Not Quite South Surrey » What’s New

NQSS this week – May 18

Jen — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:18:06 +0000

Break out the shorts, sunglasses and self-tanner, a small taste of summer hit the ‘hood this week. The sun is playing peek-a-boo today and the temperature has cooled off, but we have high hopes for this long weekend!

Big thanks to Jessica from Jeska Photography, who donated blood this morning as part of the NQSS blood drive. We had some other willing participants but sore throats and lingering spring colds kept them out of the game. We’re still scheduling appointments through May so please consider grabbing a friend and signing up! NotQuiteSouthSurrey.com is part of the Partners for Life program, so even if you’re still a little shy at the moment, you can donate any time as part of NQSS or just sign up to donate on your own. However, the Canadian Blood Services Clinic will be moving from its Newton location (68 & King George) to the Guildford area later this year. (I see a lot of dinners at Earls followed by a regular donation in my future!)

There are many ways to help our community. This morning I took part in Breakfast with the Bank, the annual Surrey Food Bank fundraiser. Just yesterday I lamented our “small” (huge) fridge as I tried to jam all the Costco goodies for our family of 5. Today I heard inspirational stories and got to know some people who need “kindness, not charity“, as the SFB Executive Director put it. The Surrey Food Bank serves 15,000 people a month, with nearly half being children under 12. If you are interested in hosting a box at your business or food drive at your school or are able to volunteer in some way, please contact Katrina at the Surrey Food Bank.

The theme for today’s Food Bank breakfast was Seeding the Future. Bethany-Newton United Church is working on its Community Garden and there is a big Garden in a Day event next weekend (May 26).

The Jenn & Colin community garage sale was a success! I have no idea what all the loonies and twoonies I collected added up to, but the free space in my garage is priceless! Congratulations to Lauralee who won a Starbucks gift card from NQSS.

Summer is definitely on its way. Have you lined up a summer camp yet? Check out what Creative Kids has to offer! If you’re looking for other summer activities, you can see the Surrey summer leisure guide online and start registering on June 4.

We learned a little bit about the Team in Training program that is starting up this month in Cloverdale. Check out Claire’s story to learn more.

Hope to see many familiar faces out at the Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair this weekend! The festivities today include the chili cook off with the BC Junior Talent Search Showcase at the Cloverdale Square (IGA) mall on Hwy 10 at 178 Street.

Enjoy the long weekend NQSS!

Boot Camp – How to Make it Work

Francesca — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:07:04 +0000

I set some goals at the end of last week and vowed to make it work this week despite some scheduling issues. I managed only one of the three workouts. Life happens but I really wish I’d done a better job of fitting it all in. Jen’s goals include making some movement on those fit test numbers. There is no doubt that we want this. Making it work is tough but there are ways that you can set yourself up for success. Here are a few ideas that Jen and I came up with.

Go with a friend and keep each other accountable (Jen says this one is KEY!)
Exercise first thing in the morning so there’s no time for excuses
Make your goals public
Reward your successes – I’m getting new runners after finishing the first month!
Celebrate the successes
After a lazy day or food indulgence, forgive yourself and start fresh immediately
Get to bed at a decent hour
Sleep in your workout clothes
Put it on the calendar and claim the time
Choose a workout that you enjoy
Notice how good you feel on workout days

How do you make it work?

Lindsey’s Cakes for Miracles

Jen — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:39:51 +0000

Dairy Queen is launching a new program called “Lindsey’s Cakes for Miracles” – an initiative created by Lindsey Lourenco. All this week through May 13, $1.00 from every DQ cake sold at participating locations will be donated to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Who wants cake? It’s the perfect gift for Mother’s Day!

It’s in NQSS to give…

Jen — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:08:21 +0000

all photos by KLUTCH photography

I threw out the challenge and one of the first to step up was Dina from Klutch Photography. She quickly wrangled up a group of ladies and booked the appointments – done and done! Chantale from Olive 8 Consulting was the only non-newbie and as a medical professional she was as cool as a cucumber (as always). The rest of us rookies were pale, nervous, and sweaty. Sure we’ve all had 2 or 3 kids but somehow the thought of this needle was really making us… sweat.

There’s a rather thorough screening process. (Spoiler alert, your finger is pricked right up front to test your iron levels. Not painful, but surprising!) Unfortunately, one of the girls was “rejected” as she was only 4 months post-partum. (Do we get points for the effort, My North Langley?) Note: wait 6 months after babies, tattoos and piercings!

Some of the questions made me giggle (monkey handling) and some had me scratching my head. After the paperwork was complete we headed to the waiting area… more sweating and anxious looks, but our banter kept our spirits high! We seemed to engage in a little friendly competition over who would be done the fastest (Chantale, by a landslide at just 6 minutes!) even though it really doesn’t matter and you have no control over that (or, do you… the race is on!).

To start I got to lay down in a super comfy chair (dentists, take note!) in front of a nice big flat screen playing Entertainment Tonight. People, this is not something that I EVER get to do on a Wednesday night. Ever. So maybe that is why the needle going in didn’t seem to pinch as much as in the past. The Housewives of Vancouver made an appearance on the TV and gave us even more to chit chat about. And 11 minutes later, my turn was over. Head over to the snack bar for a good old fashioned Dad’s oatmeal cookie and a juice. One of our crew felt slightly woozy, so they quickly raised up her legs and in no time, she was fine.

I have to admit I was surprised at how many people were alongside us in the clinic, regular donors who take the time out of their day, month, life to do this repeatedly, some even show up every 56 days on schedule! I am definitely glad there are people like that in the world because there are so many people who depend on receiving blood products, from kids to the elderly.

While I understand that some are squeamish or uncomfortable with the idea of giving blood, I really urge you to consider donating whether as a part of this challenge, with a group of friends, or just on your own. It is definitely outside our comfort zone and we need to be grateful that we are not faced with needles every single day and that we are able to give.

Again a big warm thank you to the girls for facing this experience with me, I am always inspired and amazed by the wonderful people in our community!

Surrey Children’s Festival

Jen — Fri, 11 May 2012 03:50:13 +0000

The Annual Surrey Children’s Festival inspires young hearts & minds to the greater possibilities & celebrates our rich & diverse cultural heritage though performing & visual arts experience. Children have an incredibly rich arts experience as they take part in the many hands-on activities on site, led by professional artists. The ticketed programming is a national and international selection of the highest calibre of performances for young audiences, bringing inspiration and awe to the residents of Surrey and the surrounding areas.

May 24 & 26, 2012

Thursday and Friday: 9:00am – 2:30pm, Saturday: 10:30am – 7:30pm

Surrey Arts Centre & Bear Creek Park

Survivor Boot Camp – Week 1 & Fran’s Goal

Francesca — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:30:32 +0000

I survived week one of Survivor Boot camp! And yes, I realize that I’m neither the first person to wake up early nor the first to take on a new exercise challenge. This isn’t my first time attacking a fitness goal, but I am notoriously flakey with exercise routines and I’m feeling pretty darn good about this one so you’re going to have to bear with me.

Monday was the fit test which gave us baselines for our body measurements and fitness abilities. For me, metrics motivate, so I think this will work well. I felt a little sore following day 1, but nothing could have prepared me for what followed day 2 – our lower body workout. My legs felt like lead, then like jell-o. Dare I say, it was awesome!

This morning we worked our core. Some of those muscles are buried so deep that I had trouble targeting them, but Adrienne was patient and encouraging without letting up on me one bit. After all, if you’re going to go through the effort to get there for 6am, you might as well give it all you’ve got.

My goal is simple. I will show up to each class, work my butt off, and make healthy choices when I get home. This month for me is all about establishing new habits. By the end of the month I want to be doing the fit test activities with proper form, and raising the number of reps. Of course I do want to see those inches and pounds fade too!

Jen & Francesca are embarking on a month of boot camp with Adrienne from Survivor Fitness Boot Camp (Surrey Central). We are attending boot camp at no cost in exchange for sharing our experience both here and at the Survivor Boot Camp blog.

NQSS this week – May 4

Jen — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:00:57 +0000

So… what was that about May flowers…? Cinco De Mayo is just about upon us, so here’s hoping some margarita-style weather shows up and soon.

Emergency Preparedness week is here. Thanks to local fire fighter Shelley who told us about two free presentations next week in South Surrey and at Fire Hall #9 , to help you to make sure your family is prepared.

The community challenge to donate blood is well underway. If you’ve always wanted to donate blood but never managed to get the deed done, now is a great time. Grab a friend and go together for moral support. Got questions? Call 1-888-2-DONATE. Local businesses, please let us know if you donate and we will give you lots of online love. Karma! Don’t forget to donate under Not Quite South Surrey so that the good folks at Canadian Blood Services can tally up our awesomeness.

Construction season in the ‘hood is well underway. There are a number of changes and developments happening. How can you be in the know and maybe even have a voice in shaping your community? Check out the Panorama Neighbourhood Association. We are taking steps and continuing to meet, and will soon be fully established as a non-profit and recognized as a community association. If you’re at all interested in how to help build and maintain community and keep informed on area development send an e-mail to PanoramaNeighbours@gmail.com to be included on the distribution list.

I took the plunge and started boot camp this week with Survivor Boot Camp in Cloverdale Athletic Park. Not sure if she’s still happy about it, but Fran is also back and blogging along. It’s a good thing to stay outside your comfort zone and constantly expand it – well, that’s one of the things I tell myself at 5:30 AM every other day…

Summer camps! It may feel like February or October out there but summer is on its way! Creative Kids offers summer day camps, including all-day camps for preschoolers and extended hours for school-aged children. The City of Surrey and the Tong Louie YMCA also offer day camps – there is something for everyone so check out these resources today, and register before your favourite camp is all booked up.

It’s the final days to get yourself organized for the Jenn & Colin community garage sale and clean out your garage! The word is out so be prepped for early birds… While you’re out and about, stop by the plant & bake sale at the Bethany-Newton United church and be totally ready for spring.

If you’re feeling lucky, there’s still time to enter the contest for the fall registration at 4Cats Studio in South Surrey. Check out our girls night!

Enjoy your Pro-D day, Surrey!

Ladies Night at 4Cats South Surrey

Jen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:21:29 +0000

All photos by Klutch Photography. Thanks Dina!

After yet another book club meeting without the book read, it was time to try something new for ladies night. Marle S. pointed us in the direction of 4Cats South Surrey (Rosemary Heights). Most of us have taken our preschoolers to a splatter party or two, but never got to indulge our own creativity.

So a group of ladies signed up for a Tuesday night session and brought in some wine and sushi to make it a real occasion.

We started off as per usual, with a whole lotta gabbing! We got the 5-minute warning from Anna and settled down to busineses. Anna, Janice & Nina ran the Van Gogh inspired workshop. We concentrated on a different element of the painting for a period of time, while the curators all came around to offer personal coaching on our paintings.

The class was approximately 90 minutes (we may have gone over…oopsy!) and we all got a great souvenir of the evening – some better than others – our canvas paintings. It was a wonderful surprise to see who really unleashed their creativity and a great way to spend an evening with friends!

4Cats South Surrey has a little something for everyone and would like to share with our readers! Comment below on your favourite artist or style of art and you could win a gift certificate for a registration in the fall 2012 session of children’s Artist of the Month classes (value approximately $225)! Winner will be drawn from all comments below by midnight May 6, 2012 and announced via Facebook and the website.

Clean Sweeped 2012

Jen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:06:20 +0000

Big thank you to all who showed up with eager hands to help give our neighbourhood some TLC! It was a warm day in Surrey as neighbours and residents of all ages donned their gloves and cheerfully filled their waste baskets and bags with area trash.

Thanks again to Jenn and Colin Real Estate for supporting this venture and to Panorama Village Starbucks for providing coffee (though with the 20C weather, we should have gone for iced coffee!)

How to Donate Blood

Jen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:26:03 +0000

Whether you’re a lifetime donor or first-timer, here’s an opportunity to be part of a community effort to change lives and help families. Make it fun and go with a group! You can set this up yourself by calling 1-888-2-DONATE or contact NQSS. Canadian Blood Services can accommodate groups of 5 on weekdays and even more on weekends. Make it a fun and rewarding experience with friends, family or co-workers.

Please call 1-888-2-DONATE to set up your appointment. Before you go, please complete this form and bring it with you if you can, register through this online form (Not Quite South Surrey’s member ID is #NOTQ012728), or when you visit to donate blood, say you are donating as part of NotQuiteSouthSurrey.com, with our Partners for Life #NOTQ012728.

(If you already donate under an employer or other community group, you can put your donation under their name as well as the NQSS name.) If you’re not sure if you’re eligible to donate blood, check here! Visit blood.ca to learn more about how your donation can help, and watch for videos on Facebook and Twitter to learn about the ways your donation can help.