Welcome Beau!

He has finally arrived!! After a month from meeting him, he is now finally ours. For those of you who don't know who I am talking about...it's our new West Highland Terrier, Beau!! Coming home on Friday felt like Christmas. I arrived before my parents had brought him home. I anxiously texted my Dad demanding to know their ETA. Fortunately, it wasn't long before he was in the house and cuddling in my arms. I spent the whole weekend at home with him, cuddling him, feeding him and teaching him where to go to the bathroom. It was quite fun and I can honestly say I haven't felt so full of joy in quite a long time. Just holding him makes my heart melt. There is something about puppies that get me so emotional.

Watching him investigate the house and making himself comfortable made all of the family just a little bit closer. It's safe to say, Beau is the best thing that has happened to our family in awhile. I know Dad is simply smitten and Mom and Katrina secretly love him, even though they were reluctant to getting a new dog.

Beau had many visitors this weekend....I think altogether at least 10. He is very popular already. Now I am faced with a dilemma. I live with my grandparents, and have been for the past 6 years. I live here because it is closer for me to get to work everyday, and I *sort of* have my own independence. While I love being at home, everytime I go for a visit, I feel very bombarded and annoyed. It seems to me that my mother can't wrap her head around my being an adult. A grown woman who can fend for herself. I know she means well, but whenever I am at home she is almost TOO attentive and TOO motherly. It's a big clash and I just hate the way things are whenever I visit. I wish things were different. But now that Beau is here, I feel like I want to be at home with him. I've been toying with the idea of moving back home for the past month, and Mom is so excited she is getting my old room all redone. In theory it seems like such a good idea, but I know I will go crazy if I go back. I have some deep thinking to do. I really enjoy the relationship I have with my parents now; I don't want to ruin it by moving back home and cramping their style and vice versa.

This Boomerang Kid thing is tough I imagine for parents and their children everywhere! Once you have lived away from home for awhile, you grow into your own person, a mature adult with a mind of their own. But with parents, you will always be their baby, no matter what. SIGH! What's a young adult to do?! Here is a list of the pros and cons I have come up with for moving back home.

PROS

-getting home cooked meals for FREE

-seeing Beau everyday!

-coming home to a CLEANER house

-closer to my hometown friends

-andddd did I mention Beau?

CONS

-super far and expensive commute to work

-dealing with the overbearring parents

-no privacy (it's a bungalow)

-fighting over the internet with Dad

-far from my Toronto lifestyle

What to do!? What to do!?

Broken

Look into my eyes
and tell me I am the one
The one that can make you believe it's real
And we are the exception

The exception to these rules
That everyone seems to live by
Break them, take me
And tell me it's a joke

You'll never know
Just how much my heart beats
So hard until it breaks
Now look what you've done

I'm broken.

Condo Hunt: Phase 1

So the search for my new diggs is officially underway. I have been humming and hawing over the idea of getting my own place for a while now, but now it is for real! I am nervous/excited/anxious all at the same time. Finding a place to call home is not an easy task. Everything has to be perfect: location, price, space...and just the overall feel of it. Last weekend I went looking at new developments in and around the Toronto area. They were all very nice, however, nothing a first time homebuyer could really afford on their own. On Saturday I went to look at some resale condos which were near the Lakeshore and very adorable. One place we looked at, I absolutely fell in love with. It was a stacked townhouse bachelor condo in Liberty Village with a little patio in the front. When I walked in, I fell in love. Unfortunately there was already an offer on it, and my agent advised me that it would probably go for more than the asking price which I simply can not afford. I am determined to find another one in that pocket or at least something similar.

Of course, everyone is advising me to take my time and not to rush in, which I don't plan too, however, since I am only looking for a small bachelor for myself, I don't think I will have a hard time choosing. I guess my main concern in all this is not having enough money to support my lifestyle. Cutbacks in my spending are definately in order--blackberry bill must be cut in half, no more buying "stuff", no more eating out, and no more going out every weekend. It will be tough, but I see this as a challenge to myself and I think with a positive mindset and strict budget I can definately do it.

Originally I wanted a one bedroom condo, but it seems like now I can really only afford a bachelor. I don't mind having a bachelor because they are perfect for me and it's all I really need. It might be lonlely living on my own, so I think I might get a cat or fish just so I don't feel so alone. Even though I would rather have a dog, cats are lower maintenance and can be on their own for hours at a time. But we will see what happens.....

Right now I am watching the Maury Povich show....oh how I love holiday Mondays! Happy Family Day everyone!

Missing the Arts

If you were to describe yourself to someone who didn't know a thing about you, what kind of things would you say? Would you describe personality traits? Facial features? Ethnicity? Job? Talents? When someone asks you to describe yourself, what are the first things that come to mind? How are we defined and what makes us different than everyone else?

I have been pondering this question because lately, I don't even know who I am anymore. I mean, I know who I am inside, but I often wonder what others think of me or how to describe myself in one sentence or less. When I was younger I used to describe myself as a creative girl with a passion for dance. Nowadays, I don't even know what my passions are because I simply do not have anytime to persue them. I feel like passions and talents are what make us unique and give us a streak of definition.

Yesterday while taking a BodyFlow class at the gym, I felt I had improved a little bit on my flexibility and muscle which made me very excited. This made me think back to my teenage years as a dancer when doing splits, jumps and turns were second nature to me. I miss those days of being full of life and energy. Dance was what defined me. All my life I have had a creative flair. Art was always my favourite subject in grade school and I have been documenting my life in journals for just about almost all my life. I've always had the passion for the arts and being creative has always been a characteristic I love about myself. But these days, I feel like I am missing out. Like I should be making more time to release my built up creative energy.
I have been thinking of taking classes in either sculpting, painting or photography. Or something in the performing arts like singing lessons. Unfortunately lessons in any type of art are very expensive. Thankfully I have found some reasonably priced clay and paint classes through Vaughan Parks and Rec which I think I will sign up for.

So what will the new definition of me sound like? Probably a 20 something fun spirited girl with a creative flair and a love for the arts. Or something like that! Not that I am trying to reinvent myself, more like reconnecting with my inner strengths and passions, reconnecting with the younger Tasha.

Goodbye January!

The weekend is over! It always seems to go by so quick doesn't it? Thankfully we have a long weekend in 2 weeks.

I love Sunday nights because they are so calm and chill. Right now I am watching the Grammys. Lady Gaga and Elton John just opened up the show together which was pretty awesome. It was almost like watching a pair at a duelling piano bar with Elton on one side and Gaga on the other. Who knew Gaga even played piano?! I sure didn't! But I applaud her. I think she is truly the next Madonna! She has that shock value where you never know what to expect. Her outfits, her hair, her sets....it's always one big unconventional show. She is one crazy lady and I like it!

This week was quite the week! On Wednesday I went to a USS concert presented by YouTube as part of Advertising Week in Toronto (see pics). This was my second time seeing these guys perform (first was at Sausage Fest in August). I've liked these guys since their hit song "Hallow Point Sniper Hyperbole" hit the airwaves early this summer. They have a very unique sound--kind of a spunky funk/dance feel. They also have amazing energy on stage! While they were performing on Wednesday they began jumping around on stage and even came down to dance with us in the crowd! I really love when bands have fun with the crowd, it really sparks a great connection with them. And what makes this band even more great? They are CANADIAN!! :)

On Friday night I went to another show at the Hard Rock Cafe with my friend Ashley. There was some sort of rock competition show going on and Ashley knew one of the bands, Moira Darling. They are a metal/grunge band from Belleville and to be honest, I am a HUGE fan of such hard rock, but these guys were pretty good! I like the Hard Rock Cafe, it's a nice comfortable venue and very clean. It's right at Dundas Square so the view is amazing while chilling in the upstairs bar area.

Last night I went to visit Eric in Barrie. We went out for a nice dinner and then relaxed at home. Today I went to visit my parents. It was nice to see them because I think they really miss my sister and I not being home all the time. I guess it's a hard transition period to see your kids growing up and fleeing the nest. But I hope that they know they are still needed and I will always be around for them. Especially now that we are getting our new puppy!! I have been thinking about maybe moving back home for a few months starting in March just to help out with the training. However, as much as I love being at home....it can also drive me a little crazy :S

So tomorrow is February! I can't believe it! I am very excited though because next week I am officially starting my condo search. The areas I am mainly looking at are Liberty Village, Bloor West Village and Downsview. It's going to be fun looking for a place to call my own, but it's also going to take a lot of work and patience. In the end I think it will be worth it though.

So goodbye January! Welcome Fabulous February :)

Life's Puzzle

Do you ever look inside your heart
to see what it is you really need
what you really desire
what you really crave
What is your reason to breathe?

You can blame the common people
for things you can not change
Conform yourself to one of them
Before it's too late

If for just one moment I could turn back time
Worry less and forget about the rest
I'd listen to the heart beat telling me to stop
Turn around and try again

Cooking can be fun! Who knew!?

Today is January 24th. JANUARY! And it is RAINING outside and 5 degrees!!! What is happening to this world. After spending 300 dollars on snow tires and 120 dollars on waterproof winterboots...I am a little ticked that there is barely any snow this winter. It makes me wonder more and more about global warming and what exactly is happening to our once beautiful green earth.

The weekend is over....it always seems to go by so fast! I had a rather pleasant weekend. Eric and I went to a cooking lesson last night for couples in Barrie. I bought him this as a present for Christmas. We arrived to the cooking school at 7pm (actually 7:05), Eric was late getting out the door which really angered me, but we got there and that's all that matters. Once we arrived we saw the other 11 couples waitig in a lovely dining room area and we were introduced to our chef/instructor for the evening. He was a cute old British man who reminded me of a typical chef you would see on a cooking show. He gave us each a menu with the courses we were to make for the evening. Everything looked so delicious...but also way over our heads! We NEVER cook, so this looked like a challenge!

We started with the dessert, a yummy tiramusu made with coffee dipped lady fingers and cream. Once the chef showed us how to do it, we all went to our own tables to make it ourselves. It was so simple yet so wonderful! It took all of 4 minutes to make! It was then taken away and put in the fridge for us to eat later.

The next instruction was on a delicious appetizer salad with mozarella cheese and tomatoes. Just watching him show us how to make it was making me hungry!!! He then showed us how to make mushroom risotto rice and three other entrees. We had a choice of which entree to make and us, like most of the couples, chose the chicken with sage and proscuito. It seemed hard at first, but with a little help we were soon grilling up the chicken on the stove and frying the asparagus in a pan of butter. We were actually doing it!! Amazing for first timers!!

Almost 3 hours later after all the slicing, dicing and flouring.....we were able to sit down to a delcious gourmet dinner with the other couples. I was extremely pleased with what we had made. At first I thought it would have been completely disastorous but it was actually awesome!! Who knew cooking could be so fun, simple and yummy!? Usually when I read recipes and see the huge list of ingredients, I get anxious, nervous and worried! Mostly because a) I don't know what half the ingredients are and b) It looks complex and time consuming. I realize now that cooking should be an enjoyable thing that takes practice and patience. I wish I didn't eat out so often, but I feel like society gives us no options...everywhere you go there is something quicker, faster and cheaper than making your own meals. Especially after work when you are tired and just want to go home and eat without worrying about boiling water, thawing the meat etc etc.

I think I am going to make more of a conscious effort to make my meals at home. It will be tough indeed, but I really want to try for my myself. For my health and my wallet! It will require some planning and organization...but I am good at that! Cooking can be for me and you! It can be for everyone :)