Hanging out with the Canucks

Imagine that one morning you are told you get to not only meet the Vancouver Canucks, but also play Nintendo Wii, hang out, and eat dinner with them the next evening for charity? Imagine that happening to a girl who has been a hardcore Canucks fan since 1989, who was there at the games in the '94 playoff run, who still to this day loves her team very much despite all the heartaches. Well, it happened to me. (heads up - this is going to be a long post).

Through the kindness of others, I attended the Sports Celebrity for Charity Gala supported by the Canucks that raises money for the Special Olympics. It's truly a wonderful event where you get to interact with the players, bid on an auction, and then break bread with some amazing athletes. An incredibly worthy cause, and the Canucks organization is commended for supporting it. A big hand should go to the players too who show up with such enthusiasm and spend much of the day with a special needs child. This year, my (former) crush Mason Raymond was the spokesperson.

My first thought was, what do I wear?? I pulled out my Herve Leger bandage dress, boyfriend jacket, and some sky-high platform booties. Classic quilted Chanel bag on my arm.

And from my pictures, you can see the Chanel wasn't the only piece of arm candy I had ;). My friend Kat (@KatArnett) said it was just like Hump Day Hunks, but in real life!

Below: It's Peanut Butter Burrows time!! Really happy Alex is back in the lineup, and even more happy he's standing here with me

The evening started off with some Wii-ing (is that a word?) with Mason and Jeff Tambellini. Mase and Jeff were both really sweet.

Above: Mason and I after our game of Wii

Below: Jeff Tambellini playing Wii Archery with intensity

I got my official pictures taken with Ryan Kesler and Kevin Bieksa, then Henrik and his two trophies, and finally with Lu and Mase. I apologize I don't have these pictures scanned yet but I'll do another post with them. Ryan was a lot of fun to be around - I tried to convince him to get teammate Alex Burrows on Twitter but with no success.

One of the funnest things I did was play table hockey against Swedish defenseman Alex Edler. I was worried that I would suck, but then I ended up beating him. I couldn't stop smiling. =)

Below: I love how Alex is smiling here!


Below: This is definitely my fave picture, with Alex Edler

For dinner, the celebrity guest at our table was Peter Schaefer. He was really funny and had lots of entertaining stories to tell. I have some funny group pictures of our table with Peter and Raffi Torres.

One of my highlights of the night was getting to know Danish forward Jannick Hansen a little more. I really enjoyed our conversation, and I really hope he flourishes this year on the third line because he really deserves it.

Below: Really glad I got this picture with Ryan at the end of the night

Below: Ryan Kesler

Below: BC native Dan Hamhuis

Not pictured here but I also met Sami Salo and Alex Bolduc. Sami looked good and I tried my best not to unintentionally hurt him.

All in all, it was an incredible night, and I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to attend.

Five Winter Picks To Keep You Cute and Cosy

Happy weekend! Hope you're enjoying this beautiful, sunny fall day. The temperature has dipped to a chilly 4 degrees Celsius this morning (that's 39 Fahrenheit), and it's got me excited about some beautiful winter clothing and accessories.

Nobis has a gorgeous line of mens and womens parkas that look sleek, urban, and warm. I really want their Luna parka, and I can't wait until mid November when the jackets will be arriving in stores locally. FAB, The Premium Denim Store, is supposed to carry the line.

Nobis makes super cute knitted hats and beanies, too.

I've also ordered a pair of the below Manitobah Mukluks. The company is Aboriginal-owned and all shoes are made in Canada. They have many gorgeous styles from ranging from tall to short boots. The soles, unlike other mukluks, can be made with a rubber, treaded vibram sole which makes them suitable for snow and ice. You can choose from a choice of faux fur, or rabbit, coyote or fox fur. I know some of you are going to disagree with the use of animal fur, but please do remember, historically the use of fur is part of Aboriginal culture. Gravity Pope sells Manitobah Mukluks, although their website didn't carry the half-wrap style shown here.



I couldn't help getting a tie-dyed scarf by Brightly Twisted from Hills of Kerrisdale (you can buy it online from Vionnet Boutique, pictured here). It's so warm and soft, and it's the perfect pairing to my white burn-out tee and skinny grey jeans.

Have you started stocking up for Winter yet? Tell me about your finds!

My Life's About to Change

In a really big way. Like, four paws kinda way.

Hubby and I will be welcoming a puppy to our household in about 4 weeks time! I'm beyond excited - we've waited for a long time to bring a dog into our family and now it's finally happening. A little sooner than I expected but we are happy all the same.

I've already scoped out some pretty neat things to get for her, and I'm definitely going to get one of these cowichan inspired sweaters by Granted.

Also love these very classic brown leather collars from Dog & Hydrant in Yaletown.

I'll be revealing the little pup's name and will post her pictures when she comes home. If you have a dog, I'd love to hear from you - any tips, classes to go to, fave pet stores - tell me about it!

It's A Fine Line

...between something that's working, and something that's not. Take this pleated skirt. I loved the intricate lace and tulle detailing, but it just didn't quite sit right. Too saggy at the hips, and I was ready to write it off.

My rose buckle belt saved it from being another impulse buy heading for the donation bin. It was a favourite item of mine when I was in Europe, simply because it made everything look and fit better. The elastic meant it was flexible to fit on nearly any bottom, pants, shorts or skirts.

Nearly gone too to the bin was this Talula navy blue blouse, which I loved at first sight but then soon grew tired. Love's a fickle thing, right?

But suddenly, paired with equally blue Marc by Marc Jacobs pumps, I was madly in love again.

Wearing:
Brown cropped swingy jacket with pearl details, Mom's find from Hong Kong
Navy blue blouse, Aritzia
Lace and tulle fringed skirt, Zioni
Rose buckle belt, from Hong Kong
Vintage Gucci bag, pilfered from Mom
Navy blue pumps, Marc by Marc Jacobs