traffic jam but I'm on the shoulder, took ten cops to pull me over

Hey all!

Soooo January is almost over! You know what that means? Its only 1 more month until spring! And only 1 more month until Jared and I go to watch the Heritage Classic in Vancouver on March 1st! I am so excited! I've been treated to a very nice hotel by the harbor too :) how did I ever get so lucky? My first ever outdoor NHL game :P Jared really spoiled me too and bought me a jersey! Selfie alert... The toque is his though :P it's just having an extended sleepover at my house....

After that, though, its just another month until my brother Mason is here to live with me while going to school, in April, and then another month after that in May, we are off to Arizona for 4 days, and then we are driving back up the Oregon coast for another week and a half or two! So exciting. Once we get home, I only have 8 days of work left before moving to Williams Lake for June! Yep, I have taken the plunge. I am excited and happy and also sad and maybe sick! More on that later...

dripping in gold

that don't impress me much

hey kids! ive been busy the last week or so being in the puddle, driving to and from the puddle, getting sick, healing, and then watching all of my other friends get sick in turn! so my last couple of days off have been fairly uneventful...

actually no. that is an extreme exaggeration. my last couple of days have been spent in the equivalent of self imposed exile! quarantine! just me and the cats, makin canneloni. finally I think everyone seems to be on the mend though, so hopefully next week ill actually be able to leave the house! damn weakling immune system.

back the the cannelloni.... it turned out fabulous! I think. its all prepared and ready to be popped in the oven for dinner as jared gets here in the morning! basically all that I did was cube some chicken and mix it with garlic, spinach, a shit ton of basil, sour cream, and a few handfuls of fresh parmasan! its enough food to feed a family of ten but, old habits die hard you see. everyone in my family has always cooked in quantities that could feed an army for a week. anyhow, after you have your filling all mixed up, you stuff it into your canneloni, which you lay in a casserole dish that has cheesy rosé sauce mixed with canned tomatoes lining the bottom. top canneloni with a bunch more sauce and, obviously, more cheese!! ..I ran out of parmasan so I grated some havarti :)

on another very sad note.. it would seem that my practically brand new galaxy s4, bought june of last year, is biting the dust... even now as I type on it, the screen flickers and tints a strange shade of green, and lines jump across it intermittently. don't worry, my brand new one is arriving on monday absolutely 100% free! and I didn't buy even a hint of a warranty!  how did I swing this?! well... it pays to know cool people in the cell phone industry, I tell you! I think it may be time to invest in an otterbox though,  im starting to have my doubts about these things,  spectacular though they are. jared has already had 3 phones since june! he's a little rough on yhem at the mill, but seriously! tsk. no wonder he bought the warranty.. ;)

i'm kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air

Sooooo coconut oil. Thats a thing! Man is it amazing stuff, I finally got some, and since I fell in love with it, I've been doing a fair bit of research on it, and boy oh boy is it useful stuff! Just make sure you get the "virgin" kind, not the refined kind! Since I bought it, I've been using it daily on my face, and I mixed it with a standard, scentless lotion base (Glaxal Base) to make an phonomenal body lotion! Below are a bunch of the uses I have discovered, and the ones I have tried and like, I have bolded!


1. Massage Oil – Coconut oil soothes tired and sore muscles. Add a few drops of essential oils for more effect.
2. Athletes Foot – The powerful antifungal properties of coconut oil make it perfect for any fungal infection. Add a few drops of oregano or tea tree oil for more antifungal power.
3. Acne – Coconut oil gently fights the bacteria that cause acne. Dab it directly on the offending pimples and watch them shrink.
4. Cleanser – Coconut oil makes an effective and gentle cleanser to remove the grime of the day.
5. Lice – Coconut oil kills and removes this pesky problem.
6. Stretch Marks – Prevent and soften stretch marks from pregnancy with coconut oil for soft and supple skin.
7. Warts and Moles – Rub oil into area and cover with a bandage. Rub in fresh oil and place a new bandage each day.
8. Moisturizer – Coconut oil is an excellent way to soften and hydrate dry, rough, or damaged skin.
9. Face Scrub – Mix coconut oil with baking soda, sugar, or cinnamon and oatmeal for the perfect face scrub and exfoliator.
10. Dandruff – Massage coconut oil into the scalp to ease symptoms of dandruff, both itching and flaking.
11. Curb Appetite – Take a spoonful before meals to curb appetite so you don’t overeat.
12. Sore Throat – Dissolve a spoonful in your mouth and let it slowly roll down the throat. This will coat and protect the throat, boost the health of mucus membranes, and fight any infection.
13. Ring Worm – Rub coconut oil onto affected area to kill the fungus that causes unsightly ringworm. Add tea tree oil to clear the infection even faster.
14. Lip Balm – Coconut oil hydrates and protects lips. Coconut even offers some protection from the sun, about an SPF 4.
15. Cold Sore – Coconut oil has antiviral properties that will help the body get rid of the virus that causes cold sores. Rub it on when needed and add a drop of oregano oil to speed healing.
16. Lubricant – Coconut makes an all-natural personal lubricant for intimate moments without chemicals.
17. Gum Removal – Coconut oil gets the sticky stuff out of hair, carpet, and anywhere else it doesn’t belong.
18. Pet Health – Coconut oil can do a multitude of things for pets, both topically and internally. It improves breath, makes for a shiny coat, eases joint problems, cleans ears, gets rid of fleas, and much more.
19. Stys/Pink Eye – Rub a small amount of coconut oil on the sty or around the eyes to get rid of these painful and annoying infections quickly.
20. Earaches, swimmer’s ear, and ear infections clear up fast with a few drops of coconut oil mixed with garlic oil.
21. Cradle Cap – Coconut oil is gentle and safe for infants and helps ease the itching, pain, redness, and flaking associated with cradle cap.
22. Diaper Rash – Coconut oil can help heal mild diaper rash gently and effectively.
23. Bruises – Rub coconut oil into bruised skin to speed healing and watch the bruises fade fast.
24. Age Spots – Coconut oil has beneficial effects on any skin blemish. Use it to help fade age spots with powerful antioxidants.
25. Shaving Cream – Coconut oil keeps the razor gliding smoothly while leaving skin smooth and soft.
26. After Shave – Don’t want unpleasant bumps and rashes after shaving? Coconut oil soothes sensitive skin and promotes healing.
27. Toothpaste – Mix 1 part coconut oil with 1 part baking soda and add a couple drops of peppermint oil. This makes a refreshing, natural toothpaste that whitens and cleans without added preservatives, fluoride, sweeteners, or other chemicals.
28. Chicken Pox – Ease the itch and encourage healing with dabs of coconut oil. It also works on poison ivy, poison oak, mosquito bites, and other insect stings or bites.
29. Yeast Infections – Coconut oil fights these fungal infections internally and externally.
30. Makeup Remover – Coconut oil removes oil-based makeup easily, like mascara. It cleans, hydrates, and makes skin glow.
31. Conditioner – Coconut oil conditions, strengthens, and repairs hair. Massage it in and rinse it out after ten minutes. A small amount can be rubbed in to dry hair to tame frizz.
32. Polish Furniture – Coconut oil gives a protective shine to wood furniture. Just make sure you test it out on a small area to make sure you like the outcome.
33. Energy – Coconut oil and its medium chain triglycerides make it an excellent energy source to improve stamina, endurance, or just to give you a boost through the day.
34. Deodorant – Mix coconut oil with cornstarch, baking soda, and your favorite essential oils for a natural deodorant that smells fantastic.
35. Eye Cream – Reduce puffiness and dark circles with a few dabs of coconut oil.
36. Eczema – Coconut oil reduces the itchiness, pain, flakiness, and dryness of eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
37. Sunburn – Coconut oil can help prevent sunburn for short exposures. When you burn, it will also speed healing and take some of the sting away. Make sure you wait until all the heat has dissipated before applying it or you trap the heat in. Wait 24 to 72 hours depending on the extent of the burn.
38. Hemorrhoids – Coconut oil eases the pain and discomfort of hemorrhoids and encourages natural healing both internally and externally.
39. Nose Bleeds – Rub a bit of coconut oil in nostrils to fight the dry cracking that can lead to nose bleeds and pain.
40. Canker Sores – Dab coconut oil on canker sores to kill infection and speed up healing. Coconut oil is also a far tastier way to treat canker sores than most other methods.
41. Toothaches – Coconut oil eases the pain and strengthens teeth. You can mix it with a drop of clove oil to almost instantly relieve pain.
42. Acid Reflux – Take a small spoonful with meals to keep acid reflux and heartburn at bay.
43. Urinary Tract – Treat urinary tract infections with a spoonful of coconut oil. It may even ease the painful passing of kidney stones.
44. Nursing – Coconut oil works great to repair dry, cracked skin, including sore nipples from nursing.
45. Alzheimer’s – Some research points to coconut oil as a way to slow the progression of or prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia.
46. Bones – Coconut oil aids the body in the absorption of calcium and magnesium. Both minerals are important for strong bones and teeth.
47. Epilepsy – Coconut oil may reduce the incidence and intensity of epileptic seizures.
48. Fitness – Coconut oil boosts energy, increases metabolism, improves thyroid function, and aids healthy weight loss. It is the perfect addition to any workout or fitness regimen. Sunwarrior’s Warrior Blend includes medium chain triglycerides from coconut oil specifically to raise energy levels and increase stamina during workouts and speed recovery and healing after any exercise.
49. Cooking – Coconut oil doesn’t form harmful by-products when heated like most other oils and animal fats. Use it to replace butter, cup for cup in recipes. Sauté, cook, bake, broil, braise, and more using coconut oil as a healthier alternative.
50. Wrinkles – Rub into lines, creases, and wrinkles to rehydrate skin and soften those wrinkles away.

it's tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time

i have such a horrible track record with getting into daily routines.  like sure, i wake up every morning at the same time, but basically only because by that time, i've left it to the last possible second in which i can make it to work on time.  So, 8:05am, i stumble my way over to the shower, blinking blearily as i accidentally put conditioner on my loofah. And sure, every day I eat two to three meals a day... but are they at regular times? Uh not exactly.  Are they typical foods? Um no.. today for breakfast I had a pickle, a slice of cheese, and four microwave perogies with my coffee.

There are so many things that I want to get into the habit of doing daily! Like brush my hair, take my vitamins, instagram a photo a day, moisturize, kettlebell squats, and drink 8 cups of water a day! Sounds easy right? Well it is not! I have however decided that the best way for me to do this will be to pair one thing that I want to do with one thing that I already do. Ex: Eat dinner, take vitamins. Brush my teeth, brush my hair. HAH.

have a good hump day, y'all,
especially if you have someone you get to show off your humps to

waiting for superman

you make me wanna roll my windows down

ever notice how you don't really miss the sun until it reappears? i have to say... ive been doing better this winter than most.  still cheerful and energetic for the most part. i haven't been craving the sun like i ususally do by mid december.  three tropical vacations within 12 months has probably had a large hand in my newly found love for snow, but still. i was pretty proud....until today.  today the sun came out and the temperature rose to a balmy +11 celcius! it smells like spring, you don't have to wear a coat, its phonomenal! but it made me notice that i've been a lethargic lazy beast over the past few weeks.  the sun filled me back up with the energy and happiness that i hadn't realized of which i had been lacking! hallelujah! so to further accelerate this glorious feeling, i went for a tan! it was nothing short of amazing! just like stepping into a tiny box of mexico.  the vitamin d went straight to my brain in a way thats 4000iu of gummy vitamin d simply cannot compete with! i would have to say, i strongly believe that the positive health benefits of doing this once a week or so for the rest of the duration of winter far outweigh the negative aspects, considering i am employing the proper uva/uvb protection and only going for 4 minutes per session! 

don’t get too close, it’s dark inside, it’s where my demons hide

its friday again!!
the more fridays a week has, the better it is!
really its only wednesday for the rest of y'all suckers, but for me with the next two days off... its friday! and then its work again on saturday, but its really another friday, if you get my drift.

its been an especially dreary first week back to work after the holidays... extremely slow.  i'm even running out of make-work projects and pointless tidying to do, and what is really on my mind right now is the planning of our trip to arizona... the decision, (up to jared, really..) is whether to fly down and spend an excessive amount of money on a one-way rental car for the drive back up the oregon coast, or to just drive both ways? i'm sure it will take shape all in good time... we still have another five months to decide after all. in the interim, i've been slowly compiling a list of places to see and things to do along the drive from various sources. its surprising how many of my customers and co-workers have done had the fortune of adventuring along the 101! im so excited already, but i know its faaar too early to start a countdown as of just yet.

however, since it is friday, its a day to make a most delicious dinner.  i am struggling between canneloni, homemade mac and cheese (my secret recipe), or garlic prawn alfredo with parsley.

any takers?

say yes, say yes, because I need to know

its snowing.
there are buster bars.
and tea.

today is alright. 

guess who's back, back again

After a year and a half respite, I have decided that it is time again to return to the blogging world again! This is by far the longest I have gone without posting, and more and more frequently over the last few months, I have been thinking that it is high time to get back into the groove, and what better a time than a brand new year? Albeit, I am a few days late, but today is my first day back to work, and the real world after two weeks off for Christmas! 

Now, since it's January, and this is one of my goals for the new year, I suppose I shall post the rest of my so-called "resolutions" in the spirit of the season.  

1. Eat breakfast & drink water

2. Be more flexible

3. Blog

4. Re-enamor myself with my job

5. Read more (NEW) books

Now, since it is not in my nature to state such facts and not elaborate upon them, so... here we go.  If there is one thing that I know, it is that the majority of my previous followers were apparently not so deterred by my longwindedness that they quit reading. 

EAT BREAKFAST and DRINK WATER - probably the simplest of my resolutions, I wish only to state that by eating breakfast, I mean real breakfast, however small, as long as it is not fast food. Typical Niki-breaky is a couple of raw unpeeled carrots (yum, yum) with the occasional handful of almonds and a gigantic coffee with honey, not sugar. 

BE MORE FLEXIBLE - in contrast to the previous, this is probably the most difficult to define of my resolutions, as I don't mean physically flexible (though that would be an added bonus, to be sure..) What I really mean is flexibility of the mind - I'm going to try to be less stuck in my ways, less assuming, less defensive.  

BLOG - I want it to be a habit again, not a forced act, not work, not an additional stress.  A creative outlet that is written for me, more so than it is written for the readers or my audience. I know its going to take a little time, and more than a little effort, but I think it will also be very rewarding.  As well, after much deliberation and changing of mind, I have decided to leave up my posts from the last six years, (how embarrassing) and maybe, just maybe, read them one day, and allow myself some personal reflection, however humbling and painful it may be. 

LOVE MY JOB -  or at least like it again? Sometime in the past year, I have really become disengaged.  I think I got bored, and at the same time had to deal with some family turmoil that really put me out of sorts. All I really wanted was to be back in my home town, close to the ones I love most.  It was rough, and I don't think I realized how rough until life settled into a nice little stalemate.  So here I am, dreading the impending semi-annual review that determines my bonus, and the opinion of my superiors over the next year.  I know that my work life suffered, and I wish that I had tried harder, done better, achieved more, and had a better outlook, but alas, it is too late.  Hindsight is 20/20. 

READ MORE (NEW) BOOKS -  so far off to a very good start with this one! I read 2.5 books, brand new to me, over the past week! Ahhh, a week of leisurely, lovely vacation in the north! Returning home, reading on my own couch alone without Jared for companionship didn't hold quite the same appeal. But the point of this, is that I really need to get out of the habit of rereading my old favorites, and into some new stories! I enjoy it once I get there, but its so hard to go out and buy something new when I could just peruse something that's within arms reach! 

So there you have it! Hopefully I'll keep this up and you can track my progress ;)