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Happy Holidays!

On December 28, 2017

We wish you a merry christmas!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Wishing you & yours the happiest of holidays – filled with family, friends, and all your wonderful traditions.

We stuck around Calgary this year to spend Christmas with N’s family, & are celebrating with mine tomorrow evening. It gave us the opportunity to catch up with many friends who are in town this year, which has been just lovely. We’re in the midst of quite the cold snap, so I’ve been trying to take a page from the Danes & their lovely concept of hygge. We’ve been lighting candles more often, playing lots of games, & cozying up under blankets, our attempt at making the most of the frigid temperatures.

Thank you to all those of you who read this little blog from time to time. I am very grateful to everyone who stops by, letting me share a little bit of my life with you. It’s been a great year for me & I’m looking forward to even more adventure in 2018.

All the best for the new year!
Bisous,

A & N
xx

Happy Third Anniversary

By whoalansi

On August 24, 2017

In Family, Personal

A reading her vows Three years ago, I stood in front of our friends & family & told you,

I promise to support your dreams – all of your dreams. Be your advocate, your confidant, and your biggest cheerleader.

I promise to always let you have the bigger piece of bacon (as long as I can have the last piece of sashimi).

I promise to share my many passions in life – even the silly ones. I want to eat, travel, and love our way through this life.

I promise to continue our Nashville North tradition and two-step with you for as long as you’re willing to teach me.

I promise to love, honour, and cherish everything that we have built and will build together, in triumph, but especially in failure.

As long as we both shall live.

We’ve made some incredible memories since then, & I can’t wait to make even more with you in California over the next month & half, & then, wherever life takes us. You’re the best travel partner I could ask for, the most loving daddy to our fur baby, & the most patient Instagram husband. Thank you for going along with all my crazy plans, being willing to try anything, & always being ready to overeat our way through a new city. You’re one in a million. ( & it still makes me laugh that we both unknowingly promised I’d get that last piece of sashimi. Still the best deal going. 😉 )

I love you, today, & everyday,

“Si tu pouvais lire dans mon coeur, tu verrais la place où je t’ai mise !”- Flaubert

On going for it, & other honest ramblings

By whoalansi

On August 22, 2017

In Family, Personal, Social, Travel

As I type this, I’m poolside at N’s resort-like community pool, soaking up the vitamin D & thinking about how fortunate I am to have so much of this summer off. Odin & I officially arrived in the Bay Area on Thursday, but today is our first full day on our own. We’ve opted to take it easy & enjoy this rare sunny August morning outside.

I drove Mom to the airport yesterday after spending most of the last 10 days together. We took a long, slow route to get here, stopping for a weekend in Vancouver so I could run Lululemon’s SeaWheeze Half Marathon & then proceeding down the coast for California. We took highway 101 south most of the way & spent an extra day in Portland exploring the city with the pup. We spent a night in Fortuna, California before taking the most epic scenic highway of my life, through the Redwoods State Park & then down the incredible, winding highway 1 to the coast. I will definitely share more our incredible trip in the coming weeks – if you love to drive, you’ll surely be adding this one to your bucket list.

Now that it’s just our little family down here in California, I feel like I have some time to relax a little & breath. It’s honestly been such a hectic summer. I feel like I haven’t stood still for more than a few minutes since before we left for Europe in June. I don’t even really feel like I got to experience summer in Calgary! I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining, I’m truly just in awe of how fast time seems to pass as I get older, especially given my propensity for overscheduling myself. I’m really looking forward to taking advantage of this time off work to relax, explore, & do a lot more writing & blogging than I have been of late.

I’m honestly pinching myself a bit that this is my reality until October. How did I get so lucky as to get two full months off work to come down here & spend time with my husband & our pup? Most of this is thanks to N & his ability to manage budget. We still could have easily decided we couldn’t afford to cut my salary out of the equation for a couple months, & maybe that would be the smarter decision for our financial situation, but sometimes you have to go for it. & Sometimes you have to say fuck it, & put your relationship before anything else.

You see, N & I are no strangers to long distance. I spent most of our first two years together living on the other side of our massive country. I was studying in Montreal, while N was working in Calgary. We caught a few lucky breaks over the course of those two years though, & he got to spend some longer stretches of time with me out East. When I graduated from McGill, I moved back to Calgary, thinking that was it for us when it came to long distance.

I was, unfortunately, so very wrong. At first his job took him out of town intermittently, usually 2-3 weeks at a time. It was a refreshing change from being apart more often than together. Over the last few years, however, this has changed to a schedule where he lives mostly away from home. He saw our house for the first time over Snapchat. He missed my birthday 3 years in a row & was away for his own. He misses out on a lot of stuff at home, which is hard for both of us, but especially for him.

Why am I writing about all this? Well, mostly, I think it’ll be easy to look at my social media over the next month & a half & think everything is amazing, that I’m so lucky, that life is easy. & You’d be mostly right. I am lucky. My life is relatively easy. I’m definitely incredibly privileged. But still, the reality is that, for much of the year, I lead a very separate life from my husband. We see each other once every three weeks for a weekend. Our lives will likely be this way until at least March 2018. Right now, I may be down in California with him for almost two full months, but this is the first summer we’ll have spent more time together than apart in years. This is our reality, & a good friend reminded me that it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that someone else’s life is perfect because they tend to share the positives on social media. No one’s life is perfect. & I’ll continue to share the positives from my life on social media, but I’ll try to be honest as well.

So with that, here’s to honest posts, to rambling about a lot of different topics, & to going for it. I think it’s about time for a dip in that pool now.

Odin \\ ONE YEAR

By whoalansi

On March 24, 2017

In Family, Personal

$Odin \\ One Year$

Dear Odin,

Today you are one year old. I remember anxiously waiting to hear from Notch Hill that you’d arrived. At the time, we thought we were getting a little girl pup, but now I can’t imagine that at all. You’re the best.

Odin at 8 wks, 3 months, 9 months, & 11 months

Walks in the East Village

Odin

All geared up for the winter weather

N helping Odin with his fear of the metal bridge

Checking out Cold Garden Brewery with Mom & Dad. It’s a pretty cool place!

Mémé & I drove out to Sorrento to pick you up on May long weekend. You were so shy at first, but so friendly. Not a lot has changed in that regard, actually. I love how much you love people & other dogs. It makes me life so much easier that you’re so social.

I love it when my friends share with me!

Odin

Mom loves me!

Feeling naked after my haircut!

Odin

Right now, you love chewing your toys relentlessly, running as fast as you can at the dog park, protecting the house from intruders, & digging what little dirt you can find in the backyard.

Odin

Derp

Sick pup cuddles

Trying to make us both fit on one cushion

National Puppy Day!

Birthday Burrito

Odin

You don’t like when we leave you home alone or when Dad has to go away for work, people wearing too many layers for you to recognize them, when the mail gets delivered but you don’t get to say hi, bathtime, or any attempts at dental hygiene.

You make our lives so much better, Odin. We love you so much.

Love,

Mom & Dad

xoxo

See the rest of our Odin Report recaps here. Follow along on Odin’s adventures on Instagram – #OdindeBoer

Odin \\ 11 months

By whoalansi

On March 6, 2017

In Family, Personal

As of last week, Odin is 11 months old! I’ve really loved doing this little Odin Report post every month. Puppies change so much, so quickly, that it’s easy to forget what it was like in those first months. Now that he’s house trained, sleeps through the night, & we aren’t always worrying about whether he’ll escape his pen & destroy something, life with Odin seems pretty laid back. I love looking back on those early posts so much though. It doesn’t hurt that he was an incredibly adorable ball of fur!

It may just be that it’s been a chilly winter, but every month Odin gets a little more cuddly. He loves a good snuggle with mom & dad now. He still loves his space from time to time too, & will always let us know when he’s done & needs his space. I love watching him around toddlers lately. He’s so fascinated by them, but also a little wary. He’s so sweet with them & mostly just wants to sniff their butts & give them kisses. They’re not always quite as keen on that.

We’ve spent so much time at the off leash dog park at Southland this month. We’re planning a hike once he’s a year old so I’ve been trying to get some longer walks under our belt & it’s the perfect spot for that. His recall is actually pretty good, so I recently took him off leash at the bluff. It’s such a beautiful place to take a walk & I’m glad I can give him a little more freedom without too much worry!

He still sleeps in his kennel at night, but every morning we let him up on our bed for a little snuggle before we start our day. He seems to really love it & burrows into a spot close beside us for a few more minutes of sleep. It’s easy to see why people keep telling us we’ll eventually let him sleep in our bed. So far we’re sticking with the kennel overnight though. I try to remind myself that come summer we will not want a furry heat pack next to us in bed.

Odin’s also been joining me for morning workouts with November Project. He’s a little crazy sometimes, but everyone seems to love him & I think it tires him out a bit more than just a walk. One of the amazing ladies at NP actually made him (& one of the other dogs) these NP bandanas, so he’s a real member of the tribe. I love the paw print on the YYC logo! Thanks, Michelle!

Mom, I really need a haircut!

We took a couple updated family photos on Valentine’s day. Odin still isn’t that into posing, but they turned out pretty cute anyway.

The photos below are probably my favourite from this month. With N moving to California for work, he took every advantage for extra cuddles with our little bit. These two love each other so much & it melts my heart.

So that’s Odin at 11 months. Once again I’ve got a little video from this month. I took quite a few videos at the dog park. I just love watching him run around & play with other pups.

Happy Monday! We love you, Odin,

Mom & Dad

Dear Valentine

By whoalansi

On February 14, 2017

In Family, Personal

3haus photographics

“Now here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” repeated the little prince so he would remember.
“It is the time you have devoted to your rose that makes her so important.”
“It is the time that I’ve devoted to my rose…” read the little prince so he would remember.
“People have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you don’t have to forget. You are forever responsible for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose.”
“I am responsible for my rose…” repeated the little prince so he would remember.

-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Le Petit Prince.

Happy Valentines Day, N & Odin. I love you both so much!

xoxo
A

Odin \\ 10 months

By whoalansi

On January 31, 2017

In Family, Personal

Odin Report - 10 months

Sometimes it seems like we’ve had Odin for such a long time now – he’s become such a big part of our lives. Other times, it seems like he was a teeny pup just yesterday.

Christmas out at the lake was fantastic, as expected. We went on lots of long walks, played in the snow, & spoiled Odin completely. I’m not sure he understood why he got to open a bunch of fun new toys, but he did figure out how to open them all.

Odin

He loved his little namesake ornament

Odin’s favourite couch cushion when he escapes his pen

Odin Snuggles

January started out tough for Odin with both of us back at work full time. He managed to finally figure out how to escape his 3 foot pen, while we were at a movie. We replaced it with a 4 foot pen. It lasted a week before he also found a way out of that one. His favourite thing to do when he escapes? Unzip a couch cushion & chew its insides. Now we’re keeping him in his travel kennel during the day.

Southland off leash dog park

This month we took him to Southland off-leash dog park for the first time & I think we’re hooked now. Odin is so good at circling back & checking in with us & plays so nice with the other dogs. We’re working up to 6 km in preparation for a birthday hike in April.

Odin cuddles Odin walk

Speaking of Birthdays, we also hosted my sister in law’s this month. Odin’s always so good when we host parties, & this time was no exception. As usual, he put himself to bed when he got tired around 11 pm. Smart pup, we were up significantly later.

Sarah’s Birthday Party

Kisses for the pup

As usual, I have a little video to recap his 10th month. I didn’t remember to save as many videos off snapchat this time around, so it’s a little shorter. Enjoy!

Love you, little guy! xx

Odin \\ 9 months

By whoalansi

On January 5, 2017

In Family, Personal

I’m a little behind on this month’s Odin update. His 9 month “birthday” happened to fall on Christmas Eve, & I thought I’d have time to pull together a video & edit some photos while I was out at the lake, but we spent time playing games, going for walks, skating, hot tubbing, skiing, & eating instead. No complaints.

Odin & Jake watching football

Pre-haircut

Sunny naps

December was a particularly great month for Odin, since N was home for pretty much the entire month. Hanging out & playing with dad everyday? No pen time? I think it was pretty amazing.

Odin & Rudolph

Hanging with a reindeer

Someone’s got a new haircut!

Bed hangs

Unfortunately, we did run into a couple little setbacks because of this. For one, he had more access to his stuffed toys than he normally would, so Molly, Garth, & Ned all bit the dust despite my attempts to sew them back together.

Christmas Parties

Bring your dog to work day! 😉

Please play with me, Akela.

Playing with Rosie

Family Photo

He also got used to being out of his pen all day so going back is an adjustment. That’s a story for next month though because December was all about playtime, cuddles, & relaxing.

Storm Mountain naps

a fluffy new toy

Odin’s favourite things this month include: walks, ear scratches, belly rubs, aggressively chewing his toys, playing, making new friends (humans or otherwise), snow.

Odin’s dislikes: when mom & dad leave him, jumping into the back of the car, puppy teeth.

Of course, I also have a little video compilation from Odin’s 9 month of life. Unfortunately, the original had some issues, so the We Edit free logo is on this version. You can still see his cute face though. 😉

Welcome to 2017, bud!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Our Holiday Traditions

By whoalansi

On December 23, 2016

In Family, Personal

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. The whole month of December is just one of the best, & I think that has a lot to do with how steeped in tradition it is. Everyone has their own slightly different way of prepping for Christmas, & I love hearing the different stories.

I like to wait until December 1 to get into Christmas mode. When I worked at Starbucks, we switched our displays over on November 1, & that always brought out the Grinch in me, so now I hold off until well after Remembrance Day. The only thing I do before then is take a family photo & order Christmas cards. We did this particularly early this year since N’s schedule was so crazy, but that gave me extra time to procrastinate on my cards (I’m still writing some this week! Ha!).

The first real Christmassy thing we like to do is decorate. I added another stocking to our mantle this year for Odin, & I can’t wait for him to figure out what those silly socks hanging from the fireplace mean. I’m a little surprised he hasn’t pulled his down yet – I wrapped up his little treats just this week!

Step one for decorating: Odin meets Rudolf.

Most of our Christmas decor is straight out of the 80s. I’ve inherited so many things from my parents, & although they’re a little on the tacky side sometimes, I actually love them. They’re all great memories from my childhood. I’m a sucker for something with a story behind it, & almost every single one has that. We even have some handmade wool tree & snowflake ornaments that my Nana made years ago.

He really wanted some of Nana’s tree decorations

Odin helping decorate

Waiting patiently

Next, I like to hit the Scouts Canada Christmas Tree lot. We’ve gotten a real Christmas Tree the last two years, & I don’t plan on stopping this tradition anytime soon, even if we aren’t always around for the holidays. A real tree makes the whole house smell like Christmas like nothing else can (except maybe mulled wine). They’re definitely more work, but I think they’re so worth it. My family almost always bought their trees from the Scouts lot. I love watching the kids get involved in the whole process and enjoy supporting our local Scouts, a program my brother & I both grew up with. We go to the 31st group’s lot at the Holy Cross Anglican Church on 19th Street NW.

Picking up our tree from the lot

Letting #TreeMcTreeface settle in

Pre-decor

Helpers

It wouldn’t be Christmas without at least a couple parties. This year, we kicked things off with my office holiday party. It’s always a lot of fun. We book a room at the hotel so we can thoroughly enjoy the night. It’s always filled with lots of wine & even more dancing.

L & I

After a few drinks

Coworker friends

My handsome date

My parents also always host a cocktail party. My mom puts out an awesome spread. It’s a great evening filled with the best people, lots of drinks, & some delicious appetizers. My mom always puts out the best spread. No one ever goes hungry at her house. We always stay overnight because another tradition kicks off early the next morning: the Banff Ski Trip.

Odin was ready to greet everyone

Mom’s awesome spread

Tree Substitute

SIL & Odin, two of the best

Mom, Sar, & I

The whole crew

Tequila!

Unfortunately, this year, it was insanely cold for our trip. Nonetheless, we got up, put on our gear, & drove to Lake Louise. A couple others from our group were planning to meet us in the afternoon. We purchased Louise Plus Cards, & headed up the mountain on the chair lift. A blustery – 41 greeted us at the summit, & we decided it wasn’t worth getting frostbite over & took advantage of their offer to issue us a snowcheque for anytime in the next year.

FIrst chair

Top of the Word: -41C

Instead, we headed into Banff for some lunch, followed by a dip in the hot tub at the hotel. We started the drinking festivities earlier than any other year, which made for a hilarious gift exchange before we headed out on the town.

Drinks at Park

Delicious cocktails instead of skiing

Hotel Time

11th Annual Ski Trip

Having a moment

Girls photo. Oops.

Aww

& that brings us to the final week before Christmas. We’ve got a few evenings with friends planned before the big weekend, but that’s about it for our pre-Christmas traditions.

How do you prepare for the holidays? Do you embrace the crazy December schedule, or do you like to hunker down?

Odin \\ eight months

By whoalansi

On November 30, 2016

In Family, Personal

Odin Report Eight Months

Eight months! Man, eight-month-old Odin is a trip.

His personality has really started to shine over the last month. He’s also become so much more protective of me lately. He alerts me to every noise & is much more keen to snuggle on the couch. N has been away a bit longer this rotation which makes me wonder what he thinks is going on there – maybe that he’s the little man of the house.

Odin at the office

Odin Naps

Odin Cuddles

Majestic Odin

Odin Snuggles

Majestic Odin

Lately, he’s been doing really well while I’m away at work so I’ve been leaving him longer all the time. Unfortunately, we jumped the gun a little & paid the price for giving him too much freedom last week. We’ve now got some couch cushions to patch. He’s back in the ex pen during the day this week & that seems to be going well. I feel a little bad leaving him with such limited space, but it gets easier as he handles it better.

Odin Halloween

Odin & Adam at Halloween

Odin getting some snuggles

A walk along the bluff

Majestic Odin

Recycling makes great toys for puppies & babies

Barking at the head on the mantle (“protecting me”)

I splurged this month & bought us a little pre-christmas gift. Pajamas! They are better than I could have ever expected. I love matching Odin so much. He seems fine with them too. I’m pretty excited that he doesn’t try to chew them like he does his harness!

Odin Christmas

a very comfy watchdog

Only slightly embarrassed to be matching with mommy

Once again, I’ve got a little a video. This time I compiled it on my computer so it’s a little bit better quality. I can’t believe how much he’s grown since we got him. Looking back at photos from when we first got him is surreal.

Love you, little guy!

WHOA lansi

francophile, oenophile, logophile, turophile

Category: Family Page 2 of 4

Happy Holidays!

Happy Third Anniversary

Odin \\ ONE YEAR

Odin \\ 11 months

Dear Valentine

Odin \\ 10 months

Odin \\ 9 months

Our Holiday Traditions

Odin \\ eight months

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