Eat A Doughnut To Help Alberta

by Carmen Cruz

Tim Hortons is doing its part to help out my beloved home province of Alberta and all those who have been affected by the flooding.

Starting THIS Friday (tomorrow), Timmy's will be selling the 'Alberta Rose' doughnut for a $1, with the money raised to going Red Cross flood relief efforts in southern Alberta.

((FYI: The wild rose is Alberta's provincial flower.))  

The rose-shaped disaster doughnut is vanilla dipped, has a yellow Venetian cream center and is topped with red, white and pink strawberry bark.

Yum.

Enjoy.

Besos,

CC.
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The Bestest Of Vancouver ~ Rejoice Pet Salon

by Carmen Cruz

If you're a pet owner like me, you know how hard it can be to find a pet grooming salon that actually does a job that both you and your pet are happy with.

We've all experienced various forms of 'grooming nightmares'.  Pets who have been left bleeding (and you aren't told about it), hair cuts gone totally awry, and then there's this....



This atrocity happened to my little Maslow at a groomers home in Calgary. The sad thing is, not only did I pay for it, I even left a tip!!! (IDIOT!!! **slaps forehead**). I guess I felt sorry for the person who hacked my dog's hair. I've seriously gotta toughen up.

Moving on....

The good news is, not only have I found a place that does a FANTASTIC job, they're also really well priced, AND they use all natural products on your furry little amigo.

The place is called 'Rejoice Pet Salon' and it's located in Kitsilano (Jericho Village - corner of 4rth and Alma).  They've been around for a couple of years now, and not only does their work impress me, so does their customer service! They have super friendly staff, and if you're not 100% happy with your pup's cut, you can bring them in with no problem and no attitude.

The one thing I love the most about this place is the fact that they use social media to keep you updated on your dog's 'grooming experience'. They actually have a facebook page where they post pictures of your canine, before, during and after their grooming. I thought this was a brilliant idea. And yes, little Maslow has his own album from his last visit.
**Side Note: Is it just me, or do you find your dog looks hilarious/ rat-like/ creepy when soaking wet? Yeah.... **

This place also gets bonus points for helping rescue dogs find new homes. 

 I highly recommend you check out Rejoice Pet Salon. It's pretty awesome.


Besos,

CC.

**Just a heads up - They always keep their front door locked to avoid having any dogs on the run, so make sure you always call ahead**

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Calgary Stampede

by Carmen Cruz

So I'm here in Calgary, and having a heck of a time trying to find my new home. Problem is, a lot of people are not cool with having Maslow around (my dog). So frustrating! Ah well... my search        continues. Keep your fingers crossed for me!


...And how can you NOT love this face????   Awwww...........


Other than that, the Calgary Stampede is in full swing right now and wraps up this weekend. To be perfectly honest, I haven't had a chance to check out the Stampede (I've been busy looking for a home. Oh! And FYI: Rent in Calgary is MORE EXPENSIVE than Vancouver. Can you believe it?!?!?!). I've actually NEVER been to the Stampede before, so next year will be a first for me. It should be insane considering the Stampede will celebrate 100 years next year. Yup, next year will be a gong show.

One thing that always makes me stare inappropriately and awkwardly is when I see an Asian dude or a black dude in full cowboy gear. I'm not sure why, but it makes me stare and smile. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be racially insensitive, but it's an odd thing to see. Kinda like a Latino in a space suit... it's just something you'd almost never see, you know what I mean? Either way, I like it.

So on Monday, July 18th (THIS MONDAY!) I'll be starting my very first day, co hosting the morning show (6am - 10am) at X92.9 with the lovely and talented Fraser Tuff and Roger Kingkade (AKA: Gringo). Am I nervous? YESSSSS!!!! Either way, please feel free to join in and listen to my awkwardness live and online here. The station itself features WICKED modern rock music, from Pearl Jam, to U2, to Daft Punk and Tool. Nice. To add to the musical goodness, the station also boasts a 'No Nickelback Guarantee'. Thank GAD! All the staff seem super welcoming and very cool. Despite the nerves, I can't wait to get this ball rolling. Won't you join me? I hope so.


xoxoxoxo & besos,

CC.

The Enchanted Forest and Revelstoke

by Carmen Cruz

The highlight of my stop in Kamloops was this liquor store. Is it named after 42% of the young gold-digging ladies in Yaletown??? Perhaps... tee hee! ;D























So the Enchanted Forest, you ask? Yup. Check it out.





Salmon Arm was beautiful, so was the Shushwap, as a whole. I noticed that it's a great place to retire, seeing how the roads were filled with seniors. If you're looking for sexy seniors (and who isn't????) this is the place to go (ha ha!). I hit Revelstoke hours later. Nice, friendly place. I almost cried with joy when I saw a sushi place but to my dismay, at 3:30pm, it was closed. Kill me now. Ah well. Instead, I had fish sculptures to look at. Revelstoke, why must you tease me?



Stopped at a gorgeous cafe in Revelstoke instead. It was in a little old house. Amazing food!







I got stuck in Golden for almost an hour due to highway construction (yay) and almost fell asleep in my car, waiting to pass those construction. A special thank you goes to the truck behind me that woke me up and almost made me swallow my tongue out of sheer fear.


And FINALLY, after 12 hours of driving, I arrived in Calgary!!!! Now, off to sleep.

Missed my flight. FACK!!!!

by Carmen Cruz

Those who know me well, know that I can sometimes be *ahem* fashionably late. I blame it on my Chilean heritage. Chileans are almost ALWAYS late. No joke. But today? No, I was NOT late. I was about an hour early for a domestic flight (leaving Calgary and heading back to Vancouver).

I went through security and I was pulled aside and told that Latinas weren't welcome... just kidding! I was told that I had too many liquid products and that they had to all fit in one bag. I had two... but Vancouver airport security didn't have a problem! Calgary... not so much. I was told that I had to toss some things or check my baggage with the airline. At this point, my flight had begun to board. With a trembling lower lip, I went through by bags of products and threw away a pricey facial cleanser, discontinued tube of toothpaste that I LOVE (yup. Nerd), and a tiny bottle of rose water. I'm a beauty junkie, so this was like cutting off a finger (dramatic, but true).

By the time I got back in the line up, I had about another 15 people in front of me. As I got near the front, (one person away actually!) an entire Lufthansa Airline Crew politely said 'excuse me' and cut in front. 6 more people! Since the crew are in and out of the airport regularly, they began to chat with security. I wanted to punch each and every one of them in the throat. In my mind, I think I told them to 'shut the f*ck up and move your f*cking ass' about 100 times. Sadly, the crew took their sweet time and  15 minutes later, they were finally past security. In my mind I was screaming, but my face was as calm as can be.  I've always had super expressive eyes that, despite my facial expression, always give my true feelings away. A security guard looked at me and immediately said 'what's wrong'? I began blubbering 'I'm about to miss my flight and now I'm starting to freak out'!!!!!!... So the guy was kind enough to rush me through (muchas gracias... whoever you are!).

I ran to my gate, just in time to see my plane leave. Now, I sit here.... waiting another 3 hours for my next flight back home to Vancouver. I've never missed a flight before, so this was a scary experience for me.When I called my brother-in-law (Dave) to let him know that I'd be arriving late, he was NOT sympathetic to my frustration/ situation. He was all 'crews ALWAYS have priority in security'. Dave, is a pilot. You know what Dave? Shut your pie hole.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm finished whining now. Thanks for letting me bitch.

Back to surfing my latest addiction (etsy.com) while I wait... and wait... and wait...

Besos,

CC.