Category Archives: Exciting News*

A Concert & A Wedding*

This weekend was a bit insane.

On Friday night the Hubster and I traveled downtown to The Four Seasons to see Colm Wilkinson. I have been listening to Colm sing since I was a little girl, and I have long loved his voice. I was so excited to go. A few years ago The Hubs bought me the 10th anniversary edition of Les Miserables with Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean and it’s just… magical.

So, this year he found out that Colm was coming to Toronto and he bought me tickets as his anniversary gift to me.

(Isn’t he just the loveliest Hubster??)

I’ve had these tickets for MONTHS, and I was dying to hear Colm perform pieces from Les Mis. DYING. For days before the concert it was all I was listening to. I think I watched this video a billion times last week:

(Colm is the first male voice. Michael Ball is the second, and I also heart him with MUCH hearting.)

It’s my favourite musical, and Colm is my favourite male vocalist, so I thought for sure that the stars would align and my dreams would come true.

…and then he didn’t sing anything from Les Mis.

Oh, the concert was wonderful, and his voice was still incredible… but there was no Les Mis. He sang selections from Phantom of the Opera, South Pacific, West Side Story and a host of other broadway hits mingled in with contemporary pieces… but no Les Mis.

*sigh*

(It was still totally worth it to go. I just need to see Les Miserables again soon apparently. haha)

It ended up being a much later evening that we anticipated, and after falling asleep on the train right home we crawled into bed close to 1am.

On Saturday morning we lounged in bed before flying into whirlwind mode trying to get everything done before heading out to Star’s wedding. We were late leaving and knew our timing would be down to the minute. We parked outside the city and decided to take the subway in to avoid trying to find parking & pay for it downtown Toronto on a Saturday.

Naturally, as soon as we stepped on the subway the cars went out of service and an extra 10 minute delay was tacked on to our already precious time. By the time we reached the church we were nearly 15 minutes late. We tried to find a side door to sneak into…

…which ended up being the doors right at the front of the chapel. Haha! Thankfully the wedding hadn’t started yet so the Hubs and I ran down the aisle to the back of the church and stole some seats. We learned from the program that there was actually a half hour time difference between the start time on the invitation and the start time on the program. So, instead of being 15 minute late, we were 15 minutes early. WIN!

Star was… perfect. Her dress was incredible and the whole wedding was just like a fairytale.

Star walking down the aisle with her Dad.

We had a few hours between the ceremony and the reception so the Hubster and I decided to do some shopping in between. We got back on the Subway to head back to our car and ended up on the new Toronto Rocket subway car! As we were gawking like total tourists at the amazing new subway, a shadow came over us as we were leaning over to try and see to the end of the subway. I looked up, and standing in front of me was a good friend from my Ghetto U days that I probably haven’t seen in five years.

After my shock wore off, I jumped up to give him a hug and we chatted until he got off a few stops later. People always say that Toronto is a big city–but it definitely still has some small town qualities. :)

The Hubster and I toured around one mall for an hour or so then decided to drive over to another mall that was a little closer to where the reception was being held. We shop at this mall all the time. It’s on the way to my parents house, and it has the mother of all man-stores: Bass Pro Shop. We spent an hour wandering through the mall, popping in and out of stores as we tried to find a new pair of shoes for him. I was texting on my phone while he was browsing, then we’d continue on. We finally made it through the whole mall and decided it was time to head over to the reception. We walked to the car and as we drove off I began transferring items from my big red purse to the small black clutch I planned to take in to the reception with me.

I pulled out my lip gloss, camera, and other little items, then I reached for my phone.

It wasn’t in the pocket.

I wasn’t immediately worried–my blackberry often gets jostled and falls out of the pocket into the giant mess that is my purse. I began rifling through the items looking for it, and after I had emptied the contents and still hadn’t found it my heart started racing a little.

I searched the floor of the car in case it had fallen out: no luck.

My normal calm self dissolved as I panicked over my lost phone. The Hubster pulled over so that he could try calling it from his phone, but it was absolutely not in the car. We were several kilometers away from the mall by this point, but we whipped around and sped back to try and see if my phone had been turned in.

I had absolutely no recollection of setting my phone down anywhere. The only thing I could think of was that I had gone into a bathroom to fix my hair and I had put my purse down while I did it. I was praying that my phone hadn’t fallen out there, as I was sure that then it would have been gone for good. I searched the bathroom high and low with no luck. My only other hope was that I had set it down somewhere in Bass Pro, which had been our last stop in the mall. The Hubster set off to search the area where we had last been while I tried to speak with someone in customer service to see if it had been found.

While I was waiting to speak with someone, I decided to try calling my phone one more time in case it rang where the Hubster was searching. To my surprise, someone answered and told me that they had my phone and were holding it for me in a store just a bit further up in the mall.

I cannot even begin to describe the relief I felt when I knew that my phone was safe. I know it probably seems silly to be so distraught over a blackberry, but I love my little phone and I felt like such an idiot for losing it! The store employee who had found it handed it right over with a smile and I could have hugged her on the spot.

(Only I was a bit afraid that I would seem creepy. So I didn’t. ha)

By then it was after 7pm and we were late to the reception. We barely made it in before the entrance of the bridal party, but once we hit our seats the night was perfect. We ended up at a table with all my old friends from Ghetto U and it was such a great night. Words cannot express how much I love these people. :)

It was a amazing, lavish Italian wedding–complete with seven courses–and it was after 10pm before we even finished dinner. Star was glowing, and I don’t think the evening could have been any more perfect.

By 11:30pm I was completely and utterly spent, so we said our goodbyes and slipped out to begin our drive home. It was sometime after midnight when we rolled in, and we were both asleep minutes after walking through the front door.

It was an absolutely lovely weekend, but I was thrilled to have yesterday to relax and unwind after such a busy two days.

How was your weekend?

We’re Here!

Well, we made it!

I’m sorry for not posting yesterday–I had an extremely full day and absolutely crashed into bed at the end of it. It began with the Hubster working hard on our new deck while I worked inside the house, then he helped me catch a train and I began my trek north.

I met up with a friend in Toronto, and together we took the train to B-town where we were met by Big Dad and Spart. We enjoyed a lovely evening with the fam, then attempted to turn in early in preparation for the big mother drive today.

I rolled out of bed at 5:45am and Spart, Tulip and I hit the road at 6:30am or so. After a quick stop for gas and Tim Horton’s we were on our way! We took our time making our way through the long 8 hour drive and finally arrived just after 3pm. We had a lovely visit with my Grammy before she whisked us out the door for dinner with my aunts and uncle. Tonight was a blend of visiting, brownies and movies– all the comforts of home.

I love coming home to this house… there’s just something magical about it. It feels like home the minute we drive down the street, and the house itself is wrapped up in years of happy memories. As much as I hate to be away from the Hubster, being here is amazing. Every so often I just need to come home, and I’m so glad to be here now!

As for me, I’m exhausted. I managed a couple of quick naps in the car, but after barely sleeping last night (heat + excitement = no sleep) I’m barely keeping my eyes open.

Until tomorrow, lovelies! Stay cool… it’s going to be a hot one!

On Turning 26*

Today is my 26th birthday.

I was nervous about turning 26–it just seemed to make adulthood so… official. I remember my 16th birthday so vividly; how is it even possible that it’s been 10 years?

Ten glorious years.

I realized today that I have absolutely no regrets, and the future holds so much promise. Today I decided not look at 26 with anxiety, but with anticipation.

I have a feeling that 26 is going to be an exciting year for me. We are now homeowners and are continually progressing in our careers. I have the best niece and nephew that anyone could ask for, and my family continues to amaze me with how awesome they are. I have finally found an incredible, supportive group of girlfriends that I love, and I am married to my best friend and love of my life, who continues to surprise me as we continue to grow and learn things about each other.

I am working at a job that I love with all my heart for the first time in 10 years. I am excited to get up in the morning and go to work.

(Most days.)

Last year was amazing, and I think twenty-six will just be an extension of the magic that was 25.

…and today has pushed it off to a wonderful start.

I was up and out the door early as Value Village decided to celebrate my birthday with a half price day! I went early to try and avoid some of the madness, and walked out shortly after with four cute tops for $11. I spent the rest of the day enjoying a lazy, relaxing day at home, and tonight we are going to do something I’ve wanted to my whole life–we’re going to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

I bought these tickets months ago and I am SO excited.

In fact, we’re heading out the door right now.

Thank you so much for all your birthday wishes and love–it means the world to me!

I heart you all! xox

Exciting!!!!!

Guess who’s ready to not be sick anymore??

(Meeeeeee. ugh)

It really is getting better. My voice is almost back and I’m coughing and blowing my nose a bit less. I probably also should have taken a few days off this week to get better, but as I think it’s going to be my last week of work for the summer I really didn’t want to take it off.

And I ended up having a fabulous, full work week. I can suffer through one more day, right?

I know that today is supposed to be Thrifty Thursday, but sadly you’re just going to have to wait until tomorrow…

…as I’ll be featured on The Shoe Digest with a FAB new thrift find!

AND, you can now find me there every other Friday babbling about all things to do with shoes and love!

(Because shoes are love. ha.)

I was contacted by The Shoe Digest a few weeks ago and was asked if I’d be interested in working with them. My little computer chair wasn’t prepared for the amount of excited dancing that followed as I wrote out my response.

I tried to sound professional, but my fingers were having trouble containing my excitement.

(Apparently it’s not easy to punch dance and type at the same time. Who knew?)

After a few emails back and forth we hammered out the details and you can now find me there every other Friday, beginning tomorrow. How exciting is THAT?

I also have some new house updates coming for you–the Hubster has completely transformed our garage, our office is actually starting to look like an office, and our grass is growing!!!

(It’s a little bit ridiculous how excited I am about grass. Really now.)

I felt like I needed to detach from my blog for a while so that I could focus on our house, but as of Monday I will have a whoooooole summer to bore you with my non-stop writing.

Get ready. :)

365 Days*

One year ago today, I walked into the Pretty City School Board, signed some papers, and began my teaching career. A year ago today I was given my very first teaching assignment: elementary gym coverage.

A year ago today, I experienced everything I was most afraid to encounter as a substitute teacher–grade 7′s, no lesson plans, and a subject that wasn’t one of my teachables.

I survived.

A year ago today, I ended an awful year of feeling like I wasn’t good enough.

A year ago today I had hope.

I love my job.

It’s been a fabulous year. :)

 

 

Related Posts with Thumbnails