I kicked off 2011 with a 2 month backpacking trip through Asia with a couple of amazing girlfriends. First to Thailand..

Then to India…

Life list #72. Touch the Taj Mahal.

I came home and celebrated my best friends birthday. I also celebrated having a hot shower with running water, a clean place to sleep, Tim Hortons and pretty clothes.

I also learned that spray tans are a bad idea. *See next photo*

I said goodbye to Moxies Langley and some of the amazing girls who were family to me there.

Spring came and I drove a quad for the first time, (#62 on the life list).

This was the result.

I moved in with the 2 best friends and roommates a girl could ask for.

The Canucks made a good run for the Stanley Cup but we won’t talk about how that ended.

I turned 24 and celebrated by birthday with a roller-derdby ride around the sea wall…

dinner with these beautiful ladies…

and a very memorable camping extravaganza.

I shot the Twin’s Cancer Fundraiser Beach BBQ, which was not only the best party of the summer, it also raised thousands and thousands of dollars for cancer research.

I developed an amazing friendship with these seriously gorgeous ladies who I am so grateful to have in my life.

I jumped off a bridge.

Cooked my first Thanksgiving turkey ever!

Worked the Remember Shaun G fundraiser. More money raised for cancer!

A trip to Whistler…

Followed immediately by a trip to New York!

December came and I ate a lot of turkey, jumped on the bed, went to an ugly-christmas-sweater party and spent invaluable time with the people I love (what Christmas is all about). Thank you for such an amazing year.

I’ll be donating a BLUSH Boudoir Marathon session to the auction and there will be tons of other great stuff up for grabs. This is a night you won’t want to miss!

You can see the event details on facebook HERE and buy tickets online HERE.

In other news… There’s only 3 spots left in my December boudoir marathon. Not sure what to give your boyfriend or husband this Christmas? How about sexy photos of you! Professional hair and make up, a boudoir session at the Loden Hotel and 30 fully retouched images for $350. Call me to book a session! 778 918 8630.

Last but not least, the snow is falling… therefore  - the Christmas tree is going up! Have a great weekend!

It couldn’t be described better than that, so I’ll let the Lonely Planet summarize my 3 weeks in the wildest country in the world. India was a rollercoaster of up’s and down’s. It broke us all down, but it was an eye-opening experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything (but man am I happy to be home).

#20. The Eagles in concert

#4. Attend a Zombie-Walk

#29. Drive a jet-ski

#75. The original Starbucks in Pike Place Market

#87. Receive a dozen red roses

But somehow #2 has always seemed somewhat unobtainable. I hoped that if I added it to my list, someday it would happen although I seriously doubted my ability to do so. Then, 2 weeks ago, the opportunity presented it’s self to me. I’d like to tell you that I said YES right away, but I took a few nights to sleep on it and to try and come up with an excuse why I couldn’t….

I’m not going to lie, it was after a couple glasses of wine that I called my friend back and said SIGN ME UP NOW BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND. AHH.

I am so glad I did.

#2……. Skydive.

Now, maybe you know where this is going. Bangkok was making the news almost daily. Political violence was escalating and 5 days before I was to fly out, the Thai government was rolling armored vehicles through the streets and rubber bullets were exchanged for real ones. To my disappointment (and the relief of my family), my flight was cancelled.

So now, I’m ready to stop sulking (I’ve been in a cave for the last week). New plan: work all summer and try again in the fall. There’s got to be a way to turn this into something positive.

On that note, I’m vowing to blog more personal posts in hopes of connecting with my readers. I also added an ‘about Angela’ section to my website, finally. Check it out HERE.

And just for fun… here’s me and my fur-baby, Holli.

I have this quote framed, to the right of my computer as a reminder of how I want to live my life. I don’t remember where I found it, but it’s just really stuck with me. It’s my new goal to blog, once a week, something (big or small) that makes me happy.

Today I spent an hour of my day, Chai Latte in hand, browsing the aisles of Chapters. Looking for nothing in particular I wandered around guided by comforting ‘perfect-for-a-bookstore’ music. Flashy covers and funny names caught my attention. Some of my favourites: ‘Honey It’s All In The Shoes’, ‘How To Be A Hepburn In A Hilton World”, and a bright yellow book with just the words ‘CURIOUS?’ in big bold letters. I grabbed a copy of ‘The 100 best Volunteer Vacations” and sat cross-legged (yes, I was that person) on the floor reading about how to save the Mediterranean Monk Seal or grow organic vegetables in Italy.

This week I’ll keep it simple. To me, happiness is coffee at the bookstore on a rainy thursday.

Balloons over 200th St. Langley.