until I was 16. It could be that I thought William was amazing, and that he took me to his junior prom, which happened to be on a tiny cruise ship on the Maas River in Maastricht. Either way, I felt pretty grown up, and it was very special.

Not that it was all a fairy-tale. Will picked me up and drove me to the school (we were living in Germany at the time, and attending high school just over the border in the Netherlands), where a "shuttle" was waiting to take the grads and dates to the floating party. Our shuttle was no carriage, but a really old, clunky army bus with vinyl seats. It was pretty hilarious to be all dressed up on such a momentous occasion, and then to be met with...that. We enjoyed ourselves anyway. People thought we were very cute, there was probably a lot of smiling, and I remember trying not to fall off the bench seats- they were extra slide-y with the material of my dress.

Prom itself was wonderful. Food, dancing, pictures, and friends of Will's that were becoming my friends. I was wearing tiny heels and makeup, and I felt glamorous in my dress, especially alongside William in his tux. The "theme" of the dance was Moonlight and Roses, with Seal's hit "Kiss From A Rose" the song of the evening. Now that I think of it, that's kind of a creepy song for a romantic ballad. But it was on everyone's radio that year - bonus points if you know it won Song of the Year in 1996. I think I got my first CD player that year, too.

That night included a lot of firsts. Not only was it my first date, but I received my first corsage from a boy, stayed out late, went on a cruise ship, and received my first kiss on its tiny, starlit deck.

As first-ever dates go, it was pretty spectacular.

2. Publication

I hoped to be published by 18,and thanks to the burgeoning Internet I managed it. Lovestories.com, at the time, was small and new and tightly focused on user-submitted poetry, rather than personal ads. I was going to link it, but looking at the site now, it is nothing like when I joined in its inaugural year of 1997. If you want to go look it up, go ahead, unless you are my younger cousins or parents, or you are easily offended by photos. Anyway, Lovestories is headed up by Alanna Webb (yes, that's her real name), who decided to publish some of the site's popular poems in book format.

My poem "Baby's Blessing" was named Poem of the Week sometime in 1998, voted into the top spot by site members browsing the newest additions to the poetry vault. I had written the poem - very Hallmark-like - to celebrate my friend's new arrival, and I guess a lot of people liked it. I read it at her baby's christening, but never expected it would attract so much attention.

Webb sent a promotion package to my local paper, and a reporter and photographer came to my house to interview me. They asked me about the poem, the site, writing in general, my life in general, and how I came to be involved in the book, which was called Bytes of Poetry: A Lovestories.com Anthology. In case you're wondering, I was paid with two copies of the book and an extra to bestow on my high school library. But it was not vanity publishing, and it was published the week of my birthday. A lot of the poetry in it is great, and knowing that "real" people wrote them and shared them online is quite impressive. I've always thought it was pretty cool to be included in a collection of 80 poets chosen by other readers.


3. Dance Competition

In 2001, I had been dancing for approximately one year when Erik and I (no romantic stories here) attended Grand Ball as part of the UVic Ballroom Dance Club. We had been practicing really hard, and I'd made a trip to Vancouver to buy shoes and a dress - which, though a bold choice for me, was not anything like what the other competitors were wearing. But I do remember a certain person's dad's jaw dropping when he saw me in it. It was a short, cranberry-coloured velvet halter dress with gold sparkles thrown at it, which matched my gold 3" sandals, and it was still the most conservative outfit on the floor.
There were five couples in the Newcomer Latin division, and Erik and I took home the 3rd place trophy. Following that, we also won 3rd place in West Coast Swing. So we were pretty excited!

The trip itself was pretty eventful. We stayed at someone's house in Richmond which had not been in use for awhile, so the hot water was not hot. And it was November, so it was freaking freezing. We (I think there were 6 couples? and a second car?) went to the rec centre at the end of the street to use the showers. We were very glad that a certain person was able to shower, because he reeked of Tiger Balm, owing to an injury. The ride through Vancouver in the rental van will, in fact, forever have the smell of Tiger Balm associated with it. I also remember Erik bringing more luggage than me, then complaining that his fitted Latin shirt didn't cover his arms enough. Yeah, Erik - look at what I am wearing, and then look at what you are wearing. Right.

Singing with Jane and Christabel and Laura in the van. And screaming our lungs out with a huge UVic sign as "our" couples took the floor. Then there was the nasty woman who tossed our bags out of the women's washroom, screaming at us to use the competitor's "change room" - ie; a tiny curtained-off area you had to cross the floor to get to, and they'd squashed the events together so much there were no breaks to do so. When I got back there, though, I zipped a championship dancer into her gown. And sewed the top button onto Vernon's shirt collar while he was wearing it. Finally, we posed by the van with our mound of collective trophies. That was a sweet moment - anyone have that picture somewhere?
There were a lot of moments from that weekend that are inside jokes, so I won't puzzle the rest of you by posting them here - but it was very memorable. I don't know that I've ever been more excited at a dance comp, and I've been to six and competed in three of those. I miss it, and thinking about how awesome, though crazy, my first comp was, I hope to be back at it soon.


4. Ski Trip

I know -- it's hard to believe. I'm a Canadian over 25 and had never been skiing until January of this year. But my first time out was pretty fantastic! I went with Jody and Camilla (my sister in law), as well as their Australian cousin and his girlfriend. The powder was nice and soft, it was actually snowing as opposed to artificially blowing, and I had a lesson.
First off, though, I had to get the gear on. I had way too many layers on my legs at first, making it impossible to get the ski boots on. It hurt when Jody tried to jam the boot closures shut, so I had to take off the fleecy pants and put the ski pants over the boots. Much improved, I set out for the bunny hill, where I was told to lose the poles.


Yes, I've seen other people ski, but I didn't really understand the physics behind it. Unfortunately, this meant that when my instructor tried to get me started, I got a little ahead of her - and took off straight down the hill. And I do mean straight. down. I didn't hit anyone, I didn't run over anything, and I didn't fall over -- success! My instructor didn't know what to make of me, so she sent me back up the rope tow and proceeded to show me how to turn and stop. My next to forays down the hill were much more controlled, and soon I was on my way to the ski lift with Jody.
Oh, ski lift, how I hate you. No, seriously, look at my eyes in this pic. The rocking motion was not what I had in mind. Height, I can handle. Wobbly ski lifts, not so much.


Off the ski lift and feeling considerably happier, I let Jody videotape me with his camera as I did the hill in about three short runs. One of them ended in a spectacular tumble in which my skis flew off and buried themselves in a snowbank behind me, but I wasn't hurt- it was actually kind of fun! I began to feel okay going fast, and I was linking turns just fine, even without poles. Nevertheless, one big run was enough for me. I was tired and wanted to end on a good note, so I packed it in and headed for the lodge for hot chocolate.

5. Year of Marriage

I will never have another, and it began with support and good wishes from innumerable friends and family. If what people say is true - that it's the hardest - we got off easy. Not that it was 100% bliss, but there were so many moments that I wouldn't trade, not even for a box of hedgehogs.

My first year of marriage was also my last year of university, which made for an interesting contrast as I tried to understand the direction I was headed in. So many people have helped us get through this year, and I am grateful. To have the freedom to study, to make time for people, to be invited out for meals and movies, to be kept sane by those who were able to take my mind off stressful exams, and to Jody, whose support and encouragement at home were immeasurable. I was worried about combining those two major life events, but it has turned out well. I don't know that I could have managed otherwise.

Living with Chris and Angie was perhaps unusual, but it worked for us. Sometimes they would invite us upstairs to watch Battlestar. I would give Angie "doorway support" as she sewed. The four of us often made dinners together. "The cookbook," i.e., The New Best Recipe, became a sort of Bible as Chris & Jody attacked new ways of cooking. Meanwhile, I baked family recipes and made chili or casseroles, while Angie's salsa has yet to be trumped. (I want her to make me some. Angie, you come here right now!) The kitchen was the site of many giggle fits, discussions, and discoveries. I think the four of us all took something away from living at Belmont House together. Chris and Angie were as much a part of my first year of marriage as Jody was. Especially when Jody was away on business, it was nice to have them in the house.


There was a lot of traveling involved in our first year - our honeymoon to San Fransisco, New Years' at Jody's parents' in the Kootenays, my venture to Evette & Richard's wedding in February, and our up-island weekend to celebrate our first anniversary. Jody went to Romania and Korea, for one to two weeks per trip. We also hosted a horde of nerds in the fall (one of the reasons we didn't want our wedding to take place in September) during the FOSS4G conference. Being able to invite people for dinner or barbeques without worrying about bothering our neighbours was a big plus of the Belmont House. Unfortunately we had to leave it, because it was sold to our landlord's cousins. Boo! So now we are in our new place, an apartment that's nearby many useful places. Still, all but the last two weeks of our first year was spent there, and we had good times.

I can't believe the first year was over so quickly. We filled it with ridiculous amounts of laughter, walks, coffee, dancing in our living room, reading, and talking. Jody worked a lot, and I wrote more papers than I care to think about right now. We supported each other through deadlines and celebrated little victories. I've never been so stressed about school, and I'd never seen Jody fight his way through each stage of a project before either. This year was not what I expected, but that kept it interesting. We were waiting for me to graduate, and now that I have, our next step is one we take together. We still haven't decided where we'll be, but we're excited about the year ahead. With no car, no mortgage, no kids and no ties to the university, we're ready for an adventure! I have to say, though, I'm a little nervous about the prospect of leaving so much of my stuff in Canada if we move Down Under. Hopefully the opportunities will place my uncertainties in shadow.



So I'm looking forward to Year Two!

~*~

I have to say, I thought this might be a nice way to blog about some "moments on my beach." But I didn't expect to run on quite so much! If you read everything, wow. Either you're bored or really interested. If you read only the headings that sounded good, that's fine too. But if you're Evette and skimmed through it, shame on you - you told me to blog, and blog I did. Guess I had a lot of pent-up ideas.
Oh, and if you're wondering why I didn't write about my first date with Jody? Read this.

Dancing fun!

Swing 3 sure is fun! Tonight we continued to work on our triplestep, plus we added the outside turn and inside turn, and a couple more moves in the Shim Sham.

Many of us suffered from the giggles as we tried to do the Tacky Annies without falling over, and as usual Tina was trying to lead with the best of 'em, despite her opposite gender and less-than-average height. It's OK, Tina; you're already leading happy vertically-challenged follows like me.

It sounds like some of us are going out to Swan's tomorrow night? But it's my dad's birthday so I can't promise I'll be there right at 9, since I am cooking him dinner.