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Aside from a few setbacks earlier this year, the past few months have been exceptionally good to me. I have a new apartment that I love, a dog that has come into my life as though he’s my kindred spirit and everything else just seems to be falling into place.

I was reminded of this the other day as I locked the door to my apartment with a smile on my face after having said goodbye to my darling love. I turned towards the elevators and was dumbstruck by what I saw.

I’m not one for superstitions, but in Las Vegas, 7-7-7 means only one thing: ka-ching! Okay, so I’m not exactly Miss Moneybags, but between a great job and my newly implemented budget (which is going great, by the way – who knew living under restrictions would be enjoyable?), but a whole lot of other wealth is coming my way.

Lately my brain has been in overload mode with hundreds of ideas, ambitions, goals, targets and so much more that I’m just generally really excited about. I feel like I hardly have the time to write it all down with so much brainstorming going on! Between the newly carved path to financial freedom I’ve been traveling and a huge boost to my true sense of self, I find myself nothing less than on a complete stoke.

It’s said that the best way to live a life of accomplishment, met goals and “success” (define that as you will) is to truly envision what that looks like for you as an individual…

…I want to travel to New York and to California.

…to purchase an economic car and to buy a small home for Jordy and me.

…I want to be smart with the money I’m blessed with, be solely responsible for myself and have more residuals for retirement and charities that I feel passionate about.

…I desperately want to write a cheeky, “fictional” novel à la Star and who cares if it never gets published?

…I want to feel a deepened sense of spirituality in my life in the everyday, not just in the urgent moments.

I’ve become keenly aware of how much I am capable of and what I can achieve. While I suppose I could sit around and hope, wish and pray that someone or something would create happiness in my life, why don’t I branch out and create my own?

I could have chosen complacency, chosen convention and chosen the path well-traveled. This life is not our own – it is a gift given and a gift that can be taken away. However, while we all have this life, don’t we owe it to ourselves to give it the very best we’ve got and stretch every second to its maximum capacity?

Maybe I should’ve been a cheerleader.

British Columbians are fortunate to live in a part of the world that is so deeply steeped in natural beauty around every tree, under ever rock and in every ocean current. This could not be more true, however, than for the residents of Vancouver Island. The abundance of wildlife that call the Island and its surrounding waters home is astounding.

Photo: MagicLens on Flickr

Etched into the eastern shores of northern Vancouver Island is the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve. Named after a man famously known for identifying and photographing the countless pods of killer whales that call the area home, Robson Bight has been a Provincially-sanctioned reserve to protect the local killer whale population since 1982. The name Robson comes from Lieutenant Commander Charles Rufus Robson who died in Victoria, BC in 1861.

Photo: BC Parks

Stretching over 1200 hectares of shoreline, all boats are forbidden from entering the reserve and the park area around it is restricted to non-destructive recreational activities such as hiking and photography. Fishing, camping and hiking are strictly forbidden. These regulations are key in creating a safe refuge for these gentle giants.

Photo: Traveler’s Voice

While it is unclear exactly how many killer whales and their pods travel up and down British Columbia’s shores, what is known is how drastically they’re being affected by the fishing industry, toxic waste, boating and sonar interference (as whales rely on this method of communication with each other).

Photo: Ralph Lee Hopkins/Nature’s Best Photography

Robson Bight Ecological Reserve is perhaps best known in recent media as being the site of a tragic and preventable man-made disaster on August 20, 2007 when a barge illegally traveling through the sound lost its load, dumping 11 vehicles and pieces of forestry equipment into the water. The vehicles – and over 10,000 litres of diesel fuel – laid 350 metres below the surface for almost two years until it was recovered in May of this year.

Photo: Stubbs Island Sightings

Thankfully, the damage to the whales’ sanctuary was minimal. Crown prosecutors laid charges against Chemainus-based logging contractor Ted LeRoy Trucking, Campbell River’s Gowlland Towing and the skipper of the tugboat Kathy L in July, 2008.

Photo: Northern Lights Expeditions

While recreation in the area is extremely limited, the nearby community of Telegraph Cove is a hot spot for eco-tourism and nature-spotting with a focus on sea kayaking. Though it’s my personal belief that the killer whales should be left alone to bask in their natural environment free of interference, many of these sea kayaking ventures are careful to respect the area and give the killer whales a wide, safe berth. Keep in mind that even ecotourism is prohibited in Robson Bight, so all whale watching is done from a safe distance outside of the designated area.

Photo: Wildheart Adventures

Anyone lucky enough to have explored this area knows how precious the landscape is. Nothing lasts forever, and if we don’t take active steps to protect the land we call home, perhaps even this generation will see the day when what was will no longer be. The trees, the ocean, the air, the rocks and even the whales are gifts to us all and we must always be sure to view them as such – not to be taken for granted.

Photo: Our BC

To learn more about Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve, please visit BC Parks’ website. A guideline for viewing or encountering killer whales in the wild can be viewed here in PDF format. If you’re interested in adopting a killer whale and contributing to the conservation of the local population, please visit the British Columbia Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program.

The City of Vancouver has a long-standing reputation of being a “no-fun” city. I politely beg to differ.

The truth is that Vancouver’s humble beginnings are steeped in a dark underworld filled with drugs, gambling, prostitution, drunkenness, stripping and searing hot racial tension.

Join me, if you will, on the Vancouver Police Museum’s infamous Sins of the City walking tour. That said, one could call the name of the tour somewhat misleading because wouldn’t calling them “sins” imply that drugs, sex and booze are bad?

The first stop on our tour was a storefront on Pender Street in Chinatown. Below street level of rows upon rows of 100+ year-old buildings exist defunct lairs, once home to brothels, gambling spaces or opium dens designated for both smoking and trading the drug.

From about a decade into the turn of the century until the late 1920s, the illegal activity on this beat was largely reined in by Detectives Sinclair and Ricci. It’s said that throughout the duration of their careers, the duo busted the modern-day equivalent of millions upon millions of dollars worth of opium.

When ripping cardboard off the walls, it was discovered that the insulation was due in part to newspaper from the 1920s. Needless to say, mold was everywhere.

Photo: miss604 on Flickr

A sad mark on Vancouver’s history, three major race riots errupted: once in the late 1800s, again in 1907 and lastly in 1935. The Chinese population was mainly targeted, but the Japanese were also victimized. This tile mosaic in the downtown eastside depicts a Noodle House window being smashed with a stick to commemorate these despicable events.

The Vancouver Police museum itself, originally started by a group of retired VPD officers, is packed full of memorabilia from the Force’s early beginnings, drug samples, crime scene re-enactments and countless seized weapons. This nail-speared baseball bat was seized in 1980 from a 10-year-old boy if you can believe it.

The museum also houses the City’s first morgue and what was the VPD’s CSI unit until 10 years ago. Crime scene investigation is now conducted at various places around Vancouver, but the ballistics lab is located next door.

I know I said I was going to try and stop dying my hair, but after seeing this pic, I am convinced it’s time to go and grab a box of cruelty-free Revlon.

Among the artifacts of crime on site are mug shots from the early 1900s, including this gem. William Hamilton and two associates were nabbed on May 28, 1916 for conspiracy to murder.

In the basement of the museum you’ll find the former blood-drying room where blood-soaked evidence was hung to dry out. Just off this room we found the overflow morgue.

I’m a Bobby girl, in a Bobby world.

I make kevlar look good.

Trust me… it feels really sexy to be wearing it.

Tsk, tsk, tsk…

You can also read what Rebecca had to say about the tour while checking the rest of my photos, Rebecca’s photos and John’s photos. I owe a huge thanks to Chris at the Vancouver Police Museum for this fun and unique experience!

All four of us learned an insane amount of information, history and fascinating facts about Vancouver’s history of vice crime – packing it all into a blog post would be impossible! I’ve long been eerily fascinated with all things macabre, so I found the Sins of the City tour particularly of interest. I highly suggest checking this out and stopping by the Vancouver Police Museum to discover a piece of Vancouver’s past. Visit the museum’s website for more information.

Consider me a delinquent. I’ve been feeling rather ill lately and therefore less inclined to write, but I think I’m back up to 90% or so. Maybe even 95%. Last night I checked out the Sins Of The City tour with a few friends courtesy of the Vancouver Police Museum, so look for tons of very cool (and scandalous) photos later this evening.

The rain is falling, the sky is gray and it’s most likely unanimous that we’d all rather be in bed. Instead, let me share with you a story…

Once upon a time there were six horses who lived on a farm in Langley. Their names were Buddy, Magnum, Misty, Jock, Chewie and Lexie.

Misty – Before (Photo: BC-SPCA)

One day, 911 received a call reporting a car in the ditch. Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters and RCMP were mortified by what they saw. A team from the BC SPCA and the Langley Animal Protection Society were called in because the crashed couple were forcing Buddy to tow their car out of the ditch. Buddy was too weak, in great pain and could hardly stand; he had to be euthanized at the scene.

Magnum, Misty, Jock, Chewie and Lexie were found at the couple’s home in even worse condition. All five were emaciated, hypothermic and suffering from internal parasites and rain scald. Though the SPCA immediately brought them into special care and did everything they could, Magnum died a few days later.

The good news is that through continued love and medical attention, Misty, Jock, Chewie and Lexie’s hearts and wounds have healed!

Misty – After (Photo: BC-SPCA)

Now in foster care (and awaiting their forever homes), the support given to these four beauties has made a 180-degree difference in their worlds.

In 2008, the BC SPCA conducted nearly 5,000 cruelty investigations and removed more than 1,200 animals from dangerous home situations and neglectful owners. Each of these investigations costs an average of $10,000 from beginning to end (prosecution in Court).

If you haven’t already done so, please consider sponsoring myself, Jordy and Charley as we pound the pavement (er, grass) in the 2009 Paws For A Cause to raise funds for animals just like Misty, Jock, Chewie and Lexie and countless others. Our goal for this year is $1,500 and through generous donations we’ve already reached 31% of that goal. Every little bit will help – whether you can give $3 or $30. Every penny goes to helping the animals!

It recently struck me how The Big Time Out couldn’t be a more perfect name for exactly what it is – a day-long break from the ordinary all in the sake of fun and community. Did I mention there will be music and dancing?

Photo: Zoe52 on Flickr

Though The Big Time Out is only a handful of years old, the annual festival has been steadily and quickly picking up steam. Held each summer in Cumberland’s Village Park, 2009’s festival promises to live up to its stellar reputation. Live music is only one element as attendees will also be entertained by collaborative dance pieces, acrobatics and aerialists.

Photo: burnthatsucker on Flickr

Having hosted the likes of Metric, You Say Party! We Say Die! and De La Soul in previous years, this summer’s headliner is none other than Montreal’s Sam Roberts and his band.

Photo: tammylo on Flickr

A girl can only hope that he’ll sport his Jack Burton tank for the festivities – after all, August days do get rather hot in the Comox Valley. Concert-goers will also be impressed with this year’s line-up of Mother Mother, Delhi 2 Dublin (check out Raymi’s video here), The March Fourth Marching Band, Jets Overhead, Sex With Strangers, Mihirangi, LAL and the Island’s own Vince Vaccaro.

It wouldn’t stun me to find a few fun surprises along the way…

The event is family-friendly and all kids 12 and under are welcome free-of-charge with a ticket-holding adult. Be sure to bring a whole lot of food in that picnic basket, a comfy blanket and tons of energy. The festival runs from noon until midnight with non-stop music and amusement. For those of you that forget your provisions, concession stands will be on hand and entry is by bracelet, so be sure to check out some of the great food from local eateries in Cumberland.

Photo: Zoe52 on Flickr

The Big Time Out 2009 will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at Cumberland Village Park in the Comox Valley. There will be limited parking available within the village, so please consider carpooling or taking advantage of local transit. Early bird tickets are no longer available, but advance tickets are being sold for $55 each (still a fantastic deal!) until July 21. After July 21, tickets are $65. For more information, please visit The Big Time Out’s website.

I’ve got my ticket – who of you will I see there?

As a teenager growing up in the Comox Valley, Comox Lake was synonymous with lake parties and Lucky beer. However, it was also the setting for handfuls of childhood memories – everything from swimming to boating to picnics and “family fun time.” It is, in fact, an essential part of summertime for anyone who’s raised in the Valley.

Photo: Zoe52 on Flickr

Cradling the hugely historical town of Cumberland, Comox Lake is a short 10-kilometre drive from downtown Courtenay. Fed with crispy cold glacier water, the body of water is both populated and isolated, depending on which end of the lake you happen to visit. The shores nearest Cumberland are clearly the most popular with Valley residents, while the northeastern shores are dotted with private residential cabins.

Photo: The Wild Coast

Time has not changed the landscape of the lake very much. Mining in and around Cumberland was a booming industry in the early 1900s, but during the strike between 1912 and 1914, many displaced families built a temporary shantytown along the lake’s shore.

Photo: Cumberland Museum & Archives

Though unseen, the floor of the lake was completely shuffled due to an earthquake that shook the area 63 years minus a day ago on June 23, 1946.

Photo: Cumberland Museum & Archives

Perhaps the most famous – and most controversial – figure to come out of the mining era is Albert “Ginger” Goodwin [photo]. Ginger Goodwin, an English coal miner, was a steadfast champion of unionized labour and caused an uproar in the community when he dodged the draft in 1918. Ginger hid out in the mountains around Comox Lake and was secretly brought food and supplies by his supporters. Albert “Ginger” Goodwin was eventually found, shot and killed at the furthest end of Comox Lake in July of that summer.

Photo: Ginger Goodwin and Cumberland Labour Culture

Photo: paulhami on Flickr

Between Ginger’s legend and the mysterious scenery that paints Comox Lake, I have always found the area to be hauntingly beautiful – emphasis on the haunting.

Photo: Nemo’s great uncle on Flickr

Photo: Holiday Trails Resorts

Photo: Comox Valley International College

My last memory of Comox Lake was Father’s Day in 1998 as my family and I enjoyed a picnic in the warm early summer sun. The lake also boasts a boat launch, campground and RV park, a concession, children’s playground as well as countless hiking and mountain biking trails.

Photo: Yes Mag

Photo: L. Woods Photography

Public access to Comox Lake is primarily located near the campground and RV park at 1100 Comox Lake Road. While the lake is open year-round, the campground, picnic and playground areas are only maintained from May 1 to September 30. To book a campsite, please visit the campground’s website and for more tourism opportunities, visit the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce. Your best bet for mountain biking experience and information is Cumberland’s Riding Fool Hostel.

Auntie Andrea bought her nephew a “chicken-chicken” and judging by this video, I think it’s rather obvious he likes it. It’s not unusual for him to get so excited about it that the toy will go flying four feet in the air.

Here’s Jenny Lewis’s newest music video. There are few things I hate in music videos as much as literal imagery, but I hesitate to be in any way critical of Jenny. What I do enjoy is how youthful her face looks. She’s like Jenny, except circa 1986.

When Peter Griffin’s welfare cheque on Family Guy was accidentally written out for $150,000 instead of $150, he built a moat around his home and rented the Statue of David. The kids of The OC spent cash like it was going out of style and were seemingly in constant competition with each other. Al Bundy dressed the part of a man made of money when his bank account temporarily swelled on Married… With Children.

So what’s the deal with our compulsion to spend-spend-spend instead of save-save-save?

Photo: Loadtr

A few months ago I wandered into Chapters looking for a book for women on financial management. I was starting from the ground up, so I knew that a little bit of leadership in my budgeting goals would be necessary. It’s easy to say “I’m going to stop spending money and start saving it,” but we all know that actions speak louder than words. One thing the book emphasizes is that understanding why we spend is the key to learning how to stop.

The last man in my life that I was constantly trying to impress – whether subconsciously or not – had incredibly particular tastes and expectations. Though unspoken, it was implied that my hair always needed to look somewhat luxurious, my nails needed to sport a specific type of manicure, my clothing needed to be as stylish as the labels in the seams, a tan was preferable and I wouldn’t dare go to bed at night without my legs shaved. Ghosts are tough to compete with.

Feelings of inadequacy or insecurity can reveal themselves in countless ways, but in women they generally rear their ugly heads in the form of spending. Whether we’re trying to impress a man, stay neck-at-neck with our girlfriends or keep up with the Joneses, the results are the same. “Retail therapy” provides a quick fix, but the high often crashes as soon as it starts. And sadly, until we can identify our personal reasons, any changes we attempt in an effort to better our financial situation will come back like a boomerang and knock us upside the head. This applies to women and men, and can concern alcohol abuse, unhealthy relationships, drug use or sexual habits.

While only a week into my strict and self-imposed budget, I have quickly realized how much I actually enjoy this new lifestyle. It’s become apparent to me how much I craved a structure I simply didn’t have. While I initially assumed living within a tight budget would cause me great stress, I’m surprised to learn how stress-free it has instead made my life.

Reaching a place of understanding, self-acceptance and personal peace in my life has given me an incredible freedom that’s causing a ripple effect. Does this mean I won’t still purchase so-called finer items? Certainly not. But if and when I do, the only person I’ll be purchasing them for is myself.

Australian writer Germaine Greer once said “The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.” Surely she must have experienced a weekend on Vancouver Island.

Since Andrea was planning meet up with a friend of hers in the Comox Valley and I was headed there to visit family, we grabbed the same ferry together and ended up having one of those weekends made up of memories and magic.

We met so many amazing dogs on the ferry, but this Rottweiler named Beth was the star of the show. She was really just a big cat who, the more we cuddled her, the more she rested lazily against our legs.

No doubt Jordy is a water baby just like his mama. We started Saturday early by grabbing him and Charley, a couple coffees from McDonald’s and hit the beach at the Courtenay Airpark.

The water was warm and glassy, the sun hot and bright and the sand was like wet baby powder under our feet.

It’s no secret that I’m currently engaged in a passionate love affair with Vancouver Island wines, so I made sure to bring Andrea by Beaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery.

They had some swings.

I’ve never been to the Courtenay Museum & Palaeontology Centre. I don’t think you’re supposed to snap pictures, but I grabbed this one anyways. Yes, dinosaur bones and fossils have been found all over the Comox Valley.

After Miss A’s rendez-vous, she met up with my mom and I at Atlas Cafe for some dinner. I had the veggie enchilada again.

After dinner, we didn’t head straight home. Instead we found ourselves on Headquarters Road and pulled over by Casawood Farms. The space is home to many, many cows and is one of the Island’s producers of milk for Island Farms.

I wasn’t thrilled to see their ears tagged (though how different can it be than a mom piercing her baby’s ears), but I suppose it’s important for identification purposes. I was, however, excited to see that the cows had an eating area separate from their clean, dry sleeping area.

None of the cows had docked tails, none were forced to sleep in pens, none were hooked up to milk machines and there were acres and acres of green grass for them to roam during the day. The ladies let us pick up handfuls of their muck and feed them by hand. This was a great idea until my (mom’s) camera fell into the feeding trough.

Who knew cows peed out of their bums?

Really? You feel okay knowing that such beautiful girls are callously butchered like something out of a horror movie just so you can enjoy that burger? Oooookay.

A few kilometres further down the road we found another private farm with a few horses roaming the field. All it took was a sweet whistle and they came running towards us.

Like the lovely cows, the horses also let us feed them by hand with handfuls of grass we pulled from the roadside.

I think I kinda like animals.

First discovery on the ferry: Jordy left his mark on my leg.

No, not that kind of mark.

Oops… forgot this beauty shot from Coombs.

Since it was sunny, we decided to ditch the dog area and opted for a picnic on the deck instead.

Comox Brie from Natural Pastures, BC-grown cherries and über healthy crackers.

Yummmmmmy!

We met Mitch on the way back, a one-and-a-half-year-old black labrador/mastiff cross. I couldn’t tell if he was more interested in Jordy or the brie cheese, but we didn’t mind his company either way. His tongue was bigger than two of Jordy’s paws put together!

After stuffing our bellies, all three of us laid back under the big, beautiful sun for an afternoon nap.

That’s all for now, kids.