Left Coast Mama » Gwen

Halifax the Sunny Day and a Half in Pictures

Gwen — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:32:02 +0000

We have been here in Halifax almost 1 week and we have had 1.5 days of sun. I haven’t had that many opportunities to take a lot of pictures. The few that I have taken have been at the playground at the school next to the house and of the graveyard next to TUNS.

Aidan looking very grown up at the playground.

It is nice when Aidan cooperates while I am playing with portraiture.

Quinlan saying "Chee" on the deck.

Yum! Zombie cake!

I love the way Anthony plays with his sons.

The monument at the entrance to the cemetary,

A very old gate outside the cemetary.

A long shot of the monument.

I love the lichen patterned on this gravestone.

The law courts on Spring Garden Road.

The astrolabe in front of TUNS.

Robbie Burns at South Park and Spring Garden Road.

I spent a lot of time in this park across from the Public Gardens.

Burns Baby, Burns.

Vancouver Mom’s Ultimate 30 Mom Bloggers Gala

Gwen — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:45:06 +0000

As indicated on my sidebar I was nominated as one of Vancouver’s top mom blogs. While I didn’t win, I was in distinguished company and I am happy to call a number of these women close friends.

On Thursday the 13th May, Vancouver Mom had a lovely party for us at Union Photos’ studio. Holly was up and partying with us, and taking a number of beautiful candid shots, and Roger was downstairs taking beautiful headshots. Meaghan of Ilus Elu was there to do our make up and I decided to take advantage and get my face done. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the makeup felt on my skin.

Sue and Hariet laughing and looking beautiful.

Emily and Little Miss, Babies are the best accessories.

Close up of Little Miss.

Alexis chatting with some of the other writers.

Tracey being fashion forward with her chunky necklace.

Holly taking a break from taking candids.

Writers finally meeting in person.

Getting my makeup done.

Christine pretending to be the photographer.

The final product. Photo by Union Photographers.

May Brings . . . Winter Weather?

Gwen — Tue, 04 May 2010 02:37:06 +0000

I had my second of three photography field trips last night to learn about night photography. Yes, last night. The night of very cold rain and wind. We started out with nearly the whole class but after about 20 minutes we had lost half and by an hour and a half in we were down to six women including the instructor. I made it all the way through but by the end I was very cold, though not too wet. In fact I am pretty sure it took me several hours to get fully warm again, I even wore socks to bed. Looking through my pictures I think I got some good shots, at least until I got too much water on the lens.

Here are some of the best night shots:

The boats by Monk McQueen's on False Creek. Not quite dark enough yet.

Playing with shutter speed.

I like the way the path of lights leads us down the dock.

The water on the ground was very reflective.

Playing with a long exposure. Interesting effect.

Looking at downtown. I think I want one of these starburst filters.

I seem to like less light than my camera's lightmeter suggests. I really like the way the dock seems to soak up the light.

Notice the water on the lens. This was my last shot of the night. Brrr

Public Art and Photography

Gwen — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:57:22 +0000

Playing with aperture and the big red coil at Robson Square.

I am taking a photography class and I am enjoying (for the most part) being in a classroom again. I like that I am learning to control my camera and not always relying on the auto mode to get results. I don’t like that Kits high school still has their heat on and the lab is boiling, it makes the late hour 9:30 pm seem like way too late.

On Sunday morning I went on my first photography field trip and took a lot of photographs. I thought it might be nice to show you some of my favourites. During this exercise we were playing with aperture or shutter speed and the balance between the two.

The fountain in front of the VAG, fast shutter speed.

The same fountain with a slow shutter speed.

This is my favourite picture in the bunch. I love the way the water is crashing as the woman is trying to climb the rock.

Playing with shallow depth of field.

I love the way these colours look so close up. It is amazing that this is part of a flower mural.

I was inspired to keep taking pictures in manual mode at the HR MacMillian Space Centre. Too bad the fountain wasn't turned on.

I am glad that I am making the effort to learn more about our new camera before I head to BlogHer in New York this summer. I hope to take a million pictures and have some of them really work.

Vancouver Moms Night Out

Gwen — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:00:13 +0000

I have the privilege of being part of a very interesting group of women around the lower mainland. These are social media moms. They are moms who vlog, blog and twitter. They use facebook and twitter to connect with other people, have conversations and to help promote their businesses. These are moms who know exactly what it is to multitask. Sometimes these moms also like to get out of the house, put on some clean (and maybe even stylish) clothes and talk about whatever is on their minds. This is a group where you don’t have to apologize for being a mom and a business owner. You don’t need to explain what twitter is and how you know someone you haven’t actually met in person yet. You don’t need to explain why you have a fan page on facebook, or why sometimes you respond more quickly to your twitter handle or Mom, Mommy, Mummy, Mama or whatever your child can actually say at the moment. These are the women who come out to Vancouver Moms Night Out.

Alexis Hinde

Alexis and Tracey took on the organization of this VMNO and were able to get Sue of Raspberry Kids to open up her warehouse so we could party. They decided that to make things more affordable they would buy and prepare most of the food. It was a fabulous spread.

Drinks Table. Too bad the blenders had to go in the back.

Veggies, Cheeses, and Deli Meats Oh My!

Good Enough to Eat

Some of us were able to bring out our beautiful shoes, and some of us even took the time to get our feet pamapered.

Emily's "Sparklecorn" shoes.

Pretty, Pretty

I was silly and I didn’t make a full list of all the women who were there, but I have some pictures. I know that Tracey and Alexis were also taking pictures so hopefully there are some better ones of the group.

@Arieanna and Christine (@Vancouver_Mom)

Rachel (@Rachael_plays) and Kerry (@CrunchyCarpets)

The party starts winding down.

A fabulous time with some fantastic women. I wish we could do this every month. If anyone has a list of all the blogs and twitter handles I will add them to the end of this post.

A New Year

Gwen — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:20:38 +0000

Today I turned 37 and I begin my 38th year of life. In many ways for me my birthday is much more significant as a start to a new year than January 1st. In fact my birthday is second only to the start of a new school year for the feelings of newness.

Today I was woken by my five year old and was entertained with his reading of the birthday card he picked out for me. It is a card that keeps unfolding until it has a huge heart saying “I Love You.” Aidan read this to me in the best voice, that sounded a lot like an Ethel Mermen (sp?) imitation, not that either of us have actually heard her real voice. He then asked me how old I was. When I told Aidan that I was 37 he asked in all seriousness, “Is 37 more than 100?” I tell you we had a quick lesson in counting and less than greater than with regards to 37 and 100. I am happy to report that Aidan now knows definitively that 37 is MUCH less than 100.

It is now really late and the post I was planning with a recap of things I accomplished as a 36 year old and a list of goals for my year as a 37 year old will have to wait until tomorrow. Until then Happy Birthday to me and a big thank you to my mom for having me.

An Ugly Day

Gwen — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:45:41 +0000

Today I had what I call an ugly day. Not a day in which other people are ugly to me, not a day where my surroundings are ugly, but a day where I feel ugly.

I try really hard not to take myself too seriously, and I try to ignore my weight and just wear clothes that suit my body type. Some times though I look at myself in the mirror, look at my hair with no style because I am growing it out, the spot(s) on my face, the redness of my cheeks, the puffy round face and I think my god that person is ugly. Then I cry.

When I don’t worry about my weight and just eat normally I tend to lose between 10 to 15 pounds. My clothes fall off at the waist and I start to care about whether or not I can go down another size. As soon as I start to care, take notice, my 10 to 15 pounds comes right back on. Then I end up where I am now, with a wardrobe that spans two sizes and neither fit well. I start feeling like I can never aspire to be a fashionable person because everybody knows fat people can’t be fashionable. Or well at least people with big busts and fat can’t be fashionable.

I look at some people and their blogs and tweets and while I think that it is fabulous that they are able to go down from their size 10 body, I must admit it makes me feel even worse about myself. I know that that is not the intention of these tweets and blog posts at all. They are just telling the author’s stories. They are not making judgements about how I look. They are talking about how they aren’t comfortable in the bodies they have now and how they want to change them.

I guess part of the reason I feel bad when I read these posts is that I would love to be the 165 pound girl that moved to BC 12 years ago. How can I aspire to be a 165 pound girl and have it be enough? It is ok to want to be a size 11? Should I be aspiring to be a 120 pound girl? Will it make me feel any better about myself or will I still have the same insecurities that come from having a large bust and a squishy stomach area?

Sigh. I will just chalk this up to an ugly day and go on from there. I know my husband thinks I am attractive, and my boys love me for who I am. That is a lot. Now I just need to fix my brain.

I Dream of Sleep

Gwen — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:34:27 +0000

I am coming up to the year and a half mark of little or no sleep. When I do sleep it is only a few hours at a time and let me tell you I am a woman who needs her sleep. I love sleep. I love the way it feels to wake up after a full 8 to 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I love the way it feels to have enough rem sleep. I love being able to remember even a few of my dreams, well at least for a few minutes.

I dream about being able to sleep for more than two hours at a time. I marvel at how amazing even three hours feels. I dream about not having to listen to an audiobook to get back into a sleeping patten. I dream of comfy sheets and pillows and darkened rooms and sleep, beautiful sleep.

I dream about being so well rested that it isn’t difficult to balance my other passions in life, my husband, my kids, writing. I want to have enough energy so that I am fully engaged with my kids. I want to have enough energy so that I can concentrate on more than one thing at a time, and maybe be able to articulate myself again.

I dream of so much sleep that I can discover new passions and rediscover old ones. I want to be energetic and enjoy being outside. I want to be able to take an evening class in jewelry making or photography and feel like I am giving the artistic side of my personality a chance to shine again. I want to be able to sing again. I want to feel like singing again.

I dream of a time when I am once again a woman with passions. I dream of being a better woman than I am now. I dream of sleep.

***********************

This post was inspired and written for Mabel’s Labels Blogher ‘10 Contest. The premise is this: Electrical storms are going to wipe out the Internet (perhaps forever). You have one day left to write about your passions: what do you want to say to the blogosphere in 300 words or less?

The grand prize is a fully paid trip to the BlogHer conference in NY, including airfare, hotel and conference pass, and a year’s blogging contract for the Mabel’s Labels blog.

Wish me luck and sleep.

Gwen

Olympic Torch Relay: A Chance For Aidan to Shine

Gwen — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:55:27 +0000

When Anthony and I moved to Vancouver almost 13 years ago we knew we loved the city, but plans for after his PhD were murky. When Vancouver got the games seven years ago all we knew is that we really wanted to stay and experience the games as much as we could. When Aidan was born we knew he would be almost five and this would be an even better experience and boy were we right. Aidan has been so excited about the 2010 winter Olympic Games, especially when we went down and got the boys (and us) some Canadian Olympic gear.

Aidan and Quinlan in their Olympic Gear

On Thursday we got the chance to see the Olympic Torch Relay up close in two spots. We decided early on that Quinlan, Aidan and I would go to Vancouver City Hall to see the torch and take in the atmosphere of anticipation. I was a little apprehensive because of the threat of protesters ruining it for everyone, but I decided to be positive and we invited some of Aidan’s preschool friends to go with us. Jasmine (Veronica’s mom) told me she was making a torch for Veronica and that inspired me to make a torch/magic wand for Aidan and Quinlan. I also realized that I had 3 white pirate hats leftover from Aidan’s birthday party last year so I made the 3 kids some Olympic hats. I think they were the cutest kids there. Thankfully Keiko (Shinto’s mom) was there as well since she had the working camera.

Getting Cookies and Hot Chocolate at City Hall

Aidan was so well decked out that he was tapped to be part of the pre-show. He and Veronica were picked by some of the city of Vancouver staff as the the “best red” kids. We asked that they let Shinto come up too since they were all together and we let him wear Aidan’s jacket. They were called up to the stage (the steps of city hall) and they ran through the gauntlet that the torch runner would go through. Aidan started his “Go, Canada, Go!” cheer.

Go CANADA!!!!

I almost cried I was so happy for Aidan. He always wants to be picked to go up on stage and he finally got his chance. They then ran back to cheers and clapping while they waved their flags and torches. It was the best feeling.

Running Back Through the Gauntlet to Cheers.

We then waited and the kids did the “Go, Canada, Go!” dance. We were very lucky and it didn’t start raining until just as the torch went by us.

Go Canada Go Dance

Look at the Torch!

Right after the torch went by, we had a quick hot chocolate to warm up and then Quinlan, Aidan and I headed up to UBC so we could see the torch as it came through. As a bonus we would get to experience it all together since we picked up Anthony at work. Unfortunately this experience wasn’t quite as fun since it was pouring and it was cold. It was a bit better for actually seeing the flame however, so I am not sure which was better.

By the Forestry Building in the Pouring Rain

Getting Excited to see the Torch Again

We didn't see the police escort at city hall, but here it is massive.

It looks like we don’t have any pictures of the actual torch, but we did get it on video!

I think all in all it was a fabulous way to start our Olympic weekend.

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Related: Aidan, Anthony, Firsts, Gwen, My Boys, Quinlan, Vancouver, Vancouver 2010 Olympics, milestones.

Olympic Photo Walk

Gwen — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:40:25 +0000

Today Aidan, Quinlan and I headed out to take in some of the Olympic ambiance around Vancouver. We headed east on Broadway, down Cambie, on the Canadaline from Olympic Village to Waterfront, around Canada Place, back up to Yaletown Roundhouse, and then after walking through David Lam park back onto the skytrain back across the water home. I took a lot of pictures and while some of them are mediocre at best, some of them I really like.

Oh! Canada

Aidan on our walk.

Blue Skies Ahead on the Olympic Lane

Aidan told me to take this picture. I thought I'd make it arty.

A 2010 Olympic bus Mommy!!

Showing our colours.

I love this shot and I am not sure why.

Waterfalls at the Fairmont Waterfront

My happy boys.

The Olympic Village with all the flags including the boxing kangaroo.

Showing our pride with a sweat knit by my great-grandmother for me when I was little.

One of these days I will get some better pictures of the boys together and some more of Quinlan by himself. It is just so hard to chase after him on the playground now, well at least with a camera in tow.