Blogaversary - 9 years!

Today is my 9 year blogaversary. I just can't believe I have been writing for so many years. In the past I've written about all the things that have changed since I've started but since I've done that a couple of times, I thought I'd try something else.

This one is hard for me, but I'll see if I can go it - 9 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME:

1) When I was a small child, I was convinced I had been reincarnated from a dog
2) I didn't go to kindergarten - I went to daycare from age 3 to 6 instead
3) I've only lived without a dog for about 3 years in my twenties when I lived on my own in apartments
4) My family isn't into sports, but I was. I put myself on the track team (high jump and 4x100 relay) when I was in elementary school, as well as track and the tennis team in high school. I also played field hockey in grades 9 & 10.
5) I seem to have an amazing memory for songs and lyrics. Unfortunately I have a terrible singing voice.
6) I am learning to speak Dutch for my trip to the Netherlands with my mom this year.
7) When I was 15 I entered a hand-sewn quilt in the Vancouver -Pacific National Exhibition (which used to have a cooking, baking and arts/crafts section for judging like a traditional farm fair) - I won a ribbon
8) I used to ride a motorcycle
9) I prefer driving a standard transmission car

whoops! there's the list! That wasn't as bad as I thought! Did you find it interesting?

Happy Blogaversary to me and Way Out Wear!!!

Eight Years

I know. I know. My regular readers probably hate that I randomly redesign the blog. I'm sorry, I can't help it. I like to change it up for the seasons, or for holidays, but sometimes I find it gets a little mmm -  you know - meh.

It's kinda like when your house gets messy and you feel you can't be productive until you do some cleaning or organizing. That's how the blog felt. Well you know it has been going on for 8 years. Eight years can you believe it? That's longer than some marriages. So time for an anniversary redecoration.

Speaking of my 8-year Blogaversary, here are some fun facts:

• Over 1350 blog posts
• Over 2500 comments
• I used the knitting tag on 198 posts, the dog tag on 176 posts and crochet on 123 posts. 
• In the eight years I've posted I've changed all sorts of friends. I started yoga and dance. I lost two pet birds, two dogs and several fish. 
• I got married and I got a puppy (who's now almost 5 years old) 
• I started my own business but didn't move or change my day job. 
• My most popular posts were 1) the mice from Dinner for Schmucks and 2) the K-tel Knifty Knitter 3) Costco Hotdogs 4) "Bear-y-Season" 5) and "how to tell a meth lab dog" - which was actually a joke about the types of Labrador dogs - black lab, yellow lab, chocolate lab and meth lab. 
• The top three countries my viewers come from are: the US, Canada and Russia

And all the rest was just mundane day to day stuff?? I hope not. And I appreciate everyone who reads my blog and comments on it - I really appreciate seeing your comments, and reading your blogs too. Thank you all for being my online friends. It's been fun. 

BC's First Family Day

Today is a statutory holiday in BC - for many years workers in this province asked for a day off between New Years and Easter, especially when other provinces in Canada had a holiday. This year is our first one. Somewhere along the way there was a vote on when it should be (no one I know knew anything about this vote) and it was decided that since we are unique people we should have it the week before the rest of the country. For many this probably doesn't make much difference, but if you're a national business you have potentially lost two business days in the shortest month of the year   - one for our holiday and one the rest of the country. As well, my family is in another province. Perhaps if we had the holiday on the same weekend one of us would have travelled to see family? Nope, not gonna happen. 

Today is also a special day here at Way Out Wear headquarters because it's the 7th Blogaversary. Yes, I have been writing to you for seven years. Reflecting on that time  one of the biggest things that has changed is my readers - not one person who was with me in the beginning is here with me now - except family. That's just part of being a grown-up isn't it? As the saying goes "people come into your life for reason, a season or a lifetime". I hope you are with me for a long time as I really do enjoy your comments and your company. 

Other things that have changed over the past seven years, just to name a few: 

1) Both my dogs, Maxx and Jazz are no longer with me but now I share my life with my wonderful chocolate lab, Eco. There were lots of stories about Maxx's epilepsy and lots of stories about Jazz's noise phobia, and lots of puppy raising stories

2) I got married

3) I started a business

4) I've changed my page layout and background at least 20 times

5) We replaced our old cars with new ones

6) countless knitting, crochet and embroidery projects

7) multiple thrift store adventures

8) too many stories about the weather

9) lots of cooking/baking stories 

10) and funny things about the family. 

So thank you readers for sharing my journey with me, I'm glad you're part of my family. 

6 years!

Today is my 6 year blog-a-versary. I don't think much has changed from last year, which you can read about here. Isn't that odd? Some years so much changes and then others it seems to be at a standstill.

I'd like to say I am calmer and wiser now except I'm still embarrassed about 'losing it' yesterday when I tried to rearrange my desk top. Part way through the process my monitor light went out and I had trouble tracing the cords because of the tangle behind my desk and the arrangement of things. Jp tried to help, but sometimes it's best if he's not around - that sounds mean but honestly we don't always work well together. I absolutely hate problem-solving with computers  and so I'm easily set off in to the land of grumpiness pretty darn quickly. Once it was resolved all the anger and frustration disappeared but I still feel bad for my family who had to listen to all my cursing.

I guess I'll muddle along for another year posting about my yard, and my sweet little chocolate labrador and the little things I make or sew and hope that y'all still be around with me next year. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog, I really appreciated all the fun I've had reading your comments and reading your blogs as well. Let's raise our glasses - clink clink - here's to another year in Blog Land!!!!

It's been 5 years

Today is the 5 year anniversary of my blog.

Things have changed a lot since I started writing here - back then my dogs were older and more established and somehow I had more time for knitting and crafting. It seems that things were calmer and better back them but maybe my memories have been edited over time.

In the past 5 years: Jp got a new job, we got a new car, we got married, I did lots of knitting/crocheting/embroidery, lots of socks were knit, lots of baking done, lots of cool thrifty finds, gifts were sent and received, got lots of new shoes, changed computers 3 times,  my 14 year old canary died, lots of flowers came and went in my gardens, I started yoga and meditation, I started dancing, and some people came and went (luckily no deaths, some just passed through).

In the past two years I went through cancer with my aging dog Princess Jazz, mourned her and then waited for a puppy to be ready for adoption. On May 8, 2009 we got the most wonderful puppy, our chocolate lab, Eco. Labs are pretty smart dogs and they learn pretty fast, but still time had to be spent to corral her energy. Eleven days ago my brother and SIL got a chocolate lab puppy (Tonks) and I've helped them a little with the puppy steps that I went through to housetrain, and curb behaviours such as inappropriate biting and chewing. Because I enjoyed being with Eco so much, I went on to train her for Rally Obedience and multiple tricks (we're at about 60 something) putting down my knitting and crochet in favour of being with my loyal friend.

But lately things seem to have fallen apart for me. I've been at the same company for 11 years, doing the same job for 9. Prior to this employer I was always one who received promotions and new assignments on a regular basis and I think 9 years doing the same job is finally becoming more of chore than it should be. Maybe I'm having a mid-life crisis - I don't know. I've been trying to figure out what I need, what would make me happy and how to deal with things. I really enjoy my dance classes and find myself so occupied in the class that I have no time to think of the burdens of my everyday life and I feel better when I come out of the class. Maybe I should just take a class every night?

I want to thank all the readers who have stuck with me over the past 5 years and I'd like to thank the new readers who've recently discovered me and take the time to comment and let me know their presence. Thank you friends and family for your support.

Out of curiousity, is there anything I've done/said/posted  in the past 5 years of my blogging that springs to mind that you'd like to mention? Do you have any burning questions?

Happy Blogaversary to me!