i just wish this little athlete liked getting rest!!

i’ve mentioned before how much i loved the olympics.  not so much the actual olympics, but rather what it did to the city.  the buzz, the feeling of togetherness, camaraderie, happiness.

mason on the other hand – what he loved most about the olympics was the sports. as we watched the events on tv, he would tell us how good he was at that particular sport, and would run off and get his gear, and show us just how he could perform.  of course i had my camera at hand.

according to mason, he is going to be in the olympics in:  skating, hockey, bobsledding, louge, skeleton, curling, skiing, snowboarding and last but not least “the shooting skiing one”.

i can’t remember exactly when it was, but at some point during the olympics i was downstairs on my computer, editing photos, and he came running down the stairs and said “mama, mama, i’ve just won a golden medal, sing oh canada for me.”  and another :  he was sleeping and rolls over to me and says “mom, jaryn has won some some golden medals”.  me to him “what about you, did you win any?”  mason… “not yet” and then fell right back to sleep.

oh,another special something that came about as a result of the olympics… mason learning and subsequently singing the “i believe” song over and over everywhere, anywhere.  in the car, grocery market, on the sea bus.  making everyone smile.  he even got a few cheers and claps.

here are some images of him being the athlete that he is.

note to self: its his birthday coming up. by the looks of the photos i should get him a “goalie” mask so he doesn’t have to use the sticker from his happy planet juice container!!

while i was working during the olympics, simon, mason (who we refer to as monkey), and mason’s favourite friend “monkey”, visited me “at work”.
yes, it was the middle of february in canada.  and yes it was t-shirt weather!

i wanted to post about my olympic experience. but then i realized it was too big.  too many emotions to capture under one experience. as such, i’ll be posting my experiences.  plural.

i have so many stories to tell. so many memories that i don’t want to forget..

my first post will be that of my experience as a member of the “host city team”.

as an employee of the city of vancouver, some of us volunteered, and some of us were “voluntold”.  i’m so glad i was voluntold, because otherwise i’m not sure i would have signed up. i’m SURE i wouldn’t have had the experiences i had. the friendships i made, the friendships i molded.

i thank you eileen, mike k, shauna, victor, kirsten, allison, larry, theresa, jade, bill, and david for making it an experience i won’t forget. and all the other hosts i got to chat with.  and of course my team – ingrid, sonia, jaclyn.

my website is almost ready to go live.

i’m also updating my “about page” on my blog.  i’ve been told that potential clients like to see photos – and they like to know “who you are” before they hire you.

so, who i am, in so many words:

a lover of:

you know how the saying goes – that a photo says a thousand words… here are some images that represent me

what a couple of weeks. i’m so so proud of being canadian. not only that we did so well, but of who we are.

watching the closing ceremonies last night made me laugh.  you see, i’m forever being teased about saying sorry.  i’m one that says it EVEN MORE than the average canadian. so you know that is alot!! ALOT!

we were so lucky to have family and friends come and stay with us during these past couple of weeks. in particular, it was great to see my friend char and her family.  we used to work together so many years ago.    i haven’t seen her in so long.  i called her the other day and she mentioned that she was coming down and i insisted that they stay with us.  i’m so happy that they did.  to matthew and david .. i thank you for your kindness with mason.  you see, mason loves “big boys” and demanded that they play with him every minute they were here! thanks guys for having fun with him.

char and i got into a conversation about parenting and personalities… some are more serious, some stick to the rules, some are less strict… i’m one of those that likes to have fun.  in life, and with mason.  here is proof in the pudding

my new website. getting close to being ready to publish it. today is a day i’ve dedicated to review my images to finalize my portfolio.  the ones that show how i shoot, what i see, what i’m drawn to.

as you can see by my  blog, i’m definately drawn to shooting my little monkey!!

simon is forever taking my camera and trying to take photos of me.  i don’t like it.  i say not now, another day.

the other morning simon took my camera and snapped a photo of mason laying on my lap. he said it was so cute.

i beg to differ.

i’ve always been athletic (or at least that is my excuse) and i’ve always ALWAYS had big legs.  in fact, when i was younger my brothers teased me about having “keg-sized” legs (sorry only a joke canadians will get).  and that they are. particularly in this photo..note to simon.. angles are key my darling, and this is one hell of a bad angle.

never mind, a photo of vic (and her keg sized thighs) on her blog!!

notice the format… i’ve just bought myself a new polariod camera (i know i know only limited supply of film. but considering i bought it for 9.00 and i have several boxes of film, it will keep me occupied for a while!)

now he’s winking at me. yes, he is. at three.

i go to the arena to watch him skate, and he skates by me all proud, and WINKS AT ME!!! at first i thought he was just blinking his eyes, but after the fifth time, i realized what he was doing. (ok ok i’m slow… not too many guys wink at me any more… actually not too many guys ever did!!!).  but to my defense, at first he was closing both eyes, so i wasn’t certain what he was trying to accomplish..

he’s subsequently mastered his “wink”.