More recaps tonight ... or tomorrow at the latest ... I promise!

Okay, so I'm supposed to be working right now. (Shhh ... I'm not.) But I read Professional Bridesmaid's shout out to Canadian (or Commonwealth) bloggers and found an amazing video posted on A little birdie weds. I had to share it:


And while you're amazed by this video (I am!), go to Professional Bridesmaid's latest post and check her shout outs. These are some seriously amazing Canadian bloggers (Professional Bridesmaid included).

(Yeah, I know - so how did I make the list? :)

The "six-random-things-about-me-six-things-that-make-me-smile-10-letter-things-I-like list" Tag

I was tagged by The Professional Bridesmaid, who was tagged by K @ Blog Goggles (who created this tag by merging 3 tags that are circulating).

So here are my ten things:

1. Canada
(sorry, had to copy The Professional Bridesmaid)
I love maple syrup, snow (until about February ... then I'm ready for summer again), hockey, rye (which by definition, "true" rye can only be made in Canada, similar to how only "true" scotch can be made in Scotland), Tim Hortons, beaver tails, Smarties and Second Cup.

2. Carnations
And other flowers, too!

3. Candy

as well as ...
4. Chocolate

5. My Car
I call her Bessy Bluebell. (This isn't Bessy, but it's the same colour year and model as mine, except I don't have the sunroof.)

6. My Cat
I don't have any pictures of Pepper, but once I find one, I'll post it. Pepper died almost 2 years ago, at the age of 23. Yep, 23. Technically, she was closer to 23 1/2 when she died in her sleep while lying in her bed in front of the fireplace. Good spot to go - warm and comfy. She was a black tabby, and by the end (in her senility, we think), she acted more like a dog. But she wasn't in pain, just senile.

7. "The" County
Aka Prince Edward County, a short drive from where I live. Home of scenic drives (left), almost twenty wineries (centre), some amazing artisans, and Sandbanks Provincial Park's 3 amazing beaches (right).












8. Cascades
And by that, I mean waterfalls. What's not to smile when you see a waterfall like this, in Milford Sound, New Zealand:

9. Calisthenics
If I google calisthenics, some dance-gymnastics thing I've never seen for came up. No, I am referring to calisthenics I did in gym class and to warm up for baseball practice when I was a kid. It's closer to the aerobics I do now. Something like these ladies:

10. My Couch
Especially after the calisthenics / aerobics:

I tag Carly.

Blog Award

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

Thank you, Melissa for nominating me.

I award this blog award to (in alphabetical order):
Cyd
Jane (who has accumulated an impressively massive following in just a few weeks ... I'm jealous, Jane)
Jess (who is amazed by the idea of ice fishing, in spite of being Canadian)
Mo
Nicole, a relatively new blogger
Rachel
The Alternative Bride
The Professional Bridesmaid

(There were several others I could have added, but I respective the max of eight. To those I did not nominate, but whose blogs I read - I hope you get nominated by one of my nominees.)

Cyd summed it all up

I blink whenever my picture is taken. And I'm not particularly photogenic most of the time. But here's attempt 73:

You can read all about it here, because it was so well summed up. Being Wade's birthday, I shouldn't spend any more time blogging than I "need" to; although "needing" to blog is subjective. I say I do; Wade says I don't. :)

Blogging

Well ... I'm apparently crazy. In my list of people who follow (all of whom I also visit frequently), I noticed I could no longer see my first follower this morning. Carly, where did you go? Then tonight, my second follower Jenny. What am I doing wrong?!

Then I noticed that because of two new followers, my blog can't display all the followers in one thingy (the application thing in the side bar).

Whew ... I was worried Carly and Jenny didn't love me anymore.


P.S. My newest followers, The Wedding Corner (tonight), Miss Want (this morning) and The Professional Bridesmaid (a couple days ago) are all great blogs, too. I suggest you visit them!

Wedding Planning

So here's the thing: wedding planning is still going on. Sort of. Currently, we have a "list" of things to get through in January.

So far, here's what we've done this month:
-Made centrepieces (here, here, here and finally here)
-Booked my transportation to the church and our transportation to the reception
-Decided on bridesmaid dresses
-Registered for gifts at 2 of the 3 stores
-Made boutonnieres (upcoming post will be done on this)

Still to do in the next 2-3 weeks (not quite all done in the month of January, but you know ... whatev!):
-Book our rehearsal dinner venue
-Order the tuxedos
-Register at the 3rd store (actually an affiliate of the 2nd store we registered at)
-Decide if we want a videographer or ask a friend to videotape
-Book our honeymoon
-Meet with our tentative day-of-coordinator to find out if she's a match with our personalities (I am already sure she is, but Wade needs to be sure, too)
-Book the florist

So, needless to say, we're busy. Almost every day is wedding planning / doing, in order to get things done. Plus, some other things have come up in our life, that, well, distract us from wedding planning. So, posts have been less interesting: many brief posts. So I apologize, but please keep reading - there's more to (slowly) come.

Hmm - another tag?

I'm it again!

Rachel tagged me with a new questionaire. This is like those emails that really circulated in the late '90s / early '00s that were so popular.

Here are the rules:

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
Step 2: tag—eight other un-tagged people will be tagged.

Make a list of things you can see without getting up: laptop, tv, Wade, blanket, bank statements, 40% off coupon for Michaels, CDs, books on bookshelf.
What were you like when you were five? I talked a lot, wanted to learn to read, and liked doing all sorts of crazy gymnastics things (things that would break me now).
What are you wearing now? Dark brown pants (very wide-legged pants), a gray 3/4 sleeve shirt and socks (I'm at home, so I'm not wearing shoes.)
What color is your bedroom? Blue
What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? Wedding magazines. Before that I read "Beedle the Bard", the J.K. Rowling novella. Before that I read "The Other Boleyn Girl".
Do you nap a lot? No, but I like naps!
Who was the last person you hugged? Wade
What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction? Blogging
What was the last thing you ate today? Hummus & crackers
What was the last thing you said aloud? "Grilled German Crackers" (I was guessing something on "Wheel of Fortune". I knew it wasn't right, but I was guessing! The right answer was Grilled German Bratwurst, in case you're interested.)
What websites do you always visit when you go online? Blogs, blogs, blogs. Email, banking, or CBC News occassionally. Then some more blogs.
What are you listening to right now? A commercial for something. I'm not really watching. Wade's watching "Wheel Of Fortune", and I'm looking up every now and then, guessing at puzzles.
Do you prefer watching movies at the theatre or at home? Home.
If you could have any super power, what would it be? I'm with Rachel: reading other people's minds would be useful.
What is your favorite weather, and why? Those hot (not humid) summer days when it's still warm at night. Yum.
What is your most challenging goal right now? Keeping occupied at work.
Say something to the person who tagged you: I hope my wedding is as memorable and fun as yours that I'll wish I could go back in time to re-visit it!
If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? New Zealand, in Abel Tasman Park or the Bay of Islands.
Favorite vacation spot? New Zealand or London
What is your favorite children’s book? Paper Bag Princess. The Princess rescues her Prince from the dragon, but he no longer wants her because she's "messy". So the Princess says: "Ronald ... you are a bum!" Best. Line. Ever.
Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: Chocolate, ice cream, and other desserts.
If you could meet anyone famous - dead or alive - who would it be? That's a hard question. So I'm changing it ... to ...
How many times have you been on a plane? Too many too count. I flew a lot for a job one summer, so probably at least 40 times. I guess that's not too many to count, but I don't think I could sit down and count it.

So, to all my followers (all 18 of you), consider yourself tagged and answer this survey! (Unless you've already answered, in which case you're exempt.)

The Broke-Ass Bride: Green Wedding Contest Update!

Because the Broke-Ass Bride is a cool blog led by a fun lady: you should click here to support her goal to win a honeymoon!

Scottish and Chinese Celebrations

Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of Robbie Burns, a famous Scottish poet and composer. Ever heard of him? Robbie Burns Day is "celebrated" in Scotland and pockets around the world. The only "official" celebration I ever attended was in Southern England (go figure), in which Scottish food (including haggis) was served followed by Scottish country dancing. Fun!

Here's one of his most famous love songs:


And probably his most famous song (at least to North Americans):

For the auditorily astute, that song was featured in the Sex and the City movie.

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(Source)

And today marks the start of the Chinese (Lunar) New Year, the start of a celebration for many people of Asian descent, not just Chinese. Lai-see (red envelopes filled with money or candy) are given to children (and sometimes unmarried young adults), which would have to be my favourite part having received them a couple times. I know there are traditions that respect elders, but the cornerstones I know are fireworks, dancing and celebration, and lots of eating. Kinda like most Western "holidays".

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I say we celebrate everyone's holidays. Why? Well, it teaches us about other culture's beliefs and traditions. And (more importantly) celebrations are fun, so why not celebrate?!

So I say:

• Slàinte, sonas agus beartas! (Health, wealth and happiness in Scottish gaelic)
  and
• Gung Hay Fat Choy! (Cantonese wishes for the New Year)

Honest - to - goodness!!

I was tagged by Once A Bride and In The Waiting Line to accept the Honest Scrap Award. You can guess the criteria to be nominated for this award by the name of it. To accept the award, I must tell you 10 random facts.

So let's dive in:

1. I talk. A lot. And often quite quickly.
2. I didn't get on an airplane until I was 23.
3. I think I have some sort of hearing problem - sometimes I truly don't hear Wade when I'm concentrating on something else. He gets mad at me, but I truly don't hear him.
4. I am the only female in my generation: I have 2 brothers and all my cousins are male.
5. My mom's a nurse.
6. I work in health & safety (applying my graduate degree).
7. My first dog was a lhasa apso named Chu Chu. My second dog was a mutt named Tippy.
8. I drive a Honda Civic: fuel efficient and high safety ratings!
9. I wear glasses. I've worn glasses since I was 18, but had very good vision up until the middle of my teenage years. My vision isn't bad, and in fact I don't need to wear them all the time (but I do). I don't like glasses, though: I don't like when they get dirty (which is very easy), when they fog up or when they get wet. I find contacts irritating, however, and rarely wear them.
10. I like random facts. I find those stupid tidbits that most people ignore to be fascinating. Here's proof:
-Humans can only live a few days without water - but we can live weeks or months without food.
-Christopher Columbus tricked people in the "new world" into doing / giving what he wanted by convincing the natives he had many powers. He said that he could take the moon out of the sky if he did not get his way. He knew by studying the lunar cycle that a lunar eclipse was coming that night, and used that to threaten the natives.
-Giraffes have the same number of bones (vertebrae) in their necks as humans (or most other mammals). They just bigger bones. With joints.
-You know those Impressionist paintings of Paris? The painters had to imagine the trees. Shortly before that time, Paris was restructured, and the trees were re-planted. At the time of the Impressionists, those trees were just saplings. They painted them as if they were big trees, imagining and hoping that's how they'd looked in the future.
-And loving random facts is why I love trivia!

So those are the ten facts.

I nominate and tag the following blogs for the award:
And she's rambling again
Girl Learning Along The Way
Jestor (formerly known as Tea Tales)
London Bride
Nicole and Jesse
The Sweetest Occassion

Do something good for someone good!

I received this email from The Broke-Ass Bride, aka Dana aka Miss Meatball:

Please forgive the mass mailing. It ain't usually our style, but we're in a tight competition and we're pulling out all the stops! This may be our only shot at a proper honeymoon, so we really need your help to make it happen!
For the next eight days we need your votes via the Trees Instead Website, to help us win a free honeymoon and a plethora of eco-responsible prizes! Each day we will send you the link to the page and the answers to the questions, so all you have to do is click, fill in a few words and vote.
We were kicking butt, but our competition is a pastor who seems to have gotten his entire congregation voting for him, and now we're down 300 votes. Our only shot is consistent voting via the website. If we get your vote each day we think we have a good shot at winning.
For those of you who don't know: Hunter and I are finalists in a contest to win a honeymoon to Costa Rica and have trees planted in the names of all our wedding guests. For those of you who do and have been voting, Thank you Thank you!
You can vote once a day on their website from any IP address (IE vote once from home and once from the office:-) The best part is you don't have to register anywhere or give your contact info away. Just fill in and click submit! In only 2 minutes each day, you could really change our lives!
The Link and the answers:
On their website: *VOTE THROUGH JAN. 29*

Go to http://www.treesinstead.com/Green_Wedding_Contest.html
Note that the questions change up every other day or so...
Today's Answers: Name of the Couple: Hunter Stiebel and Dana LaRue
Wedding date: May 24, 2009
Where is the TI Planting Location in ALASKA: Friends For a Green Alaska Reforestation Effort
Title of Valentines Day Page: Go Green for Valentines Day
Sentence Below the Title @ the plant a memorial tree in israel: Plant a tree in Memory of a loved one in the Holy Land
What would you rather give, flowers or a tree as a sympathy gift (this one is up to you:-): Yes or No
You are amazing for helping us out. Well, heck you're amazing without helping us, but you're just that much more dashing now! Please pass this along to anyone you think would like to help a couple who are full of love, and feel free to post it anywhere you think would be helpful! :)
Thanks again,
Dana (aka Broke-Ass Bride and Miss Meatball), and Hunter

P.S. The Broke-Ass Bride is also a great blogger and resource, so if you haven't already, go check her out!

A little perspective

Wedding planning has been fun, so far. And it probably will continue to be fun. In spite of the wedding planning coming up ... the rest of life goes on.

Yesterday's post was incredibly fun, and got a lot of posts from first-time posters. (Thanks for the blog love!)

I have different things on my mind today. (Well, that, and I can't book something fun every day - we'd run out of money!) Something more important is weighing on me today.

Today, I am reminded about marriage. I, and lots of other bridal bloggers, are in the process of planning weddings. Some of us are planning laid-back soirée; some of us are planning über formal and swanky affairs. But whether in your parent's backyard or the Ritz Carlton, we're all doing the same thing: we are marrying our great love. Whether he or she is your one true love, your soulmate, your other half, or your best-friend. We are speaking vows to love that person, no matter what, for the rest of our lives, in front of the rest of our loved ones.

Let's keep that in mind, shall we?

Congratulations, London Bride

London Bride got married today! Actually, in London it's just after midnight, but oh well! London Bride is one of my favourite bloggers, and with a cake topper like this:

I'm sure it was a wonderful day!

Need a little wedding inspiration?

Go to Cyd's blog The Sweetest Occassion

Here's my favourite part:
Of course it doesn't feel like you, because for most of us, this is a once in a lifetime occasion. It's only natural that some elements of the day will feel surreal and different.

The Broke-Ass Bride: Need a "favor" from you!

The Broke-Ass Bride: Need a "favor" from you!

Do you not follow or regularly visit the Broke-Ass Bride? Yep, you probably do. She is also know as Miss Meatball on Weddingbee.

The Broke-Ass Bride, aka Dana, aka Miss Meatball, has entered a contest to greenify her wedding. (Yeah, I know that's not a word. Oh well!) And she's now one of the finalists. To help The Broke-Ass Bride with the contest, click here to support her entry to win an eco-friendly honeymoon or an eco-friendly runner up prize such as carbon offsets.

Dude! Sweet! (think of Crush from Finding Nemo)

Wade really likes movies (I do, too, but Wade really likes them) so we watch everything except scary movies - action movies, dramas, chick-flicks, and even kids movies. Finding Nemo is an amazing kids movie. If you haven't seen it, you should. Dude!

Why do I tell you this? Well, when I was informed that yesterday's post was the featured post at Worth a Thousand Words, my first thought was "Dude! Sweeeet!," the way the turtles say it.

You should go to Worth a Thousand Words and enter the contest by commenting on the picture. The winner gets his/her blog posted and gets a gift card for $10 to Starbucks. Awesome!

Happy New Year!

May your 2009 be filled with happiness, love, blessings, challenges and accomplishments.

new year's eve wishes, resolutions & other ramblings

Like most years, I am having difficulty thinking of a resolution. I could set my goal to lose the weight I gained over Christmas (woops - I was at my goal weight.) I could resolve to get more fit & toned. I could set a goal to invest more money in my RSPs (similar to the IRAs or 401(k) in the USA or the ISAs in the UK). Or maybe my resolution should be to plan my wedding.

But I've already set these goals for myself.

I almost don't believe in "resolutions". Most people's resolutions seem to fail by the end of January. How many people say they're going to get in shape this year, only to stop going to the gym by Valentine's Day? Or quit smoking, but start puffing before the first month of the year is even over.

Instead, I set long-term goals as I need them. I've spent the last year and a half losing weight. Very slowly, much more slowly than 1 pound per week. But it was continuously going down (well, mostly continuously going down) until a couple week's ago when I reached my goal weight - since Christmas, I now have to get back to goal weight. I also want to become more fit, and that is something I've been struggling with. I have bursts of a month of being good, then I'll be lazy for a month. I just signed up for a twice a week aerobics class, and Wade & I will be doing our once a week ball hockey (yep, in a school gymnasium and everything). If I can be motivated to even do one at-home work-out or video per week, that'll give me four solid (one-hour) work-outs a week.

But those aren't my resolutions. Just goals. Yes, I know you might point out that resolutions are goals. They somehow feel different to me, and I feel like my success is more likely if it's just a goal instead of a resolution.

So what will my resolution be? Maybe I won't have one. I don't have one every year.

Or maybe I should make my resolution something that I know (or highly anticipate) will happen. So, my resolution could be to get married in 2009 (specifically June 6th). Then I have a higher likelihood of success.

But that feels like a cop out.
So maybe I should just go another year without a resolution - just spend a little time reflecting, think about my goals for 2009 (and longer-term) and call it a day.

Goals for 2008

These are my goals for 2008:
-Eat healthy every day
-Be productive at work
-Blog the remainder of our engagement story
-Create a new year's resolution (and think of a new year's resolution)

Do you think I can achieve these goals? I didn't set lofty goals: I only need to achieve these goals for the next 2 days. Then it's a whole new year!
That's all I have to say today. More tomorrow!

Faaaabulous!

I have been tagged by Bridechka (of the blog Bridechka and the Wedding) and Carly (from the Westside Bride aka Miss Glitter at the WeddingBee) because they think my blog is faaabulous!
Here are the rules: List 5 obsessions/addictions that you have, and tag back to the person who gave you the award. Post the rules. Tag 5 more people!

In trying to think of five obsessions, I asked Wade what I'm obsessed with. He didn't hesitate to say "me" (being him, not me). I will refrain from putting that tidbit of information into my top five, as with blogging: it ought to be evident from the number of posts and the theme of this blog that I am "obsessed" with both.

My five obsessions/addictions:

1. Travelling. I haven't done a lot, but I love to do it. I've visited Europe (the majority of my time was in England, though I had opportunities to visit France, Wales, Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic) and New Zealand, as well as several provinces in Canada. So far, Nova Scotia's my favourite province.

2. Interneting in general. I said I wouldn't include blogging in my "obsessions", but I email, facebook and check out websites such as CBC Newsworld quite frequently.

3. Occupational Health. This is my career and it is a passion. I truly believe that no one should come home any differently than when he/she went to work. In this day and age, we can prevent every occupational illness, including cancers (e.g. lung cancer in asbestos workers), musculoskeletal disoders (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome in office workers), and psychological/psychosocial illness (e.g. mental trauma for a retail worker who is robbed at gun point). Want more information on how to prevent these illnesses? Visit here, here, here or here.

4. Canadian comedies. The cheesier the better. My favourites are Corner Gas (this is another good clip) and The Mercer Report (a couple other clips here and here).

5. The Olympics. You need proof? Click here. Although it is starting to loose its lustre - holy doping scandals Batman! How is it possible that one woman gets bronze, silver and gold in the same event? Um, because the two people who placed above here were disqualified for doping infractions. Way to go, Beckie Scott, for refusing to cheat! Beckie placed third, and was upgraded to silver when the gold medalist tested positive. Then the new gold medalist tested positive, so Beckie was again upgraded to gold.

My five nominees:
1. Mother and Bride
2. The Sweetest Occassion
3. M and M Wedding
4. Broke-Ass Bride
5. London Bride

P.S. Go visit Bridechka and the Wedding and Westside Bride - they're fabulous blogs, too!