Keira-anne.com

My drive and desire behind participating in 2008’s SPCA Paws For A Cause has remained completely unchanged. My passion and love for four-legged friends - and dogs in particular - is what pushes me to speak for those who have no voices.

Being that one of my very best friends feels the same way and is a committed dog lover himself, I asked Matt to come on board. Paws For A Cause is really and truly about the animals, and only the animals, and so I re-vamped my participation profile to reflect that.

While I will still be holding the leashes, it is Benji, Casey, Pete, Bella and Jorja that will be walking on September 14 to speak for their furry friends. I know my girl Charley would participate too if she were in Vancouver. Between the donations I’d already raised and those we’ve raised by way of Matt’s blog, close to $3,200 over $3,300 is going to the BC SPCA - all thanks to you!

My precious little girl, Charley, is becoming quite the explorer. She’s developed a sense of adventure and lost much of her unwarranted fear. Other dogs don’t phase her, unfamiliar places are no longer frightening and the ocean is becoming her second home. She is, in fact, becoming quite well acquainted and comfortable with the Georgia Strait.

My mom and aunt brought her to Seal Bay Forest Nature Park yesterday, and my mom on her own headed for Miracle Beach Provincial Park with the little wiggle bum this afternoon. A few adventure shots of the cutest little girl ever…

Normally Charley will steer clear of the ocean, but being that July has brought hot temperatures, she felt quite comfortable plunking herself right down in the water!

Less than a year ago, our family life changed. After having a dog-free household for years, we adopted a new puppy. The day we brought Charley home, September 1, she was tiny enough to fit into my two palms. The first thing she did was “den” under our dining room table and get accustomed to her new home. Since then, she has grown bigger, gotten smarter, become lovelier and made her home in our hearts.

And while it’s no longer possible to carry her in the palms (it’s really more like carrying a toddler around), she’s still the little girl we brought home in the fall - just one year older. I was going to spend the afternoon in the sunshine at the beach with her as a birthday treat, but the rain is falling in Courtenay. Instead, she’s curled up next to me as I type her tribute.

As we celebrate our girl’s first birthday, here’s a quick look back on her first year in pictures and video.

Turns out she’s just as much of a snow bunny as her big sister!

Few dogs are this photogenic all the time…

P.S. Charley loves the new chew toy she got from her Auntie Becky!

The fabulous West Coast has been blessed with amazing sunshine over the last three days, and I couldn’t be more in love with it. I don’t think I’ve worn anything with sleeves since Friday morning on my way to work. Island times have been very good (which goes without saying when I’m with my family and Charley). Yesterday I spent the majority of my time with my aunt and managed to pick up a few things I needed - like a fully stocked first aid kit!

This morning I woke to find the sun pouring directly onto my face through the window, which was much appreciated being that I had plans to visit Kitty Coleman’s Woodland Gardens today for their annual Art & Bloom festival.

Of course I had to bring my little Wiggle Bum with me for the adventure. The sights, sounds, smells and herds of other dogs proved to be a bit overwhelming for her, but I know she had a lot of fun.

I’ve long wished to be a collector of pottery, but for some reason, was always deterred by sticker shock. However, today I found this really beautiful piece to kick off my collection, crafted by a Qualicum Beach-area potter by the name of Darrel Hancock. His claywork is exactly the kind I want to accumulate: simple designs, smooth lines and finishes in the blue and sand colours of the beach. Another plus - his pieces are totally affordable.

After some downtime, my mom and I met up with my aunt at The Timber Room, one of the two dining rooms at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community.

The view was to die for, the warm air was scrumptious on my skin, my cold water shrimp and coconut curry Kohoku rice bowl tasted oh-so-good (and was wonderfully paired with my first glass of chardonnay of the summer season) and the desserts speak for themselves.

The service, on the other hand, left something to be desired.

I’ll let you decide what’s richer: the strawberry-doused New York cheesecake or the gold fire hydrants.

It’s up and at ‘em early tomorrow for your humble narrator. Vancouver is awaiting my return, as are two wonderful puppies. My mom will be joining me for a few days in the city this week, so though my posting will probably be less consistent, expect a log jam of photos from yours truly.

Their time on the Island has been a rather adventurous one for Benji and Casey. I’ve snapped a few photos and put them up on my Flickr, but today I managed to grab a couple of videos as well. The first is typical of me and Casey’s morning routine. As long as I’ve known him, my blowdryer makes him go nuts. Lately I’ve noticed that if I aim it at him, he’ll jump and trying to grab it with his teeth. Look at that tail go!

Yesterday was Charley’s first day off-leash in her own yard, and so far, she’s been out with the boys three times. They don’t get along much at the best of times, but when they’re in the yard playing, it’s an entirely different story. Her and Benji like to run around together, and one will often entice the other to give chase.

My mom was shocked and surprised to see my brother and his girlfriend roll into Courtenay today. The pair moved to Dawson Creek at the end of last summer and we haven’t seen them since. It’s completely awesome to have the family all together again.

Just a few hours ago I finally plugged back into the “real world.” The idea terrified me. I wouldn’t have turned my cell phone back on had I not needed its alarm function to wake up for work in the morning. Surprisingly enough, unplugging and avoiding all contact with the outside world for 48 hours was far easier than I imagined. I spent the weekend breathing.

Charley has finally learned how to jump up onto my high bed, so she spent much of the last two mornings licking my face at half-hour intervals until I finally got myself up. Yesterday I ate nothing but food that was awful for me all the while watching movies that were good for me. I plunked myself in front of the TV for no less than ‘The Nanny Diaries,’ ‘Georgia Rule,’ and ‘Rest Stop.’ I slept lots, ate lots, cuddled with Charley lots, spend a lot of time with my mom and aunt and spent time thinking about myself. Maybe it sounds selfish, but it’s essential. I have a lot of thoughts swimming through my head right now, none of them restful. Here’s hoping that I’ll be able to articulate some of them on here in the next few days.

I worked today (yes, on a Sunday - damn Chambers applications) so I really have no brain energy to write to you tonight.

Instead, my mom sent me the latest snapshot of Charley, so let’s all “ohhh…” and “ahhh…” in unison.

All together now…

There are a few other new photos in my Flickr photostream.

She’s such a doll.

It’s hard to believe how quickly my holiday time on the Island has gone by, but it’s really no surprise. It’s always the best of times that go by much quicker than the less-than-stellar times. Everything has been a whirlwind of family, friends, food and festivities. Perhaps one of the most wonderful little blessings is the copious time spent in my pajamas.

After seeing how the Henricksons dealt with the fall-out from the brazen shooting of Roman Grant, I ripped open the last two seasons of Sex and the City to re-live the fabulous love life of Ms. Carrie Bradshaw. I’ve been spoiled by living the simple life for more than a week now, and it’s going to be very difficult to return to life in the “city.” Stay tuned either tomorrow or Monday…I hope to have some encouraging words and ideas you can put into practice to make the most of turning over a new leaf (and year).

This is my friend Kourtney and I. I mentioned her at the end of yesterday’s post. She is my very oldest friend.

In other homegrown news, Charley has become a much more affectionate dog as of late. When she was still getting adjusted here, she was completely adverse to cuddling or being held. Any attempts to do so and she’d wriggle out of your arms faster than you could blink. Now she lets me hold her and cuddle her and give her lots of little kisses. She had her first play date with Amy’s chihuahua, Peanut. At first Charley was very skittish and hesitant, but soon they were sniffing each others butts like they’d been friends for years.

Tomorrow is the day I’ve been looking forward to with more anticipation than I’ve felt in a long, long time. Right now, the lodge lights are low, the lift chairs are swaying gently in the nighttime mountain breeze and a few fresh flakes of powder are falling on Mount Washington. It’s all waiting for me. Many times I’m asked why I don’t just ride the local mountains on the North Shore in Metro Vancouver. My answer is simple: half of the delight I take in snowboarding is the escapism aspect to it. Why on earth would I want to go snowboarding if I can look down beyond the slope and see my office tower? Plus, the men worth oggling are just that much hotter on Mount Washington than anywhere else.

So in only a few short hours I’ll be tossing my ass out of bed, dragging it to Ski Tak Hut to meet up with Amy, her brother and his friend and 4×4 our way up the Mount Washington parkway. I can’t wait to take a ton of photos to share with you all - I hope they’ll shred a glimpse on the love I have for that place.

Photo courtesy of Mount Washington Alpine Resort. Mountain cam photo snapped at 9:41 p.m.

Today, Charley’s five-month birthday, also coincidentally happens to be the first Snow Day of the season. I’ve always hoped to be around to see her during her first glimpse of the white stuff in the Comox Valley, but unfortunately I missed it by just a day. Thankfully my mom was home and was fortunate enough to snap some shots.

The verdict: she loves it! Charley couldn’t get enough of the snow and prounced and bounced throughout the flakes while pushing it along the ground with her little snout.

I’ve been spending another rushed weekend on Vancouver Island with my family, and part of what makes the time feel as though it flies by is the fact that I always try to pack so much activity in such a short period of time. Today was no exception. Being that my birthday is officially next weekend, I’ll be sipping pinot noir and noshing on chic tapas with a few fabulous and fun friends at “Chez Jack.” This weekend was reserved for celebrating with my mom, aunt and Charley with a big vat of Szechuan beef and chow mein before ice cream cake.

And guess what?

I photo-blogged.

Being the lover of First Nation art that I am, my mom thought it appropriate to get me a birthday card designed by a local artist from the Comox First Nation. This untitled piece is, for all intensive purposes, entitled “Queneesh.”

“The Majestic Comox Glacier is a symbol of our community, heritage and one of the physical features that make our area so beautiful. Recent reports have made it evident that the glacier is disappearing at an alarming rate and will likely be gone within my lifetime.

For members of the Comox First Nation, the glacier has even more significance according to stories such as this: An old chief was forewarned of the coming of a great flood. He was told by the Creator to prepare four canoes, great lengths of rope and to pick the strongest and most attractive members of the community. When the flood came the selected people went into the canoes. Whenever non-selected individuals tried to enter a canoe, the craft would magically move away from them. The flood destroyed the village and the rest of its inhabitants.

The people in the canoes floated around for a while with no evidence of land in sight. Eventually, they spotted a large white whale. They attached their ropes to the whale. By the time the water receded, the whale landed on the sight of the glacier, keeping the Comox people in our territory. To this day we respect our Heritage and refer to the glacier as “Queneesh,” or white whale.” - Andy Everson

For months, I’ve been covetting this hoodie. It was designed by Sheri Moon Zombie, one of my personal heroines. She defines individuality and has created her own “sexy.” For those of you who are unfamiliar with her, she’s not only the wife of Rob Zombie, but also the star of a handful of his films (including one of my personal top tens, ‘The Devil’s Rejects‘). Add “designer” to her roster as she’s created her own line of hot tops for men, women, kids and pups with Total Skull.

Please don’t copy me, k?

After all birthday celebrations were said and done, it was time to trim the tree. My aunt was displaying a previously unseen level of Christmas spirit, and surprised me by showing up in a Santa hat.

Needless to say, the hat got passed around.

The pre-Christmas festivities proved to be a little much for Charley. In no time at all, she was tuckered right out…

And last, but certainly not least, I want to turn your attention to a fairly new cosmetic line from Australia.

Today I was on the hunt for a fantastic new lip balm or gloss and was directed to Bloom Cosmetics. Though the line’s been around for almost 15 years, it’s based out of the southern hemisphere and is something very new to me. I snagged their grapefruit-flavoured ‘Delicious Lips’ lip balm and I’m completely sold. Their products are made with mainly natural ingredients, including the succulent essential oils contained in the lip balms.

Stay tuned because I’m quite sure that I’ll have more to say about this line in the future.