First entry! Oh boy!

Just because this is my first post, on my first blog ever, i thought I'd tell you a bit about myself. I'm sure to forget things, but don't worry, I'll fill you in eventually!

My name is Rowie, and I live on Pender Island, in British Columbia, Canada. I moved here in April of 2009 with my husband (I'll call him B) and his parents. We have all been adjusting to life on a small island. When we moved, everything slowed down. The businesses seem to be stuck in the ways and electronics of 10 years ago, hence the hand stamping at the post office and bank (which takes for-e-ver, but is sort of amusing to watch). To get off the island we have to take a ferry (no complaining, it's a million times better than sitting on the freeway), so your life becomes run by the ferry schedule...or you could be like me and only go off-island twice a month. Everyone is nice here, it's a small community, and the main shopping area is across from a cow pasture. There is a popular bumper sticker here with the words "What's the hurry?...I'm on Pender time." This describes the island mentality perfectly.

With no mall, no freeway, no stop lights, and a top speed limit of 50k i find that my life is very different here. The adjustment was hard, and is still going on. I left all my friends, all my family, my job, and my school. I also gained 10lbs in the move. Booo! Over the last year i have been discovering things to do on Pender, meeting new people, and focusing on my health. I really want to eat healthier, and make exercise a regular routine. I have also been spending lots of time doing crafty things, reading books and watching movies. This change has brought so many new and exciting things to my life, even if the excitement is all about relaxation. B and i have been having a blast!

My husband and I got married in October of 2008 after being together for 5 years. We spend all of our time together. We live with his parents at the moment, but (hopefully) soon will have our own separate apartment on the property (10 acres).

As a family, we have 5 dogs (Toby, Izzie, Zoey, Ozzy, Zephyr), 2 cats (Linus and Andy), goldfish, indoor birds (Bub and Bob ) , and 2 very large pigs (Rufus and Dorothy). Quite the menagerie, i know. They are a huge part of our lives. The pigs were even raised in the house with a litter of puppies. Piglets have to be the cutest thing out there, and when they're running around with a herd of fuzzy puppies you just want to keel over and die from the cuteness.

Before moving here i lived in California. I graduated high school, and then spent about 7 years at the local junior college completing my General Ed and enjoying myself with classes of interest. I ended up with both culinary and baking and pastry certificates. Culinary school is also where i met my husband.

B and i are one of those couples that seem to do everything together. We work at the same place, the same shifts. We garden, hike, explore, kayak, cook, clean and sometimes fight together. Each year (except last year, because we were moving) we go on a backpacking trip together with our dogs. We used to go in the Sierra's, but will have to find somewhere new in Canada. We really want to try out the West Coast Trail. In 2008, at our favorite campsite in the middle of nowhere, we decided to get engaged. That was obviously one of my favorite trips EVER! Looking forward to many more years of adventures with him!

Starting my senior year of high school I worked in a big grocery store, which turned into a 10 year stint, and let me tell you, that was enough customer service for me! I did meet lots of interesting people every day, and got to work in just about every department. I especially loved helping people in produce, and being creative in floral.

My whole life, i have always done crafts. I don't often stick to the same thing for long, it's true, but i just find it all so interesting! I have tried (and continue to play with) jewelry making, beading, glass fusing, precious metal clay, knitting, mosaic, card making, making my own bath and body products, and probably some other things I've forgotten. I have also been a band nerd since 4th grade, playing the piano, clarinets (bass, E flat, and B flat), tenor sax, and most recently teaching myself to play guitar.

I love movies, music and books, all influenced heavily by my father, who passed away in 2007. My husband and I watch LOTS of movies, i play and listen to music, and i love to read. I have a very nerdy list of books that I'd like to read, which i am constantly working on. I have a weird addiction to lists, another gift from my dad. And finally, i have a tom-boy addiction to video games! Oh yes, I'm stretching the nerdy limits! My favorites? The Final Fantasy series! I'm also obsessed with my Wii, and am in love with the PS3.

It's a bit disjointed, but that's my life in a nutshell. I love where i live, and am excited to share!

Hopefully this blog will have some direction mixed in with all my daily rambling. First matter of business? Food! I LOVE food, and am just starting to eat a bit healthier. Food is my biggest problem in my quest to lose a few pounds, and it REALLY doesn't help that i work at a bakery! I also can't get over how lucky i am to have a husband that likes to cook (even if it means every thing's cooked in butter)! Yup, that's my careful planning panning out there!!! Want to find a husband that cooks? Go to culinary school! Oh yeah! OK, really, i would like to share my meals with you, both good and bad. If i find a fantastic recipe that makes my taste buds stand up and smile, then I'll share it. If all of you out there have yummy/healthy suggestions for me I'd love to hear them! When I'm not being lazy I'll try to photograph some of the better meals and recipes too. We'll see how it goes.

Second on the list is fitness. Exercising in not really my favorite thing, in fact it's pretty close to torture for me. There are activities that i like that could count as exercise, but if we're talking about running and doing sit ups...yeah, not so much. I joined a website called myfitnesspal.com where i can track my food, exercise and progress. There are also message boards and a very embracing community of supportive people. So far I've only lost 5lbs of the 15 that is my goal. 125lbs would be REALLY nice. Man is it a struggle though! SO...if i find some wildly exciting and effective exercise, or if i suddenly, magically, drop all my weight, I'll let you know.

Finally, last but not least, FUN! I'll keep you up to date on my crafty projects, and share pics. If you have questions about certain mediums I'll try to help, but this will probably be me letting you in on all my screw ups. We'll see. Hiking, camping, kayaking and gardening are all part of my fun category too, there will probably be more pictures than anyone but my grandma could appreciate. Because i watch so many movies I'll include short review blurbs, or I'll just type whatever odd comments and impressions come to mind. I'll do the same with my books, although it'll be a lot longer in between those. I might just end up recommending some of the better ones I've come across.

My main goal, aside from all that health business, is to finish reading all the books on my book list. OK, you'll learn this soon enough, but i have an odd obsession with lists. I like to put things in list format, revise lists, work from lists, and check things off of lists. I just like lists. The are comforting. Who knows why. ANYWAY, I have combined my two nerdy habits, and have made a list of recommended reads, classics, top books to read before you die, etc. I own many many shelves of books (much to B's dismay, probably because he had to move all 18 apple boxes of them from the U.S. to Canada) and i am always adding to the collection. New or used, it doesn't matter. I like the way they smell, and feel. Sitting among my books feels home-y to me. I started out reading sci-fi/fantasy, and i still enjoy them, but things started to get a little repetitive. The world is always ending, the farm boy turned hero always gets the princess, and dragons are always flying around somewhere. What i found i really wanted, was to be in the know, to read the classics. All those references to books, characters, and plots that people make every day aren't that interesting if i don't know what the heck they're talking about! So i decided to read as many of them as i can, and expand my previously narrow range of interest. So far it's been an enjoyable and enlightening experience, and I'm well on my way (except the list keeps growing).

So now that I've written my own novel, instead of a short and sweet blog post, I'll let your eyes and my fingers get some rest! Hopefully my motivation will back up my intentions, and I'll write again tomorrow. Here's hoping!