This Planning

I might get ahead of myself sometimes. It's true. For example, as a kid I'd get twenty bucks for doing chores and the money would be spent before I got out the door. I'd "owe" my mom for other stuff before the money was in my hands. Some stuff never changes. I'm not engaged. I'm not planning a wedding, but I do think of how fabulous it will be when I am getting hitched so when I think of things I'd like to include I make a mental note of them. Define "mental" as you please, I meant I write it on my internal notepad and try to remember it. Although, thinking of the flowers you'd want for a wedding that doesn't even exist is a minor stop on the way to crazy town, so maybe it is that other type of mental note. I'm okay with that though. Most girls dream of their weddings, I just prefer a more practical angle and I plan it. Plan it years before it's going to happen...almost regretting this post as I might never hear from Ryan again after this. You know how boys get when marriage comes up.

Anyways, enough Friday afternoon rambling. Today I was on the Rue Magazine website and I listened to their free playlists. It got me thinking about music and how there are some songs I simply MUST have played at my wedding. So, I jotted down the list. With all the weddings I've been to, I notice music. I love music and when a song can move you in time and stir up emotions, it's worth taking note of. Here's the first part of my list
1) Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin (thanks Rue Magazine.)
2) All Night Long and Dancing on the Ceiling by Lionel Richie.
3) Something by Huey Lewis and the News - makes me think of Back to the Future and I worship Michael J Fox.
4) Any Stevie Wonder tune - preferably For Once in My Life.
5)Hall and Oates. This is for my mama, plus they've got killer 80s songs for dancing. Nothing like a swinging step, touch to get the dance floor jumping. Think of I Can't Go for That...great song.
6)Patsy Cline. Another artist I grew up listening to. My kindergarten teacher told my mom in the parent teacher interview I was the only student she'd ever had who sang Patsy Cline songs during playtime. If you're not familiar, do yourself a favour and listen to some of her stuff. She was killed tragically years ago, but was a total inspiration for many female country artists after her.
7)All Shook Up - the Elvis version. No messing around people.
8) Inxs. Depending on the vibe I need it's either Need You Tonight or Never Tear Us Apart.
9)Diana Ross and the Supremes. Mama listened to a lot of Motown and if you can't dance with Diana, who can you dance with?
10) Something by Harry Connick Jr. I love him. Loved him on Will and Grace. Loved him in Hope Floats. Love his Christmas albums. Love him as the only singer on the When Harry Met Sally soundtrack (also my favourite movie).
11) Some Donna Summer. I love disco. On the Radio, Last Dance, anything. In Miami a few years ago I was listening to my Donna Summer playlist on the beach. Rach was beside me and when I mentioned I was listening to Donna Summer she said, "No, I'm listening to Donna Summer" and laughed. Apparently I had the volume up a tad high.

I also think a LOT about the flowers because I adore flowers. I buy them for myself, but it's always better when someone buys them for you. I could walk through gardens and flower shops for hours. I think flowers are so absolutely beautiful and lively and under no circumstance will I skimp on this expense when the time comes to slap down the plastic and pay for some centrepieces. Recently, a post on Design*Sponge displayed some of the most gorgeous floral arrangements I have ever seen. I added the page to my favourites and have emailed myself the pictures. They're just so beautiful!! The artist created a floral tablescape so easy and organic that I often look at the pictures when I need a burst of happy.

So, there it is folks. I'm planning (always a planner) for an event occurring at a yet undetermined date. When it happens though, I'll save myself some stress since I'm already researching.

This Stuff that I Adore

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... Except, if we're changing this to a few of MY favourite things, I would have hydrangeas and puppies. I do love kittens and some types of roses, but we're getting off track here.

When I finally decided on a pair of shoes to wear to work this morning, I came up with this post idea: the stuff I love. I'm wearing a pair of three and a half year old gold ballet flats. I got them at a Target (Boutique Tarjay) in Florida for twelve bucks. They go with everything, are really comfortable and I haven't worn them since spring. Hence, my favourite thing about this morning.

This list is in no particular order and is truly another one of my ploys to get you guys to think about the stuff you really can't live without, and therefore makes you happy.
Here's my list:
1) My dogs, all three of them. Gigi Baby, Lily Flower and Roxy Girl - yes they have middle names - make me smile each and every day, even when they're being bad, wrapping their leashes around my legs and almost tripping me, shredding every scrap of paper they can find or barking incessantly for no reason. They're still three of my favourite things.
2) The smell of Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil. I'm a beach fanatic and truly should not have been born in Ontario. When I went to California a few years ago I though, "Hey! This is where I was supposed to be all these years!" Anything associated with the beach is my favourite. Lotions, sand, saltwater, swimming, getting a tan, bikinis, tan lines. All faves.
3) BBM. BlackBerry Messenger is a daily piece of heaven. I dislike texting now. I feel like it takes too long. the iPhone is pretty, but I'm a slave to BBM.
4) The flowers Ryan had delivered to me on my first day in the new condo. They're blush and beautiful and sitting in a crystal water jug on a pedestal table by my windows. Gorgeous.
5) Katy Perry. She's my girl crush these days. I could stare at that flawless skin and rockin' bod all day. And like, who doesn't love fun wigs? Pink hair? I'll take it!
6) My friend Shannon's design blog, www.whatsupwhimsy.com. It's my go-to creativity inspiration each morning. She has a baby, a husband, a job and she still blogs constantly and adds pictures. It really is a thing of beauty. She inspires me which brings me to my next favourite thing...
7) Inspiration. Let it grab you anywhere. Find it in the supermarket. Read it in a card. Catch a glimpse of it in a painting. Hear it in a song. Never stop wanting to do more and be better. You've gotta keep growing and for spiritual, intellectual, emotional and creative growth, we need inspiration.
8) The Elvis Presley station on satellite radio. I give $17.95 to Sirius each month and I never regret a penny of it. The Elvis channel, live from Graceland, bumped a house station out of the number two preset and man, do I SING those Elvis tunes. If I were alive when he was in his prime, I would have been all over that.
9) This organic risotto Ryan and I had the other night. I saved part of the label so I can buy it again. I made the garlic primavera version this week (which was super easy) and we inhaled it. Well, first we pretended like we would save the leftovers and then I said, "Ryan, you might as well finish the risotto. There's hardly enough to save..." He replied with enthusiasm and faster than I expected and we both ate from the same plate. It was good.
10) Fall. Yes, I love summer and September is my least favourite month of the year, but I get a bit excited when autumn rolls in again and I can wear jackets and boots, or is it that I can buy jackets and boots? Tough call. Anyhow, seeing the leaves change colour is truly amazing. Drive north on the 400 at King City Sideroad and look at those trees in a couple of weeks. Truly a marvel of this universe.
11) The way all the colours in my condo are coming together so beautifully. My gray shag rug, my impulse purchase chair, my massive mixed media California-themed piece of art, my pillows from Walmart and the shelf I put together - by myself I might add - from Ikea that only cost $29.00 and the fact that I finally have places to display my books according to the colour of their jackets and/or spines. I saw it in InStyle a couple of years ago and have been waiting for a space to use the technique since then. Okay, I might need three more bookshelves to fit them all, but it will be worth it.
12) Knowing that Christmas is coming and I can put up all my girlie decorations!!!!!! I've already moved them in to the storage locker in my condo. I haven't moved my coats or jackets in yet, but I've got stuff ready for December. Priorities.
13) The movie Up In The Air. I watched it the other night and I liked it. I stayed awake past ten which means I REALLY liked it. When George gives one guy the speech with the line, "How much did they pay you to first give up on your dream?" I felt smacked in the face, in a good way! Why aren't I going after my dreams? I'm in a career that pays well and I'm happy, but it's not part of my dream. It's sort of woken my up a bit and inspired me.

There you have it friends. This is the stuff I really dig these days.

This Growing Up Thing

A few weeks ago Julia, Nicole, Steph and I went downtown on a rainy Saturday night. Queen West was still packed and as I waited under a narrow overhang with a Michael Kors duster bag over my head because I didn't bring an umbrella, I looked at the hipsters, gorgeous early 20 somethings and happy couples hurrying past me. There I was. Twenty eight years old in a teensy purple strapless dress from French Connection with perfectly coiffed hair - it was the first time I had blow dried my hair since March - waiting for my 905 ladies to arrive and park, standing in the rain. Traffic was horrendous so I was waiting a while. I started to wonder, "Am I getting too old for this?" The thought quickly darted from my mind as my berry lit up. Nic messaged me to cross the street and hop in Steph's car as we were heading elsewhere.

Shortly after, and huddled under the lone umbrella we found in Steph's Civic, we navigated around puddles, cabs and a line up none of us was prepared to wait in. Now, our second choice venue that night was not ideal but the product of opportunity. Knowing some people in the industry helps when you want to avoid paying cover or waiting in lines, but it doesn't always mean you'll spend the night in your favourite spot.

The crowd in this club and yes, I say club because our options for supper clubs, lounges and bars were widdled down significantly, was younger. The kind of younger that still thinks wearing the least amount of clothing possible is sexy. The kind of younger that takes their shoes off because they haven't been wearing heels long enough to develop the pain tolerance. The kind of younger that makes out in public, like big time making out. The kind of younger that drinks Sex on the Beach because they want to say "sex" to a bartender and wink at the same time. The kind of younger that I was...ten years ago.

I shouldn't judge. We've all been there and honestly, Ryan and I still act like lovesick teens in public, so I can't bash anyone who's been hit by Cupid's arrow while the bass is pumping and the booze is flowing. With four vodka sodas (less calories than the sweeter drinks of earlier years) and the intent to dance we thought it would be kind of comical to hit the dance floor.

The smell of sweat, the sight of too much lip gloss and the sound of Top 40 enveloped us. We tried to find a space big enough to shake some hiney and then it really dawned on me...we are those people I used to make fun of. We're now the people who look older and more put together and like they're too cool for everyone else. When did this happen?! I looked at Julia and she started to laugh. "What's wrong?" she asked me. I took a deep breath and said, "Are we too old for this now? You do realize that when my mother was our age, I was six years old, right?" The look of amusement and horror washed over Julia's face. We both knew it. It's starting to happen and we can't stop it. We. Are. Getting. Older.

This Memory of Mine

I spent Valentine's Day this year with my little sister Chelsea. She got tickets for John Mayer and as a fan, I happily tagged along. It wasn't until John's passionate voice began caressing my heart did I remember why I wasn't singing along. When Ryan and I broke up a couple of years ago I had to move everything that reminded me of him to my basement. That included all John's albums. There I was at the Air Canada Centre with my sister on love day thinking about Ryan and remembering how torn up I was over ending our relationship. Nicely done Cupid.

Fast forward to May 2010. Ryan had been on my mind constantly since we parted in 2008 and I was finally ready to jump back in, bear my soul and hope for the best. Through countless bbms (BlackBerry messages) we finally decided to have "the talk" on a Sunday evening. As I circled Liberty Village with Gigi in tow, Ryan and I talked about everything that had happened since we parted. He asked me what I was looking for, why I was coming back after all this time and how the break up had felt on my end. Jokingly I said, "I was devastated! I had to banish all my John Mayer music to the basement." I wasn't really joking though. I was sad. I missed Ryan and I often doubted whether walking away from him was the right decision.

Shift backwards to the summer of 2008. I ordered tix to see Johnny at Molson Amp with Ryan. Excitedly I told Ryan over the phone. His response, "Really? I've been watching Ticketmaster all week and I bought two tickets for us also." If you know Ryan, you know what a concert whore he is. He won't accept just any seats, he scopes websites, scours Craigslist and never settles for mediocre tickets. His were better than mine. I sold mine to Rach and her bf and then on a summery night Ryan and I, riding in the backseat of his Dad's car went downtown to the concert.

Ryan sings along when he likes a song, and he REALLY likes John Mayer. He spent the evening with a smile on his face, which makes me melt. Last night Ryan and I went to see John again at the Amp and when Ryan asked me what song I was dying to hear, I had to admit that I had forgotten a lot of my favourites, mostly because the songs I really love reminded me so much of Ryan that they ripped my heart out. When John sang out, "...slow dancing in a burning room" I had to tell Ryan that this song in particular was really hard to hear while we were breaking up. He agreed. I love that song. I think it's sexy, honest and makes so much sense. I've got to remember where I stashed the Ryan files in the basement and start listening again.

When Ryan and I got back together this spring he came over one night with a little present for me. The latest John Mayer album. He knows me well. This time all my Ryan stuff stays out of the basement <3