Blurry Photos

Dear Nikki,

I'm so glad to hear you had a fun shower! I'm sad that I missed it! I did have a great weekend too though. My parents came out to visit (and go skiing), which we did. They also brought with them my pretty new dress :) I really like it. I actually haven't tried it on yet, but I've known all along it would need altering, so that's fine. I'll be sure to get it done soon!

Remember how you asked for view pictures? Well... I tried to take some, at night, because that's when the view is the best. It turns out though that I'm terrible at taking pictures, so I have included one very blurry view photo here for your viewing pleasure. I'll try again, but I really think you should come and visit to get the full effect!





I have also recently finished knitting my Fetching wrist warmers. Please see the (also) blurry photo below. I like them, but they curl out at the top and the bottom. I'm going to see if I can find some elastic thread to run around inside the edges to stop that. They're nice and warm though! I haven't really started anything yet. I'm thinking of knitting the Ballet Camisole from MagKnits... but in blue, not pink, of course. What do you think?





Anyhow, I leave you with one last photo, because I know you like daffodils, and to prove that I can take pictures that are in focus!

Love,
Laura

Shower fun

Dear Laura,

Have you dug yourself out from under the mountain of packing boxes yet? How is your new place?

I am in the middle of a blessed two-week vacation right now. It's been lovely. Kate and her mom threw a shower for me this weekend in B-vegas so I came home for the weekend for that. It was so much fun - but I wish you could have been here!

I thought you might enjoy some photos anyways. :) These are the ones that Mom took - I'm hoping that Erin and Karen will share theirs too so that you can see pictures of more than just me!

Love,

Nikki

Kate's aunt is a cake decorator, and she made this fabulous milk-free cake for me. It was SO good. And I was all excited because my name was on it!

I was forced to wear the requisite hat/veil made of bows from all the gifts. It was...fashionable, to say the least! In my right hand is the gorgeous bouquet that my friend Cora-Lee made. She's going to make our bouquets for the wedding, so she did a trial run so I could figure out if I was allergic to the roses. (I'm not, thank goodness.) It was so beautiful. I'm really hoping that someone else took a better photo of it!

I'm all class

Dear Laura,

Congratulations on finally moving into your new place. I'm looking forward to photos, as soon as that beautiful Vancouver fog clears!

I am looking out a very nice view as I write this. I'm in Toronto for a residency interview, and I think I already told you that Brad and I decided to extend our stay and have a little mini-vacation. We're staying in a nice hotel (thank you, Expedia, land of good deals) and planning to sleep for two days....er....I mean, we're going to do all sorts of cultural things and eat lots of good food. Yeah. Anyways, we're on the top floor of the hotel, and it looks south toward the lake - so we have a really nice view!

I have very little knitting-related news for you, sadly. I'm still plugging along on the hated black/grey socks for my father. I'm about halfway down the foot (they're top-down socks, so I'm getting there...), but I will spare you a photo since black stockingette socks are really boring to look at. I did buy some very pretty yarn the other day to start some socks for myself as soon as these ones are done, though! (Picture later - the yarn is buried in my truck, 22 floors down in the parking garage.)

On the medical front, I have done all sorts of interesting things since I last saw you. (I realize that I told you about some of this on the phone two days ago, but for the sake of our meagre but dedicated audience on this lovely blog, let's forget about that, okay??)

I did an elective in oncology (cancer medicine) that was great for my learning but very heart-wrenching. I worked with a wonderful, caring doctor who is just exactly the type of person that I'd want if I was a patient there. I really enjoyed myself for the most part, but I did find some of the cases really sad - like a woman only a few years younger than you and I who I met on her first visit to the cancer centre. She had just been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma - which has a very high cure rate in young people, but is still cancer and still kills people. It was a bit too close to home for me.

I spent this past week working with the world's most unique dermatologist. He works in the town where I grew up, and I had heard that he was a bit curmudgeonly but that he had a busy practice so I would "see a lot" (which is apparently the best way to learn dermatology). Turns out he's had this huge change of personality over the past couple of years and has become a yoga instructor. He's really interested in complimentary and alternative medicine and actually prescribed meditation for one patient! He even diagnosed depression in one lady who came in complaining of a tingly tongue! It was wild!!! It certainly made for an interesting week, though!

Well, I'm off to prepare for my interview. I stupidly forgot my dress coat at my parents' place, so I will be arriving at the interview in my lovely suit....and my puffy pink winter coat, which I may have mentioned was purchased in the children's section. The lining fabric is pink stars. I am so classy.

Love,
Nikki

Yes!

Dear Nikki,

I've got internet! I bet you were wondering why it was taking me so long to post! Well, I moved into my new apartment last week, and have been slooooowly working on getting everything set up. As of 2 minutes ago, I got the internet set up. Yay!

My apartment is still a huge mess though. There are boxes all over the place, and packing tape, and styrofoam from packaging. Canadian Tire has been making a killing off of me this week as I have been getting all the basic necessities (draining rack, cleaning substances, tape, cutlery drawer organizer, etc). I keep thinking I've got everything, and then I'll remember something else I need! Luckily it's on the way home from work!

Because of this, I haven't been doing much knitting. I'm working on a pair of off-white wrist warmers from the Fetching pattern off knitty. I'm making them from leftover yarn from my brother's sweater and I'm really not confident that I'll have enough yarn. I have four rows around the top to go and then just the mini-thumb, so I am hopeful, but I don't think I'll have much to spare if I do make it!

In other important (and very belated) knitting anouncements, my friend Justine has her own new knitting blog. Welcome, Justine!

Well, that's it for now. I have some more work to do, dinner to make, and boxes to break down. Take care!

Laura