Huxedo!

Nope, that's not a spelling mistake. Huxley, is going to be a part of our wedding!

We weren't sure if he'd be allowed, but the event coordinator at the DAC just emailed us and gave us the go ahead to include him. YAY!

If you're wondering why we need permission to include someone in the ceremony, it's because that "someone" happens to be a 2 year old Chocolate Labrador Retriever and the "apple of our eye".

Our whole lives pretty much revolve around him, and so of course, it only seems natural to include him in our big day! We're not sure how he'll be involved, but we've got lots of time to figure that out, and start his "lessons. We'll have to find him a spiffy outfit to wear, hence the Huxedo!

Some recent pics of our big baby:

Aren't I a handsome fella?

Walking on a tree.

Throw the stick dad!

Big jump!

My favorite little creek in Robert Burnaby Park.

One more for good measure.

Spring has sprung!

Oh Heavenly Day...

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a "Pachabel's Canon in D" kinda girl. With that in mind, I've been searching for the "perfect" song to walk down the aisle to.

Heavenly Day by Patti Griffen is currently a top runner. The only problem is, I kinda like it as a first dance song too! haha



PS. This was the best sounding youtube version, so please excuse the "inspirational" pictures that go along with it ;)

10K is how long?

As part of Project Sexxxy, my plan is to sign up for the 10K Sun Run with the BC Cancer Agency team. As a prelude to this crazy idea, I've been running about 3 times a week, slowly building up my endurance, in the hopes that I'll be ready for 10K by April.

So why haven't I signed up yet? Well, until this morning, I had some doubt as to whether I'd be capable of running 10k without keeling over . I didn't want to embarrass myself by passing out half way through the race! So far, I've been doing 4 and 5k runs, but that's HALF of what I'll have to do in April.

So this morning, I sucked it up, and decided to see what 10k felt like. The burnaby conservation area is made up of a network of paths, with one in particular that winds all the way around it for a total of 11k. I had lots of time, a dog that needed exercise, and the motivation to see just how LONG 10k really was.

And guess what? I DID IT! Well, essentially I did. I stopped to walk for about 0.5K due to some very nasty blisters (the rest of my body felt fantastic). I soon discovered that the blisters hurt less if I ran, and finished off the rest of the run. It felt soooooo good! Not once did I get a stitch, or a cramp or a "oh my god I can't breathe" moment, and I wasn't even dead at the end of it all. Obviously I had a good running day, and I know that doesn't happen all the time, but at least I know what 10k looks and feels like, and I know I am capable!

As you can tell, I'm pretty proud of myself today :)

(picture of burnaby lake from here )

My first ballet.

My friend Johanna and I went to see the Royal Winnipeg Ballet perform Sleeping Beauty at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre this past friday; it was simply amazing. I've never seen a ballet in theatre before (on tv sure, but never in the theatre) and I am so glad that I finally had the chance.

(all photos by David Cooper)

The dancing was just breath taking! They tell the story with such graceful movements, it was honestly incredible. I can't wait for the next one!!

And best of all, there was a wedding in the final act. Hmmmm bridesmaids in tutu's with frilly lace on their bums, I kinda like it! Just kidding girls, although filly underwear is always fun ;)

Thanks for the awesome experience Johanna!

PS. There were so many little girls in the audience wearing tutu's and sporting rosettes in their hair - so cute!

The 'moon!

Planning our wedding (aka big awesome party) is ever so exciting for a crafty, DIY, decor-loving lady like myself. Unfortunately choosing colours, creating centrepieces, and mocking up invitations just doesn't hold the same allure for my fiance!

Planning the honeymoon, on the other hand, is definitely something BOTH of us are looking forward to. The hardest part so far has been deciding where we want to go! There are so many possibilities; it's hard to know where to start.

In anticipation of making such a "difficult decision", I signed up for a year's subscription to Conde Nast Traveller hoping it might help to narrow things down. We received our first magazine in the mail on Thursday, aaaaand I think it might actually make the decision HARDER!!

So what do we know? Well, we'll want a chance to relax and spend some much needed time alone after all the stress of the wedding, so a somewhat secluded beach would be nice for at least a couple days. However, we're not really the "laze around sunning ourselves for 10 days straight" kind of people either, so we'd like the opportunity to explore our surroundings, do some adventuring, and learn about the local culture. That still doesn't really narrow things down too much does it?

Let's see, what else? As I mentioned, learning about the local culture is important to us, so we'd like the chance to visit an area that has a very different culture from our own (being the relatively untravelled Canadians that we are, this still doesn't narrow things down much!).

Since it's our honeymoon, we'd also like to luxe it up a bit, because really, when else will we get the opportunity to do so? I suppose after we win the lottery, but that's not bound to happen for another year or two yet ;) So, what do I mean by luxe?

Mmmmmmm private plunge pools,

or private hot tubs,
or rooms with just 3 walls and amazing views,

or outdoor showers,
or stunning decor,
or overwater buras!and of course, the requisite spa.

(photo credits: from top to bottom, maravu resort - fiji, ladera resort - st.lucia, kona village resort - hawaii, ladera resort - st lucia, next 3 photos from likuliku resort - fiji, last photo from Tabcon Grand Spa resort in Costa Rica)

Seriously, I can spend ALL DAY gazing at the picture galleries of luxurious resorts on far away islands!! However, many of the above pictures are from very high end resorts, which means, with our budget, we'd only get to stay for a week (if that). We'd like to spend 2-3 weeks in wedded bliss if possible, so while we want luxury, we also want bang for our buck! Thus if we can spend a few nights living in the lap of luxury while pretending to be Chace and Muffy from Beverly Hills, and the rest of the time like the regular folks we are it would be ideal!

As far as adventures go, we're fairly open to anything. From tennis to jetskis, ziplining to jungle hiking, volcano climbing to snorkeling, hang gliding to cave spelunking...you get the picture!

So to recap we would like to honeymoon in a place that:

• is somewhat secluded
• is not too touristy
  
• has a beautiful warm beach
• has the opportunity for varied adventures
• has a different culture than our own
• has both luxury and not-quite-luxury hotel options
• offers relaxing spa packages
• is affordable enough to allow us 2-3 weeks vacation

And the top 3 spots (for this week) are:

1. Costa Rica
2. St. Lucia
3. Europe (yes we realize this is rather broad and vague - heh).

Stay tuned for more from our 'moon planning adventures!

Hanging Things

I haven't honed in on any specifics for the decor at the reception yet. Partially because we're a solid 17 months out from the date, but mainly because I have a million great ideas, all of which are fantastic in their own right!

Recently, I've become obsessed with things that hang; hanging lanterns, hanging terrariums, hanging lights, hanging vases, hanging candles, hanging ornaments, and even hanging crystals.

Paper lanterns are a relatively inexpensive way to create colourful impact during the day, and a dramatic lighting effect during the evening. They come in a million different hues, so you're sure to find one that matches perfectly with your wedding colours. And if you're lucky, you might find a recently betrothed bride looking to dump her paper lantern inventory at a deeply discounted price ;)

Chartreuse - the perfect green!

A lovely tent set up!

Strings of paper lanterns at night.

Not too long ago, Miss Canary blogged about Yvonne's beautiful Knot Bio on weddingbee.

(above photo taken by john and joseph photography)

I knew from the moment I saw them, that I must have the hanging glass vases and candle holders. The resulting inner conversation went something like this:

Oh wow, those hanging ornaments are gorgeous. I could do so many awesome things with those. I could hang single fern leaves, moss, bear grass, orchids, candles.... *daydreams* Oh wait a minute. They're blown glass ornaments!! They are going to be waaaaaaaaay to expensive for your budget, so don't go and get your hopes up. But daaaaaaamn they're REALLY nice.... *daydreams* Hmmmm......it can't hurt to just check the price, because then you'll know for sure. Go on, check CB2 and see how much they are. *searches* Less than 5 bucks each!!!! LESS THAN 5 DOLLARS!! I can afford that! At least a few anyways. I WILL DO IT. I will order them online. Oh crap, they're glass, I wonder how well they'll ship? Better yet, do they even ship to Canada? *searches* Yes, yes they do. Waaahoooo! *happy dance*

Orchids in the hanging glass vases from the CB2 site
(have I mentioned how much I love orchids?!?)

And of course, once an obsession begins, one must alway add more fuel to the fire! Aren't these hanging crystals gorgeous? I think I'll start hitting up antique stores and garage sales for old crystal chandelier pieces.

photo of Erin Cole's wedding taken by Leigh Miller

Any other hanging ideas out there?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sooooo, I've been the worst blogger in the whole wide world. But to be honest, this stuff is HARD to keep up with. haha. I have so many ideas for blog posts, but so little time to actually post them properly (with pictures and links and such)!!

And of course, I have an excuse - my charger for my laptop is on the fritz. It's not a good excuse, but it's valid one(in my opinion) because it means I can't post while relaxing in front of the TV! It also means I have to use patrick's computer to post and well, he uses his computer too!

But don't worry, I'm ordering one tomorrow. And all will be well in the world of blogging soon there after!

In the meantime HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!

A little something for those who are pro valentine's:



And a little something for those who are anti valentine's:



xo
amy