Girl Trips vs. Guy Trips

When you think of going on an 'all girls' or an 'all guys' trip what kind of stereotypes do you think of?

Is it all girls drinking martinis in NYC while guys get drunk and do stupid things in Vegas?

Or is it of women being hit on in night clubs while guys are off fishing on a quiet lake?

As the majority of our friends have gotten married in the last 5 years or so, stags and bachelorette parties have entered the picture, as has the conversation about gendered-group trips. Some of my more conservative friends and family are often surprised that I 'let' Juliano go on these trip, or that he 'lets' me go on them... Ummm... LETS? The main discussion we have before a trip like this is financial. Can we afford to do this? Fair Question. Will you be safe? Fair Question.

We've been together 9 years now {holy crap!}, and traveling without each other has been a sticking point for a long time. Is it fair that you get to go and I have to stay home? Most of our contention had more to do with travel envy than giving permission to do anything.

To me Letting Someone insinuates a serious lack of trust, and assumes some bad intentions. Although being married {generally} comes with the bonus of a built-in traveling companion, it doesn't mean that it becomes your only option! Traveling in girl/guy groups can be a lot of fun - but if you are in a relationship, have your boundaries and expectations clearly defined before you leave home.



I might be looking through rose-coloured glasses, as I've never had any problems with these types of trips - although I'm sure they exist...

• Do you take separate vacations from your significant other? 
• Do you think girls/guys trips are a good idea or a bad idea? 
• Does the location of the trip make a difference - we can clearly see the difference between Vegas and a fishing town - but does it affect your opinion?

Let me know what you think!

Lin-Sanity: Focus & Go Crazy!

Have you been watching the awesome classic underdog story of Jeremy Lin? He's a nerdy Harvard grad, exactly the same size as Juliano, taking the NBA by storm. He was undrafted, sleeping on his brother's couch and waiting for his chance to step up. And he did. He hit 109 points in first 4 starts (games as a starting player) best all times in NBA (Better than Michael Jordan - Lebron James). People love him!

Juliano: He made the Knicks win -That's the most impressive since the Knicks suck!

Haven't hear? Check him out here or here or here.

You don't need to be a basketball fan to love this - we all go through our lives talking about being the best we can be - but few of us actually Prepare, Stay Focused and Go Crazy with the things we want to accomplish.  Best part of this guy? He's smiling and clearly enjoying every second of it. 

Things learned from Lin-sanity:
Always be prepared - Do you daily work and prepare yourself so when your opportunity comes up - take advantage of it!
Stay Focused - Study hard so you are mentally focus on your task
Go Crazy - Be confident and believe you can achieve anything and once your time is up -  Explode

Lin was a sidelines guy - with the skills and drive to be the best. Sometimes you have to wait for your opportunity - but when it comes along, you'd better be ready.

Until then? I'm buying the T-shirt:

Top Photo Credit

Outer Space! Does the world seem big or small?

We saw the Northern Lights this weekend! It was Juliano's first time seeing them, and it's been years since I've seen them. They're stunning and transfixing and everything you think.

{Photo Source: I don't have the photography skills to take a picture of them!}

We were on our way out to the  Rothney Astronomical Observatory when we saw them.

The RAO is run by the University of Calgary, and hosts open houses about once a month. For $20 you get to listen to a presentation, look through their huge telescope, hold some space rocks and more.

The best part though? The local astronomical society members bring their personal telescopes and set them up for us to look through. They know so much about Space - and they're excited to tell you! It's so inspiring to watch people immersed in their passion. Here's some of what we got to see:

Does the world seem big or small to you? Sometimes when I read other travel blogs, or watch too much National Geographic the world seems SO HUGE and unsurmountable - I'll never see it all! 

Bonus: Have you seen The Scale of the Universe? So cool, give it a second to load....

Happy Family Day

Happy Family Day to my fellow Canadians! Today is a day off for us - so enjoy. I have no post, so here is a photo of me trying to enjoy some Love Swans in Brazil. Juliano does not like love swans, apparently. Even though they're awesome and romantic, Juliano.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Day of love....and lattes? Yep. Is this a day of cheese and superficial materialism? Yep, that too. Buuut... despite knowing that - a little part of my lady-heart loves it. Okay, a big part. Not for the gifts (we're not big gift-givers) but for the cheese!! Romance and glitter! ha ha...

This valentine's day I want a cupcake from Crave bakery, a glass of wine, a season of Friday Night Lights and quiet evening in with Juliano! 

We have been together for 9 years. Four years ago we jumped into the crazy adventure of being married, and now we have another amazing adventure planned together... Can't wait! 

I hope you all have lots of love today, wherever it comes from!

xoxo,

D & J

Princess Bride Wine?!

"Mawage, that bwessed awangement. That dweam within a dweam!"

I used to work in a wedding invitation store and I swear that someone once used that in an invitation. Coolest people ever. Now two of my favorite things: the movie Princess Bride and wine drinking. What happens when someone decides to combine two already awesome things??? Princess Bride Wine. An explosion of awesome: As You Wish Chard! Inconceivable Cab!

I've never wanted to live in Texas more - The Princess Bride Quote-Along & Feast!! I want to go SO BAD!

Oh, Westley.

Roughnecks Lacrosse

Yeay - we're back to being Calgary Tourists! Juliano's brother is here for the month, so we've been pulling out all the stops to show him around Calgary [and most of Alberta!]. Next on the 'Canadian Things' list was a Lacrosse game. The Calgary Roughnecks tickets are lots of fun to watch, and the tickets are affordable ($30 ish).

We thought we were getting the best deal ever on front row seats. Buuuttt... we were right behind the home bench (yeay!) and had a BUTT VIEW of the team for the entire game (boo). We did get to see their trainers in full action though - these guys wear NO shin/knee protection.... lots of blood.

 Awesome Side Note: Roberto took a photo with the Drill Crew when we went for burgers after.

Banff & Lake Louise Tourists

Even though we're in the mountains at least a couple of times a month, we rarely go as 'tourists' and see the fun stuff! We were happy to have my wonderful sister-in-law from Ottawa come to town with a friend who'd never been here... I always love seeing people experiencing the mountains for the first time.The super swanky Chateau Lake Louise has outdoor skating, ice castles and winter magic aplenty. Banff Springs Hotel is also amazing [we even got to stumble on a winter wedding!]

In Banff we got to try traditional Bannock, eat loads of candy and relax in the hot springs [if you go, please rent a 'heritage suit' and wear it - you'll make my day].

Happy Winter Tourists! Also, we got to finish the weekend off with a basketball game, huge dinner [16 people!] at my house with family. I love it. I'll miss being close to my extended family when we're away.

What do I blog about?

These things apparently. Mostly our house it seems...

Make your own here!

Vancouver Riot Picture

This was my favorite picture of 2011. 

I can't stop staring at it! I love year end 'top 10' lists and amazing photography - so this Year in Pictures article was a favorite. Check it out, but know that most of the world has bigger problems than losing a hockey game - some of the pictures are troubling.

Vancouver Picture Source

State of the Uterus Address

 **NOTE: I'm not actually preggo in this pic. It's the fake belly from a maternity store.**

**I highly suggest this as an activity with preggo friends - it was a good day**

Sigh. Yep, this is conversation that I've had a million times - so here we go again:

You: What are you doing? I thought you'd have babies by now!
Me: Yeah, me too. But I'm not.
You: What?!?! WHYYYY?? Have some BABIES!! Babies are so GREAT!
Me: I know, I generally like babies. But not now, I've got some other stuff on the go. Plus I'm still young!
You: You're not YOUNG! You're TWENTY SEVEN! That's almost THIRTY!
Me: I'm aware of how time works. I will one day... ha ha...
*starts to get awkward*
You:  But you SHOOUULLDD! It will be so FUUN!
Me: Fuck off. No Vacancies in this Uterus!

Okay, so that may be a sliiight exaggeration of the whole thing. But really - people expect us to have babies. And not in a malicious way - I have fully lead them to believe that this is where I'm headed. This is the case I currently present to the world:

Reason I could should would be able to have a Baby:

1. I have a husband. {Heterosexual monogamy? Double Points!}
2. I have a house with an additional bedroom. In the 'burbs.
3. I have a car with 4 doors and some airbags. {Safety first people!}
4. I am 27 years old - sooooo close to over the hill! My Eggs are OLD!
5. My friends have babies.
6. I like babies. {Except on planes - sorry friends with babies!! I don't hate yours! Just other babies on planes. Just the ones that cry. I KNOW it's not your fault, it's a baby... but still. I. Like. To. Sleep.}
7. I have a job. So does my husband. {Yeay - stability!}
8. I have a fully functional uterus. {Most people don't really know that, specifically.}

See? I get it why people are all gung-ho about me having babies. I have all the things society tells me I need before I have babies.**  It's the next natural step of life:

And don't get me wrong in all of this, I do love babies and kids.But here's some other things I love right now:

1. Drinking. Mostly wine. And Champagne. And fancy gin.
2. Sleeping. In long stretches.Whenever I want.
3. Eating Sushi!! This is fairly arbitrary, only applies to pregnancy,  not a strong argument.
4. Traveling recklessly. {Ah, here's a big one.}
5. Selling everything I own and moving away from my support system. {another solid strike}
6. Not having babies. {Checkmate my friends, check. mate.}

 But really, I'm not quite ready yet. There were a number of things that Juliano both wanted to do before we officially 'settled down'. One was open a business - check, the others aren't done yet!

When we look at our friends who have kids already, we're overjoyed for them and we LOVE their kids SO MUCH. And we know that we want that eventually - but it just doesn't feel right yet for us.

 My friends who are moms tell me that that all of those things are completely forgotten about when have a baby of your own. A bit tsunami of love comes over you and nothing else matters.
Guess What? I BELIEVE YOU! 

And this is my response:

 But really, this choosing not to have babies business does have some downsides, mostly personal. I was talking to a close friend a few days ago about this - and we were both surprised to discover that we felt the same way about delaying babies. There are a few things about it that affect me:

I'm worried about being an 'old mom'. I know that people have babies at all sorts of ages now, but for some reason - I've always assumed I'd be a 'super-young mom'. As in - babies DONE by 30. This seemed especially possible when I got married at 23! Now at 27 it's still not time. Not a bad thing, just different from what my original plans were, and I have to adjust to that.  

I want Juliano to be a dad. I know that it's cheesy, but I think so many women know that they want to marry someone after seeing them with kids. I know I did. Juliano is SO GREAT with kids - even though his thoughts are exactly on par with mine at the moment, I still feel like I'm potentially 'taking something away' from him - and me!

I do see WHY it's a good idea to wait and WHY it's a good idea to just get on it {ha ha.. no pun intended}. But for now - we delay and do life like we want for a bit. We'll come back for you future mini-deBritos!


** Don't send me cranky email about not needing these thing to have a baby. Yes, you can have a baby without a husband - obviously!! I KNOW!! These are just reason why people think I should have one. Sheesh.

Faux Nostalgia

Have you seen Midnight in Paris? Although I'm generally not a fan of Wood Allen stuff... this movie was cute and super weird! Where is he going? Where did the cab come from? How is Marion Cotillard so DAMN GORGEOUS? Who knows. But, the movie dealt with  the destructive nature of nostalgia, and a sense of yearning for the past.

The mystery in the sense of nostalgia comes from our unease with change. And the inability to 'go back'. In the spirit of entering the new year, and with our upcoming adventure looming on the horizon, I'm beginning to feel that am currently living in the past, and that I just haven't caught up to my present yet {living on a boat/somewhere sunny}. This has begun to cause some problems in my day-to-day... as I am lacking considerable amounts of motivation to complete tasks (like my job).

I read a great essay on why we use things like faux-vintage photo filters {like the pic of us above} to recreate the sense of value that comes with truly vintage photos that have been saved for years and years. Having recently gone through a chest of old photos that go several generations back, I can attest to the inherent value they carry - I'll never know what that world was like. As we move this feeling forward we become nostalgic the future's past - our present. The next generation, my kids included, won't know what the world was like now. That moment is gone, and what I have left is a sketchy iPhone photo.

The essay of The Faux-Vintage Photo interestingly describes this phenomenon in the context of social media today. Do I keep a blog, and post 'old-fashiony' photos as a documentation of the present purely for the future?

Here's what he has to say about it:
"We come to see what we do as always a potential document, imploding the present with the past, and ultimately making us nostalgic for the here and now." - Source


Interesting, isn't it? This is more that I usually write in the blog - but I thought it was relevant because of the dramatic changes that are upcoming in our lives. As brave and adventurous as we seem - fear of change and nervousness over the loss of our lives here are definitely still an element in our choices! 

If you're thinking about/currently planning to 'throw it all overboard' know that these things WILL come up! If the pros still outweigh the cons {as they do for us} you'll be ready to move ahead - perhaps a little wiser...

Snowboarding

After all that complaining about the dark  - it's time for some good things about Calgary! Here's the best one: the Rocky Mountains are my back yard.

Despite what it looks like here, I'm not really an 'outdoor enthusiast' in that enjoy the creature comforts of home... But being at the top of the mountains is truly a breathtaking place to be.

Nope, that's not a fake backdrop - that's how I spend my weekends. (Doing some 'Shredding'!) I'm pretty sure that snow-sports aren't going to be a part of our new adventure in 2012... but, you never know where you're going to end up!

**Side Note** Did you know you can ski in Dubai?? INDOORS?

With the New Year just around the corner, I hope you remember to enjoy and appreciate all the amazing things in your life - some might be just an hour's drive away!

Happy Holidays from us,
Dana & Juliano

Daylight Hours - Not going to miss the dark!

Okay - so I had this post ready to go earlier, but I had to wait for the end of 'No Complain Week' to post it!

Calgary is a crazy place, situated very close to Santa's place at the NORTH POLE... thus giving us long winters with crazy daylight hours. It's the middle of December here, and this is what I see every day:

It's dark when I go to work, and dark when I come home. According to 'SCIENCE' we get around 7 hours of sunlight per day now. I work 8 hours a day. This can get depressing!

In the spirit of No Complain Week here's the good: In Summer, it's AWESOME! We get over 11 hours of sunlight....

This endless darkness is not something I'm going to miss... I want some sunshine today :)

Enjoy your day

Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Good Tidings to All!

I hope you are enjoying a festive meal and not being as Scrooge-ish or Grinch-like as I usually am!

In celebration of our favorite holiday, here's the best of my favorite Sketchy Santas:

 

 

Happy Holidays ~ See you in the New Year!

Official No Complain Week

We are the Architects of our own Adversity...

Like most people, we complain too much. In an effort to take control over the 'temperature' of our life - Juliano suggested we institute a 'No Complain' week! It starts today - and I'm excited!

Rules are simple: No Complaining, whining or bitching about anything. Penalty for a complaint? A compliment issued in the same direction. If you complain about traffic being bad, maybe you should appreciate that you have a car to drive!

Trust me these, simple compliments hilarious to come up with - but really force you out of a cycle of negativity. We didn't actually intend to choose Christmas week for this - but it's going to be an extra challenge... Here's why:

- it's Christmas
- Lots of extra driving
- Out of town family and friends are expected
- We have some business logistics to iron out
- We're taking care of our dog (usually lives with my mom - we love him so much, but he can be work!)

- This seems small, but Juliano's blackberry is on the fritz. (If you've been 'butt-dialed' by him this week - sorry! ha ha)
- We still have to work the regular week, and we commute both ways

All of these things could potentially add some extra complaining into our lives (yes, you can even complain about good things!) - but this week it's all positivity (even if it's a little forced...)

We'll let you know how it goes!

** The Jingle Horse is just for added festivity**

Latest Obsession: Pinterest

Are reading this blog to avoid regular work or fight off boredom? It's okay ~ that's why I write it sometimes.

My latest obsession is free, fun and addicting: Pinterest.

It's the perfect escape to get creative...So many ideas! Crafts! Funny Quotes! It's like the entire inter-webs have ADD and are sucking you into their vortex.... Enjoy. Click on the logo above to be pin-friends with me.

"You should keep this open. It's civil rights. It's the 90s."

Honeybadger don't give a shit.

Update: This is Randall