the day to follow your heart

gloomy seattle

queeniecarly — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:04:03 +0000

it’s no wonder it has the reputation it does when torrential downpour combined with traffic in and around the emerald city turned a six hour drive home into an experience more than twice that in duration. lucky for us we’re good in cars.

back in canada, but in definite need of some down time prior to producing anything of substance.

pitter patter, let’s get at ‘er. it’s the weekend…whatcha up to?

balancing act

queeniecarly — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:35:21 +0000

i love my job. honest. sure, sometimes i may get a little cranky about certain aspects of it, sometimes i find it frustrating, but, by an large, i like my position, my peers, and working on my projects. i’ll even go so far as to say that when i’m not doing it, i miss it a little. why, then, should i feel so excited to take vacation? time. amid all of the satisfaction and challenge and inspiration that my work gives me, the one thing it eats away at incessantly is time. during a regular work week, i can’t find the time i need to treat myself well. i just can’t juggle enough cooking, sleeping and moving my body. before last weekend, a friend at work had tipped me off to a sale on a product we both use regularly. when she followed up with me on monday, i blurted out that i just don’t have time to shop anymore. later that day, she stopped in at my office and said, “you know, carly, i’ve been thinking and you really need to take care of yourself.” she went on to give me several suggestions that, while still shortcuts from how i prefer to eat, were still very good ideas and much healthier options than the habit i’d fallen into – not eating, plain and simple. she almost apologized for approaching me, saying, “there’s a mother in all of us.” i was touched. it was nice that somebody (other than kevin – he is all over me about that all the time) noticed and, more importantly, cared enough to say something. at her prompt, i made a stop at the grocery store on the way home after a late meeting that night and picked up a few ingredients for her solutions. it wasn’t great, but it was certainly an improvement.

Source: Uploaded by user via Irem on Pinterest

i’m hoping vacation provides me a chance to catch up. i’d like to be able to get a handle on my pantry and the food i have on hand, to facilitate whatever i need to make food preparation a regular part of my life again. i know that it’s doubtful that on any morning of this break, i will wake up after 8am and i will probably work harder physically than i have in a while (plans include running, swimming, biking, skating, and, ideally, some yoga.) the freedom of having time, of not suffocating as a result of too much to do, will make me miss the office just a little bit less.

the other major priority when it comes to holidaying and catching up…friendships. i’ve been neglectful and all y’all who’ve showed patience and understanding, i promise that i’m on the road to making it up to you. xo

travel: a rite of passage

queeniecarly — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:05:17 +0000

though laura and i are both away on vacation, she had the good sense to make provisions for her absence. me, i decided i could write for both of our blogs. (that is so a blog post of its own.)

while she is nurturing her inner southern belle on the beaches of georgia, i shared a few of my thoughts on the importance of incorporating travel into life. please take a look over at scribbles and sass for not only my post, but also for her warm, generous and adventurous thoughts as well.

I See France

valentine’s escape

queeniecarly — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:22:56 +0000

today we’re hitting the road. we’ve always enjoyed getting out for a drive and usually we head out to the valley and the area around harrison hot springs. finally, we’re doing the one thing that we’ve talked about every single time: getting a room and taking advantage of the real attraction, the hot springs pools and mineral spas.

Originally used by the Salish Coast Indians for medicinal properties and rejuvenating effects, our Harrison hot springs spa and pools have been attracting visitors to this area for years, including famous guests such as the King and Queen of Siam, Clark Gable, John Wayne, Sidney Poitier and Robin Williams.

With five separate – two indoor and three outdoor – Harrison Hot Springs pools with varying temperatures to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate.

so, our vacation coincided beautifully with valentine’s day and we’re celebrating in relaxing, romantic style. kevin’s even arranged some special dinner reservations. yay!

come morning, our adventures will continue as we head south to visit amy, the ever welcoming hostess. we’ve done some brainstorming and are baffled at how we will initiate kevin on his first exposure to the city of portland, but at least we know well enough that whatever we do it’ll be great fun. three-ish days with my two favourites. in order to take full advantage of the time and the love, my posts here are scheduled and i’ll be tuning more out than in. have an awesome week, a valentine’s day filled with love and cinnamon hearts.

xoxo

happy birthday, gumboots! xo

queeniecarly — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:06:05 +0000

in honour of my girl’s special pink and red, hearts and flowers valentine-ish birthday, i concocted this post from one i’d published on an old blog. like any timeless relationship, all the sentiment still stands.

it takes a special friend to say it…

…but she did. here’s a text i got last week, one that made me lawl.

And may I compliment you on your correct spelling of “panicking”? So many people spell that wrong, and I hate it. Not that I ever doubted you, of course.

the word nerd status is just one in a long list of reasons i know that bex and i are soul mates. our friendship has seen many incarnations, from doula partners to concert goers, timberlake superfans to supporters of bad habits, sounding boards to wine aficionados. yeah, we’ve done it all. we’re even the calibre of friends to swoon over our political crushes! (you may identify hers, but you’d never guess mine!)

she is the kind of intellectual elitist with whom i can mock those less blessed in the arena of grammar and/or spelling (we’ve even contemplated launching a blog to detail our observations) and endlessly so. when she forwards an email with the comment “this font really bugs me,” i know exactly what she means and, believe me, that kind of nitpicking can spawn lengthy debate. between our mutual love of the language, our passionate opinions on (among many other things) music, the proper rules of scrabble (no matter what schlock comes in the box these days) and everything that is wrong with the state of washington, it’s sometimes tough for us to find the time to formulate any of the great ideas we come up with. (our “who’s settling?” website would’ve been a sure hit in the hot or not days of internet judgment.)

it could be said that we’re two peas in a pod, partners in crime. sometimes, just a couple of bitches would do. the fact of the matter is, we’re back to hatching a plan to take our shtick public. the ideas are flowing and the map is being drawn. details to come.

for now, allow me to welcome the girl on the side back to blogging and invite you to check her shit out. i promise she won’t disappoint. after all, how could any soul mate of mine??

people will surprise you

queeniecarly — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:44:29 +0000

i’ve been a little discouraged lately. as a general overview, i’ve been struggling with my faith in humanity and i’ve been feeling somewhat disconnected. i got bogged down by an outsider’s view of my community and it had really started me wondering if and how i even fit in. luckily, i have a few key supporters in whom i can confide. each of them took their turn assuring me that there is a place for me and that it belongs to me alone. they cheered me on by listing the things i bring that are unique to me and the reasons that i am an asset. as much as i adore and appreciate the friends and colleagues who offered the encouragement, the most rewarding interaction of all came after i stumbled into a conversation with someone i’d never even met. when i confessed my reluctance to engage in a community so rife with harsh criticism and judgment, this virtual stranger, a lacrosse player (i know, right?) simplified things for me.

just keep your game high and let that speak for you.

it’s surprising how at ease those few and simple words put me. i thought about it over and over. i wrote it down and read it over and over as well. true story.

this weekend, on our trip to everett, the third of the season, i had the honour of meeting that man and shaking his hand. his open heart, kindness and high game have had a far more profound effect on me than he’d probably ever imagine. when we walked into the lobby of the hotel where he was staying and i saw him sitting there, i balked at saying hello. knowing the impact he’d had on me, kevin urged me to get over my shy. “just go on. introduce yourself. you already talk to him all the time.” so i did. and we had another nice little chat, this time face to face. it gave me butterflies and got me giddy.

that wasn’t the only experience that restored my faith. in fact, it was a great day all around. from the moment i arrived in town (sadly, i missed the majority of kevin’s play in the day long masters tournament since i couldn’t get out of my last day of work on the short notice he’d been given) until the time when we left, i felt like every time i turned around, there was someone else i knew. some of the people i saw are those who i communicate with regularly, others i hadn’t seen in a while. all in all, it was a day of near constant reminders that people are largely good.

you know what else? so is lacrosse.

things started off with a bang. this was brewing all through warm-up so it wasn’t any shock that it started before the clock had even had time to tick down a second.

the first quarter was so thoroughly rattling, even i was screaming the old take! a! seat!

<3 cousins <3
thanks again, dean!

i’m sure nobody was sorry to be saying their goodbyes.

these photos look a little different because i actually lugged my camera out there with me. the clarity of the shots has persuaded me to do so more often. it’s a temporary endeavour, perhaps. it’s still a lot more cumbersome than my iphone and i have no interest in developing my skills as a photographer.

saturday night adventures

queeniecarly — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:09:04 +0000

this week’s include nail painting, latte drinking and zooey deschanel watching.

alarm clocks be damned

queeniecarly — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:34:03 +0000

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

words can’t describe the satisfaction i felt in turning off my alarms (yes, there are more than one – what?) this morning. this wasn’t the regular morning, catch a few more zzzs, snooze kind of off. nope, this was on a much grander scale…

we’re on vacation!!

grand indeed. and even though i wanted to smash the alarm to bits, i’m already blissed out enough that i just calmly put them to their own rest for a little while.

there are still about six more hours to ride out in the office, but come noon (sharp!) the pilgrimage to everett begins and we’ll check out some lacrosse as a way of kicking off two lovely weeks of not waking up at the ungodly hours.

draft night

queeniecarly — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:26:01 +0000

every year, the bellie boys humour me and save me a seat at the draft table. sometimes they even listen to some of the things i say. (or they pretend to, at least. )

clearly, i was rather focused – serious business, here

the one thing that makes me love draft night so much is that i just adore the anticipation on the faces of the kids that are eligible and the big old smiles when their names are called. it’s so great to feel the buzz of excitement in the room. i don’t care who they are or where they’re drafted, happiness is contagious and for that reason, it’s a great event to be a part of.

in related news, il indoor published the follow up to my first west coast report this morning and it was a review of the monday night’s wla draft.

West Coast Report: Thunder roll the dice on Matthews in WLA draft

i’m with the guys in red

beat arthritis

queeniecarly — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:30:16 +0000

me & nannie

it’s just like time to fly, fly along. nearly two months ago, i put my name forward to take part in a yoga fundraiser for the benefit of the arthritis research foundation. the organization helps combat a laundry list of autoimmune diseases like the one that plagued my beloved nannie. i introduced you to her and to my plea for your support when i first signed up, but with the event just around the corner, you can bet you’ll be hearing more and more about it.

if you can, please consider helping out in one of the following ways:

i said it then and i’ll say it again:

what better way to work against something that defined the life of someone i loved so much
than using something i love to battle it?

read my original post