Holy Shit, My Husband Rules.

I have always known how talented my husband is.

When Microsoft recruited him to come work at their studio, Black Tusk here in Vancouver, I had never been so proud. He had worked his ass off for so long and deserved the recognition he was getting.

Last weekend I was a beaming wife and I just wanted to share this little story with all of you.

We went to our local brunch spot, Chewies and as we sat at the bar, Kyle noticed a guy he knew walking towards him.  He mentioned to me that he was the actor he had told me about and had worked with.  I turned to see this very handsome man walking our way.  I'm pretty sure every girl in the restaurant noticed knew who he was as well.

I turned and said to him that he should say hi, so I of course could say hi and be introduced.  But Kyle being as modest as he is, felt that he wouldn't remember him as they had only worked together for a short while and he meets tons of people all the time. Just as he said that, Adrian (we're on a first name basis now) walked up to my husband with a greeting that you give to someone you have known for years, not just a short while.

He told Kyle what a great time he had on set, how much he loved the project and the people he was working with. They talked for a bit as I just sat there with a grin from ear to ear.  It was great listening to these two talk about something they were both passionate about.

His new role as Cinematic's Director was a big career move for him and seeing him talk to someone who clearly respected him and was happy with the work he did was a very proud moment for me.

Moving to a new country isn't easy. But it's experiences like last weekend's that make it all worth while.

I'm a lucky lady...

~Mrs. G

Going, Going, Not So Gone.

Garage sales back home are super popular.  Every time I've had one, people show up at 5:30 am and are waiting for you to get started.  You sell most your crap within the first hour.

I'm not so sure they are a big deal here.  Maybe it was the gloomy weather this morning?  I asked one of the six people that showed up and she admitted that we would have had more luck had it been a warm, sunny day.  Warm and sunny?  So in July.

Where is everyone?

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has sprung! There's so much great stuff happening and although I miss beautiful Southern California, I know how lucky we are that we get to live in an amazing part of the world.

This sh*t makes me happy...

This amazing art sculpture is finally here for the TED talks:

Unnumbered Sparks by Janet Echelman and Aron Koblin  

And this massive spinning chandelier by Rodney Graham is being installed soon under the Granville Street bridge:

Find out more about it here.

Vancouver is going to look like this soon:

These are my favorite spring flowers and they are everywhere:

My Husband and I are moving here next month:

Welcome to "The Drive".

Which means we will be in a prime location for this:

It's stays lighter later-much later, in June the sun goes down around 9:30! I can take Maggie to one of the many parks in Vancouver and have this views just like this:

And the best part...

Spring Skiing!!! (photo cred: white-peak.com)

Happy Spring!

  

~Mrs. G

Today In Vancouver.

How I felt when I heard that grocery stores in Vancouver were going to sell alcohol.

When I read the story today that only two stores in Vancouver will actually be able to sell alcohol.

And then....

~Mrs. G

Bacon Rents Houses

I like to think that I was a Realtor in a past life.  Truth be told it's a profession I always thought about getting into and kick around the idea of getting my licence.

Kyle and I are showing our house that we have lived in for our landlord since we will be moving into our new place on the East Side next month.

Me: I am going to make bacon this morning before people start showing up.

Kyle: I like bacon.

Me: Well, it's not really for you.  I mean, we're going to eat it but I want the house to smell like bacon because bacon rents houses.

Kyle: You know you sound crazy right?

Later that morning, just before our first appointment, it dawned on my that you know what else rents houses? Freshly made chocolate chip cookies.

Kyle: What are you doing now?

Me: Umm, making cookies.

Kyle: For people to eat? You're going to serve cookies?

Me: Nooooo, but I want the house to smell like cookies and I want people to see the cookies displayed on our kitchen table (next to the flowers I bought).

Kyle: (rolls eyes)  You know this is a nice house-in Kits, right?  This place will rent itself.

And he may or may not have been right, but that didn't stop me from lighting candles all over the house, getting the fireplace going and getting all of the lighting right.  It's raining (big surprise) so I wanted the house to be as cozy as possible.

When the first couple arrived, I walked them through the house, talked up everything and answered all of their questions.  Then it happened - right in front of Kyle.  The woman asked me if I was a Realtor and commented on how she loved the what??? That's right, the cookies, flowers and candles. No mention of the bacon, maybe she was a vegetarian?

That couple left and called our landlord to fill out an application!  Now, I am not saying my staging worked and it didn't work on everyone who came to see the place, but I am saying that having a bacon/cookie/vanilla smelling house doesn't hurt.

~Mrs. G

Your "Pins" Are Hurting My Eyes

I love Pinterest.  I have tried countless recipes, decorated rooms and made tons of holiday crap.  I love all of the art and fashion pins and let's not even get started on the jewelry. I find tons of cool stuff on here.  No need to invite me to your pyramid scheme jewelry party, I'm doing just fine.

One of my favorite boards on Pinterest is my "Words" board.  I love finding inspirational quotes and words of encouragement.  I've seen a few however that in my opinion, people need to stop pinning:

When is this going to end?  And now there are 10,000 different variations of this crap.  

First off, this is a HUGE fire hazard. Secondly, I refuse to take advise from my staircase. Thirdly, you would be surprised just how many pins come up for "Quotes on Stairs." It's just wrong.

;)

Never like a quote that one of the girls on The Bachelor has said. And yes, it is not lost on me that some of you may be wondering why I would even know this bit of information. Like I have always said, I know a little about a lot of things.

What?  I also hate this graphic.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say this is probably going to land you in some sort of anger management course or jail. I'm all for the ice cream part though. And drinks, lots of drinks....

Unless of course you are Phil Connors.  Then this day will happen approximately 3,176 more times. 

~Mrs. G

My Life As A Pit Bull Owner

Being a Pit Bull owner means you are constantly having to defend your dog.  I cannot tell you how many times I have walked Cody and have had people cross over on the other side of the street to avoid him.  I used to say to them "Yes, you have to watch out for this one. Last month he got away from me and robbed a family, took their car and credit cards and went on a bender for weeks."  They would just look at me puzzled. 

I also cannot tell you how many times people have stopped to pet him or let their dogs say hi and they comment on what a great and gentle dog he is.  I can always tell what question they are going to ask next: "What kind of dog is  he?"  When I respond they are almost always surprised, some have grabbed their dogs acting as if they just tangled with death.  But 9 out of 10 times the people who didn't know what kind of dog he was want to talk about the breed and learn about them. We chat about how mellow my dog is and how he has never bit anyone or another dog.  How we rescued a Lab and she tortures him daily and he has never once reacted. I've had people thank me for talking to them because they had never met a pit bull before and they left with a much better viewpoint on the breed.

I know every dog is different, this is just my story, about my dog and these are just my experiences and opinions.  I of course know the "reported" statistics, I know the "Top 10 Most Dangerous Breeds" and I know where Cody's breed is on that list. I used to tell people the story I knew first hand about the world's most loved dog-the Golden Retriever and how I knew someone who's face needed over 75 stitches from being bit by one. Just trying to get my point across that other breeds have done serious harm too.  You just never hear about them. I've had friend's let their little ones climb all over Cody, including my nephew and I never ever worry. I also know it's very important to teach your kids not to pull on ears, tails and poke at their eyes. Even good dogs have their breaking point. On some walks when we pass dogs, most of them little, they go nuts-barking and growling and lunging at us. My "killer" walks right on by without even looking at them.  But heaven forbid it's my dog lunging and barking, oh the looks I would get. 

But wait, I also own one of those barking dogs, she's not little, she's pretty big. We rescued Maggie four years ago, she's our Lab mix.  People only see the "pretty Lab" and they want to approach her and some days she's feeling it and others she is not.  So I have been on the other side of the leash with a growling barking dog. People really don't pay too much attention to it, but on the rare occasion that Cody makes a noise or pulls on a leash it's almost always met with disgust.  

When Kyle and I first started dating and I met Cody, I hate to admit it but I was scared of him.  I knew nothing about the breed.  I did however spend the better part of my twenties working in animal hospitals so I knew a lot about dogs and behaviors, just not this breed specifically. I will admit that it took me some time to feel 100% comfortable with him, to feel that he would not react at a dog park or that he would be gentle with kids. I would feel this way about any dog I just met—big or small—and any breed.

I felt a responsibility as an owner of an American Staffordshire Terrier (this is their actual breed name)  and I wanted to learn everything I could and educate people properly on the breed.  Caesar Milan did it the best, through his show explaining behaviors and traits of this breed, and he continues to do so. Cody is now 11 years old and I can barley get him to walk around the block some days. When people stop him, which is quite often, he peps right up and runs up to them and gives them the biggest kisses.  He is by far one of the best dogs I have ever owned and I can vouch for him and tell you he won't bite your face off, or your dog's.  Hell, he had seven teeth pulled last year so he couldn't do much damage anyway. 

A good friend of mine told me something today that made me laugh, she too was an American Staffordshire Terrier owner and her dog Cooper helped to train a crazy chocolate Lab named Charlee I used to have. We would bring him over to the house and leave him alone with her just so he could teach her to calm down.  I was never worried that he would do anything to her. He truly was the sweetest most well-behaved dog. When I told her how people cross the street when they see Cody, she too had that experience with Cooper. She laughed and said: "We can't all be friends with everyone, so if someone crosses the street they're probably not someone we care to know anyway." 

So please, when you see someone walking down the street with a Doberman, Rottweiler, Akita, Husky, Mastiff, American Staffordshire Terrier or any breed considered to be a bully breed please don't judge the dog or the owner. And if you do cross the street, it's OK if it's because your dog has behavioral issues and needs space, but if it's because you see my dog, well you just missed out on meeting one of the world's best Pit Bulls.

~Mrs. G

Best Buds

Exploring BC

One final thought:

 When I first wrote this I must have said "It's all in how they are raised" two or three times.  It's a saying most owners of bully breeds know all too well. A friend of mine pointed me to an article that basically says that by saying this we are actually doing dogs a disservice. Dogs that have been "raised right" as we all know can have behavioral issues, but what struck me is that by saying this we are saying that dogs that have been "raised wrong" don't stand a chance. The dogs that have been abused, used in fighting rings and neglected.  We have seen these dogs make remarkable recoveries and become loving family members.  The woman who wrote the article suggest that we replace this saying with "Its all how they're managed. Dogs are only as successful as we set them up to be." It was an eye opening read for me, especially when our dog,  Maggie was "raised right" and has some behavioral issues.  You can read her article here.

*Special thanks to Liz and Robyn, you two have always given me the best advise on dogs...and life.

**This is dedicated to Pandora, may you Rest In Doggie Paradise.