Memories Hidden In Christmas

As the Christmas season has ended and I have taken down my tree unchariteristically early this year, I sit and think back on all of the wonderful reasons why I love Christmas time. Some favorite memories of the Christmas that was;

* Sitting around a passed down, well-loved table in our amazing friends (D & C) new home just laughin so hard that we are all crying. We had drove the 4 hours the night before - we arrived to big smiles and warm hugs, took a tour of the excitedly new digs and then sat with a few glasses wine and just talked. We awoke to yummy "flat pancakes" and then the ladies took the dog to the park and the guys fixed something - like they do ...... we came back and D made hot chocolate and baileys and C & I decorated the tree as T napped on the couch. C & I set the table together for all of the friends to come and enjoy, and then everyone started arriving and it was wonderful. As we sat down to a delicious meal, all crowded perfectly around the table, we talked and laughed and loved. At one moment - as dirty dishes were still on the table but everyone had finished eating, I sat back and looked around the table and realized how much I am blessed with these friends. As 10 adults sat around the table we were all just laughing like kids - and making each other laugh. It is stolen moments like this - when no one notices my notices that I capture a mental picture of why my life is so full. At this moment I felt full, I was fulfilled, I could feel the ache in my chest like my heart was too full - and I looked at these people and thought of the good and bad we had been through together that year and realized that there would be more good, and bad, to come, but I took a moment and gave it to the past years moments. We had all come a long way, and we shared the happiness and split the pain - together.

* At work I love what have become our Christmas traditions – a grown up party and a longer-running kid’s party. This year the staff potluck gave us a reason to set up our Christmas tree early! Tr & I dug it out and spent a couple hours one snowy morning setting it up; this year we learned the downfall of pre-lit trees – when the lights go they are awful to get off! So we spent some more time laughing and pulling them off! That night our school cafeteria turned into a big household table, where friends gathered for good food and conversation, everyone brought something and I hope everyone took something away from the night – I did. A few weeks later was the kids party – amidst the busyness of grade entry and semester clean up we paused for a few hours so Santa could make his annual visit and the kids - that are growing up too fast – got together and played with their new toys! The room was full of laughter and fun – it was a feeling that only Christmas can bring. In our office we frequently talk about how lucky we are to have the jobs we do and to work where we do, but I think it is more so at Christmastime – we take that feeling of lucky and turn it to blessed and grateful. It is better still that every day we work with friends; we share opinions and stories and laughs and work. We proofread for each other and we learn for each other – at least I learn from them and they proofread for me! I love my job – which is a big part of my life.

* Christmas Eve Day is always rushed for us – with tons of driving but tons of family too. This year we woke up and took our big dog for a walk at the cottage – it was a beautiful winter day that was crisp, just one of those perfect days. We walked hand in hand watching our puppy frolic through the woods – it was quiet and relaxing – a perfect start to Christmas Eve.

* After that we loaded presents in the car and took off to my Moms place where we played card games and eat cheese, crackers and chocolates until everyone arrived. After the whole bunch was there and the little ones had woken we opened presents and played with our new goodies. My little nephews were my favorite part of this Christmas celebration! N is at such a wonderful age where Christmas is exciting and the presents never end, he helped everyone open their presents and then got right into this new stuff! E is still too little, but looked adorable and was happily passed around to help others open their gifts – next year he’ll be right in there too! I can’t wait. We set up some of Nate’s presents – the older boys being boys with “build a road” from Aunt S and Uncle T and trying to make it climb every piece of furniture and making just-opened-boxes into tunnels, my little brother and I almost passing out from blowing up his gift to his nephew – a ball pit that is so much fun! Then we sat to have a delicious family meal together – where we tease Mom 8about the lack of gravy and stuffing - and then we grab a few squeezes and kisses before heading out to our next Christmas celebration. I must say that N gives the best little hugs when he squeezes, and when he says “Luv you too” it melts my heart – admittedly, I say good-bye to him at least a few times to try to hear the “luv you too” more often!

* So, we jump back into the car, make a quick stop at home to let the puppy out and feed him and then load more presents into the car and head out to the farm. We meet Dad at the farm and he opens his presents and then we head into church with him. I must say, one of my favorite things about our Christmas Eve church visit is looking over and seeing my Dad pretending to sing along to the Christmas hymns! It just makes me smile and giggle just a bit and it brings back memories of my grandparents. It is a treasured place in my life for the memories that it holds – sitting in the very back pew with them almost every Sunday and almost every Christmas coming together as a family for the Christmas Eve service, I remember one specific year that my sister & I got the giggles and barely made it through the service. It is a place of great memories and of great happiness – I hope our children will love its smells and stories as much as I have.

* After church we drive Dad home and head back to our place to load up with presents one more time – this time also loading up the big puppy and our bags to a longer trip back to T’s childhood home. As we drive, T complains about all the driving and then falls asleep as I listen to CBC radio talk about Christmas. It is a quiet ride, but a peaceful silence – a Christmas silence, when the world gives you the gift of quiet so you can take it and think about all you have and why you love the season – it is not the presents or the dinners – it is the moments hidden in those times. I drive and think and appreciate – and look over at my still-new husband as he sleeps with our dogs head on his shoulder and I smile a smile that only I will see. I secretly love this drive every year ……. Tired and spoiled and church hymns freshly in my head usually with a light snow coming down – it is the calm in Christmas for me.

* We arrive at my in-laws to hugs and dogs playing and car unloading. We say quick hellos and then try to get to bed before midnight so we can wake up bright and early on Christmas morning. When we wake my husband sneaks out of bed and takes the puppies on a Christmas morning walk and I eventually stretch out, roll out of bed, into my Christmas pj’s from my Mom, and head for the kitchen for Christmas coffee and morning hugs from my in-laws. After T returns with the puppies and changes into his Christmas jammies, we wake up my sister in law J, make some hot chocolate and baileys and we each find our spot on the coaches around the beautiful fire and we open our stocking. After all stockings are open we each take turns opening a present at a time and sharing laughs and stories of Christmases past. It is a wonderful morning. We are joined by a special Aunt & Uncle and spend time together around the tree and then move to the kitchen for Christmas morning breakfast ….. well, brunch – it’s 11:30 at this point. Later in the day we will be joined by more family and a big Christmas dinner, where we still get to sit at the kids table, and then head out on a small Christmas walk because the weather is perfect and our bellies are full – and we are thankful.

It is the moments hidden in Christmas that make it special. It is about taking notice of those memories when no one else notices you taking it all in. I find peace in Christmas memories and traditions – I find love and appreciation in those moments. Christmas is a gift that allows us all the chance to slow down and take a breath and appreciate friends that are family and family that are friends.

Merry Christmas to all! A few days late, but said from the heart. I hope yours was special too!

XO,
S

Tis the Season for Mismatching

I love Christmas, and one of my first traditions of the season is putting up our real Christmas Tree and pulling out ALL of our decorations to dress it up (while the Mr. sits and watches to make sure I have enough lights throughout).

Our Christmas Tree is perfectly imperfect, it will never make the pages of a magazine, but it shows our life. It is decorated with love, it has;

4 pairs of "Tyler & Samantha" matching decorations
3 shoe decorations - all gifts to me!
a bulldog
multiple angels
a poker game tree
Santa surfing, Santa fishing (x2), Santa in a hot air balloon
Teddy Bears - lots
1 Sens and 1 Toronto Maple Leaf Decoration (Sens obviously higher on the tree!)
Penguins (3)
A cardinal in a bell (gift from a student)
Apples
Moose (2)
Snowmen

Plus ALL of the matching balls that are beautiful. The balls, without all of our other decorations, on the tree would make it a magazine tree, but that is not an option. What is Christmas with a tree filled with memories? I smile when I look at my horribly mismatched, over lit, overloaded Christmas tree - to me, it means Christmas.

XO,
S

The View from Here

I took today off to work on a final assignment for my communications course. Since I was home I let Odus out to hang out with me while I worked. After a few hours I felts his head leaning on my knees, I looked down and this was my super adorable view ......



Ahhh, the view from here is wonderful!

XO,
S

My Happiness

It dawned on me early this morning as I was mopping my floors @ 6a.m. - while others dream of beautiful beaches or spotless new homes - my everyday joy is an old, imperfect house with character and charm, it is full of dust and full of love, it has seen bleeding fingers and happy hearts, it may be missing stairs but it is home to dreams, it has given us more than we could ever give to it.

As I was standing in the middle of a completely empty room that was so full of dust you had to keep wiping your goggles just to see, my hair was matted with dust, I had broken three fingernails, I looked around - saw my husband, and had a huge smile across my face hidden by my dust mask and thought - this is perfection.

It may not always be what we want to do, but it is what we have loved, and when I look back on this time in our life I won't remember the broken fingernails or the gross basements, I will remember weekends spent with my husband building our future together, the times we have laughed so hard we cried, the stories and moments this house has shared, sitting at the table sharing our excitement as we planned everything together.

Yes, this old house may be messy, dusty, creaky, and always half finished, but this wonderful crazy house gives me everyday joy and lifelong memories. Yup, this is my happiness.

XO,
S

Upstairs Bathroom

This house has really has provided us with some huge projects - the most recent being our upstairs bathroom. The bathroom was previously 3 seperate spaces - a hallway that was carpeted with a kitchen sink and a closet in it, a small 3 piece bathroom with a sloped ceiling, and a "+1 bedroom" that was behind the bathroom that had no closet and glittered green lenolium tiles. Needless to say - we ripped it all down .......no more lathe, or plaster, no more insulation ... it is amazing!

The guys had to replace some old rotted dormers and we'll get new windows in a few weeks for those. Once they get installed I will really start to see the progress - literally, it is pit black in there right now because the windows are boarded up! Even during day light right now we need work lights to see anything!

One of the best discoveries thus far was the unveiling of the exterior brick wall! The bathroom is part of a newer addition, so the house used to end there .... some old owners opened up a window into a door and thus the new bathroom! I am hoping to leave the section of brick exposed to highlight the beautiful old brick, but I don't know if I will win that battle.

Anyhow, I am SUPER excited for this reno, it is the biggest reno project thus far (the basement being our biggest clean up job, but nothing to do with reno/design)..... We already have the travertine floor tiles and now we need to find a WHOLE lot of other pieces to bring this room together! I am keeping pictures and will eventually do a before-mid-after series!

XO,
S

Construction Day 1

This coming week is going to be an exciting one at Gore West - Ty has taken a week off, my father-in-law has come down to help and Blair, a family friend from home, is here. Day 1 of construction was accidentally delayed by a day because of a little male miscommunication, but the new Day 1 was perfect!

The "crew" showed up bright and early and got right to work - the chimney started coming down, the old dormer was ripped out, the shingles were tossed! It looked better already! Ty worked away inside tearing out the rest of the back ceiling (the roof work is above the newly expanded bathroom space). Then we got visits from our favorite people - Home Hardware & Home Depot! Got our new shingles and all the material we should need!

I made a few trips to Home Hardware, made a bet with the lumber desk guys about how often I would visit that day, picked up a supply or two and a cappuccino, and headed back to my crew at home. At the end of the day my Dad showed up to take away some old chimney brick (which was also made up of patio pavers! Really these things should no longer surprise me, but I am always shocked!) At the end of the day, it looks awesome!

A bonus was that while I was not on gofer duty I was able to work on fall clean up. I got the front yard raked, pruned a few trees back (ALOT!), totally dug out 3 small twig bushes (these were like Dr. Seuss bushes), swept the steps/walkway, and cleared out all the weeds! It looks awesome!

Overall, day 1 was a huge success and I am sore, sleepy and happy all in one ball!

Can't wait for Day 2! It's like Christmas excitement!

XO,
S

A-Z of Basement Terror

OK I have tried my hardest; I made light of the creepy hospital bed, I barely wispered a word about the tires, gas can, kiddie pools, shovels, hoses and various other items shoved under the tree in the back yard, and I have happily fixed MANY design flaws throughout this house with no complaint - BUT I have been pushed too far now - I am totally making judgements on the past owners of this house ...... I just spent the past 3 weekends getting the basement cleaned up ...... here are my revelations:

A) there was a closet alcoholic - or two living there
B) they were hoarders, big time
C) I think someone must have worked at a public school and stole things
D) they had no problem living with/in filth
E) they probably sold the house because they had respitory problems - partially from the mould and partially because they were smokers - evidence of BOTH in the basement F) they had NO idea how to properly build a shelf
G) they, at some point, operated what appears to be a butcher shop in their basement
H) bad children were sent to the basement
I) They would rather build a floor to hide the fireplace ash than clean it up!
J) They cared enough to keep things for 30 years but didn't care to take it with them
K) They required a freezer to hold water & plastic bags
L) The mess in the basement has produced 1 trailer full of metal, 2 trailers full of wood & 8 bags of garbage!
M) They didn't think it was too dirty to do their laundry down there, but it was too dirty for their child to wear his slippers down there (a note written on the door!)
N) There was a collection of childrens school pictures scattered on the floor - assuming these are the friends of the children, creepy regardless!
O) They collected rocks, large stones, bricks & multiple spare tiles (not found in their own decor!) in the basement
P) I found a glass shard dug into a wood beam - I have linked it to that bad child room
Q) There was a hidden spoon in a hole in the foundation - I assume a childs failed escape attempt
R) The basement may not have been only for children - there was also a shower stool down there - bad seniors?
S)They liked insects - evident from the multiple species they allowed to live there!
T) They mistook the sub-pump hole for a garbage can - multiple times
U) They collected fishing poles, and passed them down to us .... who passed them into the garbage!
V) They found it important to store empty boxes - not to package items in when they moved, but to give the mould a place to florish!
W) They owned a fake Christmas tree, and we all know I am a real tree person - that speaks volumes about these people!
X) They were high all winter - maybe not intentionally, but their old boiler (which they said "worked fine") was producing something like 4 times the recommended amount of CO2(?) - it was red flagged and we we not allowed to use it!
Y) It appears they though stapling pieces of insulation (the really itchy stuff) to the walls would make a difference - really, turns out just another place for mold to grow!
Z) Everytime after I spend a few hours down there I am wildly thirsty and need to drink ALOT of water - abnormal amounts. This is not a judgement on them, more of a curious fact on the basement!

..... ok, there you have it, and A-Z list of what we have uncovered in the basement! If these walls could talk I am really afraid of what they would tell me!

XO,
S

A Splash of Cloud White

When we purchased this house we knew we had a pile of work to do - and we got right down to it! We conquered the "small" re-do's first which lead us to re-paint baseboard to ceiling in every room. What I have come to love the MOST is; before the furniture gets put back in and the new colour is already on the walls, I put the final coat of semi-gloss, cloud white paint on all of the trim (baseboards, windows & doors)and it just changes everything.

Most of our rooms have paint that at some point WAS white ..... but after many years of reglect the white has dimmed to a terrible mixture of dirt and grime. So, after I paint the ceiling, walls & closet I get to work on trim and I must say - it seems to be the smallest touch that makes the largest difference.

Fresh white trim frames everything, the walls "pop" against the fresh white, the house looks like it is more loved and cared for, it finishes a room like nothing else, it is crisp and clean, it makes the room look cleaner ...... to me, fresh white trim says to people that someone cares about this home ....

..... the devil is in the details right? Or, for us hoping to flip a house - the "deal" is in the details! (hahaha, I'm lame sometimes!)

XO,
S

Kicking the Bucket List

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive.
And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

- Howard Thurman



On Monday night I went see Eat, Pray, Love with a good friend who is moving away (to Africa) for a few months and afterwards we took a detour to Chapters. While I was there I was drawn to the journal section and we each picked up one; her to write about her travels in the next 6 months and me .......?

I have not written in a journal for years, and even when I did I was never that good at it! I wouldn't write daily; I won't write about friends or boyfriends or family or love or drama ...... I wrote what I called poetry that was vague, backwards and often vengeful. So I am unsure what drew me to this fuchsia journal, but I own it now and have been carrying it everywhere.

When I opened the journal the first thing I did was write "My Bucket List" at the top of the first page - and I started jotting all the things down that I want to try or do in my life. A few notes turned into 5 PAGES of things ..... they range from easy, potentially one day things like "take a cooking class" to journeys that will take most of my life to complete like "step foot in every continent", but I am INSPIRED to complete them all!

When I stopped my wish-like, feverish writing and I looked at the list I realize that a lot of the things are just things I want to do for myself - some have to do with our future children and many are things that I see Ty and I doing together - but in they end they are things to satisfy myself, that I can do alone if I choose, or things that will bring me joy. When I look at the list I am happy to see that I still want things for myself - I haven't turned into someone that is just my job title or "Ty's Wife" or someones future mom ..... I am me, with crazy dreams to ride a mechanical bull just once!

XO,
S

Six Months Since .....

This morning as I was brushing my teeth I realized that just a few days ago Ty & I had been married for 6 months; it went by with no fanfare or cards or gifts, and I thought about it and came to the following conclusion ..... when you plan on spending the rest of your life with someone that if you were to celebrate ever month or two or six, it would get irritating and expensive!

Remember when you were in grade school or high school and you and your boyfriend would celebrate every month!? Were we actually celebrating because we knew it wasn't forever and so the gift train would eventually come to a stop and you should celebrate whatever will fit into those months? Because seriously Ty and I have NEVER celebrated a "month" anniversary - we have exchanged cards some years to mark "year" anniversaries, but no large gifts - just nice words (written by Hallmark or ourselves)!

And I am not even trying to convince people that I KNEW the moment I met Ty that he was my forever ...... but I can say that I never looked at him and said "oh sugar bear, we have been dating two months - yeah *gag*" .... that is SO not a milestone when you're staring down a 60 year wedding anniversary! I have always said that our relationship progressed very naturally - it was never a ticking clock, it was never a calendar date or a deadline - just a feeling like we were ready to take the next step; whether that be moving in together, buying our first place, or getting married (I must say however, I was ready for the next "diamond" step sooner - as were friends & family!).

So, here we are with 6 months (and 5 years) under our belts ..... I guess "happy anniversary babe" is in order, but really, when I look at my 6-month husband the only 6-months I can imagine celebrating with him is our kids 6-month birthdays!

Here's to the first 6 months of marriage, and the 60 more years to come ...... it has been perfectly wonderful!

XO,
S

I Heart Organization

After sending me away for lunch with both my Mom's, I come home to find that not only had my handsome husband used his new 6 drawer organizer to bring order to his tool room - but he had also put up my closet organizer! I never knew I could love organization THIS much! It is amazing, I seriously smile every time I see it - which is every time I walk into the Master right now because there is no closet door!

So, I got home from my lunch to find this wonderful surprise and got straight to work on moving my clothes from the stand alone clothing rack that they called home for what feels like the last year (oh wait, it's been the past year and a half!). I get straight to work at taking EVERY shirt, pair of pants, skirt & dress off their hanger and re-hanging them perfectly. I re-fold all of my jeans and hoodies and place them perfectly on the shelves - colour coded of course! Some of my clothes didn't make the cut; they just weren't good enough for the new closet! After the cuts, I go to work at perfectly spacing the hangers and standing back and admiring the newly organized closet .... and now I share that view with you .....

First - the newly organized closet closer up...



Second - the newly organized closet and the soon to be "off-season clothing" organized space...



I know that it is unlikely that anyone will enjoy this as much as I do, but I thought I would share my happiness!!

Gone to organize!

XO,
S

Bragger

OK, so Ty & I have been together almost 5 years right? ..... I seriously have not heard him brag about anything I have done as much as he has gushed about the roman blinds I made! And it is not because the man doesn't sing my praises every now and then!

Seriously, I heard him talking about them to someone on the phone the other night and he said "Sam has been busy finishing the roman blinds for the living room and foyer and they turned out really good ..... no, that is an understatement, they look great, she did an amazing job!" It was amazingly cute and extremely endearing!

See boys, sometimes we're not the perfect (working) housewife until we're someones wife! Now I betcha he wished he put a ring on it sooner ..... all it took was a little show of the good 'ol sewing skills!

xo,
S

P.S. - I do have an insanely lovable husband!

Call Me Crafty!

As I sit in my Living Room typing this entry I am patting myself on the back for a job well done! I must admit that I could be one of the least crafty human beings on the planet. This fact alone makes me incredibly proud to have completed 4 matching (matching-ish, a measurement or two may prove me wrong)roman blinds for our front Living Room.

This venture all started after we bought flip II. The trim in the main floor is gorgeous and it would be a crime to cover it with curtains and rods. Initially we looked into buying roman shades, but our choices were limited (to ugly or boring) and SUPER expensive; and since this is a flip, we needed other options! So then I asked a girl friend for her advice; she is a designer and much more skilled then I. She sent me the following link, which she had used before;

http://jenduncan.typepad.com/whats_new/2008/11/roman-blind-tutorial-in-20-pictures-or-less.html

Turns out, I can do this! I will admit that blind #4 is MUCH nicer then blind #1, but I am never ashamed of progress! So now, we have privacy in our living room that is just as attractive as it is functional and I am officially on a kick to make romans blinds for the remaining windows in the lower level (because, while the trim on the upper floor is nice, it is simply the ugly cousin to the main floor)!

xo,
S

What is in a name?

So, now that I am in the newly married club I have discovered the hardest part of getting married - changing your name! Prior to getting married I struggled with the decision - I have always been my name, and to change that felt like I would be giving up the last 26 years of me and who I was. At one point we discussed me hyphenating my name or both of us hyphenating our names, and other wonky options ...... but in the end it was my decision, with a very understanding to-be-husband. We wanted our kids to have the same surname as us - both of us, it was just a connection we wanted for them for some reason!

This was my perceived dilemma; I am extremely proud of my family name and all the years that my father and his father and his put into making it stand for something meaningful. In fact, I am so proud of our family name that I actually asked my Dad if we could make his ex-wife change her name back after the separation because I didn't want her to have it because I didn't believe she represented it well. So, needless to say, I have a serious attachment to my old surname!

However, I gave it time and thought, the biggest thing for me was that my husband is the last in the line of his surname ...... which means our kids will be the only future carriers of this line, and I am proud to be responsible for that - does that make sense? Ty's grandfather (before he passed almost year ago) even asked his Dad if he thought Ty and I would get married and have kids ..... basically asking if the family name would be carried forward to the next generation. When I took that to heart and thought about what I wanted for my new family and our future kids, I decided it was a part of my commitment to Ty and them - and our future together, and to show us as a family. It doesn't change who my parents are, or what they have worked for, it does not diminish that at all! But Ty is my new family and changing my name is something that tangibly links us.

So, I have a new name - a new email address, a new batch of ID's, a new business card, a new voicemail, a new husband ...... and although it is taking me a while to master my new signature, I am loving my new last name - I am loving being a Mrs., I love that Ty wears his wedding band - I find it incredibly handsome, and although we were committed to one another long before a wedding day, I love that we had a day where our family and friends watched us make those vows to each other ..... it is unforgettable! .... And I have watched the video of our beach wedding at least 10 times ..... and I must say, it has become a guilty pleasure of mine, every time I watch it Ty catches me and says "you're watching it again!", but I love it ..... and sitting down and watching it, it is more amazing and perfect and funny then I imagined!

So, a new last name ...... same person.

xo,
S

Back to Work

Now that this whole business of party planning for the wedding is over, our life is starting to head straight back to our realm of normal - which is basically to say our house is back in shambles because the reno's are back in full swing!

At this point we are pretty much finished the foyer/upper hall, Dining Room, Front Living Room and the 2 guest rooms ..... we are in the middle of the master bedroom and all other rooms are insane! We like to call our front Living Room our sanity room - it is the one finished room that we try to keep as organized as possible (which is almost impossible!), so that when we sit in there to watch TV or read or just chill out, we aren't constantly reminded of the mess .... until we look through the french doors and the Dining Room is piled from floor to ceiling with stuff from 3 rooms that are mid-reno!

So, being back into the groove, I decided that once I got home from a jog with Odus last night that I would start working in the backyard ...... we thought that having a 200' foot would be amazing ..... until you have to work on it! This is 200' of sheer disaster! I mean, we already dug up a monster shrub that had become a tree and hid such treasures as kid's pools, tires and oil cans ...... the issue is the amount of stuff these people planted in order to hid their garbage! Seriously, they must have had several discussions that started something like "Hmmm, I need to dispose of this here shovel - let's plant that peony!" SERIOUSLY!

So Odus and I will continue to dig and find all sorts of treasures! Tonight we start to rip out several garden borders - which are simply old bricks stuck in the ground and heaped with fill and buried Tupperware!

Oh Sugar!

xo,
S

From a Bride to a Wife

So, all wedding related events are over; I am no longer the bride, but now the wife. This fact excites me. Although I have loved our wedding process and all of the events and our day and the celebrations with everyone, the reason for it all was to get to this point.

While many women get confused between getting a wedding day and the actual marriage afterwards, it has rarely slipped my mind that all of the planning of the wedding was just to mark a different stage in our relationship - no matter how much I looked forward to a wedding day, I always looked forward to the marriage more..... and in the few instances where I lost sight of that I had a wonderful man beside me that reminded me of what is important.

On Saturday night at our cocktail reception I sat and listened while our best man & matron of honour, my father-in-law, and my father stood and gave speeches. Amazingly sincere speeches that brought me to tears, but made me laugh even more. After those four spoke it was our turn to get up and try to express our thanks to a room full of the friends, family & co-workers that have supported us throughout our relationship, not just on our wedding day. I knew I would cry; I tried to write my speech so that I would laugh just as much as I cried ..... I ended up laughing at myself crying and not being able to read my speech at points because the tears blurred my vision, but most importantly, I wrote the speech hoping that it would do justice in thanking not only the people that have most affected my life, but to everyone there to celebrate with us. I really wanted everyone there to feel that their attendance meant a lot to us.

Following my speech was Ty's - he had worked really hard on his speech and I couldn't wait to hear it. He did so well, it was heartfelt and so special. He was amazingly flattering and funny. I am constantly in awe of this man and this was simply just one more time in our life when I stood beside him and felt insanely proud to be his wife .......

After the speeches I was really surprised on the compliments about our speeches - people have quoted parts, people have said how beautiful it was, that it was the best (or one of the best) speeches they had ever heard, people shared in my tear shed because they were so touched ...... it has been so heart-warming and flattering. One of my absolutely favorite compliments came when someone very special told me that the greatest thing about us as a couple, which was highlighted in our speeches - and those of our bridal party & fathers, is that they felt a part of them, they were so real - they were not perfect, they were not traditional - but they made everyone in the room feel like they were a part of our family - our inner circle; they were emotional, they were full of embarrassing moments and favorite stories and well wishes. It was this person's feedback on the speeches that made me realize that what I wanted to accomplish that night in thanking everyone had been achieved ..... I had shared in my happiness and expressed my thanks in a way that really did touch people.

Ty and I really do make an effort to spend time and energy on not only our relationship with one another, but also with our friends and family ...... and I am honoured to have had such wonderful people there to celebrate our marriage ..... it was amazing!

xo,
S

Wedding Day

So, we just got home from our wedding in Mexico. A week that was filled with amazing moments, with SEVEN amazing days - not just one, and for that, I feel like the luckiest women.

The trip went according to no one's plan; we ended up getting married on a different date then what is engraved on my wedding band and we spent more time in the water having showers and bathes then we did in the Ocean or pools, but we would not change a thing. Life takes us where it will and Ty and I are fortunate to have realized the beauty in that journey, without conforming to a timeline, to standards or to what others think is right.

We boarded a plane and met our 19 friends and family members on a beach in Mexico. We were set for an incredible week surrounded by people that were even more incredible. There were group dinners and naps in Cabana's, card games and Quiddler, Shopping in Playa Del Carmen and Climbing Ancient Ruins in the Mexican Jungle, laughs and tears, moments that are now memories and perfection captured in pictures. There was nothing that I would have changed and, in that realization, there were things I was able to let go of that freed me.

Ty and I have always followed a very natural path, one that is distinctly ours. We have found a comfort in each other that we do not take forgranted; we have a home with each other that does not require a fixed address; we have built a life as partners, accomplices, friends, pet parents, as a team ..... as husband and wife; we have chosen love, but do not use that love as an excuse for taking each other forgranted or laziness; we are each others fans - not just friends, we truly enhance each other, we have found "it" - without classifying IT, without naming IT, without tagging IT to a calendar date or a white dress; just living IT, and appreciating that we have found IT in one another.

Ahhh, we have so much to look forward too!

S

Thankful for Fridays

As I finish up my workday I realize how much I love Fridays, and not because they are the day before the weekend, but because it is always a fun day and everyone is in a slightly more upbeat mood!

On Fridays I typically go to work in jeans, which I love, because it feels like such an over-the-top, spoiled-to-work-where-I-do luxury. Not EVERYONE gets to wear jeans to work on Fridays after all you know! Then, at some point throughout the day my co-worker normally reminds me that today is the day to sanitize our desks - so then the whole office smells clean - which I love, just that clean smell, it reminds me of Fridays. Normally doing this task the front office full of girls typically break into casual conversation and often times laughter about something, but just a time to talk amongst friends, which also feels like an over-the-top, spoiled-to-work-where-I-do luxury, because not EVERYONE gets to work with people that they consider friends!

Then, because it is Friday, I go home to my half-finished house, with my smiling husband and goofy big puppy and we are in a good mood because we start planning our weekend, or go out to meet friends, or take the puppy for a walk, or watch a marathon of say yes to the dress (a show I just love all about bridal!) but always something I enjoy - Friday nights never seem to be the nights I have to accomplish yucky things like arguing with Hydro or Bell, or cleaning the bathroom, nope, not this night for it is Friday night. And I don't plan to NOT do these things because it is Friday night, I just don't even think of it because I am so happy.

Yes, Friday's are great. Right now I have just finished a vent session with my work friends and the office smells deliciously like peanut butter and cinnamon and just earlier it smelt like french fries and vinegar - another small thing that makes this Friday superb!

Looking forward to a great weekend of husband time, spa appointments, picking up my wedding rings, shopping and lunch with amazing friends! How blessed am I?

Have a great weekend!
S

SURPRISE!

Surprises? I enjoy them, well most of them - well really, I enjoy every surprise except for the one I got when I came home tonight. As I open the front door I see that the mailman has been here for the first time in a week and a gazillion pieces of mail (well 6) fall towards me. After I get in the door and take off my boots and coat I sort through the mail, it is our normal mail - bank statements, something from my work insurance and something from our personal investor, and a bill from Hydro One, that last one is where it all went wrong. Let me explain.

Two months ago we got an insanely high hydro bill (at the time I thought it was insane that is!)and I called and we worked out a payment and everything seemed fine; until today! So today comes around and I open our new bill and I find that this one is 4-figures, that is right folks - four numbers, a decimal and two more numbers, for TWO MONTHS worth of Hydro. Now maybe to some people this isn't overly high (if this is you, you spend too much on Hydro!), but for me, at our last house, our average bill was $110 per bill (every two months). So I call them and I inform them that there has CLEARLY been a mistake, to which they inform me that it is indeed correct and there is nothing wrong with my meter, they are cocky about this and their brand-new smart meters that are NOT wrong - she even went so far as to guarantee that it was correct, so I asked to have someone come and look at it to make sure, she obliged and scheduled a work order.

That is all I get - after 30 minutes on the phone; you fix nothing, you tell me I am wrong, and you schedule a work order telling me that they will find nothing wrong.

So in another 2 weeks I will likely suck it up, pay the $ X,XXX.XX, and shortly after drink away my sorrows on a Mexican beach!!! I so need this vacation to come faster; the faster the better!!

Sorry for this to be a downer entry, I don't intend on being a negative person, but I could not believe my surprise and thought I would share it with the group. Off I go to find ways to save/make money so I can afford our Hydro bill!

S

My Sunday

After a movie night complete with treats and snuggles, I had a fantastic sleep last night I woke up to the phone ringing; I expected it, it was going to be my Dad. So I heard it ring, I got out of bed and started to get ready, I listened to Ty talk to Dad as I got ready. After quickly having breakfast and brushing my teeth I hoped into the car and headed off to meet Dad so we could go shopping.

We headed off to Wal-Mart and got Dad a pair of running shoes and lighter-then-winter-socks that he could wear in Mexico. My Dad has never been on a plane, let alone to Mexico, and I am so excited that he is getting excited for this trip. After that we headed to Tim's for coffee and a donut, and had a great chat on the way back to the farm. This is our typical almost-weekly routine; he calls me and we go either grocery shopping, or he needs my help picking up something, and then he buys me coffee and we have chat to catch up on life. As we chat I continue to realize he is the type of parent I hope to someday be; a parent that has raised me - without once raising his voice to me; a parent that has taught me life lesson, through living his own life; a parent that has given me everything, when he thought he had nothing to give; a parent that made me successful without pushing me to be anything more then myself; a parent that accepted my mistakes, and loved me when I didn't love myself; a parent that has never let me down, that has picked me up, and that I have never doubted his love. I want to be that to my children, to Ty and my children.

Then I get home to my new husband, who is outside playing with our little puppy. We came inside and I get the puppy (Odus) dressed in his jacket and booties so I can take him for a short walk. As we walk through Town people always point and smile at Odus in his jacket and booties, I laugh because he loves the attention as he trots along with such happiness. We stroll back home, Ty makes us some Kraft Dinner for lunch and chat and make our grocery list for the week. As I head out to grocery shop, Ty heads upstairs to work on the bedrooms, we make such a great team. As I walk up and down the aisles at the grocery store, I realize how much I enjoy my life, how I love the simple, normal times in my life as much as I enjoy the crazy parts. I realize how much I enjoy doing those "traditional wife" tasks for Ty, because it makes me happy to make him happy, but that doesn't interfere with me making myself happy (make sense?). I arrive home and unpack my groceries as I listen to Ty work away upstairs, I take out a ton of veggies and make fritatta's for us for breakfast for the week and get the dishes done, then sit down and begin to write this entry.

This is my normal Sunday - I typically get house work done and get a few things off my "to-do" list - but what I love about Sunday's is that those things I do, don't feel like tasks or chores or "must-do's".

Ahhhh, Sunday! I think I will head upstairs and get a ceiling painted this afternoon and then have breakfast sandwiches for dinner (one of my favorite things - breakfast for dinner!).

Hope everyone is enjoying Sunday as much as me!

S.

New Blog ... More Blogging

Good Morning World!

So, after a friend of mine shared her blog with me, it has inspired me to come back and write on my blog. I have realized that there doesn't have to be a funny moment or a big reno or anything more then my wonderful everyday life to inspire me to write! So, this morning I will write simply about my last 24 hours!

Yesterday morning I slept in and didn't make it to bootcamp, I woke up and went to work for the morning. As I sat at work, I realized how lucky I am to have the job I do, to work with the people I do - as we sat and caught up on each others life and I had a nice warm cup of hot chocolate. Wonderful. After spending 4 hours at work and meeting with a few students I headed out to meet my husband and in-laws for lunch. As I arrived home I realized how wonderful it is, to not only have a great family myself, but to now have added Ty's family. As I walked in the door there were hugs all around! We took a few minutes to catch up and then headed out to lunch. We ended up together for 2 hours of chatting and I realized how fortunate I am to have such a great relationship with my new in-laws, one where we have our own relationship outside of them simply only being Ty's parents.

After lunch we came home and fussed around for about an hour before packing up our little family and headed to Kingston. We stopped at Glenburnie grocery store (the most delicious place on earth), picked up some bread, steak and homemade dessert. Then we took Odus into Pet Smart where everyone adored him and fussed over how handsome and well behaved he is - we are lucky that he is so wonderful because at 120 pounds, ill-behaved is not an option. After our trip to the store we headed to the Vanderlinde's for a delicious pizza dinner and to catch up with old friends (and their wonderful parents). We had a few drinks, some sinfully delicious pizza with ranch dressing and great conversation to catch up on each others lives. We eventually sent ourselves home around 10:30, packed the little dog into the littler car and hit the road. I do love car rides with Ty, I find that although we may critique each others driving, we also have great conversations. So we chat our way home and end up getting in around 11:30 and get the puppy into bed, get ourselves in to bed, and lights out at midnight after a fabulous day!

At 7:00 I can feel Ty rustling around so I move in for an early morning snuggle and mention that pancakes would be delicious - half an hour later, I get woken back up by "Sam, pancakes!" - HOW PERFECT! So I race downstairs to find a plate of pancakes and a smiling husband making me a french vanilla, yum! So we sit down, have breakfast and then move into the living room to have our coffee so we can be with our baby boy.

My day is now just starting - me, sitting in my living room with my new little family, cup of french vanilla in hand, searching over realtor.ca, how absolutely blissful my life is.

Now off to work on the house! My Day will only get better from here, my life will only get better from here!

S