2012 Summer Olympics

Now I know that it has been a long time since I have made a post, but I never want to forget these past 16 days.

I wanted to take the moments that have stood out to me over this time.

With a take on the history of Great Britain, 007, and her Majesty the Queen sky diving into Olympic stadium, I would have to say that my favorite was Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) playing Chariots of Fire with the London Symphony.

In no particular order.....

 This is Sally Pearson (the blonde in the middle)

She is one amazing woman... This girl made hurdles look easy, 

She moved like there was nothing in her  way.

When she got to the end and waited for the results I have to say when she let out a cry of joy it was a beautiful moment!!!!!

 Ok I have to say it because for real... ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? 

Mr. Michael Phelps is not just a star in the water but I think he may be half dolphin!

 

 This was the first upset. With Christine Sinclair's hat trick this team was on fire. These Canadian girls worked so hard and I am sad to say that after poor reffing these girls lost. This could have made these girls sour and cold and it could have effected the next game they had to play

But that's not the Canadian way. We may say we're Sorry but we will still bring it on!

And little Diana Matheson placing her foot in the right place at the right time shooting that winning goal. Canada won bronze like gold medalist! 

Damian Warner was Canada's Contribution to the Men's Decatholong.

He had the goal of making it to top 10. And after beating so many personal bests this young man was able to place a top 5 position. I am cheering for him to make it to 2016 in Rio and showing us what he can do.

Ladies and Gentleman I give you The Worlds Greatest Athlete.

Ashton Eaton the winner of the decatholong and engaged to 

Canadian Olympian Brianne Theisen.

He was amazing to watch!

An Beautiful time for Women

The First 2 women to be in the Olympic Games from Saudia Arabia!

With 4 gold medals, and both Canadian & US passports; 

this Colorado native Missy Franklin (who's parents hail from Canada)

Is going to be a big time STAR!

The only athlete to bring home gold for Canada Rosie MacLennan in.....

You guessed it trampoline. this is every child's dream, I thought when they announced it coming up that it was a joke, but this girl showed me! Way to bounce Rosie - you made me proud to be a Canadian!

Allyson Felix of the USA was beautiful to watch as she won Gold in the

 200 meter

and Jessica Ennis was a star of stars as she won #2 of 3 gold medals in an hour.

She won for Heptatholon.

The good looking (double amputee) from South Africa

Oscar Pistorius 

And last but not in time

It's the Jamaicans! Oh SNAP can these men run!!!

The "Beast" Yohan Blake  

And "The Fastest Man on Earth" Usain Bolt!

I could watch these men run over and over and over!

This was a games to remember and it ended with a fun closing ceremonies that included the Spice Girls I have to say that I am going to miss coming home from work and watching these games. Its been a good 16 days!

Goodness I did it again

Well hello there world!

I am learning that this blogging world is HARD to keep up with - and I should have little to no excuse.

So I will start on my tail of woe...

January I was struck with a bad case of pneumonia and was placed on antibiotics - this continued on into February.

Just in time for my 29th birthday I had 2 teeth that decided to quit on me. (I am my fathers daughter) and I had to be put on another bunch of antibiotics to set me up for 2 root canals.

Whew! With that out of the way I was set for 2012 ready to be full of everything healthy and wonderful.

But alas my body was not ready for that and another 2 teeth wanted in on the root canal fun - therefore another bunch of antibiotics. 

The day of the dental work was the beginning of what I would now like to call "the beginning of the belt line".

So.... who knew that antibiotics could be REALLY bad for you?!? The prescription I was given by the dentist did not leave my body and formed a bacteria that grows in the gut and started to take over the intestine right on into the bowel. So long story short I have an infection that has covered my whole middle section. 

Now I have to say a few things - because I have dedicated this blog to all things beautiful (and that is anything but...) I am very blessed!

Blessing #1: I had a dear friend Cindy that was with me at the dentist and stayed with me that night as "the beginning of the belt line" started (my insides wanted to be on the outside) and came - even though she was so tired - to the hospital with me at the end of the next day.

Blessing #2: I learned that the nicest nurse seem to all work together. And after feeling like I had been intimate with more doctors than I would every like to say (not of my choosing) I needed some caring nurses that were kind!

Blessing #3: I went into the hospital with 1 thing and came out with 2. 

How does that happen you may ask? Well let me tell you - I had an ultrasound and as they were checking out my left side (the side I had all the pain) they took a peek at my right side and found that I have a cyst on my right ovary (about the size of an orange). Now you may ask, how is this a blessing? to that I would say that I am sure that I would have gone through life - in pain - without getting that checked. So it is a blessing indeed.

Blessing #4: As my stay was coming to a close an older gentleman was placed in my room, I learned that he had had the hiccups for almost 2 weeks. This is in no way a blessing for him, but what I learned was that I was willing to have issues in "The belt line" just as long as I don't have the hiccups.

So after all of that I have been walking around like an 80yr. old and have been in so much pain.

The week following my little hospital stay I was placed on bed rest and the week after that I was again placed on bed rest. I am not sure where I will be in a week - but I am hopeful that there is no where to go but up from here.

I hope that I will be able to start moving soon and that I will be able to introduce food back into my life.

Until that time I will just (in the words of my dearly departed Dad) Try to Keep on Keep'n on.

Oh and Blessing #5: I have been blessed with such a loving family and group of friends I have had amazing people that have picked me up from the hospital, made meals, called, and sent well wishes. 

I am a lucky girl who is very blessed!

xo

Oh Me Oh My a LONG time has gone By!

Well the hustle and bustle of the last 3 months took me off to a land of little sleep and lots of work.

I have so many things I would like to share about what has gone on over the past 3 months but I feel like these memories are a bit fuzzy.

Let me start with the wonderful world of Christmas (or I should say Christmas parties that took up most of my November and December)

I love what I do but I can say with firm conviction that in the months of November, December, and July (Stampede in Calgary is ridiculously busy)

I have just a little e taste with this winter themed table that I worked on with my dear friend and co-worker Alleisha; I would also like to credit her as the photographer (her company has been mentioned previously in past posts White Owl Photography). 

Christmas this year was extra special for me. To start I had a goal to make 90% of the gifts that I gave to everyone. So every spare moment I had, I spent making clutches, “elf” stockings, vases, cookie jars, paintings, and a few other little treasures.

I have to say that this really made me feel like I was a BIG part of this Christmas tradition and I felt so much love for the people that I made things for.

In the Larsen clan we do a gift exchange by drawing names. My Big brother D had my name this year. I have to say I did not expect much because I knew that he was working away and would not be able to do much shopping. I had put a coat on hold that I loved and told him about it – but he told me that he was not going to be in town so I forgot all about it.

Christmas day came and to my surprise I opened my gift and there it was! I have to say that my dear sweet big brother mad me cry. I had forgotten all about this coat and I felt so much LOVE. Christmas is not about the gifts but the thought behind them and I have to say I loved every bit of Christmas 2011 because of that fact.

I have had a busy January as well but I hope for it all to slow down just in time for the month of Birthdays. This month I have so many friends that will be reaching new milestones and to them all I wish them nothing but the very best! 


xo

Say Whaaat?!?! It’s November already?

I know, I know I have not been doing very well on this blogging stuff but I promise you its been for good reason. October was anything but a slow month for lil ol’ me.

Because of that this is going to be a FULL post of beautiful things that I have been a part of.

First off I was able to work on a Vintage table design that I JUST LOVE! I have to say that it all started when a client wanted pictures with coral linen and aqua napkins. We did our minds ever take off..... I know Some may look at this and think tacky. But I would have to say I feel it was classic.

 The first weekend of October was a full one; filled with both General Conference (I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we have 2 general meetings a year where the leaders of our church speak to us), and a bridal shower for my dear friend who was getting married at the end of the month (I don’t have the shower pictures yet).

As the month went on I was so lucky to have been a part of, and witness the marriages of not 1 but 2 of my best friends to their perspective eternal companions.

 The first was on Thanksgiving weekend and I was able to do their wedding decor and we did a beautiful ‘Anthropologie’ themed wedding.

The brides grandparents had many items in their home and there was a few months of garage sale-ing that happened so that we could have a variety of tea cups and well really anything and everything that seemed old but had not lost it’s beauty.

As a guest you would get the vintage feeling right from the start by typing your msg to the Bride and Groom on a TYPEWRITER!

I want to thank Mark Derry from Mark Derry Photography & Cindy Russell who both captured some STUNNING photo’s.

This is a glimpse into Carter & Maegan Bishop’s wedding - I love these 2 and it makes me so happy that my dear friend Carter found such an amazing woman in Maegan. I am so thankful that I was able to do what I love doing for 2 people I love. I had fun putting this together and I just hope they loved it every bit as much as I did.

Congratulations C & M Bishop I love you both!

The next few weeks seemed like a blur. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a tendensy to injur myself. And I did just that!

At the end of the C&M wedding I slipped (while cleaning up) on some water and tore 3 ligaments in my ankle along with giving myself a concussion

(its not a party until someone gets hurt)

 Well I guess that just helped to remind me that I should not try to attempt to be super woman - it'll never happen.

Anyways, I did have one more VERY important wedding to do... And that was the wedding of one of my Very BEST friends - Whitney!

What can I say about Whits? Well........

Whitney is a Beautiful woman and when I say beautiful I really mean it. She is STUNNING to look at, but more to it when you get to know her you see the beauty that is inside. I am so blessed to have her as one of my BEST. She married the best man for her... Luke is bar none one of the funniest and most outstanding men alive. He has a laugh that makes you want to laugh along with him and he is friends with EVERYONE!

 He make my Whit giggle and he follows along in the giggle.

I feel so blessed to have been able to be a part of their day and I love them both anf wish them the very very best!

 

(I dont have pics yet but I do have a snapshot of the 2 of them on their wedding day)

And that right there was my October in a nut shell - I'm sure I could throw in some Halloween fun but maybe I'll save it so that you don't need to be reading a novel.

I really have to say that I am so blessed to be around such wonderful friends and for my sweet family who helped me make and set up eveything that I needed too.

I count myself as one very lucky girl!

xo



To My Big Brother

On this Day 31 years ago...

There are a few things to note that happened on October 5^th, 1980

For starters

*the Formal opening of the Meditation hall of Zenshin Temple in

  Riverdale Bronx happened
*for those sports fans out there the Yanks set AL attendance mark at 2,627,417

*the yearly Inflation Rate in the USA was 13.58%
*the average cost of new house was $68,700.00
*the average Income per year was at $19,500.00
*the average Monthly Rent was $300.00
*the cost of a gallon of Gas was $1.19
*the average cost of a new car was$7,200.00
*and Men's Casual Shirt was $14.00

*American Actor Ronald Reagan was US President

*Pierre Trudeau was the Canadian Prime Minister for the 2nd time

*and Paul Thomas (a musician for the band Good Charlotte was born October 5, 1980.

 

But most notably for me was the birth of

my Big Brother on this the 5^th day of October 1980.

 As a small child my brother was my look out, my protector, and my best friend.

 He was my parent’s reminder that I was around; he was the one who taught me that fog was a lazy cloud, and that there were only 2 languages in the world 
(English and Spanish).

 He showed me how to bake a cake without a recipe, and taught me how to play

with GI Joes, and transformers, and a great game of hide and seek.

As a not so small child he was the one who made me walk on the other side of the road he would let me know when I had crossed the line

(in the back seat of the car)

and the only time we would really do anything together was when we would play balloon volleyball in my parents bedroom, or got the neighbourhood kids together for the ‘Neighbourhood Olympics’.

As a teenager I remember when the flip happened and we became friends again –

I was 14 years old and we were at WEM in McDonalds and he shared a drink

we were now friends once more.

But as an adult he has turned into one of my BEST FRIENDS.

When he is sad or hurt, I’m sad and hurt. I

 cry tears of joy when beautiful moments happen in his life.

He married the most amazing person and together they go

through life lifting each other.

I am so blessed to have him as a Big brother. I know that we have our fights and that we didn’t always get along. But I also know that we will always have each other and that he is looking out for me as much as I am for him (if not more).

Happy Birthday to my Dear Brother you have so much to offer the world and you need to always remember that.

Never forget that you have God given talents

*You have a gift with children and you have little spirits

that can’t wait to meet you! (I know CG3 is pumped to come down)

*You have a gift for seeing things in new ways and a thirst for knowledge.

*You play soccer like you were born in Chile

*You play basketball like you grew up in the Bronx 
*Really any sport you try, you excel in.

*Now that Blockbuster has gone bust – not even Netflicks can keep up with

  your extensive movie collection

*You love your family and I know that you want what best for us all.

 

Never forget to have faith in the Lord, and that when you follow his commandments he will bless you here on earth and through the eternities.

We are all blessed to have you and we love you!

 Happy Birthday D!

Love your lil sis Kali xo

September, September... Oh where have you gone?

Ok so I started off with a BANG and stopped just as fast as I started. 

This month has been one to remember.... or not!

 To be honest I don't remember much about this busy month as it has flown by.

But this month started off with so much to remember. I took some NEEDED days off to try and learn what R & R really is.

 But I couldn't start that right away... 

I took the first day to work on a few things for a Friends wedding that helping with.

(Oct I have 2 of my very best friends get married - one at the beginning of the month 

and one at the end)

So with the help of the Groom (my dear Friend Carter) 

and a Brides maid (another VERY close friend Cindy)

We made String Balls....

It was a late night but I have to say I am so Excited to see them in full use!

But in the midst of this crafting I was invited to the Josh Groban concert. 

Now lets talk about lucky.... I was 2nd row from the front (on the side) and I fell in LOVE!

I know, I know your going to think with Josh - don't get me wrong he lived up to all I had heard (Shhhhhhh.... I wasn't a fan prior to the concert - that was a mistake, I know!)

But the one I fell for was his Percussionist - Oh golly that man was pure talent!

The next night I had a Sleep over with my beautiful niece and nephew and We had a 

TON-of-FUN! 

late night run to Mac's, endless games on Wii, a late night movie, and hamburgers for breakfast

I think that this was a dream come true - and not just for me.....

Now after this weekend of Fun I went back to work and the beautiful surprise I had when I got there was an offer to go to the Cirque du Soleil performance of 'Ovo'

I wish I could say the words "I can do that" and mean it... But it may take me a few months to get there.

The next few weeks is filled with Work, work, work...

I also was able to hear some wonderful talks at a Relief Society Conference one that really helped remind me to love and be grateful for the here and now. There is no use hoping and wishing for things I don't have - when all I need to be grateful for is what I do.

This month coming up is an exciting one. I start with General Conference... I am so exciting for this! I also am doing a shower for my Bestie Whitney. It's a busy weekend but it'll be SO good!

And After that its a month of celebrating Weddings, Birthdays, and Thanksgiving!

I am so blessed and so grateful for this BEAUTIFUL life of mine.

What more can I ask for?

Summertime and the liven' is easy......

"Fish are Jumpin' and the cotton is high"

 These words are the start of a beautiful lullaby my mom used to sing to me every night as she helped me on my way to sleep. It has a lovely "blues" melody and worked like magic to help me drift off.
 I still feel warm and tingly and a tad bit sleepy when I hear that tune. 

But it does make me think about Summertime. You know I'm really not a summer girl, you wont see me baking in the sun or hiking, or really anything to outdoorsy, not in the summer. You see; I'm sadly allergic to the sun and because of that I get a lovely speckled rash whenever I am near the suns rays,
as well I burn like a tree in a forest fire.
(maybe not the best analogue, but it's true) 

So with all of this as I'm sure you can understand - I am not in love with summer. 

But what I can appreciate about
summer is it's beauty - the blue skies and green grass.
(I appreciate it mostly from an air conditioned office/car/basement suite)
I also love the fact that it is the middle man between my two favorite seasons
  Spring and Autumn. 

I love the Spring and the rain it brings, the thunderstorm light shows and those showers that help bring Summers green leaves and grass to life, the puddles, rain jackets, gumboots and fun umbrellas.

But Autumn.... Oh how I love the Autumn, I feel like everything good is in the Autumn.

 General Conference (okay, okay so that's in the Spring too), Thanks Giving, Halloween, feeling the weather change from warm to a crisp/cool breeze, I love when the leaves start to fall and I can hear/feel the crunch under my feet, and most of all I love their colours; beautiful oranges, rich reds and burgundies

  Ooooo I just LOVE the Autumn.

So why the song about Summertime when I am sharing
words of affirmation to my 'season of love' Autumn?
Well it's because I am not one for taking vacations. I take time off from work yes,
but I generally do so that I can assist in the planning of friends weddings,
or other organized events.
 Growing up - Summertime is when you went on Summer Vacation.
The song lyrics are "Summertime and the liven' is easy" unfortunately in the Event industry I would say it's anything but.... We have Weddings, Stampede,
and then a few more Weddings.
I feel blessed to learn and grow and share my creativity/organizational skills in all of it, but I have learned that I need this in moderation.

So I have taken an extended long weekend. I'm excited for my non-planned/planned Vacation. I do have one day (Thursday) dedicated to weddings
(I am helping two very close friends with their planning)
 so as of Friday I am a free bird.

The picture below is to show me in my dream of
beautiful beaches and a sun kissed glow.
Maybe (when all is said and done) the Lord will allow me one day's rest
 to lay on a beach feel the white sand under my toes and soak it all up.

Until then I will spend my time off with those I love
 Family, Friends, and a good book or two.

Oh what a life I get to live.

xo