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While 2009 probably won’t win any “Best Of…” awards from yours truly, I can’t say it wasn’t jam-packed with memorable events, milestones, personal triumphs and more good times than I can stuff into a blog post.

I kicked off the year in usual low-key fashion but wasted no time getting my year on.

Feeding into our insatiable thirst for gun-play, Amy and I officially formed Team Extreme Pistol. To date, our chapter has yet to hold its first meeting.

Rebecca’s got the first birthday of the year, so a few of her nearest and dearest gathered at the Opus to clink glasses.

Birthday number two belongs to Amy, so Alissa, Lindsay and I dragged the birthday girl to Las Margaritas for tequila and pitchers of margaritas.

What better way to spend Valentine’s Day than shredding the slopes of Mount Washington? I didn’t think so.

Some friendships were built for adventure and my friendship with Chelsea is one of those friendships. At the end of February we embraced the rain and hit the border for a hike and a raid on American candy in Point Roberts.

I spent a good chunk of March packing up my apartment after deciding to ditch the West End for newer digs in a pet-friendly building. I wish I remembered more of the end of that month, but it ended in a drunken love fest when Raymi took over Vancouver.

Mmmmaybe a bit awkward at first, but not really.

Beer helps, eh hosers?

I sobered up from that epic, whisky-soaked weekend just in time to welcome the birth of my first niece. On April 3, 2009, Sienna Lynn was born to my brother and his girlfriend Laura.

Shortly before that, three friends and I packed a tarp burrito three times in a pick-up truck and moved all my prized possessions to a new apartment.

The carpet, pre-dog.

Sometimes timing in life seems nothing short of immaculate. At three years old and full of both love and anxiety, I brought Jordy into his forever home on April 19.

He is nothing short of amazing.

One area in which 2009 certainly excelled was friendships. While some were lost, many more were gained.

(By the way, Andrea, I think we are long overdue for a Blizzard date.)

Each time the BC-SPCA holds an open house, I’m there with bells on. John, Rebecca and I stopped in during the May open house and said hello to our furry friends and our buddy, Special Constable Angie.

C’mon… you know you want to help and donate.

Simple as it may be, one of summer’s highlights was certainly this killer salad from Milestone’s paired with raspberry mojitos. My friends and I found ourselves on their patio more than a handful of times.

In June I dragged Andrea to Vancouver Island for her first visit in many, many years. No trip is complete without a sampling of Island Farms ice cream from the Coombs Old Country Market.

We love animals.

On the ferry we met Beth, the sweetest Rottweiler you’ve never met.

After how many years in Vancouver, I finally took in my first Canadians game.

Peanuts aside, when old friends get together, there’s more catching up going on than watching baseball.

While our fun times are many, one of my favourite days with Rebecca (and a few other fantastic people) was our Sins of the City Tour with the Vancouver Police Museum. We even found ourselves underground in a former Chinatown opium den at one point.

Come July, Rebecca and I traded our rain boots in for aqua sox when we took in a girls’ weekend on Vancouver Island in Parksville-Qualicum.

When we weren’t paddling our kayaks, we were indulging in luxurious spa treatments, lounging in the Grotto pool, dining on unbelievable food, wandering picturesque parks and whacking mini golf clubs. I’d go back and do it all over again in a heartbeat!

Refreshed much?

There’s nothing more important in this life than family – whether it’s the one you’re born into or the one you make for yourself. Needless to say, I was so happy that my brother, his girlfriend and baby Sienna made the move from Dawson Creek back to the Comox Valley.

Spending a summer with them all was priceless!

While it was a big jump out of my comfort zone, I’ve slipped into the role of doting auntie with far more ease than I gave myself credit for.

It’s not surprising to say that my own fur baby made more than a world of difference in my life since April. What was most fascinating to me was to see how much he had grown – quite literally – since adoption day. Though his personality has made leaps and bounds by shining through and his anxiety is almost non-existent, his body has grown too. Perhaps a lack of love stunted his physical growth, but since April he’s put on three pounds of muscle and a few inches of height. Or maybe his proud and happy heart just causes him to stand a little taller than he used to…

Vancouver Island holds many gems in its folds, but few seem to shine quite as bright as the West Coast. My mom had never been to Tofino, despite living on Vancouver Island for more than forty years, so the time was now.

Despite the fact that it was the month of August, cold temperatures kept me shivering the entire time.

I decided that next time I go, I’m taking someone that I can stay in bed all day with when the sun decides to hide.

I love wine – a lot. When Mount Washington held it’s annual wine festival, I grabbed Laura and we made our way up the mountain.

I’ll take five of everything, please.

August’s fun didn’t end there. For the first time ever, I took in the Big Time Out Festival in Cumberland. While it was Sam Roberts and his band that I was itching to see, I discovered some great new music with some great old friends.

Making your way to the top of the Grouse Grind is a rite of passage for Vancouverites. It was a rite, however, I had yet to claim. The same went for Craig, so we spent a sunny Sunday trekking to a gorgeous view of the city.

The hike was, uh, fun, but my favourite part was meeting the rescued grizzly bears at the top.

For two years now, I’ve made a point in raising funds for the BC-SPCA through their annual Paws For A Cause walk. This year my generous readers donated more than $1,300 to benefit the Comox Valley branch!

Jordy made some new friends but Charley was a bit more cautious.

October is all about Halloween. Since we hadn’t been to Playland in over a year, Rebecca and I found some thrills at the PNE’s Fright Nights. She even dared to enter one of the haunted houses with me!

We both fell in love…

…and on the big day, we gathered with a few of our friends for an exclusive party in the City of Vancouver’s former morgue.

It was a pretty tasty time for all of us.

What’s that saying some cynical blog readers abide by? “If there are no pictures, it didn’t happen.” While that could be true in some cases, I really did travel to Phoenix in November to spend a few days with an old friend.

I landed on Veterans’ Day and we went straight to the US Airways Center to catch the Phoenix Suns slaughter the New Orleans Hornets. Sadly, this was the only picture I took the entire time I was there. Pictures or no pictures, I had an incredibly memorable time.

Christmas rushed in and it was so nice to be able to trim the tree with my brother and his family for the first time in three years.

Before it was time to get merry, it was time to get happy as I celebrated my birthday with a few friends, strong whisky and an utterly fabulous pair of heels.

Pepper and I washed back our fair share of martinis, including the Sour Grinch.

I’ll take any chance to bake I can get! To get ready for holiday entertaining, Rebecca and I spent an entire day in the kitchen blending, stirring, rolling, baking and icing.

Don’t ask…

I won’t deny that it’s a bit cliché to spend time reflecting on the past and considering the future as the calendar rolls over, but it’s a moment not to be missed. While I am happy to see much of this year pass, I am beyond thrilled at the possibilities that 2010 holds for me and for my life. As I enter the next 12 months, it’s my desire to consider things from an outside perspective.

I recently read a captivating book that really helped me examine who I am, what I’ve been through, what I go through and the impact I can have on other peoples’ lives. Questioning what happens to us is a natural (albeit narcissistic) part of the process as humans, and it can be difficult to look outside of ourselves. We can ask any number of questions, wondering why things may have had to impact us, but neglect to ask how the effect we in turn have had on others. Sometimes life doesn’t happen to us; sometimes we happen to life. Sometimes the why has nothing to do with each of us but instead pertains to others. Sometimes life chooses us to stand in the gap for the sake of our family, our friends or even perfect strangers.

My sage and simple advice to each of you is this:

Find joy.

Keep joy.

Give joy to others.

Watch basketball.

Finally, after seemingly endless days of eating, cooking, baking, wrapping, unwrapping, smiling, drinking and running around, I’ve had a day to do nothing. It’s 4:20 p.m. and I’m in my pajamas – still. I briefly dressed myself long enough to take the dogs for a long, long walk, after which I could feel the workout in my ass and thighs. Nothing has felt tight in days, except perhaps my jeans. I love winter weight.

Lately I’ve become pitiful at taking photos of things as they happen. That’s not to say I haven’t snapped any, but this is all you get. Let’s begin with three photos of my niece intriguing herself with one of the gifts her favourite auntie bestowed upon her, shall we?

It’s a musical octopus. Each tentacle plays a different note in the music scale. The best part? It’s lightly vanilla-scented (no word of a lie).

Years ago my mom was happy to resign herself from baking and cooking duties, leaving the responsibility to myself and my sister-in-law. While Laura took care of Christmas Eve, I pulled out the stops on the big day. I like to call it my Ziggy Stardust Christmas Banquet Table. Yes, that’s gold lamé that’s blinding you.

I also managed to bake four dozen fluffy buns from scratch, roasted a turkey, chopped and cooked sinfully delicious stuffing with sides of yams, garlic red-skinned mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and roasted brussels sprouts with walnuts. You get the picture.

Kinda excessive, no?

Chillin’ with my buddy.

Each Christmas, my mom gives my brother and I an ornament that’s usually reflective of the past year. This one’s pretty self-explanatory.

This one represents my love of the ocean…

And apparently I enjoy shopping from time to time.

Anyone who knows me (and by that I mean knows me) understands the inexplicable affinity I have with First Nations culture. I have, in fact, been known to leave the First Peoples Gallery at the Royal BC Museum in tears simply because of overwhelming feelings. A few years ago my mother gave me a Haida sun from the reserve in Comox.

Daddy-O still joins us every year. I think he kind of looks like Jerry Springer.

Oma and Opa are always there too.

I’m basically obsessed with everything and anything that’s made by Wilton for baking. Sprinkles in my stocking.

My aunt bought me the last two seasons of my favourite sweaty, naked and incarcerated men. It’s HBO at its finest.

I have a plan for these…

Jordy matches everything at my mom’s house.

I really need to hurry up with this blog post so I can get moving on to more important things. I’ve opted for SNES with The Legend of Zelda.

You can’t actually tell, but the skirt of this dress was in three layers, each with a different pattern. I saved up many weeks’ allowance to buy it from Zellers. Be jealous. Be very jealous.

Guess who.

We popped open Christmas crackers with dinner and I found a blue fawn in mine. I’m thinking it’s a sign that my cake just might win the Interfaith Baking Competition.

Mom gave me a grey knit endless scarf for Christmas. I think I’m in love.

My brother and me.

This is how we roll.

Clearly I have a lot to look forward to in the next year, so I’m not filled with that dreaded “what now?” thought that usually takes over like a tryptophan nap. One thing I’ve traditionally done in January is execute a mini makeover in my home. This year I’m picking up an industrial shelving unit, storing all my cooking and baking wares on it to make more room in my too-cramped kitchen. In a few months it may be present time to me. My current lease is up at the end of March. With that, I’ve decided to stay another year in the studio I’m currently calling home before moving to a more spacious casa with a large kitchen and an actual bedroom.

It’s time to end the rambling and save the princess.

For the first time in all my years, I’ve begun to realize what Christmas shouldn’t be about. As a child, it’s fun to indulge in the Santa Claus tale, but for whatever reason, that tradition has kept on rolling in my family.

The thought struck me the other day that if it’s Jesus’ birthday we’re celebrating, why do I still get a truckload of gifts at this time of year? It makes zero sense to me as someone who celebrates Christmas based on its true origin, and I’m really not doing much of anything to honour that. However, sometimes it’s too little, too late, but I am dead-set on making huge changes next Christmas and throughout the coming year in this regard.

Photo: jenny downing (r&r) on Flickr

I think that the best gift we can give our families and our friends at this time of year, with or without money, is not presents but presence. There is nothing more I am looking forward to than being with my family, laughing joyfully with them, eating food that’s been lovingly prepared, putting good mileage on my stretchy pants, drinking wine, resting my body, resting my mind and making memories. I’m sure I’ll manage to squeeze some SNES in there too.

To all of you, my friends and readers, I want to wish you the very best that this season has to offer you – no matter what or why you’re celebrating. Be there with and for the people you love and the people you have yet to love. Bring it all back to the place it should be about.

This girl cracks me up – I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be related to her.

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.

I adore lazy Sundays, and Jordy was kind enough to let me sleep until 9:30 this morning. Most of today we’ve spent in front of the TV, escaping the heat. The weekend’s highlight was definitely making the trip yesterday to Gastown to visit Rebecca, Duane and others as they blogged for 24 hours straight to raise money for their respective charities. Congratulations to all of you tireless bloggers and a huge thanks to all that donated!

It seems that Jordy became the unofficial mascot – at least for the afternoon – and had his photo snapped a number of times…

Photo: TylerIngram on Flickr

Photo: Miss604 on Flickr

Photo: tris on Flickr

John Biehler and Duane both took some great shots that aren’t yet uploaded, but I’ll definitely post them as soon as I can!

In the meantime, my mom has been babysitting Sienna since last night and enjoying “Oma Time,” so she spent some time in the backyard with the cutest little girl in the world. Charley has taken an undeniable liking to Sienna, and I have no doubt the two will grow up to be peas in a pod.

How did you spend your weekend?

Two weeks from today, I’ll be waking up to this…

Photo: Magnus. on Flickr

Months ago my mom and I decided that, instead of heading to Hornby Island this summer, we’d head to Tofino. Believe it or not, despite the fact that she’s lived on Vancouver Island since the mid-1960s, my mom has never been. Ucluelet, yes; Tofino, no. We booked one of the gorgeous beachfront suites at Middle Beach Lodge and will spend three days dining, exploring, sunbathing, drinking Island wine, surfing (well, I will), wandering and snapping photos. And no, I do not plan on bringing my MacBookPro. Pictures will come after.

I look forward to my summer holidays every single year, and they’ll start at 3:00 p.m. on July 31. As usual, I’ll be heading home to Vancouver Island to spend time relaxing out of the city. However, unlike last summer, this one will be filled with family and I am beyond excited to spend time with my incredibly adorable niece.

Not only that, but I have so much else to look forward to such as the annual Filberg Festival, BBQing, running on the beach with Jordy and Charley, dragging my mom to Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, sleeping in, short jean shorts every single day, gathering tasty goods at the Coombs Old Country Market, tanning my legs (finally!), Nautical Days at the Comox Marina and whatever other fun surprises pop up along the way.

Now that July is running out and our summers are half over, what are you looking forward to doing in August?

One of the rights of passage on family vacations for kids who grow up anywhere on Vancouver Island is a trip to Paradise Fun Park mini golf. Situated on the Island Highway in the area of north Parksville, Rebecca and I found it impossible not to be lured in by the colourful lights, bright flowers, towering castle and the Old Woman’s Shoe.

Aside from two putt-putt courses, Turf ‘N Surf or Treasure Island, Paradise Fun Park also features bumper boats, an arcade, gift shop, Italian café and yours truly’s favourite: Island Farms ice cream. For those wishing to celebrate their birthday at Paradise Fun Park, party with your pals in the Old Woman’s Shoe.

Photo: Miss604

I landed myself a hole-in-one on the pirate ship!

Photo: Miss604

Mini skirt for mini golf – Rebecca knew exactly what she was doing…

If you can believe it, I resisted temptation… until the next day.

Final score: Rebecca – 49, Keira-Anne – 56.

Paradise Fun Park is located at 375 West Island Highway in Parksville, BC with summer hours from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week. Please keep in mind that the course closes during the winter months and also has an adjacent seasonal RV/campground and pet-friendly motel. Paradise Fun Park offers a really fun and affordable experience for families and pals like Rebecca and me. For more information, please visit their website.

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.

Sometimes it’s still strange to see my baby brother with a baby of his own…