We had a baby!

Hello Nelly Belliers!

Well a lot has changed since I last posted on July 31st! Yikes! I'm going to skip the boring updates, because nothing compares to the fact that we now have a beautiful baby girl! Yes, that's right, I'm a new mum and I love it! Our daughters name (it still feels somewhat crazy to say that I have a daughter) is Ella (middle name Louise) and she is absolutely gorgeous. She was born in October so she just recently turned 5 weeks old. Time is already whipping by!

Ella Louise & my blog

I'm not going to regurgitate what I wrote on my new 'Baby' page. I am simply going to direct you to the link. :) This new page is my blog post for today and I hope it gives you a better understanding of where I am with life and blogging. Let the new journey begin... click here to read about Ella, becoming a mum, and the new direction of my blog and YouTube videos.

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"Having a baby is a life-changer. It gives you a whole other perspective on why you wake up every day." ~ Taylor Hanson

4 Months - Gone Like the Wind

Hello Nelly Belliers!

I'm not sure what made me log onto my blog today, possibly the fear that it would take me months to clean up my email account... but I have to say that I was completely shocked that I haven't posted a blog in 4 months! It's amazing how fast time can pass you by! I thought 'no, this can't be right, there must be a mistake with blogger' - but alas it is true.

What has happened in 4 months?

1. We have moved to the other side of Canada.

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

2. We found a place to live (after  my family kindly took us in - Nelly and all).

3. The love of my life proposed to me and we are now officially engaged!

4. I housed a baby and am now in my third trimester and the nugget bump is getting bigger and bigger each day! (We call her nugget as a nickname)

5. I started a new job but with a company I have worked for before. I am loving it. Definitely lucked out there!

6. We found out we are having a precious little girl - and we have chosen a name... we won't be revealing this until she is born though. So stay tuned!

7. Nelly is now called Nelson - just kidding! She is doing well, aside from having to deal with my hormones. I've posted some pics below so you can see how grown up she is now!

8. My niece turned 9! 

9. I finally bought a crock pot and can't wait to try out some new recipes. Stay tuned for those as well.

I think that's a good update for the time being. I just wanted to check in and say that I am still here, and that I have not, nor will not forget about my blog. It will continue.... starting now!

PICS

A little recap of the past 4 months in photo format. Enjoy!

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"Dachshunds are ideal dogs for small children, as they are already stretched and pulled to such a length that the child cannot do much harm one way or the other." ~ Robert Benchley

Guess Who's Back? Me!

Hello Nelly Belliers!

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted a blog. Life has been hectic to say the least. 

I thought it was about time that I filled you all in on at least one major thing that's happening in our lives right now. I think not being able to talk about certain things (due to the right timing, etc) has been part of the reason that my blogs have been on pause. It's hard when you can't talk about the major things that are happening in your life. It almost feels like you are forcing yourself to talk about things because you can't talk about the truth. Well the good news is that I can finally share something with you all..........

We are moving! Now, you may be thinking what's the big deal? Well, we are moving across the country! I finally convinced my lovely man to move away from his family and friends, so that I could be closer to mine. Selfish much? He he. Seriously though, he is AMAZING for agreeing to this major life decision (definitely the man of my dreams), but he definitely wouldn't do it just for me. He wants a change as well and we are both excited for this new adventure. We also didn't make this decision over night. We have been mulling it over for months and months, making hundreds of pro and con lists, and then finally one day we said "ok let's do this". They say in life you'll know when you know, and that was the case for us (although at some point you do need to make a decision or everything will remain as is).

I think the best thing to do in life is remember that nothing is set in stone. If for some reason it doesn't work out, we can always come back. That's been one of the motto's for my life, which has allowed me to move to different places in Canada and to New Zealand, and which has allowed me to push myself and expand my comfort zones. I highly recommend it! 

We have so much to do and so little time. We are driving across Canada in about 1 months time! Lots of purging, packing, and passing stuff on to family to do! I am going to try and vlog our drive across the country, but if for some reason the video thing doesn't work out, I will definitely blog our journey. Hopefully you guys will enjoy seeing what Canada has to offer!

What do urine samples and Canadian beer have in common? The taste.

NELLY

Nelly is now 10 months old and she is excited for the big move (well at least that's what I think she's saying to me when she stares at me with a blank "what is this woman talking about" look). I know she is going to love the west coast lifestyle. She will get to do lots of hiking, and there will be so many new smells to enjoy (especially the ferns).

What do I love about Nelly now? She is still very sweet and loves all people and all dogs. She definitely has an amazing temperament and all she wants to do is love, love, love. She has also been a quick learner of our new "no more coming up on the couch" rule. We have implemented this rule for a few reasons, one being that she won't be allowed up on the couch where we are living temporarily due to the lovely leather fabric that she would scratch up in two seconds. We only had to tell her about two or three times, and that was that. She has her dog bed on the floor, and she is totally fine. It just goes to show you what we think we know about dogs isn't always true.

What am I not loving about Nelly right now? Nelly is food obsessed. I know some of you are going to say all dogs are, or that your dog is too, but I am honestly talking about a whole new level of obsession. To the point where family and friends have said to me "wow she really is food obsessed" or "I thought my dogs were bad". We are trying to work on this, but it's really hard. I am constantly watching her and sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm hoping she will grow out of it a bit. We shall see!

What's new with Nelly's physique and health? Nelly is tiny. Ironically, we actually asked for the biggest puppy, but clearly we got the runt (which is totally fine). Go runts go! She is probably not going to grow any more, other than filing out. The upside of this is that it's easy to travel with her! She is compact and easy to carry. The next update is that Nelly has had some issues recently with food allergies. We had to take her off her Acana puppy food and she is now a vegetarian (she is obviously adopted since I am a meatatarian). We bought this special food from the vet that is for dogs with allergies, and it seems to be working. I can't remember the name of it right now, but I will make sure to find for an upcoming blog post!

PICS

Who doesn't love a good pic? Here's a bunch from the past while to catch you up on things!

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"Learn a lesson from your dog - No matter what life brings you, kick some grass over that shit and move on." ~ Someecards

The aquarium, crazy transit rides, and..................... Nelly got a make-over!

Hello Nelly Belliers!

I'm baaaaaaaack. Since it has been a while since I have put up a blog post, I have lots of random updates and stories, so please bare with the randomness that's about to occur.

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day! What did everyone get up to? Chris took the day off work and we went for a delicious brunch and then we headed to the brand-new Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada (pictures below). It is supposed to be one of the biggest aquariums in North America - but I'm not sure what number it would be in the line-up. I know the aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia is supposed to be the biggest in North America. If anyone knows where the Ripley's Aquarium of Canada falls, post below! Anyhoo, the best part was the glass that curved over top of us as we rode the conveyor belt for a good 20 minutes. We had sharks (including saw sharks), stingrays, and a bazillion types of fish swimming around and above us. The worst part was how busy it was, but that's expected. Overall I would definitely recommend going if you have never been before. It is fairly pricey, but since it is something you probably wouldn't be doing that often, it's worth it, and if you have kids they will love it. We had a really fun day, and I love that Chris took the day off to spend with me, and that he put thought into the day. For me, that's a million times more special than a bunch of roses.

Crack-a-Lackin

A few week-ends ago my week-end started off on a crack-a-lackin note. I was taking transit home from work and literally saw someone smoking crack at the back of the streetcar. I had to do a triple take because I was convinced that I was just seeing things due to my extreme tiredness of the work week, but nope, it was not an apparition! It was real! It wasn't long before the fella got off transit, so I didn't have time to tell the driver... but boy was it a shocker! Definitely a first in my entire life!

Here she comes Miss Canada.... Nelly got a make-over!

We decided to take Nelly to the groomers today. The harsh winter conditions took a toll on her and she also needed her buttox glands emptied (gross, but common). She got a wash and dry, her nails clipped, a trim (in all the Westie areas), and of course the dreaded glandular procedure. She honestly looks and smells like a new dog (I think she smells better than us!). Not only does she smell like a fresh garden, but Nelly could definitely enter a beauty contest now. The cutest part was that they put a sort of pink bandanna on her. I will be keeping it on as long as possible, it is tres chic!

I HIGHLY recommend taking your dog to the groomer once in a while (and definitely when your dog has glandular issues). We wash her ourselves all the time, but it's not the same. They obviously have the right facilities, the right techniques, and the right tools to get the job done right (can I say right one more time? ohhhh just did). Also, unless you want to empty those sacks yourself (yuck!) then you have to take your puppy or dog to the groomers to get it done (they could become infected so it's very important to go as soon as you notice something is wrong). You can also get your vet to empty them, but it probably ends up being more expensive and your four-legged friend doesn't get a day at the spa!

Lovin' it / Not into it

Last night we watched a marathon of "Hello Ladies". If you haven't heard of this TV show, it was created by Stephen Merchant, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky and is basically about a Brit who moves to Los Angeles looking for love (or sometimes just some fun if you know what I mean). It is extremely well written and you will definitely laugh out loud when you watch it. Unfortunately it was cancelled in January of this year, but they will be doing a special ending to wrap up the series. There is a slight silver lining to this dark cloud. Frankly I am shocked that it was cancelled and highly disappointed. It was one of the few great shows out there!

Sadly, things have taken a turn with my view on Juan Pablo (the current Bachelor). The more that I watch him, the more that I feel like he is a bit of a slime-ball (kissing bandit), and with each episode I find it harder to understand what possible conversations he could be having with these girls (and how these girls are staying awake on their dates). There doesn't seem to be any depth or realness in this particular season. Yes, I know we can't expect much from a reality show, but in terms of every past season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, this has to be the worst in regards to seeing any type of real connection (beyond lip connection). My sister and I will still post our comments on upcoming episodes, but they may take a bit longer as Chris and I just got rid of our cable (I will watch upcoming episodes online)! Yahoooo! A great feeling. Say no to cable.

If you're looking for an online recipe resource, then I highly recommend checking out New Zealand Woman's Weekly website. They offer a wide variety of recipes, and they are constantly updating them so things never grow old. Also, you'll get some great international recipe ideas (unless you are from there of course). I get really bored with the same old Canadian websites, so I am always on the search for new little hidden gems. I used to make a lot of their recipes when I was living in New Zealand, so not only do I get to cook things from another place, but it also brings back a lot of memories for me. My flatmates in Auckland and I used to take turns cooking every night, and we would each pick a different place in the world and create a dish inspired by our chosen location. Definitely a happy time for me, and every meal was mouth watering! What recipe websites do you like to use? Post below!

Duh Duh Duh Duhhhhh [Insert Sound of Trumpets]

I will definitely be more consistent with posting blogs and getting back into my vlogging. Things have been a wee bit hectic, but thankfully things have calmed down a bit so I can get back on track. Also, I will definitely have more exciting things to talk about VERY soon! So stay tuned. Because I have been a tad slack, I have posted extra photographs on this post to make up for it.

Photographs from A to Z

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"The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants." ~ Johnny Depp