Love Letters

Rather than writing our own wedding vows, Devin & I stuck to the traditional vows. However, we did write secret love letters to each other that were read aloud during the ceremony. It was my favourite moment of the day!

Devin's letter to me:

To the one who found me.

Janice, the Lord works in amazing ways, last year he stirred your heart to try something you never thought you’d do or want….. to take a chance on one and a half men. And you had the courage to follow his calling with a man and his little red headed boy. 

It was nearly two years ago that I had prayed for the first time in my life that the Lord would show me His will for my life and provide me with the woman He knew I needed and that I would know without a doubt that it was His doing. Janice, you are that answered prayer. I have been swept off my feet by you. It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life in getting to know you and your family. 

I love how intentional you are in all that you do, how passionate you are for the things and people you love, your tenderness, sincerity, stunning beauty, and your character. But above all else, that you put God first in your life, for I know that if you have a good, strong relationship with the Lord, He will show you how to have a good strong relationship with me and Cody. 

I look forward to sharing all the days of my life with you, side by side, and to honor you and my family in all that I do. I love you forever and for always.

Love Devin

And my letter to him:

For many years, I was searching for what my heart yearned for. A husband to journey life with. A partner that would love me unconditionally and with intention. A connection far deeper than any I’ve experienced with another person.

However, I just didn’t seem to be able to make that connection. As I expressed in a 2013 blog post, I longed to drink from one deep well but was forced to satisfy this thirst with 1000 dixie cups.

When I met you, I knew that I had finally found the oasis in the desert. I found someone with a passionate heart for the Lord, a desire to be a wonderful husband and who is the most loving and caring Daddy I know. 

In the past year, God has shown His faithfulness in such big ways to me. My desire to be both a wife and a mom has been fulfilled in one fell swoop. He has provided all that I have desired but in much different packaging than I ever expected. 

You may have recognized the song I chose earlier this morning – Blessed Assurance. I have always loved this hymn, but in the past year, the chorus of this song has been on my heart and on my lips many many times. This is my story, this is my song. Praising my saviour all the day long.

Each of our lives has a story and this is mine. I am forever grateful to the author of this story. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.

My heart is full and I am thrilled to spend the rest of our days together. I’m keeping you forever and for always.

Finally.... I do.

A perfect day. That is how I would describe our wedding day.

After months of planning the details - big and small - everything came together on May 22. It was an early morning wake up call for the girls - but, that was the trade off for having a morning ceremony. I had a quick bath in the luxurious tub in my room. Side note: Wow, I wish I had more opportunity to enjoy the elegance and grandeur of my room! It had a huge "living room" with beautiful tall ceilings/windows and a fireplace. The bedroom also had a similar window and a corner jet tub that was fantastic.

My long-time hair dresser Brenda and her co-hort showed up just before 6am to get started on taming our manes. After they arrived, it was a constant flurry of activity: Mom stopped by with some breakfast, the make up girl arrived and got to work, a number of texts, emails and Facebook messages kept my phone buzzing. Before I knew it, the photographer was there! It was time to get my dress on and get this party started.

From that moment, the rest of the day went at lightning speed, and I don't know that I recall everything that happened! People tell you that your wedding day will be a blur - and they were right!

Fun tidbit: I got a text from my new father-in-law that he checked at the front desk and the radar for 10am looked good. I thought that was random and only later realized that it had rained that morning and they weren't sure if we would be able to do the ceremony outside! I think it's better that I didn't know that :)

Before I knew it, it was time to finally walk down the aisle. I took Dad's arm and paused for a moment as I savoured the moment. I was surprised by how calm I was. I had waited a long time for this and yet it felt like the most natural moment in the world. I loved each step that I took - greeted by so many smiling faces. But the greatest smiles were the two waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

I must confess, I loved the ceremony. It was a perfect blend of tradition and our personalities. I'm so happy that we had both Dave Lane & Gord Gilmore be a part. I have known Dave since my teen years and am good friends with him and Laurie. Gord has been an important part of Devin's spiritual walk. So, we were thrilled to have a dual pastor service!

At Dave's suggestion, we used traditional marriage vows but included a love letter to each other. Other than Dave, no one (including us) had read the contents before that particular moment in the ceremony. It was my favourite moment of the day. It was important to us that Cody was included in the ceremony because I was making a commitment to him as well as to Devin. So, we wrote a love letter to Cody as well. What an incredibly special memory.

As I stood at the front of our friends and family, I tried to soak in the moment. There were points throughout the day I tried to do that - take a mental photo. I recall looking into Devin's eyes as we said our vows and listened to the beautiful, poetic words of his love letter and knowing that I had found a real treasure.

Despite the rain earlier in the morning, the sun had come out and was shining down on us. Shining down so much, it was actually getting kind of warm. I had been concerned that the May long weekend might be kinda chilly and my bare arms might leave me shivering. Nope. In fact, Cody took refuge behind Devin during the ceremony to get some shade from the hot sun.

Many times during the planning process, Devin & I commented that we would love to be a guest at this wedding! We knew that we would not be able to enjoy the atmosphere and experiences that we were creating for our guests. This was definitely the case, but I think everyone enjoyed the Sunday paper and coffee we provided.

When we started planning a brunch wedding, the ideas just all came together to have it on a Sunday morning, serve coffee and create a personalized newspaper for our guests while we had photos done. Quite honestly, creating the newspaper was the best part of the planning for me. It's a natural fit for my skill set and interests and allowed my creativity to flow. It was also a way for us to include some of our friends and family. I even found a website that would print on actual newsprint. Super fun!

We wanted to pair the newspaper with coffee - naturally. At first we looked into having Starbucks but soon discovered the only "experience" they could provide was a carafe of pre-made coffee being poured into cups. Not really what we were after. Fortunately my friend Kim suggested O-Joe Coffee after seeing them at her cousin's wedding. They were perfect! They created exactly the ambiance we were looking for.

As I mentioned, the day went by so fast. My only regret is that I didn't have a chance to see & talk to our guests more. Having a morning ceremony & brunch reception kept things on a tight timeline. Of course, you are bound to have moments that you would change when you look back on things, but overall I feel the day was pretty perfect. And, after all, it's not about the day but the lifetime that follows!

Post Script: It has taken me a long time to find some time to get my thoughts together from the big day. Selling my house, moving and becoming a wife & mom have taken priority! Stay tuned for some additional tidbits and photos :)

He Made You Special

It's funny how music can evoke such emotion. I have experienced this time and again, but it always amazes me.

Several weeks ago, Cody asked Devin why his ear was shaped the way that it is. (his right ear has a little fold-over on the top part) Devin told him that's the way God made him and that he is special. Those words immediately reminded me of a song my mom would sing to me when I was a little girl. I could remember most of the words to the chorus, so I sang it to Cody. He listened intently with a big smile on his face.

Those words lingered in my head for a few days until I Googled the song to see if I could find the rest of the lyrics. When I did, I was taken back in time to when I was about four years old. The memory of Mom singing this song to me was powerful as I felt so very special and loved. (the lyrics are so sweet).

Last night when getting ready for bed, Cody asked if I could sing the song about his ear. This made me chuckle but I agreed that yes, I would. "And" I added "there's another part to the song that I remembered". I sang it to him with as much love as my mom had sung it to me. I'm sure he was a bit confused as he saw a tear roll down my cheek, but I was just so grateful that I could share such a sweet moment with him.

The Lyrics:

When Jesus sent you to us,
we loved you from the start.
You were just a bit of sunshine,
from heaven to our hearts.
Not just another baby,
'cause since the world began
there's been something very special
for you in His plan.

That's why he made you special,
you're the only one of your kind.
God gave you a body
and a bright healthy mind.
He has a special purpose
that He wants you to find.
So He made you something special
you're the only one of your kind.

SOLD!

I have not had much time for blogging lately, despite the endless supply of content I could write about! However, there is one thing I am bursting to share. It's an incredible story of God's provision.

After getting engaged, Devin and I have had a whirlwind of activity: preparing his house to sell included decluttering, packing, cleaning and a few minor fix-it jobs. When his house finally sold, we were able to purchase our new home in Mount Elgin. Moving day came and went and we are still left with boxes to unpack and settling in to do. With the wedding approaching so quickly, we decided to sell my house after the big day. We didn't need to add any more stress to our lives!

However, when opportunity knocks, you should at least see who's at the door! One night as Devin & Cody were leaving my house, Cody was looking in the mailbox and told me that I have mail. He handed me a Century 21 card with a handwritten note on the back: Want to sell? I have a buyer.

Of course, I promptly called the agent and discovered she had three clients looking for a bungalow in my neighbourhood. The market was quiet in London and she walked the area and left cards at the houses she felt were a match. She was thrilled that I called. I explained that I wasn't quite ready to list. I hadn't had time to "stage" the house and wouldn't have time before the wedding. She assured me that they would be looking at the house and not my stuff.

I called my agent Vicki and explained the situation. She suggested an exclusive listing - meaning it wouldn't be on MLS and no sign on my lawn. Only limited people would be coming and going. Sounded perfect to me. If we didn't get the offer we wanted, we could just wait until after the wedding and go ahead with our original plan. Sunday afternoon I signed the paperwork to list the house.

That week, I had three people go through the house without much fuss. On Saturday, six days after listing, my hair dresser sent me a text. "I know you're not planning to sell your house until after the wedding, but I know someone that is interested. Can he do a drive by?" I couldn't believe it! I texted her back to let her know that I had, in fact, just listed the house and he was welcome to take a look! The following day my agent took him through. The following day I accepted an offer.... 8 days was all it took! We got what we wanted as far as price and closing date AND we didn't have to do any of the fix-it projects that we expected. No staging, no decluttering, no stress!

While celebrating this huge weight lifted off our shoulders, Devin commented that surely this is God's wedding present to us. Indeed.

Gone But Not Forgotten

There is a big gaping hole in my blog these days. I have had plenty to blog about, but no time to actually put my fingers on the keyboard!

I know that I will look back on this time of my life and wonder how we ever did what we did. Pretty much all of the major life events...Devin & I are crossing them off the list in a matter of months.

• September - we got engaged and started the preliminary wedding preparations
• October - we started preparing his house to sell
• November - the house was listed 
• December - Christmas!!!
• January - the house finally sold
• February - we purchased our new home
• March - we packed & moved Devin & Cody

In the meantime, all of the wedding details are coming fast and furious. Sometime in the next 2 months I'll be listing my house, packing and moving. Oh...and at the same time I'll become a wife AND a mom.

I love this blog and the opportunity it affords me for self expression and creative writing. But, for now it is taking a back seat to all of the other awesome things happening in my life. Stay tuned, I will return :)

Thanks Steve Jobs

I have always enjoyed a close relationship with my brother John, but he's never been really big on communication. Face to face is just fine, but we have not had a lot of phone conversations until the past year. Thanks Steve Jobs.

Pre-iPhone - borrowed his wife Karen's phone.

Last spring I decided to upgrade my iPhone. It was getting a bit long in the tooth and I had completed my contract with Bell. I was ready to switch to Koodo and get a new phone. I thought John was a great candidate for my old phone. He had never actually had a cell phone before, so he wouldn't mind if it was an "older" model. I told him my plan and he seemed quite enthused. Just how enthused I would not fully appreciate until he had possession of the phone!

He has taken to this new technology like a duck to water. Which, incidentally, is his text tone. Yep...quacking ducks. Appropriate for Mr. Outdoors.

This iPhone has improved our communication exponentially! He can send me a quick text when he thinks of something. When he's waiting to pick one of the kids up, he can kill some time with a phone chat. He has even shocked me by starting an Instagram account and most recently Facebook! I never thought I'd see the day.

Home Sweet Home

It's amazing what a difference a year can make. On February 10, 2015 I sent my first correspondence to Devin on eHarmony. It was part of the "guided communication" so, nothing earth shattering. Just a few multiple choice questions to break the ice.

On February 10, 2016 we signed the papers and purchased our first home! We are beyond thrilled to have found a place to start our life together as a family. Prior to finding a house, it was difficult to envision what the future looked like as so many variables were unknown.

God has been in control from the beginning and definitely timed this newest development! The home is currently vacant, which means we get the keys in 2 weeks and can start moving in!

My Life in TV

During my final year of high school, I had big decisions to make. What career path would I choose? I tossed around several ideas - everything from radiology to photographer. I finally decided to take a one year certificate program at Lambton College called Media Fundamentals. Taking this course would give me some more time to figure things out while I continued to live at home and explore the media industry further. I loved that first year at Lambton. We learned all kinds of cool stuff related to shooting, editing and producing video, DJing the campus radio station and a sprinkling of journalism thrown in. It was great! As the end of the year loomed ahead of me, I was back to decision making. What next? The program at Lambton had an agreement with Mohawk College's Radio and Television programs which allowed students to enter into the second year of their third year program. I decided to go for it and jumped into the world of TV broadcasting.

Two years later, I was an intern at "The New PL" in London. I worked with the Creative Services department on projects like Station IDs, Episodic promos, and commercial shoots. It was a great seven weeks and when I finished, they offered me a part time job in the newsroom. The newsroom?? I didn't consider that to be my dream position. I wanted to be part of the Creative team. But, at the encouragement of established staff members, I took the job with the intention of moving into Creative in the future.

That move never happened, I remained in the newsroom for 14 years... fourteen years  of loving my job! I loved coming into work each day not knowing what to expect. I loved working furiously to meet a deadline - which really was a DEADline. If you missed it, your work was all for not and the show moved on to the next story. I loved the adrenaline rush of an action-packed show, a breaking news story or an election. I was able to participate in and have a unique perspective on some major events during my time in the newsroom - including 911 and the Bandidos massacre.

The people in that newsroom became my family. I spent far more time with them than I did my actual family or my friends. It was a unique atmosphere, heavily relying on a team dynamic while working wonky hours. We encountered situations which might seem absurd to an outsider. I recall one day in particular, we had to move the entire crew to a different studio and control room during a 3 minute commercial break because the audio board caught on fire!

I have such fond memories of my life in TV. Unfortunately, media started to evolve and change and "cutback" and "layoff" became common language. I could see into the future and I would not be one of the ones retiring after 45 years of service. It was time to make a change and the time was now. I enrolled at Fanshawe College and soon after closed the TV chapter of my life.

Leaving the people (my TV family) was the most difficult for me. Sure I missed the excitement of a major news story and having creative control when it came to the graphics of the show, but most of all I missed the camaraderie of my people.

In December, the media landscape changed once again with major cutbacks across Canada. CTV London was no exception and many of my friends and former colleagues lost their jobs. These are talented people that excel at what they do. Unfortunately, what they do is extremely specialized and in a shrinking industry, those skills are becoming redundant. What a shame.

To all of my TV friends, I wish them well. Life does go on outside the walls of the station and they will land on their feet and even excel in their new-found path.

2016 Additions

Each year I like to add a few ornaments to my tree that represent the year. This year I have three to highlight.

#1 Harley Davidson

This is actually a key chain that is acting as a tree ornament. I got it in York, Pennsylvania when I went for a tour of the HD factory. For some reason, I've always had a fascination with the Hog and when the opportunity arose to do a tour, I jumped.

It was pretty cool to make our way through the various parts of the plant and see the bikes being assembled. An additional fun feature was sitting on the bikes in the showroom. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

#2 Cinderella's Slipper

I actually gave this ornament to my mom many years ago. It just seemed to make sense since whenever the topic of my singleness came up, she would start to sing the song from Cinderella, "someday your prince will come..."

One week after getting engaged and the first time seeing her after the ring was on my finger, she had a tiny red box and a letter for me. She was giving the ornament back to me with the following explanation:

The year that you gave me this ornament, I secretly cried for you, but I placed it on the tree in a prominent place, front and centre. Every time I viewed it, I would pray for the man that would be your "Prince Charming". So now I return this ornament to you... to place in a prominent place on your Christmas tree - a reminder of God's faithfulness, that as we pray believing, things come to pass.

#3 The Fan

This ornament has such a great story behind it, and involves my hilarious Grammie. When my sister Jo-Anne got married, she was the first of Grammie's grandchildren to tie the knot. What happened next started a tradition.

Connie & I hosted an "hour by hour" shower for Jo-Anne. For those of you that are not familiar, all the guests are assigned a time of day and their gift should be used at that time. Just for kicks, Connie & I assigned Grammie to bring a gift for 4am.

When Jo-Anne read the card out loud, it said "For those hot nights. Love Grammie" The room exploded with whoops and hollers to find out what Grammie had in mind for those hot nights. She was perplexed as to why people were laughing. After all, she had just purchased an oscillating fan "for those hot nights".

Each granddaughter that got married since then has gotten a fan from Grammie. I love that she embraced it and it became her tradition. It has been a long-standing joke with us and several years ago, I bought this ornament for her. This year, I'm getting it back for my tree. Grammie has already told Mom that she needs to get a fan for Janice. I can't wait to receive it! :)

The Other Man in my Life

My heart has been stolen by another man. Well, more of a boy actually.

When I met Devin, I knew that he was part of a package. He has a six year old son, Cody. In the beginning, I was anxious about meeting Cody. What if he didn't like me? What if I didn't like him? This was new territory for me.

Before meeting in person, Devin shared photos of me with him and vice versa. What an adorable little red head! On Mother's Day weekend, we decided it was time for the two of us to meet. I knew that I didn't want to take that step until I was certain about the future, but we were ready.

Devin wanted to plan a special surprise for the day we met - so we could both remember it in years to come. He would not tell me what we were doing but said it would be "memorable". I arrived at Devin's house and finally got to meet Cody. At first he hid behind his dad and peered out at me with adorable big blue eyes. It didn't take long for him to warm up and show me some of his toys.

After lunch, we set out for our adventure. We were both surprised and excited to discover we were going on a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls! It certainly was memorable!

One thing I noticed early on with Cody is that he is always telling Devin how much he loves him. By the third or fourth time that afternoon, I looked at him and asked "does your heart melt each time he says that?" Devin replied "Yes, it feels pretty awesome. And some day soon, you will know what it feels like."

He was right. A few weeks later, Cody and I were waiting in the car while Devin ran into the store. I heard a little voice from the back seat.

"Janice?"
"Yes Cody?"
"I love you."

Oh. my. goodness. I melted. And Devin wasn't even there to witness this! It was completely spontaneous and unprompted. When he finally emerged from the store, I got out of the car and told him what just happened. We both got a little misty as we realized the bond that was forming between us.

This weekend Cody & I spent the day together while Devin was at a course. I picked him up at Grandma & Grandpa's house and got the biggest hug ever! Arms & legs were wrapped around me as he buried his face in my neck. Again...heart melted.

I am so incredibly blessed to have this little guy in my life. He is smart, creative and athletic - speaking French, constantly drawing and painting pictures and skating like a pro. He is innocent and sincere. He says things like "You look beautiful today Janice" ...when I've got my hair in a ponytail and wearing my sweats.

I was recently listening to a Focus on the Family podcast and they were discussing the women of Christmas. Elizabeth had waited many years to have a child and probably was wondering if she would ever become a mother. However, she needed to wait to fulfill God's perfect timing. This concept clicked with me and my own circumstance. I have waited a long time to be a mom. It has been a desire of my heart for as long as I can remember. I really didn't know if I would ever get that opportunity. But, God knew that in 2015 there would be a six year old boy that was just waiting for such a woman to be a part of his life. He needs me just as much as I need him. Devin and I are over the moon at how our family has been carefully put together by the Maker, Himself. We cannot wait for what lies ahead!

Engagement Photos

Our friend Brandy generously offered to do engagement photos for us! We spent the better part of a Sunday driving around the Niagara region posing and snapping pics. 

We recently got a disc with the pictures and I thought I'd share a few of my favourites!

You Want Lights With That?

It's that time of year again. Time to get festive! I love putting my Christmas tree up and all the sparkle it adds to my living room.

I was prepared when Devin arrived on Friday night. After (an awesome salmon) dinner, we started assembling the tree - fluffing out the fake branches and arranging the lights. Well, who am I kidding? I designated lights to him. It is a task I hate each year and now I have someone willing to take over? Yes!

Once the tree was up and the lights were on, we decided to hit up Starbucks for a holiday drink. It was just the right thing to do.

We eventually did get back to the tree and it was fun to explain all of my special ornaments to him - where I got them and the meaning behind them.

While getting the ornaments out of the box, I found a tree topper I had purchased a few years ago, but had never used. I could never get it to sit right on the tree - always flopping over. When I complained about this, Devin grabbed it, quickly modified it and had it on top of the tree! Wow, this is great. I love that this guy is going to be my husband! But wait, it gets better...

When I was later admiring the tree in all of its twinkly goodness, I remarked that it's a shame there are no lights on the tree topper. Quite honestly, it looked a little goofy to have a star on the top of the tree without lights. When the room is dark, you can't even see the star! Devin reacted to this comment in the best possible way. "You want lights on your tree topper? I can put lights on your tree topper." And with that, he was outside at his truck, getting the tools he needed.

I was amazed as I watched him snipping, clipping, soldering etc. Even using a little micro torch. Wow! This was pretty freaking cool. My heart swelled when he put it on the top of the tree and plugged it in. Oh, honey. I love you!

McCartney Review

Well, he did not disappoint! Perhaps I'm biased, but Paul McCartney still rocks a live show. 

Not only was I excited to see my favourite Beatle, but I was going to see him with my other favourite guy :) Devin & I listened to McCartney music in the afternoon to prep for the show. There were a few songs that came on the playlist that he didn't realize were McCartney songs, so that was fun. He was excited!

We met his dad Larry & Bev in Hamilton, grabbed some food and set out for Toronto. Bev was lucky enough to be celebrating her birthday with Paul. How cool is that?

Once inside, I could hear the faint sounds of bagpipes. My heart leaped and I found myself craning my neck to see inside the stadium. Unfortunately, a burly security guard stood in my way. As we started to form a line to get in to our section, we discovered that was, in fact, Paul doing a sound check. (clearly I had heard them doing Mull of Kintyre). Waiting in line was not so much of an issue, but the longer we waited, the more people were filling up the mezzanine - making it nearly impossible to even cross the walkway! By the time we were able to go to our seats, we were feeling like sardines!

Speaking of our seats, they were great! Up in the 300s but a great side view of the stage. Paul soon appeared on stage, looking dapper and wearing his trademark "Beatle boots" and a jacket. After  a few songs he lost the jacket and continued to play for three hours. When you consider his work with The Beatles, Wings and his solo career, his catalogue of songs is phenomenal!

The highlight for me (I think - it's hard to choose just one) was the moment of Mull of Kintyre when the pipe band walks out on stage in a swelling crescendo. What a moment! I've only seen Sir Paul in Toronto, but I've heard that he only does that song here. I'm not sure why, but I'll take it!

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

with Port Dover Pipe Band

Outside Air Canada Centre

Fab Four(th)

In all the excitement of getting engaged, I nearly forgot that I'll be hanging out with my favourite Beatle in a few weeks!

One morning in mid-August, I woke up to see this post on Instagram. I was SO EXCITED! Obviously, I needed to get tickets. Not only was I thrilled that I'd get to see Sir Paul again, but I'd get to share this experience with Devin.

I set about researching when the tickets would go on sale and various pre-sale options. Because I am on his email list, I had a pre-sale password for Monday. At 9:55am I announced to the office that I would be busy for the next few minutes as I secured my tickets. Ahem, um, ya. That didn't happen. I tried for about 30 minutes and was unsuccessful before they were gone. Not to worry. There was another pre-sale through Live Nation on Thursday and if all else failed - the tickets went on sale to the general public on Friday.

We had plans to go to Wonderland on Friday, so I really wanted to get the pre-sale tickets. Alas, it was not meant to be. Again, I announced to the office that Paul needed my attention for a few minutes and again, I struck out with tickets.

Friday morning came. We were in the car headed to Canada's Wonderland. I was armed with the TM phone number, the app on my phone and my credit card. At 10:55am I signed into the app, located the tickets I wanted and waited. On Devin's phone, I started calling the number. Yes, it was a crazy 15 minutes of calling and refreshing the app but I did succeed in scoring tickets! I was elated.

The concert is just a few short weeks away and I can't wait to see Mr. McCartney for the 4th time.

This blog post has a nice ring to it...

So, this happened last weekend.

It's funny. I have anticipated this moment for a long time and wondered what it would feel like. And I can honestly say, it feels like the most natural thing in the world!

Let me rewind and share our story because it's a good one!

As I mentioned previously, it was this photo --> of Devin and Cody that caught my attention on eHarmony back in February. Once he discovered how much I loved that picture, he suggested we go back to the same spot this summer and recreate the photo with the three of us. I thought that was a great idea!

So, Labour Day weekend, we loaded up the car and set out for a L-O-N-G drive to Biscotasing. Devin's dad has been going fishing there for 20 years and it was there that the photo was taken last Labour Day. The trip was filled with good music, Starbucks, conversation (including talk of a ring that he hadn't yet purchased... what a trickster) and a nearly-off-roading adventure!

When I woke up on Saturday morning, I had foggy memories of a dream in which I gotten engaged. It must've been that ring talk in the car. I shared my dream with Devin and he did a pretty good job of hiding the shock on his face as he planned to propose that day! He later told me that was God confirming his plans.

It was a beautiful sunny day on Saturday and we took Cody to do some target practice. We all had a lot of fun and, in fact, we were actually pretty good shots! I commented a few times how it was such a great day and he just looked at me with a big grin and said "oh, it's only just begun!"

When we were getting ready to go on the boat, I asked Devin if I could put my stuff in his bag. He looked at me and said "I don't think there's room. You should get your own bag." So, I put my clothes in my bag with room to spare. I asked if he wanted to just combine our stuff and take one bag. He insisted we take two bags. Now I know why. He didn't want me digging around in the bag and find the ring!

After going for a swim in the lake, we made our way through a series of nooks and crannies on our way to the beach so we could take the photo. We came around a corner and when the beach was in view, it was full of boats. Clearly everyone in the area decided to party on that beach for the long weekend. I could see the disappointment on Devin's face when he realized his plan was falling apart. Oh dear. The poor guy. He looked over at me and said that he didn't want to take the photo with all of those people at the beach. I said it was fine, we would just come back the next day. No problem. I wasn't too worried about it but clearly he was. He had himself psyched up that he was going to propose! The sun was shining, the day was perfect, I had even dreamed about it! How could those boats be ruining this moment?

We decided to go fishing instead and we had a great afternoon! We caught our limit and started heading for home. When we passed by the beach... the boats were all gone! The smile came back on his face and he said "looks like we can do that photo after all!"

We beached the boat and changed into our clothes. Devin and Cody had the same hoodies they wore last year. (excellent planning Devin!) After Devin's mom snapped a few pics he wanted to go for a walk. Cody stayed with his grandparents and Devin and I meandered around the little island. As we walked, he started telling me how much I mean to him (and other things that are between the two of us), then he dropped to one knee, opened a little box and asked if I would be his wife. YES! Yes, of course I want to be his wife. I can't wait to be his wife! We shared the news with Cody and after he confirmed he could come to the wedding, he was pretty happy.

The view, just after getting engaged!

Because we were "off the grid" this was our little secret for a few days. Which, on one hand was nice. But on the other hand, I was bursting to tell people! Even when we got back within cell coverage, I was still hours away from London! I completely drained the battery on my phone on the trip home. And now I'm finally getting around to sharing it in the blogosphere.

Birthday Boys

To celebrate these two cuties, we spent the day at Eastpark in London. Jesse & Liam are 2 years and 2 weeks apart, so when they both wanted to go to Eastpark for their special day, I decided to break the tradition of one-on-one and we all went together. What a fun day!


We started at the batting cages. They were eager to start swinging but in the beginning it was tough to make contact with the ball. But, by the time we were done they were actually doing pretty good! I tried my hand at it as well and I was not prepared for how much it hurt my hand when I hit the ball! I had a ring on and with each crack of the bat, I would wince as that ring was getting pinched and hurting my finger. Ouch!

Next up was the go-karts. So fun! Liam is too young to go by himself, so went together. What a hoot as we raced around the track - pedal to the metal. We stopped for some lunch and then hit (quite literally) the bumper cars. I wasn't expecting them to be so fun but we had a blast slamming into each other. We wrapped up the day with a rousing game of mini-golf and ice cream.

These two boys are each unique but both full of energy, curiosity, and plenty of love for Auntie Janice. We had such a good time.

Questing with Maddie

Celebrating birthdays with my nieces and nephews is always a fun event. Lately I've been playing catch up for birthdays past... this time was with Madison.

I know how much she enjoys puzzles and figuring things out so we hit downtown London for an Urban Quest. I first discovered these adventures a few years ago when I took Abby out for her birthday. We had a great time and I've done them a few other times as well.

I let Madison take the lead on finding all the clues and taking notes. She's a really clever girl and the ones I thought I might have to help her with, she got on her own! We had a great afternoon criss-crossing the downtown before ending up at Victoria Park for a cold smoothie and an endless supply of jokes. Ha ha...this girl does love riddles and jokes!

Thanks for the memories my dear Maddie! It was a great day.

Happy Birthday Peanut!

It's hard to believe that an entire decade has passed since this little Peanut entered my life. I can clearly remember the day he was born...

First of all...he was two weeks early! I was in the middle of the biggest project to date at work. Not only were we rebranding from The New PL to A-Channel, but we were also changing graphics systems at the same time. For the Graphics Coordinator of the newsroom...that was a tall order. But, I felt confident and up to the challenge. Until I got the phone call. We were just finishing up the evening newscast when Jo-Anne called to let me know they were on their way to the hospital. What?!? Seriously? If this is a joke, it's not funny. No, it was definitely not a joke. She was in labour.

I cleared my schedule with my (accommodating) supervisor and headed for St. Joe's. This was a moment I had been anticipating since finding out about the Peanut on December 24! Despite arriving "early" he took his time with the delivery. We spent many hours on those hard benches in the waiting room. However, it was all worth it when I entered the room and saw that adorable little bundle.

Jesse has always had a special place in my heart. He's the only kid that I've been in the waiting room for. He is curious - asking questions and being "hands on". He is loving and sweet. He is funny. He loves science and exploring and is really great at figuring out how things work.

I am so blessed to have Jesse Harding Koiter for my nephew. We have had some super fun moments over the years and I look forward to many more!

Good Things Come to Those That Wait

Four months ago, I woke up feeling nervous but excited. I was going to meet face-to-face with someone I had connected with on eHarmony about a month before. I know, I know...online dating. Gah! But it had worked for a few of my friends and what did I have to lose?

Devin's profile caught my eye when I saw this photo --> Honestly, I was not looking for a single dad and in the past had dismissed any matches that had kids. But, this photo spoke to me. I loved the backdrop - it reminded me of my fishing trip last summer. And I loved the two faces looking at me. As I clicked through his profile, I noticed how open and honest he was with the information he shared. I decided to contact him. Over the next few days, we messaged back and forth and I definitely felt a connection with this guy.

We continued to communicate by email/text and we finally made arrangements to meet in person when he came back from Florida. Since he lives in Welland and I live in London, we met halfway in Brantford at The Keg. All afternoon my stomach was in knots. My friend Jackie messaged me to see if I was excited and I told her I felt like I might be sick. She laughed and said that's "butterflies" and that I should enjoy it. Ha ha. Enjoy it? Why, oh why are first dates so nerve-wracking? 

As I suspected, as soon as the initial "hi, I'm Janice" was over, I was just fine. In fact, it was the best first date I can remember! We had so much to talk about and the whole evening just seemed so easy. We had to leave when they were closing The Keg, but we weren't done talking! In fact, we have had many dates where the time slips through our fingers and logistics force us to shut it down.

I've often wondered where my path in life would lead me. I certainly didn't anticipate being 38 years old and single. But, God did. He knew the decisions that I would make that would lead me to this point in my life and the experiences that would shape who I am today. He was also working in Devin's life at just the time that I was wondering why things had not worked out for me in this regard. We are both convinced that He brought the two of us together.

I am so lucky to have found someone that shares my family values, is solid in his faith and treats me with respect and intentionality. I look forward to what the future has in store for us!

16 Candles

There are milestone birthdays in everyone's life. I clearly remember turning 16 because it meant I could get my driver's license. I turned 19 in France. Of course turning 30 carried its own consequences!

Today, my niece Abigail Elizabeth marks a milestone as she turns 16. I am so proud of the beautiful young lady she has grown to be. I realize that calling her a "young lady" makes me sound old...but that is what she is! John & Karen have done an awesome job parenting and stewarding this girl to where she is now.

I became an auntie when Abby was born, so she holds a special place in my heart. We've had lots of fun over the years with sleepovers, picnics, special outings, etc. I'm thrilled that she has developed such a love of music (playing the guitar, piano, trombone and learning more!) and is quite the little performer!

Happy birthday Abigail as you mark this milestone. Now, stay off the roads everyone! :)