Keira-anne.com

“I know a girl…
She puts the colour inside of my world.”
- John Mayer, “Daughters”

Just shy of 10 years ago, I met Ashley. Like moths to a flame, blondes are seemingly drawn to each other. Ashley and I were no exception. While our mutual love of ice cream paved the way, it took no time at all for she and I to realize the capacity of deep love we each had for the other.

She has since become one of my strongest, wisest and most genuine friends – one that has endured through many phases of my life (and many phases of her own life). Ashley has that selfless and infectious spirit that most of us can only aspire to have one day. To be able to call her a friend is a true blessing.

As another year full of achievements and adventures has passed, I wish my Ashley the happiest of birthdays. Here’s sending you all the kisses, hugs, ice cream cones (and a few little licks from Jordy) on your birthday. Here is to celebrating everything that you are and everything that you mean to those who love you.

Anyone that found themselves on the south coast of British Columbia last Friday – and particularly on the eastern shores of Vancouver Island – was glaringly aware of the dazzling display of weather Mother Nature put on for us all. After a late night on Thursday, I found myself up at the crack of dawn to fight for a seat on an early morning bus to Horseshoe Bay in hopes of grabbing a sailing before the winds really whipped up.

Photo: ecstaticist on Flickr

I arrived at the terminal just before 8:00 a.m., boarded the vessel around 20 after eight and didn’t set sail until a few minutes past 10:00 a.m. Because of the inclement weather, the ferry needed to sail close to UBC and then cut north up the channel, finally arriving in Nanaimo shortly before 12:30.

Surprisingly, the ride was hardly rough or bumpy at all and nothing like I’m sure the Texada Island ferry passengers were experiencing. Lucky for me that I dragged my butt out of bed as early as I did. All subsequent sailings were canceled that day and I had a very important reason to get home.

After 365 days of smiling, giggling, turning over, crawling, clapping, burping, crying and winning over countless hearts with her bright blue eyes, my niece Sienna was celebrating her first birthday. We had a small gathering of family and a couple friends on hand for a BBQ and some birthday cake amongst Tinkerbell decorations.

It’s every baby’s right of passage to savour an over-sized slice of cake smothered in frosting when they turn one. Sienna wasted no time in doing so.

A little unsure of what to think at first, once she got a taste for the chocolate there was no turning back.

And if one cake wasn’t enough, I managed to re-create my chocolate fudge layer cake for Easter dinner’s dessert on the next night.

By then it seemed she had the process down pat.

Being a kid is exhausting work, but someone’s gotta do it, right?

Every girl should have a brother. If not to protect her when she’s older, then definitely to terrorize her when she’s younger.

Sweet and nearly angelic as a toddler, Trevor and I were extremely close right from the start. I wasn’t even the kind of sister that made him play dress-up. Usually it was just building blanket-and-pillow forts under the dining table, creating mud pies, swinging on monkey bars and trying to out-do each other at constructing the most stellar of Lego houses.

My brother was the ultimate “shit disturber” as he got older, as so affectionately called by my Oma. I’m sure she said it in German, so he was none-the-wiser.

I’m quite sure his pinched-cheek smile was incredibly calculated to off-set all the ways in which he delighted in causing my temper tantrums. Though can you blame me? When he wasn’t drawing, um… poo, with a jiffy marker on my ceramic piggy bank, he was sneaking into my bedroom and slapping stickers on the faces of all my pin-ups. (I do apologize for that, Patrick Swayze… and Joey MacIntyre, Bono, Simon LeBon and all your friends.)

And sometimes people grow up. While a few years ago if I thought I’d ever have any kind of relationship with Teenage Mutant Ninja Trevor someday, I’d have said no. Never did I imagine he’d become one of my best friends.

Today he is every bit the man I’d always hoped he’d become. Always brother and son, but now also husband and father. That’s still a bit of a trip to think about.

While time has passed and much has changed in both our lives, some things will always remain: such as his undying love for Venkman, Spengler, Stantz and Zeddmore, the way he still eats his Honey Nut Cheerios out of a casserole dish and his uncanny knack for busting out fart jokes at the most inappropriate of times.

It’s amazing to me to consider that today he celebrates his 25th birthday. While I wish more than anything I could be with him to chow down on DQ ice cream cake and beer, I’m instead thinking about all the more milestones and memories to come between brother and sister. I couldn’t be more proud of him.

Today is a very special day.

My lovable, sweet-as-pie, kind-as-candy and darling friend Ashley is celebrating her birthday.

Friends for nearly a decade, there aren’t a lot of adventures we haven’t been on. We’ve ridden roller coasters, drank wine stashed in thermoses in the park, soaked in the Banff hot springs in matching bikinis, eaten most likely litres of Island Farms ice cream, talked under the stars, clung to each other during horror films and consumed our combined weight in Cupcakes. Ashley has even been a motherly hand to hold at the dentist’s office when I got an abscess on vacation.

What I love most about my “sister” – besides our uncanny knack to dress alike without even planning on it – is her unconditional love. No matter how different our viewpoints or opinions or thoughts are, she’s always there to love and respect me. Ashley is one of the few people I can be my true self with because she does not judge.

Tomorrow marks a very special lady’s very special day. My dear friend Jenny is celebrating yet another birthday and couldn’t be in a better place to do so. While she’s busy hopping a jet plane for sunny SoCal, I hope Jenny knows how many people in Vancouver wish they could be helping her celebrate.

Forever fashion-forward, endlessly empathetic and unwaveringly wonderful, Jenny has proven to be a keeper one hundred times over. She’s a friend I can always count on to be up for adventure while at the same time will offer something as simple as a shoulder to cry on (or tin bucket to puke in) when needed.

To my dear Jenny, I wish you nothing but absolute joy, resolve, courage, laughter and surprises in your 28th year. And for my own sake, here is to many more memories made within a friendship that is our very own. Much love to you.

Photo: jenniferlstoddart on Flickr

I’ve been blessed to know Angela for a few years now, and today I am honoured to wish her a very happy birthday.

Lover and champion of animals, fierce friend, vegetarian, role model and all around beautiful girl. Here’s to a humble woman who graciously lives her life with integrity and a true, selfless love – with a side-dish of spunk and wit!

Angela is a woman whose heart has been captured by a jewel known as India, and if I could have one birthday wish for her it would be that she’d have the chance to experience it once again someday. Happy Birthday to my dear friend. Namaste…

Today is Raymi’s birthday.

She is there and I am here.

Big sigh and little tear.

Happy two-six, Raymi. ♥

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P.S. I need your help! So much about my move tomorrow has fallen into place beautifully, except this: I have all these wooden-framed Ikea mirrors stuck to my concrete walls with double-sided tape and can’t get them off for the life of me. It’s ridiculous. I tried using a blowdryer to heat the tape and it didn’t work either. I need a quick fix and fast! Doesn’t Mike Holmes read my blog?

Once upon a time, Amy Burrows had a birthday, so Alissa (whose little girl is cute enough to make me think maybe I do want to have kids again), Lindsay and I surprised her… SURPRISE! And so, the four senoritas made their way to Las Margaritas in Kitsilano to celebrate.

Pitcher number one: lime. Pitcher number two: raspberry peach. Pitcher number three: strawberry raspberry (but was supposed to be pineapple coconut – we were just brought the wrong flavour).

Amy can’t go to a Mexican restaurant for her birthday and not expect a tequila shooter.

Best damn nachos ever!

Our waitress brought Amy a slice of really yummy chocolate cake and made her wear a sombrero…

…so we all got in on the action.

While the big day isn’t technically until tomorrow, I wish Amy the happiest of birthdays. She’s one special lady that I am most honoured and excited to celebrate because she defines the word “friend” in so many ways. Finding women who are honest, trustworthy and true can be as rare as finding diamonds, but Amy is most certainly one of the few.

Thanks for all the wonderful memories, pizza dates, puppy play dates, t-shirt making dates, Twilight dates, GUNS!, cookie baking dates, Michael Bublé dates and everything else that is to come. You are one special woman and I never want you to forget that.

Sometimes you turn 29 for the first of many times. Sometimes you visit Yaletown’s most prestigious nightspot for the first time.

Being that Rebecca was in Iowa when she celebrated her 29th birthday – officially – a large group of her friends got together to celebrate her 29th birthday – belatedly. The scene of the crime: Elixir restaurant at the Opus Hotel in Yaletown.

Me, my tits on toast and my one-dimensional smile gladly came out for the night. Duane managed to make it back downtown from Chilliwack in time to partake in the consumption of beer.

Amy of http://www.we’regladshe’snormalanddoesn’thaveablog.com showed up.

DaveO couldn’t hide his excitement for WordCamp Whistler.

Sis604 and her hubby came to wish the birthday girl all the best.

My arms are ripped!

He’s the NerdWordCamp Duaniac.

I like her.

They’re real and they’re spectacular.

Well that was fun.

Yes, Becky, I stole this from your Facebook.

The first thing I did this morning upon turning on my computer was conduct a Google search. “Today in history” was the search term, and I was suddenly inundated with countless hits – everything from France declaring war on Spain in 1718 to Richard Nixon’s birthday and even a plane crash. Nothing, however, seemed comparable, fitting or even worthy of why January 9th is exceptional.

What all of these Google hits failed to mention is that today is one very special girl‘s very special birthday. (It’s also Schillinger’s birthday – that guy from Oz – but we won’t go there.)

Being that I was unable to find anything fitting or comparable, I took a trip down memory lane and looked to what I wrote last January 9th. It’s funny how the sentiment hasn’t changed and much has stayed the same, if not become even better.

In a city where good people who are worth their weight in gold are a precious commodity, I have found a friend in Rebecca. Whether in business or friendships or making personal choices for herself, Rebecca is a woman who conducts herself with confidence, integrity and a little dash of sauciness.

Good friends are the family you choose, and as we each become one year older on our birthdays, it becomes easier to reflect on what’s important. Surrounding yourself with people who bring out your best, listen to you, encourage you and are comfortable enough with themselves to allow others to return it back to them are key.

Rebecca, on this – your birthday – you need to know that you are loved and celebrated. I thank you for showing graciousness, patience and understanding. I praise you for being a respectable, admirable and well-rounded woman (with fantastic ta-tas). You have touched many lives in both enormous and little ways, not unlike Tinkerbell with her magic wand. Enjoy everything that 29 has to offer and every adventure that this next year brings your way.

I kinda love you.

(P.S. I promise I won’t ditch out on your birthday for Michael Bublé this year!)