wedding photos arrived today after 4 long months of patiently waiting....

reliving the day in 900 images

just reminds me of how that was the best day of my life

although these days, every day's been pretty damn sweet

After all is said and done I feel the same

this has been a year of amazing shows. beirut, noah and the whale, the national, the kooks and about a million strumbellas shows mixed in throughout. all were so so good but i think jimmy and i agree that nothing holds a candle to the Fleet Foxes show we saw this summer.

if you ever get a chance to see them and enjoy getting your socks rocked more than ever before then GO. just go.

4 years

Christmas is coming and ohhhh boy it's coming up fast. Seems like I'm totally behind in everything this year and the hope of any baking getting done just seems like a completely unattainable goal. I've only got one thing for Henski so far and at least 10 other presents i still need to buy. Yikes.

The good news though is that Jimmy and I aren't getting each other this year - a promise we made about 4 months ago probably to help us feel justified in booking a trip to Ireland/England that begins on Boxing Day.

The truth is though, every day with this guy feels like a gift - and I have a feeling that it's going to just get better as we go into 2012.

we do this a lot

i've been a little on the pooped side lately and spending a lot of time horizontally. 

luckily for me, little betsy likes to spend her days that way too.

LCD

PJ20

Lise and i tucked into this on Sat night and over the course of about 3 hours, i fell even deeper in love with this band (and let's be honest, eddie vedder specifically).



having been a fan for about 18 years, i was so thankful for this doc. i was relieved to deep dive into the history of these 5 guys and realize, holy shit - not only are they not incredibly huge douchebags (which two decades of insane fame and success could most certainly induce - we've def seen it happen), but they are seriously talented musicians.

i get a fair bit of ridicule for listing PJ in my top 5 bands of all time but really, dude, just watch this friggin movie. then we'll talk.

other lives

as always, the weekend flew by and now, before i know it - i am back at work. but the up side is it's a short week because my sister is getting married tomorrow (yay!) and we're headed out of town for a day of wedding related festivities. as for the weekend, it was full of some pretty fun stuff and thankfully, also full of some really good sleep. 

i headed over to robyn's house to spend some quality time with her and little miss sofia friday night and was treated to an fantastic tilapia dinner. dinner just always tastes better when someone else makes it am i right? around 9:30 i bundled up and headed to The Woodshed, the studio the band have been recording in all week to pitch in my voice for the back round vocals. 4 hours, 100 takes, 3 tall Creemore tall cans and an unnecessary pork gyro later and i was back in bed. saturday i ventured out to bowmanville to spend the evening with two of the loveliest ladies i know, not to mention one of the cutest babies and best husbands ever! unfortunately there was a tiny little baby mouse who did not live long enough to tell the tale but i am in the market for some humane mouse traps so if you know where i can get those, please let me know! RIP Squeaky. 

sunday i headed home with the sole intention of eating, lounging and some serious kitten snuggle time. they have been alone all week during the days and most of the evenings and i was really starting to feel like a deadbeat mom there for a while. each of us on our own couch had one of the girls firmly planted on our stomachs for pretty much the whole day. i am sure they couldn't believe we were home for such an incredibly long stretch at once.

little bernie seems 100% back to her old self which is great news since that was stressing us out the most for about two weeks. i really do think she was super depressed because her sparkly ball was under the fridge, although i haven't seen her show any interest in it for a few days now. tricky little buggers.

tonight i start to train for an 8k race on saturday morning. usually i have such better focus than this. i should have started a good month ago when i signed up but things always seems to be happening and i am easily lured away. but this week is working, running, sleeping in that order repeat repeat repeat.

the up side, as always, is a dirty bog breakfast at the Senator directly after the race. but first, i gotta earn it. wish me luck!

oh and if you get a chance, give this a listen. my buddy just came back from Iceland with about 15 new music recos for me and these guys were top of the list. a bit slow, maybe even sad but i guess he knows me well enough to know, that's exactly what this girl is in to.

i am SO lucky to have the friends that i do. spending a night like last night with old friends really makes me thankful that i have kept the relationships that i have and said goodbye to the ones that i needed to.

so this is a quick and dirty open love letter to the friends that i have, that make me laugh, make me feel loved and above all else just always make me feel like life is just so so good.

for lack of a better reason other than 'just because' i definitely need to put this out into the universe because goddamn, i have the best mother effing buds in the world. xo

(not you nina, not you. rude.) ;)

some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me

oh hi! yes i am still alive, although i suppose i've been really busy since i have barely updated this thing in what seems like forever. it has been a bit of a whirlwind around here although i feel like now things are beginning to slow down and i am starting to catch up on all of the things i have been neglecting.

i started to write a post to detail the wedding but as i went on i realized nothing i was writing could even come close to doing that day justice. it was perfection and will live in my memory as the happiest day of my life.

i can't think of a better feeling than marrying your best friend and having the most fun together celebrating the fact that you know you'll be happy together forever. it was magic. and yes, that's a beer in our hands. i said magic right? ;) 

Kayla Quinn

Yesterday morning Jimmy and I were able to be a part of a very important gathering of people who all came together to show support and love for our very good friends who lost someone so very precious to them.

I was so proud to see all of my best friends contribute to this memorial and to see how much love you can fit into one room. Seeing her little footprints and just how small she was, was heartbreaking.

At the end, we all released a pink balloon for Kayla Quinn, and I don't think I've ever been moved quite like that before. It was so understated but the most profound thing I've witnessed. Absolutely beautiful. The strength and love of her mom and dad are something I know I'll admire forever.

i love it too!!

omg so cute!

This is adorable but if i actually embark on making them, I will have officially gone over the edge. Also, I can't see my husband ever EVER letting me dress up our soap like this. Me yes, soap bottles, no.

a dream come true

more to come when we're home from the honeymoon in NYC! thank you everyone who made that a day we are never ever going to forget. xo

last night i got my wedding gift from james. i really had no idea what to expect but he told me it had the potential to make my entire week. um, and he was way more that right.

james proposed to me with a song he wrote and sang to me on a beach in fiji. so, last night he sat me down and put headphones on me and started the song which he had recorded for me - something i had been bugging him to do for the last 18 months.

but then, closer to the end of the song i can all of a sudden hear what sounds like waves an a beach. and then i could hear people talking - and i realized the voices i heard were his and mine.

he had secretly recorded the original proposal in fiji 18 months ago and had kept it a secret until last night.

my wedding present was getting to relive my wedding proposal again for the second time.

i don't think i've ever cried like that or been so moved by anything ever ever.

and i get the rest of my life with this man? goddamn - life is good!

YOU GUYS...

i'm getting married this weekend.

holy mother effing oh em gee.

i am so pumped, the anxiety is gone and since Jimmy took over all of the budget stuff, i have been feeling a mighty bit more relaxed. i think i am going to run tonight too. so far, this week rules.

now, time to practice for the big kiss!

quick update

i got some theo time and my gosh that baby is ADORABLE. such a cute little man - love him!

on the weekend i finished the 300 cookies i made for the wedding.

omg my wedding is in 8 days.

omg.

the suburbs

thank you to one of my besties for showing me this.

babies

if i'm a cat lady then so be it.

beirut

saw this show last night with deedle and o.m.g. holyshit it was incredible.



we watched the tail end of a Rush documentary the other night and i said to jimmy "i know they're good, i know a TON of people who love them but, they just don't move me in any way".

beirut on the other hand, well... i was moved.

the summer concert series is going excellently. next up - nina's taking me to see journey. ooooh yes!

oh, hi!

i cannot even believe it's been so long since i have posted. i also cannot believe it's already august.

since it's august it makes sense actually that i haven't been around because our wedding is actually for real, just around the corner. this past 6 weeks has been a marathon of, well everything except running it would seem. it's been kind of unreal how quickly time is passing and how much there is left to do.

i have about a dozen DIY projects i assigned to myself after scouring wedding blogs for the past 18 months and was sure it wouldn't be too much work. thankfully i have the BEST mother and mother in law in the world and they have both jumped in with both feet to help. between them we have finished all of the sewing, the signs for the roads, bought and stored all of the booze (spending $1,100.00 at the LCBO is so fun!), got all of the mirrors and picture frames ready to go and i am sure 100 other things i cannot remember.

just a peek at what i've been working on...

this weekend is 3 things. it's the time to get the baking done - 280 cookies to be exact. the present for all guests is 2 of the cookies i made for jimmy on our first date. skor shortbread. he mentioned the first time we hung out that he liked it and boom - i pulled them out at the cumberland where we went to see 'control'. i think that's what hooked this guy for life.

it's secondly the weekend i need to copy all of my dad's cd's onto my itunes so i can finalize the play list for this par-tay. this is weighing on my mind quite heavily as there is nothing that sucks more than a shitty dance party. maybe i am over thinking this but i know i am going to hand pick every song we hear for about 7 hours. yikes.i blame my intense OCD on the need to make sure this is perfect.

and finally, this week is the week of my bachelorette! friday night i am slathering on the blue eye shadow, making my hair as big as i can possibly get and pulling on the acid wash leggings (ok, jeggings) i just purchased. oi.

busy busy time and my biggest regret is that i have been avoiding the track. i did get a good run in this past weekend but it was tough. i am going back at it tonight and going to keep it up. i can't wait!!

ok time to get back to work, oh yeah, that other thing i've been doing lately. ;) xo

10 reasons why i needed a tim horton's breakfast sandwich, a burrito and a starbucks cookie today:

shut up.

song to the siren

pride

was incredible. i am in love with these guys.

it's amazing when you realize you're friends with some of the best people out there.

oh my gawd

this is SO gorgeous.

it occurred to me once after being with the oliver family for well over 2 years that i had never seen my mother in law play her piano. i mean, i've watched her play with james here and there and heard her giving lessons but i had never sat down and watched her play a full piece. this seemed crazy to me and i was finally able to talk her into playing for us one night. she obliged with one of my all time favourites.



maybe it was the red wine but i am pretty sure it was the amazing beauty of this music and the absolute admiration i have for this incredibly talented woman that caused the tears james and i were both crying by the end of it. incredible.

i cannot stop watching this

0:40 is the best part! i am totally taking myself to this friday night. oh yes, that's how exciting it gets around these parts!

I Beed That Art!

this weekend as we waited to go into the wedding reception (which was p.i.m.p. btw), i came across the perfect moment to do something i have always wanted to do: Be That Art!

i think i got it bang on. oh yeah.

little things that make me happy

this adorable egg holder i have been coveting from anthropologie for months. yes this is the type of thing i can afford from anthropologie since anthropologie charges $75 for a door knob.

and of course, my little baby girls. they are honestly the BEST thing i have ever ever done for myself in my life. they actually make not having shel around easier which i never thought would be possible. it's not the same, but it's a lot better.

oh and tonight, this is also going to make me happy.

friday, friday, gotta get down on friday!

xoxo

Sofia & Theo (and Amy and Robyn!)

i was lucky enough to score myself a bday picnic invite from the other awesome band wives this week and with them comes theo & sof which is always the best. i cannot believe how big little theo is getting and sof is growing up so quickly too. although i did learn that she cannot yet sit up on her own. robyn, i promise i will not let your baby face plant ever again. seriously, that was a one time thing.

anyway! the food was incredible (amy please make me that sandwich again every day for the rest of my life!) and despite some criticisms from some men who shall remain nameless - i thought the sweet potato fries were perfection ;)

oh and there was also red wine thrown into the mix so really, this picnic cannot be topped. i even got little mr. tree smiling up a storm and confirmed, he is going to be a lady killer when he grows up. although i also suspect sofia will keep him in line.

and if you would like your day to be made by adorable babies (and they're hilarious mom's) then please, watch this. oh and sof's face at :17? i dare you not to laugh!

Jay Spectre

sometimes, i really REALLY miss Jay Spectre. this was the band that made me fall in love with Jimmy - and i cannot even count the number of times my friends and i filled up the dance floor at many, many different venues in and out of the city just given'r to those boys.

not to mention their album release party which was hands down still one of the best nights of our lives.



3:18 would be the moment that this happened:

but it was definitely seeing them on the other side of the world, in a tiny little club in north New Zealand that sealed the deal for me. oh man, that voice, does it me every time.

Lily & Tree

hey all you parents, aunts, uncles, godparents, friends! do you have or know kids who just love music and dancing around? do you also usually find kids music to be on the insanely annoying side?

well, check this out! a few of those crafty little Strumbella's and their lovely wives have put together the cutest little album, guaranteed to not make you want to bang your head against a wall! what more could you ask for?