ok so I had a small hiccup....

I know my last post was about how from now on I, Monica O, will not be reading books that were not "intellligent, good for the mind" etc etc...well...On Friday I celebrated my birthday, and Wyatt took me out to dinner, and after eating WAY too much chinese food, we went for a walk to Chapters.
Just as I walked in, there it was, the new SHOPAHOLIC book! I know this is the absolute opposite of intelligent literature, but it is SO MUCH FUN! I love reading Sophie Kinsella books. They are just like a breath of fresh air!
Her charaters are just hilarious. Becky Bloomwood gave me hope that perhaps my motherhood skills are not so terrible after all, and I laughed. In this book, the main character (Becky) is dealing with her life as a new mother of a two year old (You can see where this might relate).
I won't spoil the book for anyone that might feel like reading it, but as usual Becky makes you so angry, but at the same time makes you laugh with her stupidity!
So in light of my hiccup,here is my next question, what is your guilty pleasure book?

ps: I am as we speak reading Lord of the Flies again.

My new classics kick

Once more in my search for self improvement I'm trying once again to focus my reading on good books. Not just fun literature, but GOOD for the mind literature. So I went to my public library, like so many of my friends, I LOVE the library, and don't know what I would do with out it. Anyway, I found a few lists of most recommended classic novels (was pleased to know I had already read a few), posted them on my bulletin board, and I am going through the list, not in any particular order, since I still have to be interested in the book, and cannot make myself read a book, no matter how hard I try.
My first choice was Jane Eyre, I managed to go through high school, and a few university english courses without ever having to read it. It was enjoyable, but sad, even her "happy" ending, was well kind of lame...literally. I won't ruin it for those of you who have not read it, but if you have, what did you think?
I did think she was a great example of enduring in great trials, and always finding hope no matter what your circumstances might be.
I'm planning on posting each book as I finish it, and I'm hoping to actually write a small review, or even just a few thoughts on the book. For any of you who might be interested this is one of the many lists I found for greatest novels of all time online. If any in the list are among your favorites please let me know, or if you are interested in reading with me, and chatting about each book, I will definitely be up for that!
My next novel is Lord of the Flies.

What are we up to....

Maija and I have been busy learning new things. Maija graduated (I love saying that!) from her Mom and Tot III class, she can successfully blow bubbles, jump into the pool, and can now put her ears under the water. She loves the pool, and swimming, if it was up to her she would go to the pool everyday. It was a lot of fun to take that class, Maija had her friend Nathan with her, and she was so glad for that. He was like a little fish, and that was a good influence on Maija.
I have been taking a photography class, here are a few examples of what I have taken. I still have a lot to learn, but I am pretty lucky, that even though the class is over in a week, I still have my full time instructor at home (Wyatt is my best inspiration, and my daily instructor!). It was cool to go back to the U of C, it made me feel a little bit young, plus I also get to listen to a little bit of institute classes before my class starts.
Here are some of my favorite pictures...



This was taken in one of our many trips to the Zoo.



This was from the same trip, I love my model!



We went for a walk to Elbow Falls, which by the way is a great place to go with little ones, since it is not really a "hike" and little ones can easily walk around, and enjoy the outdoors. I used a Neutral Density filter for this picture, to get that effect on the water.



...and of course one more of my favorite little girl.

2009 Update

So I was checking out my blog, and decided that if someone was to read it, they would come to the conclusion that all we did in 2009 was get an H1N1 vaccine, so I thought I would do a quick recap of 2009.

In 2009:

WE HIKED A LOT...

We tried to get out to the mountains as much as we could, we were able to get out there with friends and family a few times. During the summer Maija was mostly riding in the backpack, but I think she still enjoyed the outdoors. We went to Ptarmigan cirque, Black Prince, and many other small hikes around Kananaskis. Jocelyn, Daylyn, and Sloan came to one with us, and they have promised to do A LOT of hikes with us next summer, so I am really looking forward to that! Here I am with Missie, Nathan (my niece, and nephew) and Maija in Ptarmigan Cirque.



Maija loves looking out for wildlife, she loves deer, and often hunts them ;) She thinks hunting just means looking for them, little by little we will explain the rest ;)

WE HAD OUR FIRST BACKPACKING TRIP...



I was a bit hesitant to go backpacking with a one year old, since I had never done it in the first place, but once again Wyatt, and his family offered a new challenge, and after giving it a try, it was actually fun. We went to Picklejar Lakes, and I found the hike a bit steep, but the view at the end was breathtaking! In the campground there was a lake, and Wyatt's Mom, and Dad caught lots of fish, so we were able to eat fresh fish during our camp out.

WE HAD OUR FIRST OFFICIAL ROAD TRIP WITH MAIJA...

We started our road trip by having a family camping trip with my family, we ended up staying in this beautiful cabin in Canmore, that one of Orlando's friends lend him. It was "camping" in style, well it was not camping at all, but it was so much fun. We played cards, listen to loud music, hang out in the hot tub, it was awesome!

We drove out to BC, and camped for about a week. We went to Fort Steele, Jasper, Fernie, Kimberley, and a few other places. It was a great trip, the only thing was there was SO much rain, so that kind of changed our plans a little. We are hoping to try another road trip this upcoming year, but maybe we will actually make it all the way out to the coast.

Here we are in BC, in the Paint Pots hike, it was super short, but Maija loved touching all the dirt, from which, back in the day, they used to make different paints.



WE GAINED A NEW BROTHER....



Wyatt's sister Whitney got married on August, it was a beautiful wedding. Wyatt took their wedding pictures, it was good to have a good looking couple as models. Stephen is a great addition to the family, not only does he make Whitney very happy, he is also a great Risk player, and he can for sure hold his own at one of the LAN parties that the boys, and Whitney often have.

MAIJA TURNED 2...



My baby is no longer a baby, but a toddler, she is growing too fast! We had a little family birthday party for her, she told everyone at work, that Obama was coming to her party (Obama is Maija's word for Grandma, she has an Obama, a Bumpa, and a Lita). Maija is awesome, she has a great attention spam, she can read for hours, some of her favorite books are the complete adventures of Curious George (she reads this almost daily), I love you forever, the very hungry caterpillar, much ado at the zoo...honestly there are so many, she loves the library, and could go there daily. She can count in both English, and Spanish, and she has a great vocabulary in English, and is learning a lot of Spanish too. She is even teaching Spanish to her Daddy, and her grandparents, they all know how to say grapes, and kisses in Spanish, it is really cute.
Maija is a working girl, she comes to Southland three times per week, and has a lot of friends. Thanks to our job, we are able to go to the pool often, and Maija is super comfortable in the water. There is so much to tell about Maija, I think I will write another post just about her.

WYATT AND I CELEBRATED OUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY...

It was a fun night, we took pictures, had a great dinner, most of all, it was great to think about how far we've come. Wyatt is the most wonderful guy, I just can't really put it in words, and really time does fly when you are having fun.

WE HAD A GREAT YEAR...



It was hard to summarize our last year into 500 words or less, but this will hopefully be a good way to remember 2009.

Winter Hike

Today was such a pretty day, so Wyatt, Maija, and I decided to head out to the mountains for a little winter hike. Maija was excited about playing with the snow, and getting to eat some of those cookies that her Obama made (Obama, is what Maija calls her grandma). It was awesome, although the snow was pretty deep in parts, and I ended up spending a lot of time on my bum! Here are a few pictures. I'm also trying out my new camera. Wyatt got me an Olympus E-500, and as soon as I finish reading the manual, I'll be ready for my photography course.

Maija was happy to just ride in the backpack today, since it was very slippery, and the snow was pretty deep, the funny thing is after a while, she actually asked that her Daddy take her, and not me, since I kept falling down. I really have to work on my balance ;) I blame it on the boots. So once we switched packs, Maija was happy again.

Here she is with Daddy...



We saw some cool wildlife, Maija kept saying "Bah, Bah, Bah" after we saw some nice Rams. I hope my little one will develop a love for the outdoors.It was really a cool day!

H1N1

So I thought I would blog about our experience today while getting Maija's H1N1 shot. We showed up to the Avenida Mall clinic at around 8:30-9 am, and lined up for only about 5 minutes, and got a number, and a time to come back. We were told we could come back between 10:30-11-30 am, and wait for our number to be called. We went for a long walk, and we had breakfast, and went to the park, which was so much nicer, than sitting outside in a long line up.
We came back, at around 10:15 am, and they were a bit off in the time for when to come back, so we went to check out a kids' clothing store, and then by 12:30 we went in after our number was called. I was so impressed with the nurses, and other health care workers. Considering they were dealing with hundreds of crying children, they were pleasant, and professional, and boy were they working fast! Our nurse was so kind, and well, I was also SOOOO proud of Maija, she didn't even cry at all (the nurse said she was her best girl today! I was so proud of her!)! It was a good experience overall. Although I know it took just as long as it did for people to get the vaccine last week, it was so much better than it would have been to sit in a long line for hours, and hours....

Happy Birthday Wyatt!!!!!

I just wanted to send out a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the nicest, coolest, kindness guy ever. Happy Birthday Wyatt, Maija and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. You are a great father, an awesome husband, and my very best friend, thank you! I don't say it enough, but I am so grateful for you, for your listening ear, for your sense of humor, you really make me happy! Thanks!. Our lives are a lot like our hikes, and poor Wyatt has to spend a lot of time encouraging, and pushing me forward, and I am so glad for that! I love you Wyatt!