my name

Well it is cold here in Edmonton and I was getting a little bored of being in my house and I thought I would google my name, yip that is the kind of thing you do when it is -40 with the wind chill. I was thinking of my name because this cashier today said it was "interesting", and when she said interesting she said it with the undertones of it being interesting in a bad way. But don't worry I still love my name and especially after I read the last line in the definition of Kasha that I found online on Wikipedia. I had not heard this one before.

The definition of Kasha from Wikipedia:

Kasha is a porridge made with wheat, buckwheat, oats, millet, rice, potatoes, etc. Kasha is one of the oldest known meals in Eastern European cuisine, at least a thousand years old, and second in its significance only to bread. It is a common filling for a knish.
The word "kasha" is commonly used in modern American English to describe roasted whole-grain buckwheat or buckwheat groats, a misnomer. The misnomer probably originated with Jewish immigrants, as "kashi" (a plural form, literally translating into "porridges") and is sometimes sold in US supermarket as "Jewish national food".
The meaning of the word kasha in Slavic languages does not refer specifically to buckwheat groats, but a whole family of porridges (although buckwheat porridge was one of the earliest known examples of kashas). One notable example of this is the Russian "Guryevskaya Kasha", which is believed to have been invented by the chef of the Russian Minister of Finance Dmitry Guryev in the early 1800s. The exact recipe is rather complex, but essentially it is a viscous semolina porridge, mixed with sugar, vanilla, nuts and pieces of fruit ( apricots).

Kasha is also a female name in some parts of the world.

Kasha is also a commonly used term for "bestest" in certain parts of the world

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasha

not ready for winter

This morning when I woke up and looked out my window this is what I saw...



Yip everything covered in snow. I have never been the biggest fan of snow and winter but when it comes in October I like it even less. Hopefully this snow is not here to stay, however, it sure felt like it was here to stay today with the wind blowing and the crisp temperatures.

Thanksgiving in Vancouver

This year for Thanksgiving my mom and I decided to fly to Vancouver for the weekend to spend some time on the west coast with my sister. Besides getting sick, it was a fun weekend full of shopping, a visit to the VanDusen Botanical Gardens, a pedicure for my mom's birthday (which was the same weekend), and an adventurous pumpkin pie making quest.



My sister and I drinking JJ Bean coffee... the mocha even had chocolate whip cream.


Bobbi and I took mom out for a pedicure for her birthday.


My mom and I.


My mom with her feet in the ocean.


My mom and I.

My Summer

Ok Bobbi, here it is - I am now a blogger.

This summer was a little different for me... it was my first summer not to work. For the past few summers I have had either courses to complete or have taken on summer jobs to fill my summer holidays (oh the joys of working for the school board). So instead of working I decided to just enjoy two months of doing whatever I wanted to do before starting my new job. I did a bit of camping, lots of reading and hanging out with friends and family, enjoyed the many Edmonton summer festivals and even went on a few road trips back to Esterhazy.

Here are a few pictures from my summer.

July long weekend camping trip to Nordegg.

Janna and Ryland's wedding in Esterhazy- July 22 -
Mandy, me, Janna, Allison and Amy. It is not very often that I get to hang out with my old high school friends so it is great when one of us gets married and we can have a little reunion and catch up on each others lives.

The Corner Gas set in Rouleau, SK (or as it is known on Corner Gas, Dog River)

Uncle Gord and I at The Ruby

Adam and Helen at Taste of Edmonton

Camping trip to Buffalo Lake. Adam, Cam, Mark, Jeremy, me, Mo and Heather.

My cousin Amanda got married this summer back in Esterhazy. Here I am with her and her husband David.

Here I am with my cousins, Jeremy and Robin at Amanda and David's wedding.

Robin and Adam at the gift opening in Aunty Jeannette and Uncle Doug's back yard.

Here I am with my little buddy Shabyn; I do love this kid. The other day I was babysitting him and he asked me if I had a baby. I told him that I did not have any kids and we talked about babies for awhile and then he says to me "well when you pop one out... I'd love to see it." Such a funny kid.

Me, Adam and Bobbi after eating Alberta beef at the Outback.


My little brother Adam and I at the Outback Steakhouse.


Helen and Bobbi - out for supper