Loosin' a Boosom

Can you imagine loosing your boobs?
On September 8, 2010 my mother underwent a mastectomy at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital.
She was having a hard time dealing with the fact that for some time she would only have one breast. (Temporarily of course)
And it was hard for me to hear her trying to deal with it and work through it.
I missed my first day of school so I could be there for my mom, and when she woke up, she was relieved, but also sad, and of course my mom cried.
I held back my emotion and tried to make light humor of the situation, she cracked a smile, but I could still see the pain in her eyes. I felt heart broken for my mother because no one should have to experience this, no one should have to experience cancer, period.
My mother is quite possibly the most caring, sweetest, outgoing and loving person you could meet.
And she continues to inspire and touch the lives of many who she meets. And I know once her journey is complete and she conquers cancer, she will inspire and bring hope to others who have to go through this life changing experience.
The support my mother has received from friends and family has been truly touching, even the support that I have received has been truly touching. So thank you to all of you that have reached out to my mom and family, your kind sentiments and thoughts of healing give us all hope.
My mom's next challenge is chemo. She will receive it on September 30Th, and I know she is scared and I am scared for her! But we will all make it through!

A Tribute to my Mother

Here is another speech I wrote for speech class!

She is my best friend who’s always got my back, she is the shield that protects me from harm, she is the motivational speaker who fills me with inspiration, when I need someone to lean on, she is a shoulder to cry on, she is all these things and more, she is my mother. Life wouldn’t be the same without Sandy standing by, and no one deserves more praise than my mom. It’s not what she does for me that makes her so special, but it’s what she teaches me that makes her one of a kind. She has taught me to be a forgiving, kind and loving person. So today, I am going to tell you about my mom and how she embodies a forgiving, kind and loving character.
I am a major klutz. And unfortunately, it never fails that when my mom goes out of town that I will break or trash something of hers by accident. I have broken my mom’s brand new cups, collector items, tea pots, TV, wedding pictures and the list goes on. I always panic and rush to try and mend what I have destroyed before she can make the disastrous discovery, but in the end she always seems to find out. I can remember one time, my mom had this collector’s tea light holder sitting on the living room table, and of course, I had to knock it off the table and break it. I rushed to Home Hardware and bought ceramic glue to patch it all up. I thought I was in the clear because time went by and there was no mention of a broken collector’s item. But then, three years later my mom asked me about my dirty little secret. My mom was neither upset nor mad, and I was shocked, because it was something I had kept from her, she just told me it wasn’t the end of the world, and that it’s just “stuff.” This has taught me so much about forgiveness, because no matter how big or small what I have done is, my mom will forgive me and not hold a grudge. She has taught me that holding grudges is not worth the energy because in the end, by holding a grudge, you may be losing out on something more valuable, like a great friendship, than what was actually broken.
My mother is not just forgiving; she is the kindest person I know. She will go the extra mile for you and put your needs before hers, and whenever I am feeling distressed or miserable, Sandy will go out of her way to make me feel better. Have you ever experienced that nauseating, overwhelming and exhausting feeling you get when you can’t cry anymore because you’ve cried so much that there are no tears left. Well sadly, this has happened to me, and it is so horrible, but actually that feeling is not what I remember most about that day, what I remember most about that day is the kind things my mom had done to make me feel better. I dragged myself out of my dark room into the kitchen where I was met with the aroma of my mom cooking my favourite dinner for me. She had even bought me a bouquet of the most stunning stargazer pink and white lilies that I had ever seen. My mom rushed over to me and gave me a big hug and told me that it was going to be ok. That’s all I needed to feel better, it was these small little acts of kindness that changed the way I felt. My mom has a unique gift in that she is always able to make me feel better no matter what, her positive attitude and fun-loving personality is a contagious disease; you just can’t help but smile and feel better.
My mother’s contagious personality is accompanied by her never ending supply of love. There are no limits to a mother’s love and my mother is no exception to this. Even the modest things my mom does, illustrates just how much she loves me. Whenever I go and visit her in Lethbridge, she has bags and bags full of healthy groceries for me. When I tell her that it’s too much, she always tells me she would never want me to go without. And maybe this may seem simple and silly to some, but it always makes me feel loved and cared for. I know my mother would drive until the end of the earth to make sure that I was okay, swim across the ocean to be there when I needed her, or climb the highest mountain just to visit with me because she loves me.
My mom is the ice cream to my cake and the cement to my foundation. She is a person who has not only taught me about forgiveness, kindness and love, but also a person who represent’s these very characteristics. She is an exceptional mother and a dedicated and amazing best friend and quite the babe. I have learned so much from her, and as long as I have her, I know I’ll never be alone. My only hope is that I could grow up to be just like her.

Litter

In my final semester of 2010 I took a speech class. Here is the speech I gave on litter!

Imagine yourself driving through the mountains on a hot summer day, the green trees are whipping past you in your bright red convertible and the sun is shining in your face. You can hear the sounds of running water close by and you’re enjoying the sights of nature and the smell of the mountain fresh air. And suddenly, some one’s nasty, old chip bag smacks you right in the face. Isn’t that just a thing of beauty? Litter is the act of carelessly discarding trash in Canada’s parks, beaches, rivers, forests, streets and other natural environments. According to Stats Canada, it was estimated that each one of us Canadians generates 383 kg of waste, or 30 green garbage bags per year. That is why today I will be talking about the personal litter we contribute to this unsightly and damaging mess, and why it’s a habit we need to trash. I have always had a thing for litter. It all started when I was little, my mom and dad would pay me a whole shiny dollar to go around the neighbourhood and pick up all the litter that laid in the gutters and bushes. Ever since then, I have been the litter police, enforcing the litter laws. This matters to you because we all are lucky enough to share the beautiful and natural sights that our earth has to offer us, and nothing is worse than seeing a beer can floating in one of our many lakes and rivers. Littering is a safety and health issue for humans, harmful to our animal and marine life friends, and wastes away the earth’s natural beauty; these are all reasons why we need to stash the trash to ensure a clean and healthy future.


Littering is trashing our earth; it’s not only wasting away the natural beauty that we enjoy every day, but it is also creating harmful effects for humans. The Prague Post, a Czech Republic newspaper, suggests the following concerns of litter: If a child was to step on a discarded syringe, or even touch or ingest hazardous materials, they could be exposed to life changing diseases, infections or ailments. Litter also becomes a magnet for rodents and pests that can transmit diseases to humans. Rodents will make litter piles their homes and mating grounds, which increases vermin and pest populations, which increases the risk of humans contracting diseases. Not only does litter pose these health hazards, there are safety issues to consider. Cigarette butts create fire risks. The butts can be blown into brush, dry grass and other litter which could catch fire and leave people homeless; animals injured, and even leave permanent damage and scorching to natural landscapes.

When litter is not busy posing health and safety risks to humans, it’s having a harmful impact on animals and marine life. I can remember as a kid being told to cut up my dad’s six pack holders, so that small animals and fish won’t get tangled in them and suffocate. At the time, I didn’t understand why the six-pack holders would end up in the ocean if we were throwing them in the garbage. But according to David Osborne, coordinator of the United Nations global programme of action for the protection of the marine environment or the UNEP, as much as 80% of the pollution load in coastal waters originates from land-based activities. The UNEP Regional Seas Coordinating office states that plastic debris causes over one million seabird, and 100,000 marine mammal deaths every year due to suffocation or entanglement. Everything from toothbrushes, syringes and lighters have been found in these mammals stomachs. And if that isn’t unhealthy enough, litter causes toxicity to water supplies. Toxins from hazardous materials and cigarette butts seep into natural waterways. The water than becomes polluted, and according to Cathy Ives, the creator of Green Eco Services, an informational website that supports and inspires the green movement, toxins from cigarettes can persist in the environment for as long as some types of plastic, contaminating the very water we and our animal friends share. Litter is becoming part of our natural scenery and because of this; it has become a contributor to the depredation of natural environments, that’s why it’s important to understand the causes of litter.

And let’s just say there is a heaping pile of causes. I am going to discuss 3 common ones. According to the Prague Post, the first common cause is motorists and pedestrians using roadways instead of finding and using garbage cans. A second cause is illegal dumping or uncovered truckloads. Overloading or improperly secured loads can lead to objects being blown out of truck beds and personal trailers, also the unloading and disposing of these loads improperly, or in areas not meant for garbage collection becomes a source of trash. The third common cause is litter left at events like concerts or festivals. Large events draw large crowds, and these large crowds generate a large amount of trash that may be difficult to manage. Once the event is over and the crowds have left, the litter is usually carried into surrounding areas which is a problem for everyone. It’s crucial to understand what causes litter so that we can prevent this issue not just on a global scale, but on a local one as well.

These global and local impacts are leaving a stinky imprint on the earth and our communities. Some litter is not easily broken down, which is a source of many interconnected impacts on Mother Nature. According to Eco Services, it takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose, this seems like a lifetime, and is a major contributor to the issue of plastics filling the oceans. According to a press release written by Nick Nuttall, spokesperson for the UNEP, over 46,000 pieces of plastic litter are floating on every square mile of ocean today, this stresses the connection of plastic to the endangerment of animal and marine life alike. The press release suggests that 19 of 21 albatross species are endangered as well as several populations of fish and marine animals like tuna, ducks and the list goes on. These charming and innocent animals cannot protect themselves, that is why we need to be aware of where and what our waste really does, so we can take steps to ensure the existence of animal survival. Which brings me to the next consequence, you may not know it, but in fact litter is impacting Calgarians every day; Calgary is said to be one of the world’s worst polluters. According to journalist Shawn Logan for the Quebec Media Inc. Agency, in a report arranged for the United Nations, Calgary ranked in the top 50 global cities of worst polluters. This is giving our fair town a stinky rep and distorted image. It is obvious that we need to evaluate and take into consideration our own personal views of littering in order to give Calgary a clean rep and healthy future.

Clearly litter is a serious issue, but there are some easy steps we can take to prevent personal littering, and it starts with you! One person can make a big difference. If everyone was to recycle rather than trash recyclables litter would decrease tremendously, according to Eco Green Services, between 40-60% of litter are plastic bottles. Simply just using trash cans properly is an easy solution, make sure all trash makes it into the bins and that the bin lid is securely in place to avoid wind or animal interference. Be a re-user and not a user, use reusable containers instead of plastic wraps to make your lunch, use cloth grocery bags instead of plastic, and buy a reusable and safe water bottle instead of buying individual plastic ones. Another step to prevention is to just encourage others to be litter free! Get a group of friends together and take part in litter pick-up programs like Pitch-in week or the Alberta Annual Highway Clean up. And finally be a source of education. Share with friends and family the impacts and effects that litter has on our environment. These simple and easy steps can decrease the amount of trash laying around, allowing us to enjoy a more beautiful landscape, and a healthier environment for our future generations to live.

Now that we have gotten a dose of reality, I want you guys to get back in your red convertibles. You’re driving through the mountains; the sun is shining in your face. You can hear the sounds of a large water fall to the left of you, it’s clear, refreshing and you wish you could stop to dip your toes in, and as you speed by you notice a family of deer frolicking in a meadow and chewing on long, thick grass. You’re enjoying the sights of nature and the smell of the mountain fresh air, this time, no nasty old chip bag smacks you in the face. Now that is truly a thing of beauty!!

Let’s make this a reality; let’s not let litter become a part of earth’s natural landscape. So today I have shared with you why litter is a bad habit that we need to trash. Litter is a safety and health hazard for humans, harmful to our animal and marine life friends, and is wasting away the natural beauty of the earth, a place we call home. By getting involved, being aware, and using the trash, we can all make a difference. So let’s stash the trash and give Mother Nature her beauty back.

Rediscovering Reading

When I think of reading, I think of the hundreds of dollars I have spent on text books for school. And believe me, there is no enjoyment there!

However, recently I have taken up reading novels and have found that love that I had lost in all the clutter of text books, mp3 players, Facebook and TV. But so far this summer I have read 4 books, and they all have been great!

1. The Suicide Collectors by David Oppegaard- Think I am Legend with a cult twist.
2.Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith- Love and Zombies, what more can you ask for.
3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith- Your sequel to the above book. Classic literature with a gory take. Who says English literature has to be boring?
4. The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan- These aren't your pretty "Twilight" vampires.

The Strain actually is a trilogy, but the second book isn't available til September and I am already waiting for it! It was a page turner. I an not certain, but I think my next purchase may be Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan, or I was even thinking Dracula by Bram Stoker or Alice in Wonderland!

Be whoever you want to be, go wherever you want to go, and do whatever you want to do!
-B

Fighting Cancer

If you read my blog entitled "The C word," you would've found out that my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

On July 9, 2010, I waited in the hospital from 6:45 am to 7:00pm for my mother to have surgery. They were going to take out lymph nodes and breast tissue to test them for more cancer, and to see if it had spread.

The surgeons took out 2 lymph nodes, not because they were necessarily cancerous, but they just wanted a good sample to test to make sure.

As soon as my mother came out of the anesthesia, she immediately started crying because A. she had woken up and B. because the surgery was over and she felt good.

But just today, July 20.2010, my mother called me and told me she has to undergo chemo and also get a mastectomy (hopefully my spelling is correct). A mastectomy is where all her breast tissue be taken out to rid her of the abnormal cells that still plagues her breasts.

This news made me even sadder, I feel devastated that my mother has to go through this, she has even decided to go through a double mastectomy, just to ensure she never has to experience this, in her other breast,again!

I am not sure how to deal with this, my mother is in Lethbridge and I am all the way in Calgary, and when you are dealing with something like Cancer, the distance between us seems even further.

I feel alone and helpless, and I don't have anyone who can relate to this situation to talk to. When I tell people my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer, they just seem to think that it is so easy to fix, but I don't think that they realize what a life changing journey it is.

I am praying for my mom everyday. She is trying to stay positive and so I must to.

Lord, please watch over my mommy.

-B

A royal fail....

I love Mount Royal University! I love the people I have met and the facilities it has to offer me!

However, this summer I have become disappointed with the recreation centre!

I decided to get a membership there over the summer because it was going to cost me only 79.00, which is a great deal!

But it's just the small little things that made me think I should have got a membership at the World Health club, who was offering a student summer membership!

For example, the parking issue, they should offer students a gym parking pass that maybe costs 20 dollars for two months or even 20 dollars a month! Because paying 4 dollars every time gets costly. But if there was a special, cheaper parking pass for students, who are using the recreation facility during the summer, this wouldn't be a problem!

Also, one day I forgot my lock for my locker, so I went to the front and asked if they had a lock I could use. It was a dollar for the lock. Upon returning the lock, I didn't get my dollar back. I think that they should take the money as a deposit, but return the money once you have returned the lock!!! Why keep my dollar?! I returned your lock!

A few more things that could make the gym just a little bit more luxurious would be the addition of fans, when I am working out and all sweaty, I sure do love a good fan! And as for the upstairs, a few times I have forgotten my iPod at home and had the most boring work out because they do not play any music upstairs!

Don't get me wrong I love Mount Royal, it's a great school, and their recreation centre is great, but everything has it's flaws, and the recreation is no exception to this!!

Kick it up a notch!!

-B

Not Flattered

** Bertha is a made up name that has been created for privacy issues, Bertha is very fitting....

Bertha was a friend. I thought I was a good friend to Bertha, I came up for her birthday first year of college and since then have been her only friend to come to her birthdays, I lent her money so that she could pay for half of her spring semester, lent her money to pay for half her security deposit and have been nothing but a good friend!

However, Bertha has not been that great of a friend. I have been told that she spoke of me ill behind my back calling me a "goody, goody bitch." She gets mad at the drop of a hat, and the worst trait of all is that she is a major copy cat.

Not trying to toot my horn and make me seem like I am amazing and all that, but she copies everything that I do!

For example: One evening I mentioned that I was going to the mall the next day to buy blue eye shadow. Bertha asked me if it was possible if she could tag along, and I happily said sure. But while we were at the mall the next day all of the sudden Bertha says to me "My boyfriend wants me to get blue eyeshadow." All I could say was
ok....

Another example: I desperately wanted a crock pot... Bertha said in response "Why would you need a crock pot?" I replied "To make delicious soups!" Two days later Bertha says to me..."I told my mom I needed a crock pot for when I move into a new place." I asked her why SHE now needed a crock pot... her reply was simply "To make delicious soups!" I wanted to slap her!

I could go on forever about many of Bertha's copy attempts, people have told me that copying is one of the highest forms of flattery, but I am not flattered, I am annoyed to the max!

You be you and I'll be me. Why would you want to be me when I wouldn't want to be you.

-B

The "C" word

"Ami, I want to tell you something, but before I do, I just want to let you know that everything is going to be okay." Those are the words my mother said to me just before she burst out into tears.

It turns out my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I hate that word, as do most people who have been so unfortunate to either have been stricken with the disease, or lost someone to it.

I have been affected by it,just as many have, two years ago I was devastated when my Grandpa Bev was taken from us prematurely due to bone cancer, one of the most painful I hear.

I was so confused as to what my mom was talking about, luckily my father was there to help her tell me. My mother had surgery about 3 or 4 weeks ago now to remove a lump in her breast, that wasn't thought to be cancerous. But it was exactly opposite!

This devastated my mom and our visit wasn't like it usually was, full of fun. I tried to stay strong but couldn't help but cry, afterall this is my best friend we are talking about!

My mom wasn't her usual self, she would burst out bawling while out and about, she barely ate a thing when we would go out to eat, and when she met my boyfriends parents for the first official time, she seemed sad and distant!

I prayed for her every night and I cried hard, but realized God will only give you what you can handle, and I know that she was going to pull through!

But just this last Wednesday my mother called me bawling, her test are clear! She is in the clear, they still, however, need to do a surgery to remove more tissue and check her nodes, but things are looking up!

My mom is back to her normal self! She has more life in her step then she ever has. And I am thankful, because I could never loose my mother, she is my rock, my best friend and the person I share my dreams with. Her unconditional love and support means the world to me!

-Thanks be to God.

B

Making changes

I need to make a change.

The change I need to make is to tone up and loose the extra weight I have so recently acquired.

Lately I have fallen into bad eating habits, I used to be so good. I didn't eat sweets (well occasionally), no bread, no potatos, no fast food or french fries!

I work out not super regularly right now, but I do work out, and it's not worth anything unless I can control my eating!

I was doing so well, and then things went down hill. I moved into a new apartment and faced with stress I began to eat and over eat! It was devastating to me to see what I had done to myself! I was eating massive portions and these massive portions were making me unhappy. I was depressed, I could feel myself getting bigger but couldn't help myself, I was over indulging. After today there will be no sugar unless it's in fruit or yogurt.

There will be no bread

There will be no fast food or ice cream of any kind until I start to feel better about myself!

I WILL make this change!
I Will reach my goal!!
I WILL feel better about myself!

I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

-Feel Good, Live better!

B

Fun-due, Fondue!!!!

My best friend got married on May 30th. It was a beautiful ceremony held in our town Museum. I was the maid of honour and was so hounoured to be standing next to my best friend as she entered into marriage with the love of her life!

The night before her wedding I planned a girls night! I unfortunately was unable to attend her bachorlette party, so this was going to be the bride-to-be-party thrown by me!

My party was centered around fondue and margaritas!!

My aunt lent me her brand new Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville Margarita Machine.
The food fair that was present was chocolate fondue. To dip in the fondue we had tons of fruit: pineapple, apples, cantaloupe, grapes, and of course strawberries!
Also to dip was: rice krispie squares, marshmallows (which could be roasted over one of the fondue burners, and graham crackers! One could even make a s'more!
On the table in old fashion milkshake glasses I had 4 different flavours of 5 cent candies!

It was the greatest party ever and so much FUN! Everyone loved the Fondue fair! We ended the night playing a game of catchphrase, and then me and the girls retired to the basement, since we had to be up at 6am to get our hair done!

I love planning parties, and this one I especially enjoyed because it was for someone special. My best friend of 17 years, Heather!

I wish her and her Husband Pat a lifetime of happiness!!!

-Friends forever.
B

Warm Fuzzy!!!

"You look great today"
"I love your shoes, they are so cute!"
"Your new hair cut looks great!"
"Can I help you with that?"
"Here, let me get that!"

Share a warm fuzzy today, because you never know who's day you are going to make with a few kind, simple words. I have been making it my personal duty to give as many warm fuzzies out in a day that I possibly can. And the smiles that I receive from these kind words makes me feel better to!! Warm fuzzies can be gestures, actions, or words that are positive and kind! the thing about warm fuzzies is that they are not a one way street, you will reap many a reward by adding them into your daily routine! So go on, try a warm fuzzy on for size!!!


- Be kind in life and life will be kind to you
B

The perfect roommate???

I have not blogged in sometime, and sooooo much has happened in this time, there has been some life changing events and situations that have opened my eyes.

I just moved into a new apartment, it's a pretty nice apartment with a prime location! My roommate is my friend and previous roommate of two school years. We went through two school years battling our other untidy roommates, so naturally, we thought us moving in to a new apartment was a good idea.

But so far that hasn't been the case, she has been unclean, lazy and unmotivated to make our apartment feel like a home. She leaves garbage everywhere, doesn't wipe off the kitchen counters once she has dirtied them, and hasn't cleaned the bathroom since we have moved in (don't worry, I've been cleaning it). I don't know why my roommates attitude has changed, she was so clean in Res, or at least I thought. But now that our situation has changed, so has her cleaning habits.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to speak ill of my roommate, but after two years of living in Res and now living with my roommate outside of Res, I realize there is no such thing as a perfect roommate.

All I know, is that I have to do right by me and clean up after myself. It's sure a sad state of affairs to know only one month into our living arrangements that I will not be re-signing another year lease with this roommate. I will find other plans that suite me better!

- Do what's best for you!

B

To do:

Life has become one big "to do" list. It mostly consists of errands and school work, but what about everything in-between? Shouldn't I have a to do list for those things, so that I don't forget all the amazing and wonderful things I need to do with this life!

So I am going to start out with 22 to do's, one for every year that I've been alive.

Ami's To Do:

1. Mardi Gras in New Orleans
2. Travel to Spain
3. Learn to snowboard
4. Learn to surf
5. Put my feet in the ocean
6. Swim with the dolphins
7. Rescue an animal
8. Explore Africa
9. Change someone's life
10. Be stylish
11. Collect 1000 shot glasses
12. Own a gold Jeep TJ
13. Give a speech to an audience of at least 500
14. Learn how to cook delicious meals
15. Pay my parents back
16. Experience a miracle
17. Relax
18. Learn and become fluent in a second language
19. Discover something
20. Win a contest
21. Walk a mile is some one else's shoes
22. Travel across Canada

-Experience something new.

B

My own brand of crack

Once I get a taste of it I just can't stop!

As soon as those colourful little loops touch my tongue, I am bound to eat at least 2 or 3 more bowls!

Cereal, it's my own brand of crack!
I love all cereals, but Fruit Loops is one of my fave! When I go down to the states, the thing I bring home the most of is cereal!!

Everyone has something they love, and boy do I enjoy a good bowl of cereal! My first year of university, that's what I survived on because I can't cook! I had the worst nutrition, but man, I enjoyed every bowl.

Truthfully, I just enjoy breakfast! I could eat it all day long, and when sad, I could always cheer myself up with a great breakfast!

I love waffles, pancakes, Belgium waffles, french toast, omelets, hash browns, bacon, sausages, ham, scrambled eggs, soft boiled eggs, poached eggs, sunny side up eggs, toast, breakfast sandwiches, crepes and the list goes on!

Now excuse me, I am going to have a bowl of cereal!!

-enjoy the silly things in life!

B

Point Dexter Couture

Ladies and Gentlemen,

"I would like to present to you the newest fashion trend to hit mainstream style, Point Dexter Couture."

I wish this was the statement that was made as I walked the "runway" (really it was just a hallway) out of the orthodontist's office that June 3rd morning. But it wasn't, instead I just felt geeky!!!
At first, I felt silly, 22 years old and braces plus I wear glasses 24/7, so I just felt like one big DORK!!! Then I realized that braces among young adults wasn't so uncommon, so I tried very hard to em-BRACE them! (haha).

In July, I was going to visit my friend in Detroit, so for a whole month I tried to practice smiling! But it seemed like I had forgotten how to smile! I would give the biggest, craziest looking smile I could because I thought I had to make up what the braces took away from my smile. But looking back on pictures from Detroit, that was a mistake, my smile looked awful, fake and I don't like how I ended up smiling in the pics, it just didn't flatter me.

So instead of fighting this whole process, I started to make a lighter side to it, I now called my look Point Dexter Couture, and when people would say "oh Ami, your braces..." I would correct them and say, "oh you mean my grill?" Hahaha.

It was important for me to make myself feel as comfortable in them as much as possible, being a person who has low self-esteem, I had to prove to myself that the braces didn't make me look terrible, they just were changing the way I saw myself in the mirror temporally.

They have been excruciatingly painful, exponentially more annoying then imagined and have changed how I feel about bread! I have been unable to eat apples, popcorn, candy apples, and a multitude of other foods, either due to sensitivity or fear of harming a bracket!

But on April 26, 2010, I will dazzle the world with a brand new smile =)
And since I love smiling, and it's like my most favourite thing in the world, I cant' wait.
Oh and I have a date with a caramel apple!

-Love your situation because it could always be worse!

B

A Nailed Obsession

I have an obsession with nail polish! I can't stop buying it and love painting my nails!
Let's count 'em up!
1.Ruby pumps- it's an extreme red sparkly polish
2. Berry Sweet
3.Dazzle
4.Sexy in the City- it's an extreme blue sparkly polish
5. Cowardly Lyin"- it's and extreme gold sparkly polish
6. Princesses Rule
7. Purple Panic
8. Spellbound
9. Espresso brown
10. Cherish Green
11. Liquid Leather Black
12.Dazzle Reflection
13 White out
14. Madison Mauvenue
15. Show you care purple
16. Purple potion
17. Royal Tease Purple
18. Never enough shoes-sparkle black
19. My fave wave blue
20. Goldie- a deep gold colour
21. Pulsating- a purpley pink tone
22.Sugarplum yum, light purple/silver colour
23. Fuchsia Power- neon pink
24. Barbie
25. Coco
26. Tess
27. Grape sorbet
28. Pop idol
29. Time for wine
30. Mad for metal chrome
31. Gr8- Gold
32. Dark roses
33. La paz-itviley hot
34. Blush it off- nude
35. Moxie
36. Orange marmalade
37. Rosy Mistletoe-sies
38. Subtle purple
39. Play til midnight purple
40. Sonata berry
41. Caribbean temptation
42. Posh/mat red
43. Malia purple
44. Celebration in red
45. Sicilian vermilion Orange
46. Glow in the dark top coat
47. Shocking pink neon
48. Etheral opal
49. Komma
50. Linkon Park at midnight
51. Black onyx

Fifty-one nail polishes! Love it!! =)

-Colour your passion!

B

A blast from the past

As I first walked in, all I could smell was the thick scent of sweat, all I could see was flashing lights, and all I could hear was the beat to Michael Jackson's Thriller!!

I felt like I just stepped into a time machine, and was transported back into a time where this was the main source of entertainment for the young folk! I was at a Roller Rink!!

I was like a kid at Disney Land, totally struck with wonder and excitement! I couldn't wait to get my roller skates on and rip up the floor!

I rented my skates, and then all of the sudden my nerves hit me, I realized I never had been on roller skates! Rollerblades, yes, I have Rollerbladed a lot!! But this seemed so much different!

I got on the floor, the music was banging, my heart was thumping, and my feet were ready to move!!
Me and my boyfriend got on the floor, and we started going! It was shaky for the first bit, but so much fun...Just to warn you it gets really hot on that floor, you are bound to work up a sweat!

The experienced skaters were doing moonwalks, handstands, spins, and moves that I didn't even think were even possible!

I got so caught up in watching them, that I almost had a major wipe out! Luckily my boyfriend helped me regain my balance before I did a barrel roll on the floor!

It was my blast from a past. Next time, I am dressing 80s style!

- Be fabulous, Be fun!

B

How do you know you are in love?!

I have never been in love.
I can honestly, and truly say this....
I love people, like my mom, dad, brother and my Shady Baby (my dog), but have never actually been IN love with my counterpart of the opposite sex.

I see all these people who say they're in love, but yet I see so much stress and pain. Is that what love is? Is that what I have to look forward to?

People tell me that love isn't easy and I can only imagine. I have been a third party observant to many of my friends relationships, where they claim they were in love, but I felt like they were more in pain than anything.

So that makes me wonder, is there a difference between true love and being in love....is true love better? IS there such a thing as true love?

I can recount thousands of times my best friend has called me and has been upset with her fiance, however, she calls him, her true love because they've been together since high school.
But, if he was her true love, why do they fight, get upset with each other, and sometimes can't stand each other.....

This is all strange to me, that is why I have a strict rule, and my strict rule is that I will never say I love you, unless I truly mean it. That I 100% know it's real and worth the say and effort. That I want it forever.

-"love lasts forever"- *MJ*

B

Sandra Dee

Besides being a famous actress in the 1950s, Sandra Dee is my mother, who is more affectionately known as mom to me, and Sandy to her friends.

My mother was named after Sandra Dee, the 1950s actress (a former Golden Globe Winner) The 411 on my mom is that she is 47 years old (but doesn't look a day over 40), and has been a hair dresser for some crazy amount of years...I think it's getting up to 37 years actually!!

Some of my fondest memories are of times I have spent with my mother or of my mother doing things for me. She didn't and doesn't have a great relationship with her mom, and I think that she never wanted me to experience what not having a mom was like, so she tried hard everyday to be he best mom she could.

I remember specifically one time while I was in grade 7, my mom decided to buy me a shirt for a school dance that was coming up. Now most kids, especially in grade 7 would be like, "you're picking my clothes out for me?! UGH!" But not me, I got home, and there was a red and pink shirt on my bed. I think it was like from the store Below the Belt because it had the Paul Frank monkey head on it. She also bought me a blue sea shell necklace to go with it, at the time they were all the rage.
I was so shocked and so thankful, my mom was so considerate and generous and still is to this day!
This is a memory that remains with me because it shows the power of one small gesture, and how it can make you feel for the rest of your life.

She is my rock, my best friend and the person I can talk to about anything!
She is a mother to be envied.

- Appreciate your loved ones.

B

My First Blog

Some of my Firsts:

First TRUE Kiss: Grade 10 boyfriend....he told me that he loved me, it's too bad I didn't feel the same.

First REAL drink: Grade 7.. me and the girls snuck booze to school, scandalous!

First Cell phone: It had polytonic ring tones, changeable face plates, I thought I was pimpin.'

First sneak out: Grade 9, me and the girls snuck out of my house to meet up with boys and drink outside the Sandman Hotel.

First time I felt BAD ASS: 2010, my recent purchase of a leather jacket.Oh, and in grade 10, when me and the girls drove all the way out to a small farm town with some boys to have a party. We told our parents we were staying the night at each other's houses...little did they know we were partying out of town!!

First time I REALLY felt alone: When I was in a room full of friends.

First taste of freedom: September 3, 2008

First social media outlet: Facebook; however, I was a part of the "late majority"

First life changing experience: My move to a new city.

First and BEST friend: My mother. I could not live without her.

First time I wore glasses: At the tender age of 3.

First Time I got braces: Only 10 months ago, at the age of 22.

First long- term relationship: He who is the cheese to my macaroni, it'll almost be a year.

And finally, (so I don't bore you) the first time I blogged: February 21, 2010.

-Make memories.

Ciao
B