We're Off!!!!!!

It has been 376 days since Travis got down on one knee to asked me to spend the rest of my life him!

In just a few short hours, we will be leaving work to go home and get the camper hitched up and pick up our Mr. Nixon for our big drive to Winnipeg.

I can't wait to get there and see how the week unravels!  We are anxious for our friends and family to start pouring into the big city.  And for those in my family that are traveling from Northern Ontario... you can thank us for having our wedding in Winnipeg because I know it's snowing where you are right now and Winnipeg has some pretty great weather going on! :)

We are cool as cucumbers and calm as bombs!  Travis is a little freaked out at how calm I have been in the past couple weeks... it's pretty funny.  But then again, my entire professional background is event planning or coordinating so this wedding stuff is right up my alley!  It's been great to be able to leave a full week before the wedding because we had no choice but to be as prepared and organized as possible which has definitely reduced the stress level in our household.

On the other hand, Nixon seems a little freaked out by all of the packing that we've been doing.  He seemed a little upset with me this morning when I left the house and I think he thought I was going to leave him and never come back but lucky for him... he gets to go on this journey with us... at least for half of it.  Unfortunately, we can't take him to Alaska with us.

Here's to a great drive back to Winnipeg... rain or shine and the beginning of the rest of our lives. :)

~ Love Christine

May Long 2013

Turns out May Long can be great even if you don't go camping!

Travis and I had a great weekend even though he spent some of it working and me working on wedding stuff and cleaning.  

Thank you to Pat and Allison for having everyone over Saturday for a great bbq and fire.  The food was delicious and it was great to spend the night with all our friends even if we weren't out camping.

And despite all of the horrible weather forecasts... it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful weekend from start to finish.  

We got lots accomplished around the house and were able to get the camper ready for the long haul to Winnipeg with everything in it functioning now! 

Yesterday, I got to have some R&R in the camper parked out front of our house while Travis got everything in working order.  It was a great way for me to relax and I got to take some great photos.  And I might have watched the back of my eyelids for a bit... :)  

We were also able to go for some great bike rides and take Nixon swimming in Sylvan Lake! 

Overall, I'm feeling pretty relaxed despite the wedding being 11 days away and us leaving on Friday! 

You could say I'm freaking out because I'm not freaking out! haha

My dad is stopping by tonight for a visit which is a great distraction for us and Nixon loves it when he comes over.  And lucky for him... and thanks to us.. he only has to work 1 week straight instead of 2! :)  

Other than that... I'm expecting a busy week before we hit the road and I think everything will set in once we get to Winnipeg!

~ Love Christine

Single Digits

One of our countdowns has reached single digits!

9 DAYS until we leave for Winnipeg and only 16 days until our wedding day!

Last night, we went out for drinks and wings at Bo's in Red Deer with a few our my co-workers and met up with a friend of ours.  When we got home, I decided it was time to start packing up the camper.  It's maybe a little early but sometimes you just can't wait!  It was good for us to see where we're at and what's left to do and to get all of the wedding stuff out of the house and out of my way!  

Everything is coming together everywhere.  Mom and Dad are almost ready for all of our family and friends to get to Winnipeg, the girls in Timmins are getting their dresses altered this week, the tuxes are all ordered... everything is going pretty smooth these days! 

On a side note, one of my favourite things to do throughout the summer is to go to the Farmer's Market in Sylvan Lake which is definitely something that I will be missing when we move to Red Deer.  Lucky for me, there's a Farmer's Market in Red Deer and also one in Bentley where we can go and meet up with our friends!  

Anyway... the Farmer's Market is opening tomorrow which is going to be a great start to my weekend... fresh fruits and veggies, and maybe some farmer's sausage.  I'll be getting our weekend groceries there for sure... and maybe a few sweet treats!  I can't wait! 

That's about all for now, but I thought I'd end with this hilarious RSVP card that I wish I would've seen 6 months ago... cause I probably would have sent it!   ENJOY!

~ Love Christine

So Close...

We are 18 days away from our big day and only 11 days from actually being in Winnipeg!

As per usual, things are coming together as we finalize everything and get ready for packing!

We will be making the big trip with our truck and our camper and Mr. Nixon too of course.  I'm looking forward to having Monday off (Victoria Day) to get the camper loaded up and ready for the road. 

It has been my goal for the past year to be ready for the wedding early enough that we could spend May Long Weekend camping with our friends but it's a lot of work to get the camper ready for camping as well as a trip across a couple provinces so we've decided that it's best to stay put for May Long which is okay too!

I'm really pleased that we are pretty much ready to go and that maybe we can have a few days of relaxing here and there in the next week and a half!  

And as all this is going on, we are still extremely excited to board our cruise to Alaska!  This is sure to be the best vacation we've ever had!  We have just booked our hotel to spend the night before we leave in Seattle which should be great and we are also planning our shore excursions which we are both looking forward too!  The camera will be ready and you can be certain that I will be taking hundreds of photos.

On the same note, we are also sad to leave Nixon at Freedom House for the week we're in Alaska but we know that he'll be well taken care of and he will have a blast and then when we get back, it will be just a few short weeks before we move into our new home and Nixon can start loving up his big backyard and suntan on the deck!

I should also make mention that this weekend we celebrated our friend Tammy's birthday!  There were 8 of us ladies that went out for dinner and drinks at Moxie's and surprising Tammy at home, giving her about an hour to get ready for a night out on the town.  Tammy's husband Leigh planned the whole surprise for her and she deserved it!  She just recently went back to work part-time, has 2 little ones at home, has been dealing with so much with her family and is often left home alone while Leigh travels internationally for work!  It was great for her to be able to get out with the girls, get a little tipsy and have no worries!  

This was a picture taken at the International Brewhouse where we stopped for a round of shots before getting back into our limo!

It was great to get out for the evening while our men stayed back with the kids and dogs!  And despite our consumption of alcohol, some of us managed to run 5km, entertain guests, clean, do laundry and still be productive! :)

~ Love Christine

Welcome to 3321 42A Avenue Close

Welcome to our new home!

Our little bungalow sits on a huge corner pie lot in a small close surrounded by big beautiful mature trees and sweet little rabbits!

Our new address is 3321 42A Avenue Close... cause that's not confusing or difficult to tell somebody.

Our huge backyard filled with mature trees, tons of perennials, and way in the back there's space for our camper, a garden shed and so much more!

The front entrance.  The main floor boasts original hardwood floors that have been refinished.

Our living room window that I absolutely love - it fills the main living space with tons of natural light!

Living room, dining room, kitchen - surprisingly open concept considering that the house was built in 1962.

Our kitchen, with all new cabinets, and tons of storage space.

Our basement has beautiful laminate floors - great for Nixon's destructive paws, a wood burning stove - Travis' favorite feature, it has lots of space and a large 4th bedroom.

The back of our house featuring a 2 tier deck - perfect for bbqs, entertaining and lounging around.


~~~


In a nutshell, that's our new home and we can't wait to move in and make it our own.   We are still a little unsure as to what our move in date will be, but I will keep you posted!

~ Love Christine

WELCOME BACK TO THE TEMPLE OF LOVE!

Welcome Back To The Temple Of Love!

It has been brought to my attention on more than one occasion that I should get back to writing on my blog so I figured... there's no time like the present!

It seems that I have taken a couple months hiatus from it and I do miss it but it's been an insanely busy couple of months so I feel like that's my excuse. 

So let the updating begin... starting with a new look for the blog.

Since February, Travis and I have been working on wedding plans which are finally coming to an end in just a short couple of weeks. 

The wedding is 24 days away and might I just say... Thank God! 

As excited as we are to get married and celebrate our big day, we're equally as excited for this process to be  over so that we can relax and enjoy married life and journey onto our honeymoon.

We're actually heading off to Winnipeg in just 16 days, which will put us there a week before the wedding.  This will hopefully allow for some last minute finishes and some relaxing down time with our friends and family who will be slowly pouring into good ol' Winnipeg as June 1st approaches. 

All of the wedding planning has been going well and there's only a few more things to tie up, mostly just confirmations of hotels, transportation, guest numbers... etc. 

And because I am who I am... we also made a huge decision in the past couple months that we are ready to move out of Sylvan Lake and into our own home in Red Deer.  

So our last, greatest, big news is...

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!

After 3 months of endless research, seeing about 50 houses, testing our patience, testing the willpower of our wonderful realtor, we finally found what we believe to be the perfect home to start our new life as a married couple!

We take possession on July 2nd, the day before Travis' birthday... It's a really expensive birthday present! haha.  July 2nd is 17 days after we get back from our honeymoon in Alaska so we will have 2 weeks to pack... there won't be any packing before the wedding! 

It was an uphill battle to find a nice, sturdy home, good neighborhood, right price...etc... but we did it and it was well worth all the time, energy, blood, sweat and tears that went into the process.  

Stay tuned for photos and some of the renos and changes will be doing to make this house our home! 

And honestly, the wedding and house hunting has completely consumed our lives for the past couple months so that's all the updating I have for you guys.

We are enjoying the new spring weather that we've been getting and cannot wait to get back out camping as soon as we can.  We hope to get one camping weekend in for May long weekend, but it's going to be tough with Travis' work schedule and packing for our big trip to Winnipeg.  We will just have to wait and see what happens. 

~ Love Christine

Forgetful?

Well it's the middle of the week... finally.

It seems that I can't keep my head on straight these days and it's driving me crazy.  

It's very rare that I forget things but lately that's all I've been doing.  

Last week I forgot my lunch for work... unheard of.

On the weekend, I left my wallet at the dog kennel in Red Deer and drove all the way back to Sylvan before I realized I forgot it.  Nixon had a good 1.5 hour nap in the car.

Yesterday, I forgot my cell phone on the nightstand.

WTF.

All of this is so out of character for me and I blame it on the wedding! haha.

Of course it's absolutely impossible not to think about the wedding at any time, day or night. It's consuming!

We are ready to get married... NOW! 

Anyway, Travis is still away for work and likely will be for another week which is one week more than it should be but he's changing schedules and this is what needs to be done.  

I am still moving along with wedding stuff and getting to a point where I think I can take it easy for a little while, while I wait for RSVPs to come it!

I've come to the conclusions that I don't really have any hobbies or do anything fun!  Everybody keeps telling me to just do something fun for me, but I enjoy spending my time with Travis!  I love baking and cooking, but it's hard on the waist line!  My Gramma suggested that I get back into photography and I think she's right, especially now that we have our new camera, so as soon as the wedding is done, expect plenty of pictures on here! 

That's all for now.  I found this picture the other day and I love it!  She reminds me of pictures I've seen of Gramma that age.  I think everyone should try to be this happy!

Now if only we could all be this happy!

~ Christine

Vivid Dreams

Well it's almost the end of the week and I am thankful for that!

Tomorrow morning before I go to work I will be taking Nixon to Freedom House for some much needed socialization and play time and I will pick him up Saturday evening.  This should give him a break and me a break!  I won't say that I don't feel slightly guilty about it but it's needed.

I've been having vivid dreams for the past week about our wedding day!  Of course they aren't wonderful dreams... they're the kind where everything doesn't quite go as planned!

We are now 100 days away from the big day!  Travis and I are very anxious for the next 3 months to fly by so that we can finally be Mr. & Mrs. Temple!  We look forward to life after the wedding and are still crazy excited about our honeymoon!

I hope to get lots more wedding stuff done this weekend and started getting things ready to pack to bring to Winnipeg with us in March.

That's all for now!

Happy Thursday! 

~ Christine

Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

Good morning Monday followers! 

We made it through the long weekend and it was definitely nice to have the extra day off for Family Day or Louis Riel Day (For those Manitobans).

I kind of forgot that I had to go to work today until this morning... and then I might have slept in a little bit... oops.  But as always, I was still on time for work!

I had a fairly productive weekend and am happy to say that there are several check marks on my wedding to do list now!

I was lucky enough to have Travis home yesterday, even though he slept for most of the day.  We were able to hang out for about an hour in the afternoon and have a quick supper together before he went back to work.  

As promised, I have received some news about my position at Red Deer County.  As you may know, I am filling a temporary position that was coming to an end in July, but it has now been extended for another year, until April 30, 2014.  I was hoping for a permanent position, but everything happens for a reason and I'm sure it will all work itself out down the road.  In the very least, I have some peace of mind for another year a bit and won't have to worry about looking for another job around the same time as the wedding!

It will likely be a quiet week around my house, continuing with the wedding to-do list and giving Nixon some much needed attention and exercise.  I think he's getting a little stir crazy in the house, so he's due for a weekend at the kennel so he can play with his doggy friends and exhaust himself!

That's all for now!  I hope everybody has a great week.  I think everybody should take some time for themselves this week, do something that makes you happy and might seem selfish, because everyone deserves a little break every now and again! 

~ Christine

Overdue

It just occurred to me that I'm long overdue for a blog post.

It's FRIDAY and it's a long weekend because of Family Day on Monday which is great for this busy bride!

Travis has been away since Tuesday and might be away for up to 3 weeks this hitch which is good and bad.  It's good for the bank account and because I will get lots of wedding stuff done.  It's bad because it's lonely and Nixon misses his daddy!

My parents have taken off to Cuba for 10 days so I don't even get phone time with Mom but I'm happy that they decided to go and hope they have a great relaxing vacation!

I've had wedding on the brain for awhile now and that's all I think about!  I've been trying to do something wedding related every night and so far it's been going well!  I hope to get lots accomplished this long weekend and maybe even finish the centerpieces if all goes well!  

I said I wouldn't start a countdown this early, but I felt like I needed a little daily encouragement to get things done so I started a to do list and countdown at home.

106 Days until the Big Day!

We've been getting a few RSVP cards back, which pleases me to no end and it is much appreciated.

Other than that, there's not much else going on in our little world.  

I hope everybody has a great and safe long weekend!

~ Christine

Bad Ass "New" Tattoo

Travis has been saying that I've changed since we moved to Alberta and that I'm not as "bad ass" or "punk" as when he first met me in Manitoba.  So today, after sitting/laying for a 3.5 hour tattoo session, he won't be able to say that for awhile! 

While wedding dress shopping, I realized how important my shoulder tattoo was to me and how much meaning it carries.  I had been feeling for some time that it was "just there" and faded and needed "something."  Luckily for me, I have a wonderful hairdresser in Sylvan Lake that has many beautiful tattoos and she suggested I visit Jesse at Soul Case Tattoo to get my touch up.  

It was well worth the 3 month wait for my appointment.  Jesse was funny and took his work very seriously.  He was also surprisingly kind and gentle.  It was a wonderfully painful experience and I'm so glad that I finally did it.

I am thrilled with the final product.  I think it's everything that it needed, not too much, not too little.  I think it's beautiful and flows with my body.

I am very thankful that Travis took the day off work to be there with me and endured the whole thing without a complaint!  I don't imagine it's very easy to sit around for 4 hours doing nothing and listening to "buzz...buzz...buzz."

The following photos are a run through the day!

Getting ready.

Shaving... haha

Freehand drawing with pen

Gun's loaded

First lines

Laying down to finish everything

My 4 leaf clover wasn't looking so lucky at this point.  I swear it's green.

My first real look.

The beginning of adding new red... notice that the original red doesn't show at all.

Almost done but then we decided to redo the symbols

All done!

Relieved and excited!

A little messy after taking the bandage off.

All clean

I love how it comes over my shoulder now

~ Tatters

Banana Mania

Travis asked me to blog about bananas awhile back and I haven't gotten around to it until now!  So here it goes:

I had never eaten a banana until last summer while out camping.  For 24 years, I couldn't stand the thought of a banana but something possessed me to try a piece last summer and I've eaten at least 1 banana every day since then!

I love that bananas are inexpensive and nutritious!

Travis always finds a little bit of humor in the foods that I eat now that I have never eaten before I met him.  I could list many, but maybe I'll save that for another post!

~ * ~ * ~

Aside from bananas, Travis is coming home from Calgary tonight which is great because I don't think he's enjoyed his last 4 days of work there. 

He went at lunch at pick up our wedding bands at Carati in Calgary.  This is small family owned jewelry store in a mall downtown that Travis used when he bought my engagement ring.  The staff there is great and were exceptional with Travis and remembered him months later when we walked in the door together to purchase our wedding bands!

Tomorrow morning we are going for my tattoo touch-up/addition which I'm still nervous and excited about!  

We aren't quite sure what the weekend has in store for us just yet, although we do plan on spending Sunday celebrating an early Valentine's Day because Travis is expected to be in the field on Valentine's Day.

That's all for now!  Enjoy your weekends... lucky for me... mine starts tonight! :)

~ Christine

GO JETS GO!

Dad stopped into Sylvan for a visit tonight and we watched the Jets game together.  It just so happened that I came home from work and put on one of my Jets shirts without knowing that they were even playing tonight.... coincidence.

Mom let me know earlier that Keith and Allie were at the game tonight so I was on the lookout for them!

The Jets pulled it off tonight and won and just minutes after winning, I spotted Keith in the stands!  Thanks to PVR, I was able to rewind it so that Dad could see and then took a picture!  So here it is!

~ Christine