Going Home

My weekend in Winnipeg has come and gone all to quickly and now I'm sitting in the Winnipeg airport waiting to board my flight back to Calgary

It was great to see my Uncle Steve and extremely heart warming to see how happy and healthy he is now-a-days.  I haven't heard him laugh like he did this weekend for many many years now. 

Mom and I had the chance to meet Allie for lunch on Friday before she went to work which was great.  Allie also came over to the house to help us with some wedding stuff on Saturday before going to work.

Mom and I also did lots dress shopping for her which finally became a success on Saturday afternoon.  We found the perfect Mother of the Bride dress for her.

This weekend really made me realize how close the wedding is and how real it is.  Both our Moms have dresses, the bridesmaids dresses are in and on their way to Timmins tomorrow, our wedding bands are ready to be picked up in Calgary, my dress should be in this week.  Mom and I went through some songs selections for the wedding and couldn't contain our emotions.  It was no doubt an emotional weekend in the best way possible.

I'm looking forward to getting home to my boys tonight and accomplishing some more wedding stuff this coming week.  We are definitely on a roll and it's very rewarding.

Travis spent the weekend in the garage doing some wood work which seems to be his new favourite hobby.  This is a hobby I'm more than okay with because he's going to build stuff for us.  I can't wait to get home and see the final product that he built this weekend and I will post pictures this week once it's completely done.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures this weekend so I have no pictures to post

~ Christine

Taking Off

It's finally Thursday and I'm taking off for Winnipeg right after work! 

This trip is kind of my Christmas present because I didn't get to see my family over Christmas.

This trip also has a few pros and a few cons. 

Unfortunately, Keith is flying out for work today so I won't get to see him and Allie is working all weekend but I will get to have lunch with her tomorrow!  Another con is that I got shafted to the couch because of a special visitor at Mom and Dad's!

The special visitor is my Dad's brother Steve who is visiting my parents and I'm happy to relinquish my usual bed for him!  The bridesmaids dresses have arrived in Winnipeg and I will get to pick them up and see them tomorrow.  Lucky for me, my uncle will bring them back to Timmins with him and save us from shipping them.  We will be going dress shopping for Mom and I am certain that we will be successful!  Other than that, it should be a nice relaxing and fun weekend!

I'm anxious to get out of work around 4:00pm, drive to Calgary and get on that plane! It makes for long day but it's totally worth it!

~ Christine

Sealed, Stamped and Ready

It's Tuesday which means it's kind of like my Wednesday because I'm off on Friday! haha.

Travis is back to work tomorrow which actually sucks for me because he's been doing lots around the house on his days off and now he won't have time. 

Last night we finished the last of the wedding invitations, they are ready to be mailed!  YAY.  I knew this was a big job but I didn't realize how much was ultimately going to go into it.  There was so many things to consider:

How big do we want them?

What kind of paper do we want to use?

How much was everything going to cost?

How much do they weigh?

How many stamps do we need?

Proper wording etiquette.

Which way does the invitation face in the envelope?

Do you put the RSVP card in it's envelope or in it's fold?

Making sure that all names were spelled correct.

Making sure that addresses were correct.

Making sure all RSVP envelopes have a stamp.

Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

In the end we ended up putting together 102 envelopes and are ultimately inviting 240 people.

These numbers are scary in the sense that there's always a possibly that all 240 people show up or only 50 people show up.  It's extremely confusing to not know how many people might come!  So from now until April 15, 2013 when we've asked to have the RSVP cards back, we are playing a guessing game as to how many people will be joining us on our big day!

None the less, I'm thrilled that they are complete and will be mailed out next week which will allow all of our guests plenty of time to book travel and accommodations since the vast majority of our guest list will be out of town guests.

I have to give huge thanks to Travis for helping me get them ready and having patience with me in the past few days when I didn't have much to spare.

~ Christine

So Much Stuff!

So much has happened in such a short amount of time.  I thought January would play out to be a quieter month of wedding planning but I was very wrong.  

Travis and I have both battled illnesses, including the Norovirus.  I'm still feeling the affects of it a week later. Travis is back to his usual self and has been keeping himself busy on his 6 days off.  We spent a lot of time sleeping and Nixon was gracious enough to do the same and leave us be while we were sick.

Friday, January 18, 2013 marked the 3 year anniversary of Chad's death.  We decided to honour him by spending that night with all of his/ours closest friends and it turned out to be a great evening.  Thank you to everyone who came out to the house and shared this evening with us. 

Friday had also marked the 2 year anniversary since we moved into Chad's house in Sylvan Lake, Alberta.  It's crazy how time flies.

We have much to be thankful for and lots to look forward too.

Travis and I are back in full swing planning the wedding.  We are coming up on the 4 month countdown on February 1, 2013 which is just over a week away.  We are well on track and following a strict schedule of everything that needs to be completed. 

On Thursday, I will be flying out of Calgary to Winnipeg to spend some time with my parents and perhaps even my Dad's brother Steve who is in Winnipeg for a visit.  One of our tasks will be to find Mom's dress for our wedding... she's already on the ball and has already purchased her dress for Keith and Allie's wedding which  will be on March 28, 2014 in Las Vegas!  

Travis and I will also be heading back to Winnipeg on March 15, 2013 to finalize some of the bigger details of the wedding with our suppliers.  We will be driving and taking Nixon with us and hopefully bring some of the wedding decor to leave at Mom and Dad's.

And while I'm revealing everything that we have on the go... I'm really excited to finally tell you guys what we are doing for our honeymoon.

AN ALASKAN CRUISE!

We will be flying to Seattle 7 days after the wedding from Calgary and embarking at the Seattle Port and it will be a return trip to Alaska and back to Seattle.  We will be on the cruise for 7 days!  We couldn't be happier about this decision and we are definitely getting really anxious to go!

And apparently today is Blue Monday and the most depressing day of the year, however, I'm in pretty good spirits and looking forward to a busy but productive evening starting with a bang trim, supper, exercise and wedding stuff...  Enjoy your evenings and don't let this Monday make you blue!

~ Christine

Happy 2nd Birthday Nixon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIXON!

I remember the first day we drove to Bowden, Alberta to go and pick him out from a litter of 11 yellow lab puppies that all looked the same with the same almost white markings on both shoulders!

He was the one who walked up to Travis and crawled into his arms and was completely docile with him and Travis said to me... "I think he's the one"

After a little mix up with the collars on a couple of the puppies, we'll never really know if our Nixon was the original Nixon that we picked, but none the less we wouldn't change having him for the world.

Nixon has been a blessing in our lives and despite all the times I cried, wanted to rip my hair out and give him up when he was young and I was often home alone for weeks at a time raising him... he's the perfect dog for us and has grown and matured into a wonderful companion for us!  He keeps us entertained and active and always on our toes.  He's great to go for walks, runs and bike rides with, he loves the snow and finally loves the water (we weren't sure if he was a real lab for awhile...haha)  He loves fruits and veggies and peanut butter and destroying all toys!  He loves to play with anyone and anything that will give him the time of day and yet he can be so lazy and we often don't know where he is in the house... he's like a cat... but the size of a small horse!  He can often be found curled up on the couch in the basement!  He loves to nudge you with his nose as hard as he can until you pet him, specifically when you are sitting on the couch.  He also loves car rides and loves to visit his friends at Freedom House.  He loves camping and loves going fishing with his Grandpuppy Parents who he loves very much! Sometimes they let him crawl into bed with them!  

And we are pretty sure he loves his Mommy and Daddy and we love him very much!

~ Love Mommy & Daddy

3's A Charm

I can easily and happily say that the past 3 nights have been wonderful.  Last night, my Dad came over for supper and to spend the night.  This has been happening every couple of weeks for a few months now and it's a great quick catch up for us and always good to have him over... Nixon loves it too!

Last night we found ourselves in the midst of a nasty snowstorm so we stayed in and....

BOOKED OUR HONEYMOON!!!!

I am so excited about this.  It was a lot of research and phone calls and emails but we finally did it and it's one less thing that I need to worry about which means I can now solely focus on all the little details of the wedding!

I will tell you all about our honeymoon as soon as we inform a few very important people what decision we make.  There's nothing worse than finding out information online when you should have been told personally!  Damn technology!

I found this photo today that I thought was so perfect and if I found one or had the time and energy, I would create it myself and hang it in our house.  It's something I say often to Travis and to myself.  Funny enough, Travis mentioned this morning how much work it is to make a healthy lunch for work and I'm pretty sure I replied with "it's all worth it in the end".  

I've found so many great photos this week thanks to The Berry and I look forward to sharing them soon! 

Have a great Thursday evening, eat healthy and get some exercise, you will thank yourself later!  NO EXCUSES!

On a super plus side... tomorrow is FRIDAY!

~ Christine

Tranquil Moments

I remember growing up and my Mom ordering Avon and my favourite product was always Tranquil Moments.  It's a scent I will never forget.  Everyone should have a tranquil moment at least once a day!

Today on The Berry, I read about people's New Year's Resolutions.  I'm not one to create a list of resolutions that I likely won't be able to keep but there are a few things that I am striving for.

Last night, Travis and I finally decided what we will be doing for our honeymoon and I'm really excited about it.  I feel good about our decision for so many reasons: it's not going to completely break the bank,  we will get to see and do so much, it's easy and should be stress free.  After planning an out of town wedding for 13 months, I definitely need some time away to forget about the whole world except for me and my husband!  

After making this decision, I felt very tranquil... hence the Tranquil Moments.  I'm feeling very positive about life and love and our whole world.  I am looking forward to so many things this year.  It's hard to explain how I feel and it may just be a temporary feeling and that's okay too.  I hope to take things one day at a time, not stress too much and enjoy every day that life offers us.

~ Christine

Pretty In Pink

For any of you that are close enough to me, you might know about my secret addiction to nail polish.  I try to change my polish colour every night if I get a chance and on Boxing Day I bought 18 mini colours that I'm in love with.  My co-workers are also learning that I love the "accent" nail.

On a side note... Travis went away for work yesterday but will be home tonight already which is a nice surprise and it will be one of the first nights in a few weeks that we don't have company over or feel sick.  YAY!

Not much else to report today which I am kind of thankful for.  It's just a nice quiet Monday.

~ Christine

Back On Track In The New Year

Well it's 2013 and despite getting off to a slow start due to sickness... we are looking forward to what should be one of the best years of our lives!

I am back on track with the wedding planning after the holidays.  Less than 5 months until the big day and so many things to do!  

And since we didn't get to see my side of the family for the holidays, I have decided to take a mini vacation to good old Winterpeg at the end of January which I am very much looking forward too.  

Hopefully sometime in March, Travis and I will head back to Winnipeg together to finalize some more wedding details. 

And we are also in the midst of planning our honeymoon which has been one of the more difficult decisions we have had to make.  Travis and I haven't done much traveling other than to visit family so we didn't even know where to begin. We will be making a final decision really soon!

~ Christine