5 things I love

Here's a list of 5 things I love in my life right now*:

1. nuts and bolts

2. skype

3. harry potter books

4. buying Christmas presents that I know people will like

5. Joopie jumping around like a fool for no reason (I laugh every time)

Many more lists to come.

* in no particular order

Joopje, where's the poop??

Sooo.... winter in grande prairie is COLD! FYI.

This week it reached a low of -30 and -36 with wind chill. Also, it's going to get colder.... Although I don't mind the cold, little Joopers didn't seem to like it very much. Here's a pic of little Joop with his paws up in the air cause his little feets were too cold. Poor dog. Our walks started turning into 5 minutes or less pee breaks. He didn't poop for 3 days!! He wouldn't stay outside long enough, so obviously I was starting to get concerned for the little puppy.

So I talked to some native grande prairians to learn that dog booties were pretty standard around here. I was generally against any kind of boot, sweater, clothing, etc. combination on principle. But my poor little dog couldn't walk in the snow, so I caved in.....

Here are the booties I bought him. (20% off I might add!)

Then I had him put them on.

And here's his first attempt at wearing them.... (Note: he kicks two of them off within about ten seconds.

But eventually he figured it out. Here he is wearing all four of them!

He still doesn't love them, and usually kicks a couple off by the end of the walk. But he's getting use to them. And we had the longest walk today! Well, the longest walk in a few weeks anyway.

What makes a great conversation?

This questions was posed to me after I expressed that I "love great conversations". I thought it was a valid question. Why do we sometimes walk away from conversations lingering with thoughts and feeling elated? Why do we forget some conversations moments after they happen.

So I started thinking of places and people I've had great conversations with:

• pink flamingos in the fireplace room
• mom in the williams coffee pub
• boyfriends (often during walks)
• new small group
• my bestie on skype

There are not a lot of common denominators in this group. The ones I found are:

1) honesty

2) intimacy

3) openness

4) meaningful

That's it. Some of the people I didn't know well or have a great history with, others I did. Some people I didn't have a warm setting, with others I did. Some knew my history, others didn't. All the great conversations revolved around something deeper. Great love. Meaning in life. Spirituality. Conflict. The conversations were meaningful. They were open and honest. They all transcended that superficial conversation level.

Thoughts?? I'm waiting for my next GREAT conversation to see if this still stands up.

Over-Achievers: Friend or Foe?

Starting a new job, especially a first job, can be very stressful! Not only am I starting a new job, but I'm following behind the footsteps of a Speech-Language Pathologist that I've heard described as "amazing", "sooo good", "the best", etc., etc. Obviously no one is saying this to make me feel uncomfortable, but how am I suppose to follow after those rave reviews!!

I've never been a huge fan of over-achievers to begin with, but I especially don't like them now! There's not a lot of room for creativity for most speech paths working with school-age children either - who knows how she got to the point where she was deemed "amazing". But the great thing about this job is that we have a TON of freedom to do or start whatever we want. Now, I'm using my new-found freedom to start things that I haven't done before, such as a fluency group for school-age boys that stutter (EEK!). The combination trying to prove myself and having the freedom to be flexible is apparently all the motivating I need to try something completely new, requiring days, evenings, and money to be sacrificed on my behalf to start up!

I feel pretty good about the idea, even if I hate the stress that comes along with it. Am I the over-achiever that I always hated? Maybe someone will be swearing when they take over from me too.... I guess I'd rather that than the alternative!

Growing up is hard to do

Well, this is it folks. My new home in Grande Prairie. It’s the outside of my brand-spanking new apartment building! If someone had asked me two months ago where I would be now, this is not what I would have predicted (except for maybe the 'having a job' part). I live in a one bedroom with my puppy (who’s not really a puppy anymore). There’s loads of room for one person. Underground parking. On-site gym. Balcony. 3rd floor. Heaven. My favourite thing to do it decorate. I’m slowly picking out the right furniture pieces (at good Dutch prices of course) and picture frames and decorations. I’ve really seen the place take form in the couple of months that I’ve been here. I’m excited to finally share it with everyone! More photos of the actual apartment to come!

I can't believe how fast I'm growing up *tear*... But in all seriousness, in the span of one month, I've started a new job, in a new town 1000s of kilometers from my old home. I'm now getting paychecks, and buying furniture, and paying all my own bills (no more help from dad...). I knew that I had to grow up some day, but who knew it would all happen so fast.

I guess that looking back, I did gradually gain independence, it wasn't all at once. But still, it feels like it did. I now feel that weight of all my responsibilities. That's the scariest part of it! I'm on my own folks. I've grown up. No more hand-outs.

Turns out, a lot can change in two months....

What's in a blog name??

Hi friends!

I'm glad you decided to read my first blog entry! I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while now. The reasons are three-fold:

1) I move around a lot and it can help people (i.e. friends and family) keep up with me

2) It gives me an un-biased medium to rant on

3) Makes me feel like I have an ounce of artistic expression

So decision made: bloggified. Then I had to come up with a blog title, which seems easy, but in reality was not. I didn't want a common name like "journey of a girl in her life/adventures/travels" or "just a girl and her dog" or something equally lame*. I also couldn't narrow down my blog to one particular topic (i.e. as a speech path, or a dog owner, or a traveller), because I want to talk about everything! So I was looking for originality and diversity at the same time. It was hopeless. Until, I saw HIMYM http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723669/ (season 6, episode 3 - great show!), and they ask "where's the poop?". Once upon a time, when I came home my dog would give me a look... and that look would mean that he had pooped somewhere in the house. They used the line "where's the poop?" to get at whatever the characters were hiding. I chose to make it my blog title because:

1) It's hilarious

2) It's unexpected

3) I have a dog, and I get it

4) I want my blog to be a way of expressing all of those things I may not say outloud. I want to feel like everyday someone is asking me "where's the poop, Lindi?"

That is all. Enjoy!

* Sorry if those are your blog names... I still like you...