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!)

Feeding an Addiction

As you probably know, when I find something I like I usually become very passionate about it. Well, I've found a new passion! This season I started watching Prison Break. It was quite by accident. I wasn't looking to add a new show to my roster. But, I happened to be at the cottage with my sister Jo-Anne when the season premier was on. She's a regular viewer so, of course, she wanted to watch. (so's my brother...must be a family thing) That's when I got sucked in!

The storyline is amazingly intricate and the characters are so well developed. The unfortunate thing is that I started watching at the beginning of season 2. After asking around, I found out that my friend Chris owns season 1 on DVD. YEAH!! For anyone that's watched TV shows on DVD, you know how great it is and how easy it is to become glued to the set! Example: an hour long show is shortened to 42-45 minutes with just dips to black where the commercials used to be. So, 2 episodes are just an hour & a half and three episodes are just over 2 hours. Well, I'm sad to say (especially after my last post about TIME) I've watched 14 episodes since last Wednesday! YIKES. But, it's SO good!! And, it makes stuff that's happening in season 2 make that much more sense.

Tonight, it's back to the future as season 2's next episode is on. And it doesn't hurt that my favourite con: Fernando Sucre (who it SO hot) is riding around on a big Harley. Sweet!

Time

A few weeks ago I heard someone say "where you spend your time is where you place your value". Seems like a simple enough concept, but it really hit me. I want to spend my time on things I value. Things like playing Candyland with my 3-year-old niece, having tea with my Grammie or making pie with my Mom. You can see a common theme... my family is important to me and I want to make them a priority. I also want to spend more time with good friends and learning new things. I'm going to try and say "no" more often to things that are not a priority and not worry about it.

Out of Africa

Last week my friend Sheri came over. She's just returned from 6 months in Africa! Yep, she was living my dream!! She travelled all over the continent, spotting every animal native to the region. I even saw a short video clip of an elephant chasing her car! There were so many pictures of beautiful scenery, adorable children and just a fascinating culture. I don't know if I'd be able to eat a "smiley" (sheep head) but other than that...I'm dying to go. Sheri is a Registered Nurse and was able to work in an orphanage and with Mercy Ships. http://www.mercyships.org/site/c.agLOI4OFKrF/b.1676795/k.2408/Flash_Main.htm She was captivated by the people and how generous they are. Sheri is definitely a free spirit and not afraid to take risks. She is solid in her faith and such a giving person. I love having her as a friend. She is inspiring.

A Wedding and a Yoko

On Saturday I headed to Toronto for the wedding of my friend Joe. The ceremony was at 11am at the UofT so I had to leave quite early. I made it with time to spare! Unfortunately it was looking like it might rain when I got there. I decided I better take my umbrella with me. This in itself is not unfortunate. The unfortunate part is that is a Scooby Doo umbrella. Carrying it in to a wedding doesn't look very chic. However, I think I pulled it off quite well. : )

After about a half hour delay, the ceremony started. It was absolutely beautiful. You could tell a lot of attention had been paid to details. A string quartet serenaded the bridesmaids down the aisle. Then, it was time for Karyn and her dad to enter. The music stopped and Joe strapped on his guitar and SANG her down the aisle. It was so sweet.

Between the ceremony & reception I was able to scoot over to Ryerson and see Yoko. Then back to the reception. I must say an hour of mingling with people I don't know in uncomfortable shoes for cocktails & hors d'oeuvres is not my idea of fun. But, I managed to survive. It was actually really nice, complete with a jazz pianist. The reception was about 10 courses long!!! There were lots of interesting things on the menu including shark fin! We were well entertained by multimedia presentations, stories, toasts, etc. It was a beautiful wedding and I wish Joe & Karyn all the best!

Be my, be my, be my, be my Yoko Ono, woah-oh-oh-oh.

Yesterday I spent the day in Toronto at a wedding. Between the ceremony & reception, I was supposed to get together with my friend Simon. However, since he's moving today, he decided he better stay home and pack. So, I decided that I would walk down to the Ryerson Theatre and try and catch a glimpse of Yoko Ono as she arrived for the premiere of The US vs. John Lennon. When I first got there, hardly anyone was there. However, that quickly changed. There was probably 60-70 people trying to get an autograph and a photo. I was lucky enough to get both. Don't get me wrong, she's not my favourite person...seeing her in person was pretty cool. I'm interested to see the movie when it comes out at the end of the month. While I was there I also spotted Christina Ricci & Michael Moore. cool.

Techno-Genius

I don't consider myself a computer geek, but today I completed a task I am most proud of. Well, I actually started on Sunday...

I finally bought a printer. Yes, I've been printerless all this time. My parents actually gave me money to buy one for my birthday, but I've procrastinated until now. On Sunday I was at Michael's and saw the Staples next door. I decided "back-to-school" would be a good time to purchase a printer. So I did.

I came home and started hooking it up myself! Surprisingly, it was quite easy. However, I didn't realize I needed to buy a USB cable until after I got home. That's why I couldn't finish until today. Anyway, I succeeded!

During the time I was setting up my new gear, I listened to The Ongoing History of New Music. It is an awesome radio show that I usually listen to on FM96. My friend Jeff informed me last week that you can listen to complete past episodes online! So cool. I listened to "What's the deal with The Smiths" "7 Mysteries of Morrissey" and "100 Top Moments in Rock History pt. 1" For a music-lover, it is grrreat! Check it out http://fm96.com/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?ell=6743&pge=1

Long Weekend

It was a long weekend and I definitely packed a lot in...considering I worked yesterday! Friday night I headed down to Sarnia to see Beck & Carla Raes. It seems like I haven't seen them in forever and since Beck moved to Ottawa yesterday, I wanted to see her before she left. We headed to the Coffee Lodge...the local hangout in Sarnia. I got to hear all about Beck recent run of blind dates!

After that, I headed out to my parents. My nieces & nephew were having a sleepover and there was a note for me when I got home: Abby would like to sleep with Auntie Janice tonight. Well, Auntie Janice didn't get a lot of sleep...she twisted and turned all night long. More than once I felt a little foot on my back!! In the morning my mom made waffles, which for a 7, 5 and 2 year old, was VERY exciting!

In the afternoon, Mom & I headed into Sarnia with plans of doing some shopping states-side. Unfortunately, traffic was backed up to Christina St. so we turned around. Instead, we went to visit my Grammie. It's always fun going to Grammie's, but I particularly like it when my mom & Grammie are together...good times! We stopped in at Connie & Steve's on the way home, long enough to do the hokey-pokey with Madison. :) And then in the evening headed over to see my Aunt Peggy. Whew! What a whirlwind of activity!!

Sunday afternoon Jodi & I had an "end of summer ice-cream" at Marble Slab. She got Key Lime with fresh strawberries, I opted for the ultra chocolatey dark chocolate with Skor bits. Yumm. And, the cool thing was I got it for free...my frequent buyer card was full. :)

My friend Amy stopped by in the afternoon. It's hard to believe but we haven't seen each other since my surprise party! That was the same day she told me she's having a baby. Well, I got to see the evidence for myself. She has a very cute yet pronounced "bump". It was great to catch up and re-live some memories. I got to see photos of the nursery which is absolutely adorable. I hope we're able to get together again soon.

Contemplations in the moonlight

I read this the other day on my friend Claire's blog. I thought it was absolutely beautiful and I hope she doesn't mind me re-posting it here. Enjoy.

I found myself thinking about the moon the other day. The moon always gets a bad rap for having no light of its own. A celestial second-class citizen, standing by just reflecting. I remember a science teacher somewhere back in my school days scoffing that men of old thought the moon was a light source when really it's all second hand illumination. But I was wondering the other day if reflected light is really so bad?

Sure the sun is fantastic and powerful and creates its own light, but it occurred to me that you can't look at the sun. It's there and you feel its influence but you can only glimpse it from the corner of your eye. It's so bright, but you can't really see if for yourself. The moon is reflected light. It doesn't control the seasons but controls the tides and you can actually look at the moon. You can sit there gazing at it, contemplating it. It's not enough light to get a sunburn, but it's enough light on a clear night to find your way.

And I wonder if we're a little bit like that with God. God is huge and awesome and knowable but incomprehensible. He's too much for finite minds. Maybe we're a little bit like the moon -- reflections of a light that's not our own. I wonder if that was part of God's intent in making man in His own image, giving us a version of Himself that we could stand to look at, something we could begin to comprehend? I'm reminded of the story in the Old Testament when Moses is on the mountain and wants to see God and God basically tells him "if you saw me, you'd die". And so God hides Moses in a space in the rocks, and covers him as He walks by and even that barest brushing past is almost more than Moses can stand. Like staring right at the sun only so much worse.

I know that I am not God, I cannot manifest light of my own. But I can reflect it, on a clear night.

It's Cottage Time!

IT'S COTTAGE TIME, IT'S COTTAGE TIME...THE SKY IS DRY, THE SKY IS DRY!

OK, it's been a while since I've posted and I apologize. I recently discovered that people DO read this and keep on the happenings in my life. However, since none of you leave comments...

Anyway, last weekend I went to my Aunt Penny & Uncle Cliff's cottage. I went with my sister Jo-Anne & my nephew Jesse. Uncle Cliff has always been my favourite as he's so hilarious! He kept us laughing all the time. Of course, Jesse took quite a shine to him too. It was a nice time to relax, do some reading, catch some movies, etc. The cottage is really nice...they've done lots of work to it to fix it up. They even have a huge 42" TV that Cliff fanangled from work for $100!!! It was used in their board room and has a few "burnt-in" images, but overall...a fantastic deal.

Last Saturday I met up with the family I used to babysit. Josh was playing hockey in London, so I went over to Western Fair Grounds to meet them. It was a little crazy to see them all grown up. Emily is turning 15, Josh is 12 and Ashley is 10. They are such great kids. I used to love babysitting there...they were really cute and well-behaved. I remember teaching Emily who the Beatles were when she was about 1.5 years old. he he. Cute.

On Sunday I headed down to see my Aunt Peggy. I hadn't seen her since her heart surgery a few weeks ago. I'm glad I went. We had a 2 hour visit. Then I went over to my parents. My mom was babysitting Madison so I got to see her too. It was nice to have a mom-cooked meal and she even sent me home with a piece of pie!

I'm going to see Paul Brandt in October. I'm looking forward to that. He's one of my favourite country artists. I took my sister Jo-Anne last year for her birthday and we both loved it. This time I'm going with Char, Jo-Anne & Nick. It's at the Norfolk County Fair. Lookin' forward to it!

Globe Trotting

My friend Simon & his wife Claire are leaving in September to travel around the world. Can you imagine? They sold their house & cars, quit their jobs and are leaving in September. You can check out their adventure at http://www.threeappleshigh.ca/abroad/ I'm so jealous!! I'm sure they'll have the time of their lives! Have fun guys.

Star Struck

Last Thursday night Char & I were checking The Clog & Thistle in Ingersoll (on the recommendation of Bob, our Harley pal) The atmosphere was really cool but the service was horrific. The waitress was totally disinterested in us as customers and didn't say a word when she brought the food. However, after sitting there for about 10 minutes, my evening perked up considerably.

Four people walked in and I believe one of them was Christopher Plummer. Unfortunately, they were seated behind a room divider so I couldn't tell for sure. When we were finished, I did the rubber-necking walk by to "go to the washroom". I was convinced it was him, Char was not.

When we walked outside, I said "well, it still makes for a good story to say we think we saw Christopher Plummer." Then we saw a fancy red convertible sitting right in front of the restaurant. I was sure that was his car....'til I saw the decal on the back that said "Cowgirls of America". Um, ya...maybe not.

OK, so maybe it wasn't him. We got in the car and started out of the parking lot when we saw another fancy car sitting there with a driver sitting there reading the paper. That was enough to convince me that it was, indeed Captain Von Trapp inside. Although I did have to drive by once more for Char to see the driver through the dark windows. :)

note: This was my second time seeing Mr. Plummer. A few years ago I saw him at the Toronto Film Festival, but there's something exciting about randomly running into him in INGERSOLL!

Holiday Weekend

This weekend wasn't a long one for me as I worked on Monday. I didn't mind though...there's never much going on and you get paid lots of money. We even played a game in the evening!

On Friday night I headed down to my Grammie's. At some point I must've mentioned that I like spaghetti because she had some ready for me when I got there. We hung out and she told me some old stories...like the time Grandad agreed to buy a duck from a co-worker "for Sunday dinner". When the duck arrived, Grandad was working and Grammie had to deal with a LIVE duck until he got home to take care of it. He was annoyed and said the duck was supposed to be "dressed" when he got it. Well, being from England, Grammie had never heard that term before and wondered what he was supposed to be dressed for? ha ha ha .

On Saturday, I headed over to Connie & Steve's to hang out in the pool with Madison. She had just taken a week of swimming lessons and I can't believe the difference in her! Before she didn't want to leave the steps, now she's JUMPING in. She basically went from jumping in to the steps and back to jumping in...all afternoon! It was really nice to spend the afternoon in the pool and with Madison. After the swim, I headed out to Mom & Dad's for a steak dinner. Mmmm, yum. BBQ steak is my favourite food and Dad picked up a few steaks at the butcher shop the day before. It was gooood.

On Sunday I headed to the church I grew up at. It was really weird to see people I've known most of my life...and they're getting old! Of course, time stands still for me :) In the afternoon I babysat for my brother & his wife while they went to get a puppy. The kids were lots of fun. We did everything from make window stickers to pretend camping! I had to laugh when we went to see the chickens. Josh was commenting on how big they've gotten. (the last time they saw them they were fuzzy little chicks) He said "they used to be like 2 marshmallows stuck together". Ha ha ha. Josh always makes me laugh.

In the evening, we had a bonfire at the farm. It was so nice for everyone to get together. It was Jesse's first campfire and the other kids really liked the hotdogs & marshmallows. Of course, when the puppy arrived, it was VERY exciting! I have to admit she was pretty cute. An 8 week old Beagle, her name is going to be Daisy.

Heat Wave

Since Sunday, there has been an oppressive heatwave. Temperatures have been hovering around 36°C and with the humidex it feels like the mid-forties!! (speaking of humidex, what is it? If it feels like it's 42°C...why isn't that the temperature? any thoughts?) Anyway, it's been hot. My house is not air conditioned. In fact, it is more like an oven. Thank goodness my brother-in-law Nick gave me their old one and installed it for me. WHEW! Jodi & I have been hibernating in our respective bedrooms, staying cool.

On Sunday, my nephew Jesse turned ONE! We had a delightful little party with family, food and Winnie the Pooh everywhere! It is so cute to see all the cousins playing together. Josh (5) is very big-brother-ish to Jesse...quite adorable. I will post photos soon.

Thanks for all your prayers for my Aunt Peggy. Last Thursday she had angioplasty and it was very successful with no complications. I went to see her that night and she looked great and was joking around. The nurses said she was their star patient that day :) She is now discharged and staying with my cousin Esther.

I have found a new musician that I LOVE! As you know, I like to share new things I'm passionate about, so check out Xavier Rudd. http://www.xavierrudd.com He's from Australia and is like a Paul Simon/Dave Matthews/Jack Johnson with a little didgeridoo thrown in. I'm hooked! I've downloaded all three albums onto my i-pod and enjoying them while I work. Sweet.

Speaking of work...if anyone has any great ideas for a new career for me, let me know! After the CHUM layoffs a few weeks ago, I've felt vulnerable. The television broadcast industry is changing dramatically and I'm not so sure I want to be involved anymore. As of January it's going to be so depressing to come into work...it will be so empty here. The more I think about, the more I welcome the change. I just need to figure out what that change will be. :)