Keira-anne.com

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.

Living today – in the moment – has become my “thing” lately. I could elaborate but let’s not get boring, shall we? Anyway, if I don’t live in the moment, all the things I’m pumped about next year will be here before I know it and the little things will pass me by. In fact, so much is coming my way in 2010 that I’m already exhausted thinking about it all. Oy vey.

In no particular order…

10. No specific target date has been set, but I will be officially debt-free. Feel free to hate on me, but I’ve worked hard at it.

9. Celebrating my sweet-as-a-peach niece’s first birthday.

8. Shortly after that, celebrating one whole year with my love bug.

7. Fingers crossed that the Phoenix Suns will once again rock GM Place with another exhibition game during the pre-season, a game at which I will be screaming, yelling, cheering and jumping up and down in my jersey.

Photo: taminator on Flickr

6. TORONTO! Or, you know, a suburb-thereof. I really need to see this lady again. (Except let’s not hang with those guys, okay?)

5. Seeing John Mayer in concert on April 1 for the second time. (Don’t be surprised if I disappear for a few months after the show. It’s my hope that I’ll charm my way backstage, after which he and I will embark on a passionate and heartbreaking love affair. I suspect we will exhaust each other by summertime.)

Photo: Flickred! on Flickr

4. Love thy self: I’m one of those people who incessantly say “I want to…” and then never actually do it. I want to cook more gourmet food, drink more wine, have more parties, take more day-trips, rent a car sometimes and do anything and everything that makes me happy.

3. My first visit to New York City. I plan on leaving my heart there.

Photo: miss604 on Flickr

2. Get sporty. I don’t miss going to the gym but getting active makes my heart go ga-goong in more ways than one. I want to join a co-ed drop-in basketball league or just hit the courts with friends. Bueller?

Original Photo: Fernando Ariotti on Flickr

1. Embarking on the next decade of my life, a trip that someone special to me will also be taking this year.

Your turn: tell me what would make for your “Perfect ‘10″. Feel free to make this a meme.

It’s one of those perfect Vancouver evenings – the kind where the weather assures us that Autumn has arrived but also that Winter will very soon come blustering in without much warning. It’s perfectly cozy.

The rain is falling in sheets, the wind is whipping around the City’s towers and whistling in the elevator shafts, leaves slick the sidewalks (and the boots that tread them), the coffee-pimping mermaid has decorated her shops in red, white and sprinkles and your humble narrator is once again blogging in her leg warmers.

Did I mention that I set up my Christmas tree last night?

While I had planned to wait until returning from Phoenix, I found myself sipping on a perfect peppermint latte yesterday afternoon. The taste created inspiration and my mind snowballed from there.

I got home from work and cleaned every inch of my 434 square-foot apartment before hauling three bags and a box from my storage locker. Tree, lights, sparkly ornaments, a shining star and a fistful of Christmas CDs.

Call me crazy but wouldn’t you make the most of something you loved so much? Christmas comes only once a year and it’s absolutely my favourite, so I’ll milk it for all it is worth.

I’m going to walk three feet into the kitchen and fry up a garlic and grilled cheese sandwich with squash and nutmeg soup for dinner. While I do that, you can stay here and check out my little man…

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

Do you paint? Run an auto shop? Knit? Distribute books? Own a shop of interesting and unique treasures? Provide a service that benefits the community? I’d like you to consider for a moment the fact that whatever you do can be of even further benefit if you wish.

When I first set out to bring a dog into my home, I found a wide range of rescue organizations across BC that were taking care of – literally – thousands of dogs that were neglected or homeless. Through that search, I stumbled upon Jordy’s profile page. At the time he was living in a foster home in Duncan on Vancouver Island, being cared for by a non-profit group known as Furever After Small Dog Rescue.

Monty, pictured above, was one of Jordy’s foster brothers. When first brought into care, Monty was filthy, emaciated, his teeth rotted and his fur was so horribly matted that the weight of the knots caused sores and bruises all over Monty’s tiny body. Both Rebecca and I had the chance to meet Monty and see the progress he’d made in foster care on the day I went to pick up Jordy to bring him home. Today Monty has bounced back triumphantly, only through the care and funds of Furever After.

Most of these dogs require emergency dental care, as well as even basic veterinary care (and most aren’t spayed or neutered), food, shelter and rehabilitation in order to be adopted out. This coming November, Furever After is holding a charity dinner and silent auction to raise these desperately needed funds. The group is entirely run by volunteers, and when the money dries up, the expenses must come out-of-pocket. 100% of money raised goes to helping the dogs!

If you have a service, product, item you’ve made or the like that can be auctioned off at this dinner and silent auction, please contact me as soon as possible. No item is too big or small and the dollar value isn’t important. Tax receipts can be provided for all items with an attached invoice/receipt detailing item value and business information.

For more information or to donate your item or service, please send me an e-mail. Any help is much appreciated! To learn more about the fundraising dinner, please click here or visit the Furever After Small Dog Rescue website.

Let me be the first one to say that I personally think clothing on dogs borders on the ridiculous. I must also preface these photos by saying that, when soaking wet, Jordy is visually half-size. His thick and down-like fur often takes hours to dry properly, and with the rainy season on the way, I don’t think it would be fair to subject him to being soaked to the bone each and every time he needs to go outside.

That said, Jordy got a rain jacket. At least it doesn’t have polka dots.

In person, it’s really more Maverick-esque, à la Top Gun.

After months of planning, preparation, anticipation and tireless fundraising efforts, the BC-SPCA’s Paws For A Cause finally arrived. While these walks were simultaneously taking place in communities all across British Columbia, Jordy, Charley, my mom and I found ourselves at Marina Park in Comox.

The sunshine decided to take a day off, but rain clouds didn’t damper the excitement everyone felt. Dozens and dozens of beautiful, amazing, playful dogs turned out to support their fellow animals.

I’m still waiting to hear the final tallies regarding how much money was raised both Province-wide and in the Comox Valley, but I have no doubt that the goals of $950,000 and $20,000 respectively were reached.

My readers have been completely awesome! Many contributed funds and many more offered supportive words of encouragement – both of which kept giving me the drive to keep up with the efforts I had undertaken to make. I’d like to take a minute to offer a huge thank you to my financial sponsors for their generous donations: Katrina Mellis, Danielle Ciavarro, Marda Mischa-Miller, Tyler Ingram, Tania Morrison, Sixty4Media, Madeline Lagden, Lindsay Davis, Phil Ogynist, Buster the Dog, Jennifer Stoddart, Mikis Manolis, Duane Storey, Tanya Martin, Winnie Sung, Nicole George, Colleen Brown, Blain Sepos, Erin McConnell, Dom Richards, “Jenn,” Sarah Dawson, A.M. Chalupa, Marlee McConnell, Craig Jangula, Eileen Henderson, Sea To Sky Network Solutions and Double S Sales (Courtenay Sears).

Between all of you, $1,590 was donated to help many grateful animals!

One of my favourite things about events like this is not only the socialization they provide for dogs – which is crucial to their well-being – but it’s also a lot of fun to watch the animals play and interact together. Anyone who doesn’t believe that dogs are loving, intelligent and communicative creatures is completely nuts.

A last hearty and huge thank you to everyone who participated, donated, encouraged and cheered all of us on around British Columbia. It’s classic cheese to say, but you’re the true heroes for giving of what you have for the betterment of another creature. One friend who donated told me that she did so because “there’s an animal out there that needs food more than I need a new shirt or a couple drinks at a pub!” That’s hitting the nail on the head and then some.

Stay tuned to my Twitter for final totals! (And don’t forget: just because this event is over doesn’t mean the need is gone. If you’d like to support, donate to or volunteer at your local shelter, please visit the BC-SPCA’s website.

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?

This past Sunday was our third anniversary. Jordy and I have spent the last three months together, though it actually feels more like three years. I was forewarned of his potential issues, but my little Mango Monkey (he gets that nickname based on the way he smells after a bath) has done nothing short of constantly amaze me with his resiliency and ability to adapt.

The best part of it all is seeing his true personality start to shine now that he’s become truly comfortable with his “mommy”. Jordy loves to wake me up just moments before my alarm with a few kisses and some burrowing under my pillow. He truly loves to cuddle. Surprisingly, he does well with kids and is even gentle with sweet Sienna-bear. Jordy can’t get enough peanut butter and knows the Jif jar when I bring it out of the cupboard without a word. The little guy plays somethin’ fierce with his squeaky toys and shows no shame in farting around me – a lot.

Few people know this about him, but sadly, his first owner had him de-barked as a very young puppy. The sounds he made when he first came into my home were nothing above a whimper, but now he really tries to communicate with his voice and he’s built up quite a sound for himself. It’s my hope that he’ll learn to truly bark once again.

And lastly, if you’ve met Jordy, you know he’s an introverted dog. He’s not afraid of other dogs, but initially he never, ever interacted with them. We’ve been visiting dog parks several times a week and even found one that tends to be frequented by other pomeranians. Very cautiously he’s beginning to leave my side to go and interact, and I have no doubt he’ll be running and rolling on the grass with the rest of them in no time!

I can’t even begin to tell you how much joy he brings into my life on a daily basis and how lucky I feel to have found him. Check out Jordy’s set on Flickr for more pictures snapped last night at the park.

As a recent dog owner, what becomes quite clear is not only the division between those who own dogs and those who don’t, but also the division between dog owners themselves. However, whether we find ourselves with a canine companion or not, there are some unspoken rules that we can all benefit from. That is, of course, in my humble opinion (which you’re all entitled to).

In no particular order…

10. Jordy and I recently came across a man with his two dogs, one of which was a dachshund. Without warning, the dachshund lurched at Jordy, sending him into a tailspin and leaving me to quickly get my balance to avoid crushing Jordy after being tripped by the dachshund’s leash. Point being: keep your dog(s) under your control at all times for everyone’s safety.

9. If my 12-pound furball trots onto the elevator and you scream like a school girl, guess who looks like the moron. If you’re not fond of dogs, then believe me, there are plenty of apartment buildings in Vancouver that don’t allow them at all.

8. Get your dog spayed or neutered! All points of the globe are already over-run with a severely swollen population problem, so please don’t contribute to it by breeding your dog for a quick buck. You have zero control over what will happen to those puppies, and half will most likely end up dead or in shelters due to your irresponsibility.

7. Like humans, dogs have allergies and can be intolerant to some foods. Never give a dog treats or food without explicit permission of the owner first. The last thing we dog owners need is a $100 vet bill because you thought it would be cute to feed our dogs a bite of your lunch.

6. Invite good karma into your life and buy me this t-shirt. Size small, please.

5. Dogs will positively thrive when you provide a structured, disciplined and loving environment for them. Not only will it encourage their emotional health and well-being, it will also instill confidence in them for the times you’re not around.

4. Both Vancouver and Vancouver Island are full of terrific off-leash spots for your dog. However, being off-leash is a privilege, not a right. If your dog’s misbehaving, show her who’s boss.

3. Ask first, pet later. I’d never walk up to your child and give him or her a hug, so please refrain from walking up to my dog and nuzzling or petting him without asking first. It’s intrusive and inappropriate. This is, of course, negated at dog parks where dog piles are an inevitability.

2. In the same vein, when walking your dog, make sure it’s okay to approach another dog before doing so. When an owner is trying to work with and train his or her dog to obey and “walk nicely,” your playful dog can be a huge distraction and derail the entire process.

1. Pick up the poop! Do I need to say it again? Pick up the poop! Leaving your dog’s poop on the sidewalk to smear, squish and rot in the sun is both disgusting from the standpoint of human decency, but also contravenes City of Vancouver by-laws. Pick up the poop!

To all of you responsible dog owners out there, thank you! Both dogs and people are a part of every community, so it’s important to have an understanding both ways. If you have something else to contribute, please feel free to do so in the comments.

And lastly, if you’re considering bringing a dog into your home, remember the rule of thumb: Adopt, Don’t Shop!

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!