there's joy not far from here
Word association meme: you comment on this entry and I give you five words that I associate with you. Then you write an entry explaining what these words mean to you and what you think about them, etc. My words from Claudia (utopiandream) are below:
1. Brad - My husband, my Canadian, my teddy bear ninja. We've been married for just over a year now, and together for almost 5. I'm sure many of you have heard this story already, but some of you may not have, and I like telling it, so I am. Brad and I met on OkCupid at the very end of December 2006. His profile popped up on my homepage when I logged in, because he'd recently written a journal entry or something, and I thought he was cute so I checked out his profile. I sent him a message saying I thought he was cute, but he'd be so much cuter if he smiled, because he wasn't in any of his pictures. He responded that it was an interesting way of getting his attention, by insulting him. :p So we started exchanging messages, and then emails, and then he gave me his phone number. Me being the brilliant person I am, I just assumed that my cell phone plan included calls to Canada. We started talking every day on the phone, for hours at a time, which was great until my dad got the bill. You can read about that here, actually. We were supposed to meet in person for the first time in February, 2007, but I got in a really bad car accident the weekend before and totaled my car. So instead, I took the bus up in March over my spring break. When I got off the bus in Toronto, Brad was waiting for me in the station, and I walked right up to him and kissed him. I knew I loved him well before we met in person (although I didn't say it until then), and I've never had any doubts that I wanted to spend my life with him. We've been through our share of ups and downs, and life together isn't always sunshine and roses, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I can't wait to have kids and build a family with him, and I love that we're starting our own holiday traditions and things with each other. He makes me laugh, he takes care of me, he puts my needs ahead of his own, he supports me, and I love him more than anything. ♥
2. dogs - I'm pretty sure that anyone who's been around me for more than 5 minutes knows that I'm a huge dog lover. We got our golden retriever Bailey when I was 13, and she was the best dog ever. She was only a puppy when we got her, and she could fit under tables, in people's laps, etc. We used to keep a whole bunch of stuffed animals under the pool table, and Bailey would curl up with them as a puppy, and we wouldn't be able to find her because she blended right in. Bailey loved everyone, and was pretty sure that everyone who came to the house was there to pet her. I missed her terribly once I left home, and every time I'd come back to visit, she was the first one I wanted to see. She had to be put down last year, because she had severe degenerative arthritis, and it broke my heart because she was my baby. My parents got another dog, Molson, when I was in college, but because I wasn't living at home when they got him, he was never my dog the same way Bailey was. Pretty much ever since I came up here, I've desperately been wanting to get a dog, but the timing and/or finances just haven't been right yet. We WILL get a dog soon, though, and I promise to bombard you all with pictures when it happens.
3. knitting - I love knitting! My friend Elisha taught me how to knit while I was in college, and I've been doing it ever since. For awhile, I didn't do anything more complicated than scarves or hats, and my first project or two were pretty awful, but I learned and slowly got better at everything. I made my first sweater a year or two ago, after having to re-start it once, and taking absolutely forever on it. It has some mistakes, and I've never actually worn it because it's a little too loose at the top, but it gave me the confidence to branch out and try more adventurous projects. Since then, I've made bags, fingerless mitts, earwarmers, stuffed animals, etc. I've learned new techniques and am always excited to try something new in knitting. eclpse told me about the Toronto 20-somethings knitting group back in the spring, and I'm so glad she did, because I have such a good time with those girls. I love making things for other people, and I love being able to do something productive with my hands while I'm watching tv or whatnot. Knitting can be relaxing, and I'm really glad I can do it.
4. Canada - Well, obviously, Canada is where I live now. I started coming up here when Brad and I started dating, just visiting for a week or two at a time initially. When I graduated in 2009, it made the most sense for me to move up here for a number of reasons, so I came up and moved into Brad's apartment while I looked for a job and tried to get my work permit. We moved into our current apartment in spring of 2010, and Canada really feels like home to me now. We picked this place out together, bought everything for it together, etc. I've really made Canada, specifically Toronto, my home. I know my way around by car or public transit, I have friends and social outlets, I have families I babysit for, I've got stores I like to shop at, etc. I think it's partly because I chose to come live here, but Canada really feels like HOME in a way that New Jersey just doesn't anymore. America in general doesn't feel like my home anymore, and I've become very disillusioned with everything that's going on there lately. When the winter olympics happened last year, I rooted mostly for Canada and felt very patriotic when we won gold. I know all the words to O Canada now, mainly because they play it in schools every morning, lol. So yeah, my heart's in Canada and I love it here.
5. reading - I looove reading, always have. I apparently started pretty early, as there's home video of me reading out loud at age 3. I know I was reading things like Nancy Drew and Anne of Green Gables by grade 2, and things like Jane Eyre and Dickens by grade 5. I've always devoured books; when I was a kid, my parents would have to take books away as a punishment. They also had to encourage us to do things other than read, because my sister and I would literally spend all weekend engrossed in our books. When I moved up here, one of the first things I did was make Brad get a library card so I could get books. Kristian and I, when I lived in Jersey, used to have field days when the library would have book sales, walking away with bags and bags of books. You can always get me in a conversation by asking me what I'm reading. :)
And in other news - we got a kitten! Brad and I went to the shelter Friday night after work, looked at all the kitties and fell in love with a little 4 month old calico. We filled out the application, paid the fee, and came home with a kitten! Her name is Dwyn, for the Celtic goddess of love, and you can see pictures here. Aphrodite is not thrilled about sharing her space with another cat, but I think we're slowly making progress. There's been some hissing, of course, and Aphrodite swatted at Dwyn when Dwyn was dumb enough to run right up to her, but Aphrodite has also come close and just sniffed/looked at the kitten a few times as well. I'm hopeful that they'll learn to get along with a little more time. For now, it's fun to have a kitten, although she is wayyyyyyy more active than Aphrodite, and she likes to bite and climb on eeeeeverything. But she's also super affectionate and I'm definitely glad we got her.
Finally, I got a new layout for my journal! It's pretty and fun and makes me happy. Annnnnnd now that this entry is super long and it's after 10, it's time for me to head to bed. G'night, all!
1. Brad - My husband, my Canadian, my teddy bear ninja. We've been married for just over a year now, and together for almost 5. I'm sure many of you have heard this story already, but some of you may not have, and I like telling it, so I am. Brad and I met on OkCupid at the very end of December 2006. His profile popped up on my homepage when I logged in, because he'd recently written a journal entry or something, and I thought he was cute so I checked out his profile. I sent him a message saying I thought he was cute, but he'd be so much cuter if he smiled, because he wasn't in any of his pictures. He responded that it was an interesting way of getting his attention, by insulting him. :p So we started exchanging messages, and then emails, and then he gave me his phone number. Me being the brilliant person I am, I just assumed that my cell phone plan included calls to Canada. We started talking every day on the phone, for hours at a time, which was great until my dad got the bill. You can read about that here, actually. We were supposed to meet in person for the first time in February, 2007, but I got in a really bad car accident the weekend before and totaled my car. So instead, I took the bus up in March over my spring break. When I got off the bus in Toronto, Brad was waiting for me in the station, and I walked right up to him and kissed him. I knew I loved him well before we met in person (although I didn't say it until then), and I've never had any doubts that I wanted to spend my life with him. We've been through our share of ups and downs, and life together isn't always sunshine and roses, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I can't wait to have kids and build a family with him, and I love that we're starting our own holiday traditions and things with each other. He makes me laugh, he takes care of me, he puts my needs ahead of his own, he supports me, and I love him more than anything. ♥
2. dogs - I'm pretty sure that anyone who's been around me for more than 5 minutes knows that I'm a huge dog lover. We got our golden retriever Bailey when I was 13, and she was the best dog ever. She was only a puppy when we got her, and she could fit under tables, in people's laps, etc. We used to keep a whole bunch of stuffed animals under the pool table, and Bailey would curl up with them as a puppy, and we wouldn't be able to find her because she blended right in. Bailey loved everyone, and was pretty sure that everyone who came to the house was there to pet her. I missed her terribly once I left home, and every time I'd come back to visit, she was the first one I wanted to see. She had to be put down last year, because she had severe degenerative arthritis, and it broke my heart because she was my baby. My parents got another dog, Molson, when I was in college, but because I wasn't living at home when they got him, he was never my dog the same way Bailey was. Pretty much ever since I came up here, I've desperately been wanting to get a dog, but the timing and/or finances just haven't been right yet. We WILL get a dog soon, though, and I promise to bombard you all with pictures when it happens.
3. knitting - I love knitting! My friend Elisha taught me how to knit while I was in college, and I've been doing it ever since. For awhile, I didn't do anything more complicated than scarves or hats, and my first project or two were pretty awful, but I learned and slowly got better at everything. I made my first sweater a year or two ago, after having to re-start it once, and taking absolutely forever on it. It has some mistakes, and I've never actually worn it because it's a little too loose at the top, but it gave me the confidence to branch out and try more adventurous projects. Since then, I've made bags, fingerless mitts, earwarmers, stuffed animals, etc. I've learned new techniques and am always excited to try something new in knitting. eclpse told me about the Toronto 20-somethings knitting group back in the spring, and I'm so glad she did, because I have such a good time with those girls. I love making things for other people, and I love being able to do something productive with my hands while I'm watching tv or whatnot. Knitting can be relaxing, and I'm really glad I can do it.
4. Canada - Well, obviously, Canada is where I live now. I started coming up here when Brad and I started dating, just visiting for a week or two at a time initially. When I graduated in 2009, it made the most sense for me to move up here for a number of reasons, so I came up and moved into Brad's apartment while I looked for a job and tried to get my work permit. We moved into our current apartment in spring of 2010, and Canada really feels like home to me now. We picked this place out together, bought everything for it together, etc. I've really made Canada, specifically Toronto, my home. I know my way around by car or public transit, I have friends and social outlets, I have families I babysit for, I've got stores I like to shop at, etc. I think it's partly because I chose to come live here, but Canada really feels like HOME in a way that New Jersey just doesn't anymore. America in general doesn't feel like my home anymore, and I've become very disillusioned with everything that's going on there lately. When the winter olympics happened last year, I rooted mostly for Canada and felt very patriotic when we won gold. I know all the words to O Canada now, mainly because they play it in schools every morning, lol. So yeah, my heart's in Canada and I love it here.
5. reading - I looove reading, always have. I apparently started pretty early, as there's home video of me reading out loud at age 3. I know I was reading things like Nancy Drew and Anne of Green Gables by grade 2, and things like Jane Eyre and Dickens by grade 5. I've always devoured books; when I was a kid, my parents would have to take books away as a punishment. They also had to encourage us to do things other than read, because my sister and I would literally spend all weekend engrossed in our books. When I moved up here, one of the first things I did was make Brad get a library card so I could get books. Kristian and I, when I lived in Jersey, used to have field days when the library would have book sales, walking away with bags and bags of books. You can always get me in a conversation by asking me what I'm reading. :)
And in other news - we got a kitten! Brad and I went to the shelter Friday night after work, looked at all the kitties and fell in love with a little 4 month old calico. We filled out the application, paid the fee, and came home with a kitten! Her name is Dwyn, for the Celtic goddess of love, and you can see pictures here. Aphrodite is not thrilled about sharing her space with another cat, but I think we're slowly making progress. There's been some hissing, of course, and Aphrodite swatted at Dwyn when Dwyn was dumb enough to run right up to her, but Aphrodite has also come close and just sniffed/looked at the kitten a few times as well. I'm hopeful that they'll learn to get along with a little more time. For now, it's fun to have a kitten, although she is wayyyyyyy more active than Aphrodite, and she likes to bite and climb on eeeeeverything. But she's also super affectionate and I'm definitely glad we got her.
Finally, I got a new layout for my journal! It's pretty and fun and makes me happy. Annnnnnd now that this entry is super long and it's after 10, it's time for me to head to bed. G'night, all!