Congrats Nicole and Nelson!

On Saturday, I was privileged to witness my friend Nicole exchange vows with her (now) husband Nelson. The story of how they met was so cool (and you can read all about it if you check out her blog on the side of this site) I'm just so happy for them both.

Karla & I actually made the invitations for this affair. That was kind of cool to be able to be involved that way. The ceremony was really nice, she looked lovely. I loved her dress with the red...very cool. Now she's heading to YORKTON, SK!

The ironic thing is that on Friday I was watching Regis & Kelly as I was eating my breakfast. They were announcing the winners of their costume contest. The past few weeks, people have been sending in photos of their Halloween costumes. Well, the 2nd prize went to someone from Maple Ontario. I thought that was cool, that a Canadian got second. And then they announced the winner....it was Colonel Sanders riding a chicken and he was from Yorkton, SK! I couldn't believe it!! That's where Nicole is moving. Apparently it's not very big and it's in the middle of nowhere. Too funny!

My Friend, The Giant

This is a photo of my friend Simon beside a car in Helsinki! It is actually smaller than a smart car (if you can believe it) I thought this photo was just too funny to not pass along! he he he.

Paul Brandt

Last weekend Char & I went to see Paul Brandt http://www.paulbrandt.com/mainindex.html with Jo-Anne & Nick. He is our favourite country singer (well, other than Johnny, but let's face it...he's dead. We're not going to see him in concert!) Anyway, we got our tickets a while ago to see him at the Norfolk County Fair.

We set off about 5pm and the concert was at 8pm...plenty of time. It was a beautiful day so the drive was nice. We took the beetle so Nick (who is 6'6" tall) rode in the front with me. That was good as he kept me on the right roads! We decided to stop along the way at Pizza Hut for supper. It has been a l-o-n-g time since I've eaten there, but the choices were limited. (so I thought) We had the Super Supper for Four. We left, stuffed full of Caesar salad, bread sticks, chicken wings and of course, pizza. It was about 6:45. As we were leaving town (which one, I have no idea) we drove past a Swiss Chalet. I was so disappointed we hadn't seen it first. I would've much rathered chicken than pizza. Oh well.

We got to Simcoe about 7:30. In my head I was picturing a big parking lot next to the fair grounds and a clearly marked path to the grandstand. Ha ha...funny how things in your head are so idealistic! We drove really far down a side street before finding a tiny little spot in which I had to parallel park! Driving a standard + parallel parking on an incline = not fun. However, I accomplished my task and was eager to get to our seats.

Once we entered the fair grounds, we asked at EVERY information booth we saw and no one really knew where to direct us. As we were fighting the crowd, we heard the music start! YIKES...I just wanted to be in my seat. We finally found the entrance to the reserved seating area and took our (wooden) chairs. What a great show. Except for the 15 year olds in front of us that talked through the whole thing and played games on their cell phones. What's up with that? How annoying.

The Cutest Couple Ever

On the weekend, my friend Amy & her husband Pat came over. I was hosting an evening of board games and they decided to make the trip from Mississauga. Amy & I went to highschool together, but more importantly, we worked at the Petrolia Discovery together one summer. It was our favourite job...working together on projects like organizing Canada Celebrations, dressing up like Darren The Oil Derrick and telling people from around the world about our little town of Petrolia.

We have shared some great memories which we re-live each time we get together. Our first trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, sending an apple pie to Halifax (on a plane with her brother) town-wide yard sales, Paul Simon concert, she's even the one that lured me to my surprise birthday party.

Well, sometimes we forget how things used to be, or could be, when people live in different cities. Saturday night reminded me of how much I treasure Amy as a friend and made me wish they lived in London. They are just the cutest couple ever. I only hope that I can find a husband with whom I fit with like Amy & Pat do.

And, the cuteness continues...they are having a baby in 5 weeks! Eeek! In fact, I'm headed to the "Due Date Party" on November 18. If there's no baby...we have a party. If there is a baby... we have a party and get to see the baby. If the baby comes on time, it turns into a waiting room party. You see, as Amy puts it: it's a win, win win situation!

SNOW!

I could not believe my eyes today when I looked out the window to see a complete white-out from the SNOW! Yes, that's right...it's October 12 and it snowed off and on all day. In fact, when I went out to my car after work, the windshield and rear window was covered. I thought I could just brush it off with the wipers and the defroster. Ha, not so fast! Old Man Winter had left his icy fingerprints on my windows and I was left without my defensive snow brush. Silly me, I hadn't moved it from the basement to my trunk yet. Fortunately one of my co-workers found one in his trunk amongst the golf clubs and rollerblades and I was able to borrow it! Let's just hope this was a fluke and we are in for some beautiful autumn days ahead. I mean really...it's my favourite season and so far it's been so crappy!

Footloose & Fancy Feet

A few weeks ago my mom & I booked a day together. We were going to start at the spa for a pedicure, do lunch and then go shopping. Well, some unforeseen circumstances arose which kept us busy until mid-afternoon, but we were able to move our spa appointment. This was my first full-blown pedicure, and it was amazing! We went to Adora Spa on Front Street in Sarnia. The really cool part is the pedicure chairs (kind of like big recliners with a whirlpool for your feet) face the window overlooking the river. A beautiful location. I think we should really try and do that more often as it felt amazing, and our toes were really pretty afterwards!

After our foot pampering, we went for dinner at Montana's. I know it doesn't really fit the mood, but it was good food in a relaxed atmosphere and we were able to enjoy catching up. Following dinner, we headed to see my Grammie. It was a nice way to end the evening as we always have so much fun together. I can't wait for Halifax...it's going to be a blast!

Halifax, Here We Come!

In November, I'm looking forward to a 4 day trip to Halifax with my Mom & Grammie. "Pier 21" in Halifax is where most of our immigrants landed. During the war, my Grandad was a Canadian soldier in England when he met my Grammie. They were married at the end of the war and soon after, she came to Canada as a "war bride". Well, Canada has declared 2006 "The Year of The Warbride" and on November 8, Pier 21 is having a big celebration. We are flying out for 4 days to take in the celebration and some additional sightseeing and fun. I think it will be a really good time to spend together. (and hang out by the ocean!)