I Feel Bad

I feel bad. I've been neglecting this blog. It's not that I've forgotten about it it's just...I don't know. I've got all these photos of what's going on and I feel so bad because I either keep forgetting to take my memory card out of the camera or don't have the energy at night to make a post. I will say that the last few weeks have had lots of ups and downs for Hubby and I but more on that later. For now I've just got to tie that piece of string around my finger and try try try to remember to get those pesky photos off my camera.

Oh and PS...I was getting tired of the old colours and thought a change was needed.

Gobble 'Til Yah Wobble

It's been a crazy few weeks and this blog unfortunately got neglected :( . DH and I before we moved in told the family that this year we would like to have everyone over for Thanksgiving dinner. As of Sunday morning I thought this might have been a big mistake.

The last 2 weeks have been busy moving boxes around, trying to unsuccessfully take down tile, putting together what felt like a hundred chairs (really only 10...and hubby did half), and getting our place respectable enough to have 15 people over for our first ever dinner party.

FIL (Father in law) came over thankfully early Sunday morning to help with the turkey as this was foreign territory to hubby and I. I can proudly say though I did not make the rookie mistake...the giblets and neck were not left in the bird. FIL gave us some great tips on stuffing and prepping the bird and I loved the fact that we used cheesecloth bags to put the stuffing it. Soooo much easier to take out later.

However the fun part came when we had to baste the bird. It took both of us and we checked on it every hour. We even rotated it because it was looking a little more brown on one side then the other. We got a little nervous too because the bird kept making sounds while it was cooking that almost made us wonder if the thing was going to blow up in the oven.

In the end though we all managed to squeeze both everyone and all the food on the table. The turkey was a success and I received high praise on both the bird and the gravy which made me sooooo happy. I've been told the torch has been passed and we're welcome to host Thanksgiving dinner any time we want.

Now if only there were some magical way my dishes could wash themselves. Sigh.

Almost Feels Like Home

Haven't been able to get caught up with things online lately it seems. I've fallen behind on blogs, boards, Facebook and now my own blog. I'm hoping my excuse is good though. You see Hubby and I have moved and I tell you when we looked at the town house it sure didn't seem that big but now that all our stuff is in it, it seems HUGE! There's a whole bathroom and bedroom that I've barely even been in yet. The packing is coming along slowly and we couldn't have done any of it with out the help of our wonderful friends and family. It will take a few more days and week until we get things really organized but it's starting to feel like home and we're working towards making it our own. Just hope we're ready by Thanksgiving. Who's crazy idea was it to offer to hold it at our place anyways...oh wait I think it was me!

Summer's Almost Gone

So the weekend was a bit busy for us. It started on Friday rushing to get into Langley to hopefully go on a hot air balloon ride. Sadly though the weather once again was not in our favour. Apparently only 40% of the rides that this balloon company schedules ever make it up. There was one gentleman in the group that had been trying for 2 years and this was his 6th try. We're going to give up for this season as they go into October but most of the prime spots (aka evening flights) are already booked. However since the tickets were our friends who knows if we'll be able to make it up again next year. Oh well we'll just have to play it by ear I guess.

To drown our sorrows we went home and opened our anniversary gift we received from Papa F. I thought this was a great idea.


We received a bottle of wine for our first anniversary and a bottle of wine for our fifth anniversary. Can I just say that the fifth anniversary wine just might not make it if it tastes as good as this one does!


The weekend though was saved by our friend inviting us out to go boating at Alouette Lake. We were originally planning Saturday but again due to weather had to hold out until Sunday and what a gorgeous day it turned out to be.


The boys got the boat in the water, only to have to pull it out and put it back in again (apparently a plug was left out and the boat ended up having a bunch of water in it). Us girls and the kids waited patiently though and in the end the boat finally got into the water.


We started the day off with fishing but before we went back in Hubby and our friend T wanted to get some tubing in. First we had to pump up the tube (here's the answer to the question "how many men does it take to pump up a tube")


then they were on their way.




Not sure who had more fun...the guy in the tube...or the guy driving the boat.

One Year Ago

One year ago I was stressed out beyond belief...

One year ago I was up to my neck in ribbon, paper, fabric, phone calls, e-mails...

One year ago I married the man of my dreams!



So it's our anniversary. Our first anniversary. They say the first anniversary is suppose to be celebrated with the traditional gift of paper and thankfully we have lots of that around. It's being used to wrap things up but at least we can say we celebrated in the traditional sense.

We spent the day together trying to get a few more boxes packed (gotta love the dreaded junk draw...which now becomes the junk box)



and getting caught up on a few of our favourite shows. It was nice to have a day at home just to ourselves and to relax a little. We went for a great dinner out at the Keg (the shrimp was huge and sooooo tasty) and I think the couple next to us helped give us dinner and a show. Can't remember a lot of the conversation but they were definitely loud and animated. Plus hubby had to roll his eyes at her outfit. Hubby's not a big fan of the halter top with bra look...especially when the bra doesn't come close to matching the top.

After dinner it was off to the movies to see the Ugly Truth. Good movie, no where near Oscar worthy but definitely good for a date night which is what we wanted. Then came cake. Yes my wonderful mother managed to save and salvage our wedding cake and hide it away in her freezer. Thank goodness she did or it might not have made it to our anniversary.



And what surprised me is that even a year later it still tastes as good as I remember and gave us a little buzz from all the sugar. I think I'm still shaking!

Thar She Blows

So Friday night...doing dishes (yes I have no life). Actually it was Friday and we had been out for dinner and had a friend over and while hubby and he talked I thought it would be a good chance to get caught up on the dishes. Now the faucet has been whistling for weeks now which we assumed was just a washer problem. It only happened when the hot water was running and yes we thought we should fix it soon but never got around to it.

So the sink's about half full when suddenly the water just stops. No warning...and no water. The boys at this point are just loving this because you know what this means right? TOOLS!!!!



So they set to work trying to fix the problem while I sit and wait for the verdict. Verdict reads death sentence...no call from the governor, no last meal.

So we traipse out to Curtis Lumber the next day in search for a faucet. We find the cheapest (but still not cheap) one we can and start hooking it up later that night. Well guess what...we should have listen to my dad's advice which was "Do you think you'll need new pipes as well. Not all faucets have the same length to them"



So back again we go to Rona this time for the pipes. But thankfully it's all working now and I can do dishes again (um yay?). Too bad that I can't enjoy this baby for long though.


18 days left and counting.

Busy Busy Busy

So it was a busy weekend and the week is going to be pretty busy as well. It started with welcoming into town Hubby's good friend from Halifax. N had been living in Winsor Ontario for a few years working on his Master's degree and has decided to join us here in beautiful British Columbia to work on his Phd. He was joined by his younger brother M and the two of them have been cruising around town seeing all that Vancouver has to offer.

We also moved in my mother in law this weekend to her new place. It's a small one bedroom rental apartment in downtown but the views from it are amazing. My favourite thing would be to sit outside in the morning with a cup of coffee and just look at the water and the boats in English Bay. If she gets tired of that view though she can turn around and look at a small sliver of Coal Harbor on the other side and the rest of the downtown core. It's only a short stay though in this place (4 months) but it's definitely a good find!

And finally there are a few birthday's this week as well. The first is Hubby's on Tuesday and the second is my mom's on Wednesday! I wish them both a very very happy birthday and wonder...what the heck am I going to get them? Off to go find some ideas!

We Bought A New Place

So we got a new place plus new kitchen on the weekend. No it's not another town house. It's...


a tent

and

new 2 burner Coleman stove!

Yup it's a 6 person tent with vestibule and man is it ever big! Hubby and I had more then enough room in there for a large inflatable mattress plus all our gear. We have morphed into the drive in camping people which is completely different from my "what ever you carry on your back is what you get" days.

We also got a new stove and let me tell you what a joy it is to cook on this. Again with the carry it on your back method you take with you the smallest camp stove I've ever seen. This baby has 2 burners and sure packs some heat!

Overall though Hubby and I had a great time relaxing and hanging out with our friends. The lake was refreshing, the bugs stayed away, the kids were so much fun to be around and of course what camping trip would be complete with out the

They're Everywhere

They're everywhere.



In our living room...
hallway...
bedroom...
and even our storage locker



And what's scary is I think it's only going to get worse as time goes on!



send help
...and more boxes...we have a lot of stuff in this place!

Sign Your Life Away

So our real estate agent stopped by last weekend to give us this.



As well as a bottle of wine and made us sign our life away. The conditions and subjects are all off so the deal is done and the townhouse is ours! There is still some baseboards that the previous owner has to fix for us and the wall in the garage and living room have to be dismantled but otherwise the place is ours! Oh and the "SOLD" sign went up on our place as well. Always a nice feeling when you drive by it.

Lists And Progressions

So hubby and I sat down and had a really good talk over what we want to do with the new place. Why is it that the place is twice the size of what we currently have and yet I still feel like our stuff won't fit in. Maybe it's because our storage locker is full of stuff not to mention everything my parents are storing for us as well aren't currently in our place. Hrm. But we made a list of the things that we'd like to do/get when we move in and wow. Didn't expect it to be so long. Also as you can see I have to start carrying around note paper with me but thankfully we had a napkin to write down our ideas.



Now if only I can remember to bring home boxes so we can start the packing!

What Are We Going To Do With It All?

So we've gone and done it. We're townhome owners now. Hubby and I signed the papers and we've still got some conditions that need to be addressed but otherwise the place will be ours at the end of September.









Could be an interesting adventure for us. More room, which we have to figure out how to fill. Wall in the garage have to come down and tile in the dining room and kitchen nook have to get torn down so it could be a little work but we're looking forward to it. Now to convince hubby that the larger of the two rooms would work best for a craft room instead of an office!

I Do Now Please Drive Through

I can see now why people say "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". Don't get me wrong I didn't do anything over there I'm ashamed of, it's just after seeing some of the people in that town and the atmosphere of it all it can cause people to do silly crazy things!

So Cuz and his girl are finally married now and it was really cool to see a wedding done Vegas style. We hopped on the bus from our hotel (MGM Grand...highly recommend it!) and headed down the strip to the wedding district. I could not believe just how many chapels there actually was in this one area. Each of the hotels on the strip have a chapel inside but as you get closer to old Vegas and Freemont Street you start coming up on little chapels like The Chapel of the Flowers, Cupids Chapel or my favourite the Chapel of Las Vegas Weddings complete with drive through service.

So the bus pulls up in front of the chapel my Cuz chose and we're 2 minutes late. Well in Vegas if they say it starts at 5pm you'd better be ready for a 5pm start. The reason in this case was there was another bride and groom waiting to get married! At home if you'd book a place it was yours for a least an hour or so. Not the case here. Get in get out. Wham bam thank you Mame you may now kiss the bride!

The ceremony was beautiful though and touching. My uncle walked the bride down the aisle and they remembered to say "I do" and suddenly there's another Mrs. in the family.

We stayed outside to take some photos and the happy couple let us into their limo so we could all head out to dinner together. I think it was because my Dad and I were taking photos and they wanted to get some shots but we weren't complaining it was a long walk back and we weren't too eager to get back on the bus again.

That night we walked up the strip taking photos of the bride and groom and there's really no bad place to take wedding photos. I think my favourite though is when some stranger comes up to me and starts chatting me up. He wants to know where a good place to party is but has some issue because he's Asian. I tell him it's no worries. My sister in law is Asian and she doesn't have what ever issue he had. Well next thing you know we're apparently related because I have an Asian sister in law (who's not even close to blood related in any ways shape or form) and he is Asian so therefore we must be related. Made for a good laugh and a photo with the bride.

In the end Cuz and new Cuz you guys had a beautiful wedding and I was so happy to be apart of it all. I wish you all the best and I'm looking forward to July for the reception. We're going to party like we're back in Vegas right!

PS. I hope to add pics but Cuz says that he wants to be the first to post pictures online so I'll respect that. But I have to post this one. I never thought I would see an iPod vending machine!

Bright Light City Here We Come...Viva Las Vegas

So we have another wedding in our mist..missed...mitts...mitzs? Anyways another wedding coming up in the family. This time it's the next oldest grandchild taking the plunge and they've decided to do a destination wedding in Vegas. I love this thought. A small intimate affair with some close family (I don't believe any friends are coming). In the end 15 of us are leaving on a plane and heading down for some drinks, laughs and fun.

Now that part that I find most fascinating is the fact that we're all not going down together. Majority of the group are leaving on Friday, myself, hubby and my parents are heading down Saturday and then finally on Sunday the grooms sister arrives in town with the wedding taking place Monday night. The logistics of this is almost enough to make your head spin. And during all that there are shows people are going to and trips to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam that have been planned. All I'm hoping for is a little shopping and maybe a nice dip in the pool. They have this lazy river pool that sounds amazing. You just grab a raft and float around as the current moves you around the river...sigh I'm already picturing myself there!

This is our second time visiting Vegas as hubby went in January 2002 with his dad and family and I went in July 2002 with my parents so we all know sort of what to expect (but it is Vegas. Expect the unexpected and be prepared for anything!). I think though the highlight for me this time is going back to the Coke store and M&M world. Hubby has already been trying to calm me down but there is just something about getting M&M in what seems like umpteen different colours that makes me sooooo excited!

My mom has also done more research into fabric stores in the area and wants to hit at least one. I've decided that if no one else goes with her I will make sure she finds the store. HOWEVER. She has only one hour to spend in the store and I will only be accompanying her to ONE store of her choice. She has accepted this agreement and says that's it's more then fair for her end. Now I'm starting to wonder if I should have held out and made her join me in my hunt for the Bath and Body Works store but the lady loves to shop for everything so either way it's win win for her. Wish me luck that I don't get lost in a sea of fabric!

Waaah It's Over

So the wedding is over, the gifts are all put away and the honeymoon has been taken. It was a heck of ride and although it had it's ups and downs I think in the end I'll remember the ups more then the downs. Wedding planning was probably the most stressful thing I've ever had to do but I highly recommend that if someone gets married they must plan a wedding. It's an event every couple should tackle. I keep telling my dear husband that as much as I loved the day I never want to plan a wedding again. However the family can't stop raving about it and would love to have a party like that again. I told my cousin who's getting married this year it's his turn to host and I gladly give the reins over to them. If you plan it and pay for it we'll be glad to host or attend just don't make us book dinner for that many people ever again!

Thank you again to everyone!

Crossing Off Left And Right

Wow it actually looks like the end is in site (kinda). We've done a bunch of stuff in the last month that makes the list almost bearable now. Kilts are taken care of and the boys will be wearing the black kilts like we wanted (yay they'll match the girls). Was a little fun trying to schedule them all in and work with the stores time but in the end our boys were just the right size for the kilts that were left. Okay so one of them may have to gain 5 pounds but we'll make it work.

The marriage license was really easy to get and no matter what budget you have for your wedding it will cost you at least $100 no matter what! Doesn't matter if you have a dress or flowers or food, you will be paying for the license if you want it to be legal.

The liquor license was also easy to obtain. I was really glad we were getting married in Vancouver as the city makes it really easy for brides and grooms. In other places you have to go to the liquor store and pick up the application. Then you go to your RCMP office and get them to sign it. Then you go back to the same liquor store and have the manager sign off on it before it's issued. We were in and out in under 10 minutes and even got to sample a new beer while we waited! Gotta love it.

The girls dresses are next on the list. They go for their first fitting today and I'm unable to come out. I can't wait to see how they look! Also on the agenda is plugging away at the do it yourself list (which seems to get bigger not smaller). The programs gave me some hair pulling but I managed to salvage them and I don't think anyone will know my measurements were off. Also trying to find ribbon to match our tartan but trying to make the pillow still seem cool enough for a 5 year old and 7 year old to carry.

So overall things seem to be on track *knocks on wood*. Lets just hope the weather stays sunny, the humidity stays down and my sanity stays level.

Bling Bling We've Got Rings, And Honeymoon, And...

Yay the rings are now taken care of and on there way in. I cannot believe that we ended up finding my ring at Spence Diamonds. I was so determined not to buy my wedding band there after all the trouble we had with the engagement ring. But while we waiting for the new paper work to be done I had a look around (bad karma) and sure enough found something I like. However this time we took the order to the Langley store and are letting them help us this time. So far so good but we'll see when the ring comes in.

We also booked our honeymoon and I can't wait. We're going to St. Lucia for 8 days and I'm already there on the beach. I think I'm actually looking forward to that and the relaxation more then the wedding. Nah. However most of my summer stuff isn't in great condition so I had the joy of going bathing suit shopping. Next is flip flops so I'm hoping people are having an end of summer sale.

Bootcamp is finally paying off. 4 pounds have been lost and 1% body fat down. I tried the dress on again and when mom zipped it up it seemed to go a lot easier for her then before. I'm probably going to do 1 more month so I hope I can loose that last little inch I think would make the dress look fantastic!

We hope in the next 2 weeks to get a bunch of stuff done. We finally got all the confusion from the kilt place sorted out and fiance will go for a jacket fitting next week. I don't think we're going to do the boys anymore in kilts as the store has been very vague about when they can and cannot rent and how they want us coming in. So we'll talk to them about it and if not then we'll just do tuxes. They boys will look good no matter what and tuxes were our first choice anyways.

And I'm hoping to get my fitting and hair and makeup trial done in the next 2 weeks as well. And of course there's all the cookies left to back (about 500+). I'm going to be so sick of cookie dough and cookies that I would want to even look at them.

Can't believe there's less then 8 weeks to go. Still a bunch of stuff to do and it feels like so little time to do it all in. But I'm sure somehow we'll pull it off...won't we?

All We Can Do Now Is Wait

So now there really REALLY is no turning back. The invitations (all of them this time) have gone out. Dropped them off in the mail box on Saturday night and even have photo evidence to prove it. Fiance must really think I'm a nut bar. We still have about 4 we have to hand deliver but it's nice to know I don't have to worry about them anymore. However now I have to worry that the RSVP's won't get lost in the mail. Here's hoping.

Also the bridesmaids got down to the tailor (all at once too) and the dresses are getting made! Yay. Their fitting won't be until August so I can't wait to see how they turn out. They all went with matching tops and all of them are similar to the matron of honours so I'm really curious to see how they turn out.

And only one more week of bootcamp left to go. I never thought this day would come! However I find myself in a love hate relationship with it. I really like the class and the people but we've all learn to hate showing up and seeing people standing around their cars. Means a run is going to happen. I figure it must be doing something with my brain too since I'm actually considering signing up for another month of torture...I mean fun. Oh well I hope this means that my dress can be taken in maybe instead of getting taken out!

Next on my list is looking at possible honeymoon locations and wedding bands. Hopefully we can each find something we like and doesn't break the bank!

Advil Is My Friend

So who's bright idea was it to sign up for bootcamp again? Oh wait mine. I felt so sore yesterday and yet you go and she does the warm up and suddenly you're like "hey this isn't too bad" then you start running and doing drills and the next thing you know you're limping around the house and can't even get up out of your seat without worrying that your legs will fall off. Oh well at least I know I'm doing something good for myself. Plus I keep reminding myself how maybe now the stomach part of my dress may look a little nicer then it did before I started all this!

So I've got some goals this weekend but I'm beginning to wonder if I'll get them done or not. I would love to get the girls down to the tailor to get fitted for dresses but with the bootcamp that's becoming hard for me to do. We also have to go shopping for rings soon. Although I've been told that most can be ordered in in a couple of weeks so I'm not overly worried about that. And finally I would like to get going on the kilt as it does have to come from Scotland. Was really hoping that it would get done last week but the store was closed. Oh well. Wish me luck that at least 1 of these things can get crossed off the list.

Still Alive...So Far or It's Offical Now

So I've joined up a boot camp for 4 weeks to whip myself into shape and see if maybe I can lose those last little inches that could make the dress look even more fabulous. I'm going back for day 2 tonight but day 1 wasn't too bad. The worst part was the 3 laps around the track. By the end I thought I would fall over and not get up again but somehow I managed to complete the session and didn't feel like I was as useful as a burlap sack. I was also surprised that I wasn't overly sore today which means after today's session I think I'm going to feel it tomorrow worse. Oh well we'll see how it goes.

On Friday the girls got together and helped me put together the invitation. Man those girls are good. I wasn't sure if we'd get all of them done but they had them whipped out and ready to go so fast I didn't know what hit me. I'm so proud of them. Mom and I showed them the material we picked out for their dresses so hopefully we can get down to the tailor soon and start working on making some dresses.

Next up comes a bunch of tasks. Fiance and I have to sit down and work out the song list. He's trying to get to the travel agent to see about a honeymoon destination. We've gotta talk to the people at Tartan Town about making a kilt and get tuxes or kilt rentals for others in the wedding party (family too possibly). And of course I really only have 2 or so weeks to track down the last of the family addresses. Wish us luck!