Royal Wedding: Firefighter Style.

You’re invited to…
The most elegant(hah) party of the season:


The boy, and his crew of forest fire fighters hosted their very own royal wedding themed party last weekend. And if you thought last year’s theme open the opportunity for cross-dressing, well just you wait! (what’s with that anyways?)

The musts:

-Come as a royal wedding themed guest. Somehow this ended up including, The Burger “King”, Elvis the “King”, the Queen Mum, The Prince himself, and a myriad of wonderful and questionably-related costumes. Made for some awesome laughs!

-Bring your dancing shoes (or just suffer through the rest of the work week with blisters, like me.)

-Have the most ridiculous facial hair you’ve managed to grow over the fire season so far.

Exhibit A: boyfriend’s mutton chops. What do you think? Do we look like an old English couple attending the wedding? I think so.

-Bring your booty, and be prepared to seriously shake it-- which we did, for most of the night.


...And, for the record, I think one of the most wonderful things about the party was that the day after: we spent the day alternating between sleeping, movie watching, and maybe squeezing a couple chores in there. Don’t you love when you can get away with Saturday’s like that?

***

Oh, and a lovely start to my work week was my good bloggy friend, Gentri Lee, featuring me in her lovely space. You’ll love her blog if you aren’t already a follower-- check her out here.

Hope you all had a booty-shakin’ kinda weekend.

Get the Picture: Theme Announcement

Hey Shutterbugs!

I'm happy to announce the third edition of Get the Picture!
This month’s theme is: Challenge.

|ˈch alənj| noun
a task or situation that tests someone's abilities.

Get the Picture is a monthly photo share; all readers are welcomed to share their photos relating to the month's theme.

Can you guess what my recent challenge is? :)

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Here’s how it works:

1. I will open this month's theme from July 1st-7th

2. Post, in any manner you'd like, with a photo representing 'challenge' on your blog

3. Include a button or a link to Outside Voice in your post {thank you, sincerely.}

4. Come to my "Get the Picture: Challenge" post that will be created on July 1st and use the linky tool provided to link up!

{This way people can come visit your blog by clicking on the thumbnail of your photo. I promise it's easy to do!}

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Now... get creative! Gather/ take some photos and show us your 'challenge'. What is challenging? What challenges you? The link up will open July 1st-7th, at this time you may post about the theme on your blog and link it here.

I’m honoured to have you all involved:)

I heart libraries

Erica and I at our old University Library

...do you ever just wander through the library and thumb through books you dream of reading one day, listen to the tapping of pencils, and feel minuscule against the backdrop of millions of written words?

I loved this create-your-own library call card site. Ever tried it?




Photo Credit: Scott Jennings (2009)

Ballerinas

After attending the year-end recital of my old dance school this weekend, my ballerina heart strings were pulled tight.

...and I may or may not have come home, put on my old pointe shoes, and just wore them around my house for a while. Can you blame me??

Alas, as a few years have passed, so have the times of grace and flexibility.

But, flexible or not, it didn't stop me from drooling over The Ballet Project on tumblr: it's a creative dance/ photography project set against NYC city scape and it's wonderful.
Check it.
**

Find rest of the collection here.

Happiest of Tuesdays to ya, dudes!

bloom

"Bloom where you are planted."

This weekend was a total girls weekend. And, oh how I needed that.
We curled hair for dance recitals, had fun going to dance recitals, then of course celebrated the dance recital by going out dancing! And, you should know, this girl can't turn down a reason to shake it.

me and A after her dance recital

I'm realizing more and more how deep my roots are growing into this small down. This is the first time I've felt sad about digging those roots up and temporarily transplanting them to Australian ground for my teaching term this fall.

I feel like that will be a bit more painful than I thought when I made the decision--drunk with excitement of adventure. But, I suppose, it's good to plant little seeds of experience all over this world. And this week made me excited to return from Aus and cultivate my small-town-BC roots some more.

a moment in the life

Last night the boy and I were happy to drive home together (before he's being deployed on another forest fire today, ugh.) and admire this fiery pink sunset. I wish we had more than his iphone to photograph it! But at least we got to sit and admire it for a while:)

This weekend I'm looking forward to:

-a recital put on by my old dance company
-lunch with a friend that just returned from traveling abroad
-farmers marketing and breakfast with a friend
-visiting the travel agent to discuss travel plans to Australia!

Anything special you're looking forward to this weekend?
I hope it's a good one for you all, see you back here Monday.

cabin-ing

You know it's summer when: nights can be swept away spending nights at the cabin; getting lost in water reflections, canoe trips, and cute boys on docks.

can you tell who the the paddling power house is? (there's a correct answer to this...)

... and that's the summer mantra that I got to recite this weekend.
What was yours?

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake, Made by Dad.

This weekend my dad mentioned to me, "your mom commented this week that I haven't ever made a cake for her... Could you help me?"

He is so sweet. My mom does a lot for this family, and he recognizes it every day. So, 4 days after her birthday, he baked her a birthday cake-- while I coached.

For the extra challenge, we made it gluten free! I have an allergy to gluten, so it's a treat when I can eat these normally wheat-stuffed desserts.

Here is the recipe. Amongst these directions, insert "wow, I didn't think it would be this easy", and "your mom will like this!" as thrilled comments from Pops.
***

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake for Mom

1 cup gluten free flour ( We used Bob's Red Mill GF flour, but any mix of GF flours will do)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

12 egg whites, room temperature (to maximize volume of egg whites)

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Separate egg whites in a stainless steel bowl and let them come to room temperature.

In a separate medium bowl, sift gluten free flour, salt, xanthan gum, and 3/4 cup of sugar. Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar. Beat until the egg whites form soft peaks. Beat in the other reserved 3/4 cup of sugar about 3 Tablespoons at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form.

Slowly fold in flour mixture about 1/4 cup at a time. Once the flour mixture is combined, fold in the vanilla. Slowly pour the batter into a tube pan (preferably one where the inside lifts out) and spread the batter evenly.

Run a knife through the cake to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake for 50-55 minutes until top is golden and sides begin to pull away. Cool for 10 minutes. Run the edges of a knife along the pan and pull out the insert to the tube pan. Run a knife along the bottom of the insert and invert onto a cake plate. Serve with topping of choice!

...And enjoy with one happy momma!

recipe found here

Last Weekend

via

Ohh, It's already Friday. Aren't you excited?
Before we move on into my favorite activity coming up soon [weekending] I wanted to show you...

I actually toted around my camera last weekend! Aren't you proud? I always mean to do this, and rarely do. So here we go,some pictorial memories of a few activities.

One of the [only] good things about boyfriend being out of town firefighting is that my attention is undivided, and this weekend it landed solely on my family. You know... birthday celebrations... sister time. I was into it.

Sister has decided to sort of participate in taking needless photos with me.

Mostly, she takes photos of me before I'm ready.
...hair prep, people. (We all do it, right?)

... and lets me take photos of her cuz, you know, she's super cute.
Do you remember doing this all the time when you were little? (...or yesterday?)

...and then there's just really pretty flowers and blue skies that have to be slipped in there, too.

We went out for drinks and lunch together. We were browsing for her birthday presents, then when my mom and I went back to secretly purchase them, she was in the store! Oh... coincidences.

mom, me, erica

We finished off the brithday celebration marathon with the last 2 birthday dinners: sister's and mom's. It was fun gathering the different people that are special to us and have a night that was designed especially for the birthday girl. I looked on, admiringly, remembering how much I love them both.

We went to the farmers market, went on a bike ride, went for 'London Fog' teas... then I had to go back to work to rest.

It was a good one.

Are you excited for this weekend? I hope you all have a good one!

Home Collection [Get the Picture}

There have been some beautiful posts about home this last week submitted in the monthly Get the Picture photo share {it is now closed}.

Thanks to all who participated!

The next themed photo share will be open July 1-8th,

email me if you would like to be notified: lcr-outsidevoice[at]hotmail[dot]com

"there's no place like home"

-Dorothy Gale

Readers had some amazing things to say and photos to share about home:
(in order of submission) Click to visit their wonderful blogs!
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Big Mario
"...In thinking about that theme, a lot of "homes" came to mind... none of them felt right. None of them felt like Home with a capital H..."

Kristie Colon
"...home is more about people than places. whether it be penned, photographed or memorized, the story of home is the story of family, laughter, love..."

Sugar and Spice
"...Home is where something flourishes. ...a line from the song 'Home', by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes struck a chord with me; "Home is wherever I'm with you". I feel most comfortable, most content, and most happy when..."

A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words
"...When you're somewhere, or with someone, that makes you feel like nothing in the world could go wrong and everything is perfect - that is home..."

Bonheurs Central
"...I took a different approach to the theme... and here are photos of the hostel we stayed at in Lviv..."

The Style Dossier
"...The first thing that came to mind when thinking of home was San Antonio. It's not only where I live but it's the place I've flourished and grew into the woman I am today..."

A Picture a Day
"...Now that I'm leaving the only real home I've ever known in a few short months, I think this is a great time to reflect on what home means to me..."

My Little Life
"...You all know that in my spare time I’m a Gypsy right?...But its our house on wheels that we love really..."

A Time For Being Human
"...photographed my hometown Whittier. Since I spend a majority of my time in Los Angeles, I often like to refer to it as "my city" yet Whittier is where I live and where I grew up. I love it here..."

Alisha & Brandon 12.04.10
"...Home is the place where I grew up, the place where memories were made, the place where my brother and I argued night after night, the place where first birthdays were photographed..."

And, to really bring it home... Enjoy.

I know, i know... I've featured this before. But I couldn't help myself.

Cheers!


-image via

Missing a Pup

This little pup will be missed dearly.

She was 14, a big part of my family's life, and we said goodbye to her last Monday.
Nikki, we love you. Even though we said you were a drama queen and called you a brat sometimes:)
Now I truly miss you being underfoot.

-read on for an extended version-

Nikki

You, little pup, will be terribly missed.

Sharing some cuddles with a sleepy dog before I went to camp last week.

My pup had to be put down on Monday, and it really surprised me how affected I was by this.

I consider myself a strong person--one that has much more to conquer and survive in life-- but a person that has survived and conquered deaths of close family and friends, intentionally making the choice survive and seek happiness.

Nikki (our 14 year old pup) had a stroke last Friday night and went from a ball chasing, attention loving dog, into a zoned out zombie-pup who lacked the function in her back left leg. It broke my heart to see her trying to move and falling, and bumping into things.

Seeing a person, or pet that I love compromised of the energy they normally posses breaks my heart.

I can think of all the clichés that exist and keep repeating them in my grieving mantra—she’s better off now, she’s not in pain, it’s a blessing that she deteriorated fast and didn’t have to be in pain for long, she lived 14 long years, we loved her… I hope she knew that.

I know the pain will settle and positive thoughts will rise to the surface sometime. My boyfriend soothes me quoting “this, too, shall pass” and telling me, “luckily, emotions wear off”. I feel relief right now in knowing that eventually I will feel more joy in Nikki’s life than sadness. But right now I feel sad.

I think the root of my sadness is in the fact that Nikki grew up with us. My mom brought her home as a surprise (to my sister, myself, and my dad!) when I was in grade 4. As a 10 year old having a little blond pup was, well… the [dog’s] pajamas’ (if you will.) We treated her like our own baby: cuddling with her, playing fetch with her, singing songs especially written for her.

Around the time her dog years took her into her 20’s, my sister and I entered our teenage-hood. The time in life that we were worried more about being ‘cool’ than being responsible dog owners. Naturally, my parents were wonderful and picked up the slack, but even though I slacking off on the nitty gritty of it…ohh I hope she knew I still cared.

As the years passed, and a dog aged, we grew up, moved out of the house—returning home to a squealing excited pup on our trips home from university. She brought so much joy into the visits, and I was not nearly responsible enough for her basic needs such as walks, grooming, picking up the poop (my parents did this as we grew up). I regret this.

I’ve reflected a bit this week, upon her death, that people (and pets) mean so much to us. I regret not having more intention through the process during the good and bad, the fun and inconvenient times and not just sloughing those off on others.

After the grieving passes, this realization will stay with me.

I will miss you, little dog.

Birthday Month

June is a big month in this fam.
4 birthdays in 2 weeks for 4 very special people.
but dude, if there's one thing we can do... it's celebrate.

For this family, celebrating is like bold-ing the font of life.
We bold the font, blow out the candles, hang the streamers, sing the song... and make the person feel special.

(me, momma,
erica) ...We missed you dad

Happy Birthday Mom!
06.06.11 Mexican Siesta Celebration

Mom, you are the nail this family hangs upon. We couldn't do what we do with out you. You're a pretty darn amazing teacher too, one day I hope to touch children's lives like you do.

(dad, erica)
02.06.11 Classic Family Dinner, Your Favourite.
Happy 57th!

Dad, you are the most calm, cool, collected, and loving man I know. You have taught me what respecting your partner, and showing love is all about. Plus you're just a big goof.

31.05.11 Afternoon Tea
Happy 77th Grandma!

Grandma, you are one sweet 77 year old. You are a true lady. I sure hope your spunk and vigor are genetic!

(S, Annie, me, Iz
Erica)

06.05.11 A Sunday Dinner With Fav Family Friends

Happy 22nd Erica!

You, my little sister, have just grown so much lately. I love to see you rock out the way you do... and I'm happy to be giggling and dancing with ya along the way.

***

We're pretty darn lucky to all live in the same town this summer and be able to spend time as a family... I'll celebrate that!

Cheers,