I have a girl crush!

I can now say I have an official girl crush on Michelle Trantina. Michelle is a Vancouver-based yoga instructor who stars in Namaste Yoga and is co-founder of My Yoga Online a yoga-based lifestyle website.

I wonder if I can get a body like this through yoga alone? Hmmm...I don't know??
She is in awesome shape...jealous much? Heheh

I think it is time I quit blogging so much about yoga and get my butt up and do it!! Lol!

Yogi Jenna?

So as I mentioned last week, I have started to try this yoga thing......do y'all think I will EVER be able to pull off these moves! Ahhhh!!!! They look impossible!!!

Umm...maybe after like a year of stretching...
Mmmm....I think NEVER!!!
Besides from being a crazy pose, I think this photo is super cool!

Rock Slide!

Gimme a big ole HOLY CRAP to this one! Last night at about 10:30 a huge chunk of mountainside crumbled and fell onto the highway, railroad, and into the ocean about 10km from my house. Pieces of rock the size of big trucks fell, thankfully not injuring any commuters! A bus was driving by as the slide started and thankfully the driver hit the gas and got through with all the windows broken on one side. Transportation officials are saying the road will be closed for at least 5 days! This highway is pretty much the only route to Squamish/Whistler, so everyone there is stranded until then, unless they want to drive through BC's interior! Thankfully for me, the slide happened North of us, or we would be stranded too....but on the other hand I would be missing work....lol!

Look how big the rocks are compared to the massive truck to the left!
They are going to start to blast the rocks apart and push them into the ocean below!
Scary!

Namaste

Lately I've noticed a yoga show on tv in the mornings as I get ready for work. It seem so calming and serene, so I figured I really should try this yoga thing out. I downloaded Season 1 of Namaste Yoga (the show I keep seeing) and I tried out episode 1 today. I am VERY new to yoga and have never really practiced much before. I absolutely loved my first go, so I think I am gonna get addicted to this show!

Check out the gorgeous locations they shoot at!

Not gonna brag, but it is all filmed in the Vancouver-area! They really pick beautiful places to practice!
I figure it is about time I try yoga out, I do live in the city that started Lululemon right? The thousands of people practicing yoga here everyday can't be wrong! Now to find some cute yoga gear...

Here is a link to the show:

http://www.namaste.tv/yoga.html

and to Kate Potter, the instructor who desings the workouts:

http://www.katepotteryoga.ca/

Travel Bug!

Cael and I are hoping to do a little travelling this fall. First up, Cael really wants to take me to Toronto to visit his brother and grandparents. Apparently Ontario is absoultely gorgeous in the autumn with all of the orange, yellow and gold leaves falling!

Hopefully we will be planning another trip to Guayabitos, Mexico. We went last year with my parents and sister and had a great time! Guayabitos is on the west coast of Mexico about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta.
Sayulita - an awesome hole-in-the-wall surf town.
My big trip (dream trip) is a month-long driving tour of New Zealand. I have always wanted to visit New Zealand ( I think it may have stemmed from watching Babe the pig movie when I was really little LOL!! Babe was filmed there).

Canterbury Plains
The Remarkables
Apparently New Zealand is quite similar to British Columbia (my home province). We both have warmer coasts and huge mountain ranges.
What kind of visit would it be if I didn't visit the Hobbit holes?? (NERD!!!)
There are so many different climates and landscapes to see b/c New Zealand is one of the youngest countries in the world due to the volcanic activity. You can surf one day on the north coasts and ski on the south island the next. One day!!!

Romping with the kiddies!

I spent a few hours today hanging out with my friend Serena and her two kiddies Keith and Ayyah. We took the kids to The Orchard and let them go wild in the grass! They go crazy in the open space! We had an adventure with a tiny mouse and checked out a puddle full of tadpoles. Quite the fun day for all of us! :)

Relaxing for a sec.
Thirsty after running like mad!
Running the "bases" after hitting a homer with her T-Ball set.
Investigating a random rope that Papa left out...

Hummingnerd!

A few weeks ago I got a new camera and I've been attempting to learn how to use the sucker slowly. I have a week off work, so I decided to come up to the Coast and spend it with Cael. He has got a crazy herd of hummingbirds that live nearby and I have made it my mission of the week to get some good shots of these little guys.

The first 2 shots are not my pics, but I thought they were pretty good. They are called Rufous Hummingbirds.

Female
Male

Messing w/shutterspeed and apeture on the camera.

As you can see I am quite a nerd for these little guys. I have never in my life been a bird watcher, but up here with civilization 1/2 an hour away and no tv, these guys are pretty entertaining. They are a great subject to try at catch for a beginner photographer like me :)

Putting a dent (just a small one) in my wallet!

So I really haven't bought any clothes lately because I am trying to pare down my wardrobe for my move, but I just couldn't resist these babies from Forever 21. I have coveted the cardigan top for months since I saw it online but missed out because it sold out so fast. I check out the site today, and there it is! Yay! I had to get it in black and cream! I got the cute tote to use for errands/shopping. I hate going to a book store or the drug store and getting a plastic bag for 3 items! I am going to keep this in my car for all emergency shopping stops! This will hopefully be one of my few buying binges for the summer, so I hope I love them! Keep on shopping!

"Green" Container Homes???

In a few years' time, Cael and I are hoping to build a home. We want to build something that is cost-effective, Green, and attractive. I have been looking at designs for a while now, and I stumbled across shipping container architecture. Some awesome companies in the States and New Zealand are creating gorgeous homes made of recycled containers! We've looked into these more and more, and realized that this is something that could really work for us! Cael is a carpenter and could do some great things with a few of these babies! I love the idea of building a home that is so creative and unique! I had to put this one in b/c of the grass on the roof!

You would never know that this one is an old shipping container!

Here are a couple of links to some great websites:

http://www.containerarchitecture.co.nz/index.html

http://www.shipping-container-housing.com/

What a Wonderful World!

Here are some random pics I took over the weekend on the Coast.

Trying out the new camera on some Fox Gloves.
Action shot!

There are tons of hummingbirds at Cael's place right now. They fly around dive-bombing people and stopping to look at anything colourful like turn signals on a car or a bright shirt. It is hard work trying to catch these little guys on film!

The view from Cael's yard. You can see Vancouver Island in the background.

Secret Cover Marina. The island in the background is Thormanby. It has the BEST beach ever (Bucaneer Bay)!

Trailer Life!

And now for something a little more pleasant...Later this summer I am moving to the Sunshine Coast with Cael. For the time being, we are going to be living in his monster 5th wheel trailer. I like to think of it as pulling a "McDreamy". I am sure some of you watch Grey's Anatomy! This pic just does not do the place justice b/c it was from the first day or two he moved there. Now we have a nice pation set out front, a chiminea, flowers, and a hummingbird feeder. I am so excited to call it home! It is so amazing to wake up and not hear a sound besides the wind and the birds. I am so excited to be out there and start (attempting) to grow my own fruit and veggies! I am also hoping to start a compost pile if I can get the local bear population to agree to stay out!

RIP little turtle! *WARNING A LITTLE GROSS*

So as I posted before, I looove to make sushi with friends. Living in Vancouver, I have access to all the sort of crazy fish and accessories you need to make it. I went to T&T Supermarket (an Asian specialty store) today with my friend Lauren. We make it to the frozen seafood aisle and start picking out salmon sashimi...I look to my right and lo and behold is a freakin frozen turtle. I know people do eat this little creatures, but imagine our horror to be face to face with one of these poor souls. I had to take a pic to show this awful site to show my sushi-making friends. Poor little guys :( I am that much happier to be a vegatarian today.

Beautiful Me!

One of my favorite beauty lines lately is definitely Alba Botanica. These products are made with tropical fruit extracts, nourishing plant oils and certified organic aloe vera that smell absolutely delicious and make my skin feel great! The HoneyDew Hair wash and the Mango Vanilla Cream Shave smell just like tropical tanning lotions, (which I adore the smell of but never use)! They are very well priced and available at a ton of drug stores. Even better yet....they are fully commited to being an eco-friendly company!

I got this from their site:

Office and Warehouse are 100% Solar Powered. (YAY!)

Comprehensive Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Policy and Practices. * Recycle Printer Cartridges, Bottles and Cans. Proceeds Donated to Non-Profits.* Purchase and Use Recycled Office Paper with minimum 35% Post-Consumer Content.* We Now Use New Leaf (Recycled) Paper for Our Printed Promotional Materials.

As a result, in 2007, we have saved:

...............73 fully grown trees

...............42,942 gallons of water

...............51 million BTU's of energy

...............3,621 pounds of solid waste

...............9,140 pounds of greenhouse gases

...............and counting....*

BONUS: They are 100% cruelty-free and use vegatarian ingredients! :)

Check out http://www.albabotanica.com/ to feel like a tropical princess and support a great company!

I forgot Aaron Chang!!

I forgot one of my fave photogs Aaron Chang! This man is AMAZING! He focuses mainly on surfing-related photography. He gets right in the waves with the surfers to catch some awesome photos! You can check out Aaron's photo gallery here:

http://www.aaronchanggallery.com/index2.cfm

Aaron also is a swimwear designer. Who else would know swimwear better than a guy who spends so much time in the ocean? Another huge bonus...Aaron is working on designing more eco-friendly suits! Check out this blurb from his swimwear site :

http://www.aaronchang.com/default.aspx

Recycled Polyester:In our effort to develop processes that minimize damage to the environment, we have sourced polyester yarns made from waste materials such as recycled plastic bottles. These yarns divert waste from landfills and reduce toxic emissions from incinerators. This creates less air, water and soil contamination, while eliminating the concept of waste.
This is the world's most sophisticated technology for chemical recycling and enables the decomposition and purification of post consumer plastic bottles into a pure polyester raw material -- equivalent to that produced from petroleum, but without spilling an unnecessary drop of oil.
All of our Aaron Chang swimwear, rashguards and boardshorts are made from recycled polyester fabric. We invite you get involved!

Check out his site for more eco-friendly info!