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September 27 Hi everyone!
Thank you all so much for your well wishes and congratulations! I am definitely getting more accustomed to being pregnant. What I am not used to is how often I need to eat! lol It seems like I am constantly hungry. Even if I've just eaten. Or if I'm not hungry, give it ten minutes, and I will be! It's nuts I tell you!
Jane asked if I was going to update about the pregnancy and post photos and stuff, and I hadn't really thought about it that much. I think I will though. There isn't really much going on right now, so I won't bore you with uninteresting stuff daily, but I will post every now & then!
I had my first "official" ultrasound last Wednesday and everything looked good. I also saw the doctor this past Monday and he said I'm doing great. I haven't even gained any weight since my last appointment four weeks ago! woo hoo!
So, here is the ultrasound picture. Can't see any definitive "parts" yet, but hopefully at the next one in a couple of months!!
September 14 So, it seems that my dear, dear blogger buddy Tricia has outed me on her blog. So, I figured I had better update mine too!
I AM PREGNANT!! eeeekk!! Holy cow. I'm pregnant! Some days I still don't believe it myself!
I am 12 weeks along, and "officially" due on April 1st - convenient that it's April Fool's don't you think? lol My guess for delivery is April 14th though....so feel free to leave your comments about when you think I'll pop and your guesses for the gender! (We do plan to find out!)
I'm feeling pretty good, and haven't had much morning sickness to speak of. Mostly nausea, and even that only lasted for a few weeks. Let me just say though...sore boobs. Holy hell!! No one ever told me about the sore boobs during pregnancy!!
Anyway, that's my news. Thought I'd put it out there for all of blog land to see!!
Hope everyone is doing well!!
April 20 I know, I know....where the hell have I been lately, right? Well, I wish I had something exotic or exciting to use as an excuse, but I got nothing. Bupkis! I promise I have been checking on everyone though, and sometimes I even come out of lurker mode and leave comments!! MSN blogs are the only ones I can't access at work, so I usually try to check them from home, but sometimes I'm just wiped and not interested in getting back on the computer after I just got off it all day!
Nothing very thrilling has been happening around here lately, so you're not missing much! Well, that's not exactly true. Darren was home for an entire 10 days while classes finished and finals started, so that was exciting (to me anyway). He was home studying and I just pretty much tried to stay out of his way and not distract him. According to my MIL, I am a BIG distraction - although I think she means it in a good way! At least I hope anyway!  I did manage to pull him away from studying for a few hours over the Easter weekend, and do the family thing a couple of times. That Saturday night we went to my brother and SIL's place. They had everyone over for a potluck-appetizer type thing. It was pretty nice. Everyone brought an appetizer, finger food, salad or fruit plate...that type of thing. So, it was nice to not do the traditional ham or turkey. I get so sick of turkey by the time Christmas hits, that I really don't want to see another one until the next Thanksgiving, so I'm all for doing this kind of thing. Plus, in my opinion, it's easier on the host/hostess...they're not responsible for feeding everyone! After all, there were about 25 people total there! We did have a kick ass spread though! My mouth is watering again just thinking about it! It was agood day with family and friends, and best of all, my cutie nephews looking for Easter eggs!
Easter Sunday we went to my dad and stepmom's for brunch. That was also great. And although there was ham involved, my stepmom is a killer cook, so it was a delicious meal! No complaints here!! As long as I don't have to cook, I'm good. Not that I can't cook, but I don't really enjoy it. Plus, our apartment is just way too small to have any more that about two other people here to eat. So, we're fortunate that we get invited to everyone else's place!
Darren left this past Monday morning for the last time! Can you believe it? Me neither! Finally, after 8 months of living seperately, he will finally be home (for good) next Friday. I'm so excited! I will actually get to be a full time wife after being married for almost four months! I can't tell you how much we are BOTH looking forward to school being finished. Well, at least for this semester. He may be back in school this fall fall if he gets accepted to the program, but at least it's at the local University, not five hours away! ~whew~
So, like I said, not a lot has been going on here. I babysat my nephews for a few hours last Sunday, and they just kept me in stitches, although I'm glad I don't have three of my own right now! Holy cow..they are a handful to say the least! At one point, I was changing Karter (the baby) and Jacob wandered into the kitchen. They do this often, and they usually grab a spoon out the drawer, so I wasn't too worried. Well, all of a sudden he reappears in the living room, and instead of having a spoon in his hand, he's got an egg. A raw one. Lovely. I try to coax it out of his hand, and sure enough, he drops it. That was fun to clean up!
The weather here the last few days has been crap. Literally. It was absolutely beautiful last weekend. Temperatures in the low-mid teens (Celsius, so it's warm!), the sun was shining, and I was in my glory. Truely. Then Tuesday hit. Since then it has been snow, rain, snow, and then more snow. And in that order! I totally thought Spring was here. Boy, was I WRONG! Yuck. Bring on the  already!
Have a great weekend everyone!
March 19 So, today I turned 33. Happy Birthday to me!
This year I didn't let it get me down. I still can't believe that I'm now 33 years old, and that the last 10 years has flown by so fast. It seems like just yesterday that I was twenty six and moving to Atlanta. Now, I've already been back in Canada for almost two years. Where has the time gone??
Anyway, it was a great birthday. Darren was home for the weekend, and that was the best present I could have received. We had a family dinner out on Saturday night, so it was nice to have everyone all together again. It doesn't happen that often with divorced parents, so I'm happy to have the few occassions in a year when it does occur.
Other than the birthday not much else has been going on. Darren has started studying for his finals, and I'm happy they're a month away and will be done SOON! One more month of long distance living, and he'll be back. When I dropped him off at the airport this morning, I told him that when he's back full time, we need to take a trip somewhere, just the two of us. No going to visit anyone, just US! He agreed, so I'll have to start looking for places to go!
Hope you all had a great weekend!
March 05 Hey everyone!! Sorry I've been MIA for a while, but I just haven't been in the blogging kind of mood lately. (Jane - no, I'm not pregnant and hiding!!) I've had nothing exciting to write about lately. Darren's been gone for the last three weeks, and I guess I've just been lonely and not wanting to post about it all the time.
Not much has been going on really. We celebrated my twin nephew's (Jacob and Noah) 2nd birthday a couple of weeks ago. Pictures are posted if you're interested in seeing the cutie pies. They were so sweet and really good the entire day. It was a very long day, no naps, and I am very impressed with how well they held up. I didn't even do as well as they did!
We also celebrated my Mom's birthday last Thursday. Nothing major...the family went for dinner and did a few presents and cake. Mom's birthday always reminds me that mine isn't that far away. This year will be a little different though. It's my first birthday as a married woman! Now really, it's just like any other birthday, but somehow it feels different. Don't ask how, it just does! (Oh, in case you're interested, my birthday is on the 19th, exactly two weeks from today!) I'm not usually excited about my birthday, in fact, I'd usually rather forget about it. But, I've decided that from now on, I'm not going to concern myself with "the number", and just embrace it for what it is. In two weeks from now, I'll have lived 33 wonderful years and have many amazing (and not so amazing) experiences to show for it!!
In other exciting news, I FINALLY get to see my sweet hubby this week! I'm so excited. As I previously mentioned, it's been three (long) weeks, and I'm very anxious to spend the entire weekend with him. I fly into Saskatoon Thursday night (yay, long weekend). He will have finished his last midterm earlier that day, so he doesn't have to study all weekend! woohoo! We are going to his parents for the weekend, so that limits our alone time, but I don't care. As long as we're together we can be anywhere!!
So, there it is! Sorry for the randomness, but Jane specifically asked for an update.
Have a great week everyone!!
February 08 Since I can't access my blog at work anymore, I'm having to post my SPF's on thursday night.
Superchick's item of the week is to post a picture of something that is SPECIAL to us. There are lots of things that are special to me, but lately, none of them hold a candle to the two pictures below.
The day that Darren left for school last fall, was one of the hardest days of my life. I knew that he wasn't going to be gone forever, and that we would see each other every couple of weeks, and sometimes every weekend. Regardless, it was a rough day. I went in late to work so we could say goodbye, but I eventually left the apartment before he did. I was dreading returning home that night, knowing that he wouldn't be there to greet me as he had been since he finished with work the week before. I stayed out as late as I could, and I even went to my mom's to avoid the inevitable. Finally, I knew I had to do it, so I went home.
I turned on the lights at the door, and walked in, already tearing up. I closed the door behind me, and there it was. A yellow Post It note stuck to the door. On it, he had written "See You Soon". Well, that brought the tears on full force. (Oh, in case none of you hadn't already guessed it, I'm the emotional freak in my family, and cry at the drop of a hat - I'm crying while typing this out).
So, I put my stuff down, and go into the bedroom to change. I notice another couple of Post It notes. One was on the side of my night table, and one was stuck to the mirror I get ready in front of every morning. I back out of the bedroom, and start looking around the apartment. He's got a few notes stuck in places that I go to everyday. What a sweetie huh?
Anyway, for obvious reasons, these Post Its are very special to me. I look at them every day, and a couple of them make me chuckle out loud. Here are two of my favorites!!
This one is taped to our computer monitor.
This is the one taped to my night table.
Happy Friday everyone!! 
February 06 Hey everyone!!!
Sorry I've been MIA for the last few days. Darren got home Friday night, and well, I just had better things to do than be blogging when my honey is home! (No offense to any of my wonderful blog buddies!!) We had a great weekend, even though it was too short!
Darren's flight got in right before dinner, so I picked him up, and we headed right home to just relax for the evening. Saturday was quite a bit busier though. Darren studied for a couple of hours that morning, and I cleaned up the apartment a bit. We had a few errands to run, so we spent the better part of the day doing that stuff. I've been searching for new glasses, and wanted his approval/disapproval for a few of them, so he was happy to help. Unfortunately, we couldn't agree on any, so I'm back at square one with that task! Also, our blender died Thursday night, so we needed another one, and fast. We make smoothies every morning, and I was starting to go into withdrawl!!
That night we went to my dad's for dinner. My step-mom had prepared an awesome fondue feast and we literally gorged for two hours. It wasn't a typical fondue with cheese dip though. Instead, she had a couple fondue pots with oil, and one with chicken broth. There were huge bowls of shrimp, meatballs (and some wrapped in bacon), pork and chicken. It was awesome! For dessert, we had strawberries, pineapple, angel food cake, sponge cake, and bananas for dipping in the chocolate. That was to die for. Mmmmmm...I can still taste it!
The best part of the night was the fact that my cutie pie nephews were there! It had been a few weeks since I'd seen them, and it seems like they grew two inches in two weeks! Noah is jabbering quite a bit, and speaks a few words quite clearly. Jacob is still content with letting Noah do most of the talking, but I suspect he'll chime in one of these days! He's so smart with those shapes that go in the appropriate hole toy. He'll pick up a certain shape, and turn the box around until he finds that side and goes right to the exact hole it belongs in. Every time. I was pretty impressed!! I can't believe they are going to be two in just a few weeks - time sure has flown by when it comes to them!
Sunday. We got up early to drive to Calgary to watch the Super Bowl with some friends of ours. They've been trying to get Darren down to watch it for a couple of years, but he's always had to work, and wasn't able to go. So, since he's obviously not working this year, we said we'd come. We had a wonderful visit with Stefan and Renie, and got the grand tour of their new house. They just had it built last year and moved in at the beginning of December. Let me just say, I was quite jealous of their new place. I'm very ready to get out of our apartment!
Anyway, we watched the game (Way to go Colts!!) and my favorite commercial was the Doritos commercial at the grocery store. Did any of you see it? Hilarious! We checked it out again on u-tube afterwards and had a few more chuckles. After a late night, we left Calgary (very) early yesterday morning, and got back just in time to drop Darren off at the airport to catch his flight back.  That was the worst part of the weekend. I already miss him so much and he can't get back soon enough for my liking! I'm hoping for Friday to come quickly this week! Then he's home all next week! WOOHOOO!! (can you tell I'm a bit excited?)
Well, that was our weekend in a nutshell. I started a new album with some pics from Saturday night if anyone is interested in seeing the nephews.
Oh, and the I.T. department at work has restricted blogs from us (again), so I can only catch up with my MSN bloggers from home. I can still check everyone else's blog, but I suspect that might get taken away soon too. It's not been a fun few days at work. I'm missing my blog buddies and all their news!!
Have a great week everyone!! February 01 So, SuperChick has re-instated SPF (Stuff Portrait Fridays). Basically on Monday or Tuesday every week, she gives us (1) item that we have to photograph during the week. On Friday, we have to post our photo(s) and report back. This week's item was "Buttons".
Being the very original gal that I am, I was thinking of shirt/jacket buttons - so that's what I took pictures of. Not very exciting, but hey, I did my homework!
Feel free to join in the fun!!
January 30 Omaha Momma had the cutest link on her blog - you can design your own M&M!
Since I was completely bored this afternoon, I decided to try it!
It really looks like me - don't you think??
Click here if you want to design you own!! Have fun!!
*** I got this in an email from my best friend, Tania, and just had to share it with blogland. FUNNY!! Thanks Tan!! ***
Now that Vancouver has won the chance to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, these are some questions people from all over the world are asking. Believe it or not these questions about Canada were posted on an International Tourism Website.
Obviously the answers are a joke; but the questions were really asked!
Q: I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the Plants grow? (England)
A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.
Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? (USA)
A: Depends on how much you've been drinking.
Q:I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto-can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only Four thousand miles, take lots of water.
Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada? (Sweden)
A: So, it's true what they say about Swedes.
Q:It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places to contact for a stuffed Beaver. (Italy)
A: Let's not touch this one.
Q: Are there any ATM's (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? *(England)
A: What, did your last slave die?
Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada? (USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North...oh forget it.
Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.
Q: Which direction is North in Canada? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
Q: Can I bring cutlery into Canada? (England)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-t ri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is...oh forget it.
Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
Q: Do you have perfume in Canada? (Germany)
A: No, WE don't stink.
Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth.Can you sell it in Canada? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
Q: Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.
Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? (USA)
A: Only at Thanksgiving.
Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round?(Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunter/gathers. Milk is illegal.
Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Canada, but I forget its name. It's a kind of big horse with horns. (USA)
A: It's called a Moose. They are tall and very violent, eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.
January 29 I have a serious case of the Muuuundays today. I am not at all interested in being at work. It's still slow right now, and there's not a lot going on that I feel like doing.
My weekend was fairly uneventful, so I don't even have anything exciting to blog about. there.
I did get some great quality time with my nephews this weekend. I just love them to death. They really are sweet boys, but are definitely heading into the terrible two's! In a few weeks Jacob and Noah will celebrate their second birthday, and I'm so looking forward to it. I think this year Pam and Neil are having a party at their place, so that should be a good time.
They still can't say my name well - it's always "Mamie". Forget about Auntie...I think that one will be while yet. Although, my brother's nickname is "Pickle" (has to do with our last name), so Noah has been saying that now. Although it comes more like "Peecko", rather than Pickle...it's quite cute!!
Darren was absent again this weekend. I sure do miss him when he's not at home. I've been married for four weeks now, and I've had exactly one week, and one weekend to spend with him. That has been frustrating. Thankfully, he'll be home this weekend, and the weekend after that starts his Spring Break (although it's still frickin winter here). I'm very excited that he'll be home for a week straight!  I need some alone time with the hubby. Unfortunately, I have to work that week, but I think it should work out in the end He can study during the day (he's got midterms at the beginning of March), then we can hang out together in the evenings after work!! woohooo!
So, tonight I'm going to meet up with Harriet, she's a friend of my dad and step-mom's. She's been learning about a new therapy called "Body Talk", and has to have volunteers to practice on, so I thought it might be cool to try.
Here's a little explanation of what it's about:
How does Body Talk work?
"The BodyTalk system works by first identifying the weak energy circuits that exist within the body. The practitioner relies on the innate wisdom of the body to locate the energy circuits that need repair by using a form of biofeedback, which is a subtle muscle testing technique.
For every malfunctioning energy circuit that is found, the practitioner or client contacts the corresponding "points" with their hands. The practitioner then lightly taps the client on the top of the head, which stimulates the brain centers and causes the brain to re-evaluate the state of the body's health. The result is that the general energy balance of the body is greatly improved.
The practitioner then taps the client on the sternum to "announce" the corrected energy flows to the rest of the body. This is beneficial because the heart is responsible for communicating the state of the body's health to the rest of the body. Stimulating the heart by tapping the sternum forces the heart to store the corrected energy patterns in the body's cellular memory. This means that the body will remember these changes after the treatment.
The BodyTalk treatment protocol is very straightforward and does not require any diagnosis. The practitioner relies on the guidance of innate wisdom, through muscle testing, to not only locate the weakened lines of communication in the body but also to find the proper order in which they are to be addressed. Just as the body heals a wound with a particular sequencing of chemical reactions, the body wants to address all healing in a certain order. This priority is paramount in the balancing process to initiate the body's ability to heal itself. The healing process usually follows rather quickly."
So, anyway, I thought it would be interesting. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes! Sorry for the boring post.
Have a great week everyone!!
January 22 OK everyone. I know I've kept you at bay for a couple of weeks now, but I (finally) posted some of the wedding pictures. They're a bit grainy because I scanned them, but overall, I am very happy with them. Darren is slightly disappointed because he was "blinking" in quite a few of them, but there are several that will work for our albums.
Enjoy! January 16
LAYER ONE:
Name: Amy
Birthdate: March 19, 1974
Birthplace: Saskatoon, SK Current Location: Edmonton, AB
Eye Color: Hazel green Hair Color: Red Height: 5'5"
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
LAYER TWO:
Your heritage: German, Scottish, Irish, Welsh
The shoes you wore today: Steve Madden sneaker things
Your weakness: laziness
Your fears: heights
Your perfect pizza: homemade; sausage, tomatoes, feta cheese. Goal you would like to achieve: better health
LAYER THREE:
Your most overused phrase: whatever
Your first waking thoughts: damn, I hate mornings
Your best physical feature: eyes
Your most missed memory: life before my parents divorced
LAYER FOUR:
Pepsi or Coke: Pepsi
McDonald's or Burger King: McDonalds
Single or group dates: single dates with my hubby
Adidas or Nike: either
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Lipton
Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or coffee: Cappuccino
LAYER FIVE:
Smoke: never
Cuss: absolutely
Sing: Always Take a shower everyday: definitely
Do you think you have been in love: undeniably Want to go to college: maybe someday
Want to get married: just did!
Believe in yourself: sometimes
Get motion sickness: most definitely
Think you are attractive: no
Think you are a health freak: not at all, I wish though
Get along with your parent(s): yes
Like thunderstorms: not at all
Play an instrument: nope
LAYER SIX: In the past month have you...
Drank alcohol: yes
Smoked: no
Done a drug: no
Made Out: yes
Gone on a date: yes
Gone to the mall?: yes
Eaten an entire box of Oreos: no
Eaten sushi: ewww, no way!
Been on stage: no
Been dumped: no
Gone skating: no
Made homemade cookies: no
Gone skinny-dipping: no way, too cold!
Dyed your hair: yes
Stolen anything: no
LAYER SEVEN: Have you ever...
Played a game that required removal of clothing: no
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: yes
Been caught doing something: yes
Been called a tease: yes
Gotten beaten up: no
Shoplifted: yes
Changed who you were to fit in: yes
LAYER EIGHT:
Age you hope to be married: 32
Numbers and Names of Children: that's a secret! :)
Describe your Dream Wedding: just had it - small & intimate
How do you want to die: in my sleep
What do you want to be when you grow up: grow-up??
What country would you most like to visit: all of them!
LAYER NINE:
Number of drugs taken illegally: 0
Number of people I could trust with my life: 3
Number of CDs that I own: can I include Darren's in this count??
Number of piercings: 7 (just ears)
Number of tattoos: 1
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: I don't think ever, but not sure
Number of scars on my body: 2or3 Number of things in my past that I regret: not much, life is too short!January 15
I know you all are wanting to see more wedding photos, and I did get an album from our photographer yesterday. But, since Darren hasn't seen them yet, I can't post them for you guys. He'll be back Thursday night, so I promise to add some later this week!! 
I'm pretty happy with them, so I'm anxious to show them off as well!! January 13 Here's the poem that my mom wrote and read on our wedding day. Kleenex may be required!!
The day you were born, my wishes came true
I looked in your eyes, those eyes, big and blue.
My life was changed by two tiny hands
That grabbed hold of my heart - but that was God's plan.
That moment so precious, that day set apart,
Your found your way straight into my heart.
Some things never change - like a mother's love
For the child she carries - that gift from above.
No matter the years, across all the miles,
It's worth all the tears to look at your smiles
As you gaze at the man who's captured your heart,
I thank God above that I've had a part
In helping you grow, in guiding you through
The millions of moments which turned into you.
And now in this moment, I know I've been blessed.
I feel I've succeeded, I've passed the test.
You're moving ahead, as I knew you would do,
That wonderful day I gave birth to you.
It's not letting go that's making me cry.
It's knowing you're happy, and thus, so am I!
Isn't that absolutely awesome? I am such a big dork...I cried AGAIN while typing this out. I've read it three times since the wedding, and I bawl everytime! I am so thankful to have such an amazing mom. I hope that someday I'm as great a mother as she is!
 Mom - Thanks for everything you are and all that you do for us!!
January 12 So, where did I last leave off? Oh yah...the night before the wedding, and I didn't sleep a damned wink! Yes, Trish, I know - you did warn me that would happen, and didn't listen!! 
OK, be forwarned - this is going to be a long post!!
The alarm goes off, not that I needed it at all! My hair appointment was for 10 that morning, and I found myself wondering why I didn't make it for later and I could have tried to get some sleep for a little longer. Finally, I drag my butt into the shower, and stand in there for a little longer than usual, trying to rid my eyes of the "no sleep burning sensation". No such luck. Great...I figure I'm going to look like hell on my wedding day with puffy red eyes. I decide against wearing my contacts right then and go with the glasses for as long as I possibly can. I'm not sure about any of the other blog brides, but I was quite jittery that morning. Nervous, but excited, and my hands were definitely shaking! All I could think about was seeing Darren at the end of the aisle, looking into his sweet brown eyes, and seeing that gorgeous smile!
I finally finished with getting ready and packing my stuff needed for the day. Since my mom was unable to drive (remember the broken wrist), I was now going to her apartment for my hair appointment. Peggy, my stylist was willing to come wherever I needed her for the day. I would have liked to have checked in early at the hotel and have it done there, but unfortunately it was booked for a wedding couple the night before, so I was out of luck on that one. So, I went to mom's place. Peggy showed up promptly at 10am and we got started. She finished about 11:45 and after Mom took a few pictures, we packed our dresses up and hit the road for the hotel.
We unloaded my Jeep, and settled into the room to eat some lunch. Neither one of us had eaten since early morning and were both famished! Shortly after we finished our sandwiches, my Dad and step-mom showed up. Since the weather can be very unpredictable this time of year, I told them to bring their wedding clothes to the hotel and they could change in either my room or Darren's parents room. They opted to stay in my room, which was a huge mistake! First, Dad went to change in the bathroom. Well, I all of a sudden realized it was 2:00 (our ceremony was at 3) and I hadn't done anything to get myself ready yet. I started scrambling around to put my contacts in and put on my makeup. Since Dad was in the bathroom and that had the ONLY large mirror in the entire room, I was sitting at the computer desk with a small lamp and my mom's make-up mirror trying to apply my own make up. Not an easy task. Pictures snapped back & forth, and I was getting irritated with having so many people in the room. Finally Dad finished, then my step mom headed in. I finally finished my make-up and pictures had to be taken of me with dad (in his suit) "pre-wedding dress". That was it, I'd had enough. I kicked Dad out and told him to go find my bouquet and the corsages for my mom and Darlene (step-mom).
Darlene finished in the bathroom and it's now 2:25ish. I hadn't even started getting dressed, and at last count, it took my mom (who had practiced) 10 minutes to lace up my dress! So, my mom attempted to get herself dressed while I started on my own. Picture a 57 year old woman with a cast on her right wrist trying to wiggle into pantyhose. It was quite a sight. Needless to say, I ended up having to assist with this one. That was also quite an amusing scene....me half dressed, her in bra and underwear, both of us tugging at the damn things. We were both laughing hysterically. Finally, she's at the point where she can finish on her own, so I rip my shirt off, and start the proces sof getting into my dress. Fortunately, the crinoline was built into my dress, and I didn't have to mess with petticoats. I'm in, and Darlene starts to lace me up with Mom instructing in the background. I wonder out loud where the photographer is because he was supposed to be taking some pictures in my room as well as. Suddenly, there's a knock at the door, and it's my dad with my bouquet, the corsages, his boutinere, and the photographer (Allan). Apparently, Allan had gotten lost in the hotel (it has two elevators for two seperate wings) and he didn't know how to get to my room. So, he snaps a few pics of us, and I start panicking! I realize that it's 2:50 and we should have been headed down to the ballroom already. I'm freaking out because I think we're goona be late for "my entrance".
You see, Darren had timed the music perfectly. He had six songs to start playing at 2:25. At exactly 3:00 my song would come on, and I was to be standing in the doorway. Anyway, we got downstairs, and the plan was for my dad to peak around the corner (so Darren and I wouldn't see each other) to see if Darren had entered the room yet. Dad and Mom were blabbing so much, that I decided to do it myself. Oops! Darren was standing right there, looked at me, and I quickly jumped back and started laughing again. No big deal...he walks in, and we start heading toward the doorway. I hear my song, and the three of us stand in the doorway until my "cue". Oh yeah...my mom AND dad were walking me down the aisle, not just my dad. Also, I was bawling. Yep, I had started in the elevator down, and had composed myself a bit, but as soon as we were in the doorway, I started again.
So, we're standing there and it was finally time. We make our way up the short aisle, and my adorable twin nephews are yelling "Mamie, Mamie". They haven't quite learned to say Amy yet. It was super cute. We get to the front and Julie (our marriage commissioner) asks "who gives this bride in marriage?" My parents both answer, "we do". I kiss them both and Julie starts with the ceremony. I'm still crying, trying to dab at my eyes and nose, and hold Darren's hands all at the same time. Looking back, it was pretty funny, but I was mortified at the time! We recite our vows, Julie asks for the rings, and in my opinion, this is one of the best parts. Prior to the wedding, we had put the rings into small red organza bags that had a drawsting. One bag was tied around the wrist of each of the twins. When Julie called for the rings, Neil and Pam told the boys to "go see Mamie". (I figured they would need to be led up, but nope, they did it all on their own, and didn't try to run around afterwards.) They definitely stole the show! We untied the little bags from their wrists and carried on. We finished with the vows, exchange the rings, and sign the registry. We're pronounced man and wife, and boy, did we kiss!!
Everyone congratulated us, and then we were supposed to have our pictures taken. With all the crying, I figured I better fix my makeup, so I went to the bathroom to face the mess. It wasn't as bad as I thought, so I did a quick touch up, and we headed up stairs to do the pictures. That was one great thing about the hotel we had chosen. They had several great places within the hotel for taking pictures. We would have loved to do wedding pictures outdoors, but again, with the weather here, we could have been facing a snowstorm, so we wanted to find a place where we could do everything. After taking our pictures, we met the rest of the family back down in our ballroom, and proceeded with the family pictures. I have to admit, I wasn't very organized with this one. It didn't occur to us to have a list of all the different groups we wanted pictures with. So, looking back now, I know that we missed having the photographer take some important ones with my family. Having divorced aprents sure makes it tough - mom wants pictures with us, then with my brother and his family. None really with Dad. Then Dad wants all the same ones, but not with Mom. Anyway, some were missed and I am disappinted about that.
Moving on. We finished pictures, and everyone visited for a while until it was time for dinner to be served. The catering staff announced that dinner would be served right away, so we all sat at our assigned seats. Dinner was fabulous. By the time our Prime Rib came, everyone was pretty stuffed from the soup and salad, although we all ate some of it anyway. About halfway through eating our salad my brother FINALLY started clinking his glass, and we all just laughed. Darren thanked my brother, and we kissed. Well, this set off a few more rounds of clinking, and by dinner, there were a couple of times that Darren and I clinked our own glasses!
We all decided we were way too full to eat the dessert right away, so we opted to wait until after the slideshow. Darren got the laptop ready to go and the slideshow started. It was absolutely amazing. Darren's parents did an fantatic job putting this together for us. Months ago I had gone through a bunch of my younger pictures, scanned them, and sen them on CD to his mom. I had seen a couple of slideshows his mom had done before, but I hsve to admit, that ours was by far the best! It was 30 minutes long, and it had everyone oohing and awwing, laughing, and crying from start to finish. Darren and I had picked out the songs we wanted her to set the pictures too, and while we had them arranged in an order we thought would work, his mom re-arranged them perfectly! I wish I could show it on my blog..it was really that well done! That meant the world to us!!
After the slideshow, it was time for dessert. Oh my gosh....all I can say is that I'm really glad I didn't bother with a wedding cake. I had been humming and hawing about that one, and decided against it in the end. Thanks goodness. Our dessert was so amazing. It was a Chocolate Truffle Torte which consisted of dark chocolate mousse with a moist chocolate cake, a white chocolate truffle covered with milk chocolate. When we first decided on that one, I thought it might be chocolate overload, but it was just perfect. The right amount of sweetness. Mmmm. Darren and I have decided to go back every year on our anniversary and have dinner there to include that dessert! I think it will be a "sweet" tradition!
After dessert, the families wanted us to open our presents. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting to open any that night. Both sets of parents had given us money during the planning stages, so I just assumed those were our gifts from them. I was quite mistaken. We had a few cards, so we opened those first. Most were cheques, and that was awesome. We've been saving for a down payment on a house, so that money will come in super handy! Next, my mom's presents. Along with some money, she had a couple of boxes. The first, a new VCR. I had to laugh. I am a HUGE Survivor fan and for some reason, it seems that I am never home Thursday nights. Not normally a problem, BUT my VCR does not record anymore, it only plays. So, I was constantly calling my brother to record Survivior for me. Hence, the new VCR. Second gift: a food processor. Another joke gift. I am forever borrowing my mom's food processor to make Hummous. I tried to make it once in the blender, and that was a huge disaster, so I kept borrowing hers. I guess she must have gotten tired of lending it out! Last, but certainly not least, was a huge basket wrapped in cellophane. The entire contents of the basket was covered in tissue paper underneath the cellophane so we could not see at all what was in it until we started unwrapping it. Inside, there was a ton of snack stuff. Bags of chips, bottles of water, granola bars, juice, a bottle of wine, crackers and antipasto. I was a little confused, and then my brother pointed out a folder stuck down in the side. I opened it up and discovered that my family (brother, SIL, Mom, aunt and uncle) had chipped in to get us a two-night stay in Jasper, AB. They had paid for two nights in the honeymoon suite, got us a gift certificate from one of the best restaurants in the town, and a few gas cards. It was a perfect gift. We had decided to not take a honeymoon that week, so a getaway for a couple of days was an awesome idea! The basket full of snack food for the drive!! woohooo!!
We did thank you's and then my mom announced she had something to say. I had seen her carting an envelope around earlier, and I knew that it would contain something emotional and would make me cry. Sure enough. She got up and pulls out a poem she wrote. Now, in my 32 years, I've never known my mom to read poetry, much less write a poem herself. I can't even describe how I felt while hearing her read it. Obviously, I was crying, as was everyone else in the room. I can't even do it justice to desribe it, so I will post it over the weekend for you guys to see. After the 189th crying fest was done, we sat down to visit and just chat about stuff. Since we weren't having a dance, I fully expected people to get bored, and start leaving shortly thereafter. Didn't happen. My genius husband starts ripping up some paper and hands everyone a piece along with a pen. I look at him puzzled, and then catch on to what he is doing.
Over Christmas while at his parents place, one of his cousins had us play this game. It was really quite funny. The name of the game is "What If". Everyone has to write down a question on their paper that starts with "what if". Can be a question about anything and everything. Then, everyone folds the paper up, and hands it back to one person. That person re-distributes the papers ensuring that no one gets their original question. Then, everyone has to answer the question before them. Once answered, the paper is folded back up, and handed back in. They are once again distributed (doesn't matter if you get your own this time), and the first person starts. That person reads the question only on the paper. The person next to them, reads the answer to the question on their sheet. Laughter usually follows, then the person that just read the answer reads their question. The next person reads their answer first, and so on. It actually gets quite funny and by the second round people are catching on and start making some hilarious questions/answers. It's pretty entertaining and quite fun.
Anyway, we played this for a while, and before I knew it, midnight was upon us. We celebrated at midnight and everyone hugged and kissed. Afterwards, we played another game and about 1am I was ready to pack it in. Having no sleep from the night before, and the excitement of the day, this bride was exhausted, as was everyone else. We packed up our belongings, and everyone headed to their rooms or home. By the time I got all the bobby pins out of my hair, it was about 2:30am, and I was begging for sleep. We woke early the next morning and met Darren's family for breakfast in the restaurant. They had to leave that day to drive back to Saskatchewan, so unfortunately we couldn't spend more time with them that day, but it was nice to have some alone time again.
All-in-all, it was a perfect day. I did stress about some things, but mostly I just tried to have a good time. I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful our room was decorated for the wedding. Thankfully, we didn't have to do much in that department because the hotel had Christmas decorations up, including a fully decorated tree! My flowers turned out beautifully as did the flower arrangements. I was a little unhappy with the Mom's corsages but oh well. Minor detail in the grand scheme of things.
I know you all are waiting patiently for pictures, and I promise to post some soon. I do have a couple of candids that family took, but they aren't that great, so I want to post some from the photographer. He promised I would have the CD in two weeks, so I should get it this weekend!
Hope I didn't bore you all too much. Have a great weekend!!
*** P.S. Jane - No, I'm not pregnant!! Yet!! ***
January 10 Friday, December 29th
We had quite a bit to do. Darren had started working on the ceremony music the night before, so I left him to finish that while I went to pick up my dress. I was worried that it wouldn't be ready (yet again) but, as promised, it was hanging in an empty dressing room, wrinkle-free - just waiting for me to take it home. Well, my mom's home anyway. Couldn't leave it at my place with Darren or the cat around!!
So, I speed over to mom's place to get it there before a wrinkle can set in during the 15 minute ride. Got it unwrapped and hanging and had to take off again. I went over to my dad's place to pick up the high chairs and play pens for my nephews. I wanted to have the playpens there in case they needed to sleep at all during the afternoon or in the evening. I wasn't sure how late the party might go afterwards, so better to be safe than sorry! Darren also had to pick up the rental items for the wedding. When we first scoped out the hotel, they had it set up for a wedding ceremony. The chairs had ivory chair covers with gold organza ties. They looked stunning, and I knew that we needed the same thing for our wedding. Also, when I went to meet up with our catering manager, she suggested a matching gold overlay for the table to be pooled down the center that the flowers and oil lamps would sit on. So, today was pick/up day for those things.
Next stop, finding new slippers to wear with my dress. We had discovered that during my many fittings, the slippers I had ordered online were not Ivory as I needed, but more of a Butter Yellow. Very noticeable! So, I bought some white ones, and thought they might work. Nope - way too stark! So, I just happened to be walking through a cheap department store (Zellers for all you Canucks) and thought I would check the footwear department. Eureka! They had the exact color I needed, and in my size. So, I went to the cashier to pay and discovred that they were also on sale from the $14.99 they were marked at. $8.95 incluing tax! Nice huh? I thought so!
We had also been invited to my dad's place for dinner that night because my step mother's sister and her family was in town. I have not seen them in quite a while, and they had never met Darren, so we pretty much had to go. It worked out well, since I had to pay the florist for the flowers, and the shop is quite close to my dad's place. We went there first, and then headed to Dad's for dinner. All in all, it ended up being quite a late night. We ate a huge dinner, played some games with the family, and got home about midnight. We went to bed and I realized that would be my last sleeping with Darren as his fiance. The next time we slept together, I'd be his wife! It was a mildly strange, but very exciting feeling.
Saturday, December 30th
We had a bit of a lazy morning even though we had stuff to do. Once we did finally roll out of bed, Darren was in front of the laptop to finalize the last details with the music. He is a huge music buff, and everything had to be just right. He said, "This is the only job I've had to do for the wedding, and I want to make sure it's perfect!" Isn't that sweet? Anyway, I went to my mom's to help with a few things before Sunday. She let me brother sign her cast the week before, and completely forgot about wedding pictures happening. So, in an effort to cover up the cast, we had purchased some sequined material to match her dress, and we were going to sew a sleeve to pull over it for the day. After a few minor glitches (I am not a seamstress by any means), we got it just right, and she had a fabulous cast cover for the day!
Next, we had to drop off everything at the hotel. Out came all the rental items, high chairs, playpens, laptop, projector and screen. Yes, my Jeep was jammed full of stuff! Darren's parents had checked in shortly before we arrived, and we planned to take them for dinner. For dinner we went to a place my Mom had suggested. Her office had gone for a Christmas lunch there a couple of weeks prior, and she said the food was amazing. Well, we walked in and I knew this place was going to be a bad idea. You see, Darren's parents live on a farm in Saskatchewan. They are not super old fashioned, but I know they don't like loud music, and funky atmosphere. We decided to stick it out and eat there anyway. In the end, the food was quite delicious (and expensive), but we had a good time. We walked back to the hotel and it was time for me to leave my fiance for the evening.
What a surreal moment that was. This was the last time I would see him before walking down the aisle to become his wife. Needless to say I was a bit emotional - well, we both were. I left in tears (imagine that) and went home for my last night as a single woman. So, I didn't sleep a wink that night. I even took two Tylenol PM, but it didn't help. I was just so excited, and I could not turn my brain off.
So, I know some of you are going to hate me, but I'm stopping here again. Be back tomorrow!!
January 09 Oh man...I don't even know where to start with this blog entry. So much has happened in the last 2-1/2 weeks since my last entry!!
I guess I'll start where I left off - seems as good a place as any!!
So, it was December 20th. Wow, that was a long time ago! Anyway, that was my last day of work for 2006. It was so nice. Darren was coming home that night, and we would be together for the next few weeks! WooHoo! So, I left work a few minutes early to go for my hair trial. It came out beautifully. It was exactly what I wanted (I had a couple of photos with me), and left about an hour later. I was going to my mom's place so she could take a few pictures and then I would head home to greet my honey. Unfortunately, about the time my mom should have been arriving home, I got a phone call. It was her cell number. I answered expecting to hear my mom's voice. Only it wasn't her. It was some lady telling me that she was sitting with my mom, and that she was alright, but that she had slipped on some ice in a parking lot, hurt her wrist pretty badly, and could I come over there? So, I told her I would be there as fast as I could, and took off. I called Darren on my way and he was actually not too far away from where my mom was, so he got to her before I did.
We went to the closest medi-center and within 5 minutes later the doctor said it was a broken wrist, and sent her for x-rays. So, sure enough, she's got a broken wrist. Great huh? Suffice it to say, this changed a few wedding details quite a bit. Nothing that couldn't be handled, but as a stressed out bride, I was extremely panicked! My dress had a lace up back and my mom was supposed to "tie me up" on the big day. Not to mention a few other details..driving, her getting ready, etc. Plus, Darren and I were leaving town to go to his parent's place for Christmas and I didn't want to leave her alone. She didn't want us to stay home and take care of her, nor did she want to come with us, so we left. BTW - Neil and Pam did a great job of taking care of her and getting her around!! So, she's got a half cast until the swelling goes down enough for a full cast. We get her home, and situated with some easy food for the next couple of days. Did I mention that she broke her right wrist and she is right handed?? Fun!
Friday night, we hooked up with my family to celebrate "Amy & Darren's Early Christmas" since we wouldn't be there on Christmas Day. Great times. The twins are definitely getting the hang of this present thing. They had wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons and bows all over the place! We snacked on finger foods all night and watching "Finding Nemo" (again). This happens to be Jacob and Noah's favorite movie at the moment...everything is Meemo this and Meemo that! It's quite cute. They even try to operate the DVD player on their own...this is not so cute!
So, after a fun night of opening gifts we got home, settled in and did a bit of packing so we could leave bright and early Saturday for our 6-1/2 drive to Saskatchewan. Well, needless to say, the bright and early thing didn't happen. We ended up leaving about 11am, but it all worked out in the end. We arrived just in time for dinner and to do some visiting. While we were there, Darren's mom wanted to do a practice run of the slideshow they put together for us. So, we showed them how to hook up the projector to the laptop, and we watched another slideshow she had done for one of her sister's birthday. We weren't allowed to see OUR slideshow before the wedding, and we had to vacate the premises on Sunday so they could test it while we were gone.
On Christmas Eve Darren's brother and his wife arrived. They live about an hour away from the parents, and had planned to stay for a couple of days to do the family thing. Christmas mroning arrived and we sat around opening presents and then stuffed ourselves with a delicious breakfast. As usual, the parents spoiled us all rotten. We all got some "spending money", and several other fabulous gifts. Darren and I decided to go easy this year with the wedding and all, and I think we stuck to the plan fairly well. I got him a Calgary Flames hockey jersey (he's a huge fan), some button up dress shirts from MEXX, blank CD's, and the obligatory socks and underwear. I got from him: my perfume, a salt scrub/lotion combo that I asked for, a silver necklace w/pendant. We also got a fondue set from his brother and sister-in-law. We haven't tried it yet, but I can't wait to bust it out! Mmmm...chocolate fondue!
On Wednesday we left for home. I wanted to be back here a few days before the wedding so we could have some much needed alone time, and get the last minute stuff done for the wedding. It worked out very well. I had two more dress fittings once we got back, and Darren finished the ceremony music as he promised he would (and did a wonderful job with it!).
I'm going to leave it here for this entry. This is getting long, and I'll save the wedding post for it's own! Be back later!
December 20 Well ladies & gents - today is my last blog as a single gal! Yep - you read that right! Today is also my last day of work until January 8th!
Darren is on his way back home today after completing his finals yesterday - I can't wait to see him! It's been over a week again since he was last home. Anyway, we have some Christmas shopping to finish over the next two days, then on Saturday morning, we leave for his parents place in Saskatchewan. We'll spend the holidays there and then come back to Edmonton on the 27th. There will be a couple days of last minute wedding stuff to do, and then the big day on New Year's Eve!! I'm so excited!
Tonight is my hair trial. I'm a little nervous about it, but I've shown my stylist a couple of examples of what I want, and she didn't think they would be a problem for my hair. I am going with an up-do - it looks so much better up than down with this dress. Darren prefers it down (surprise, surprise!), but, too bad for him this time!! I'll have my Momma take a few pics, and if I get a chance, I'll post them tonight or tomorrow!
Tomorrow night is another dress fitting. I was quite happy with the last one, and am loving my dress again! I can't remember if I had mentioned it or not, but I was having second thoughts about it for a while there. Not that I could do anything about that at this point, but I was hoping once the alterations started to take shape, then I would like it again. I can't imagine getting married and not being happy with my wedding dress, that would be horrible! Fortunately, that was not the case!! All is well in dress world again!
The florist did call "as promised" last Friday and she had a bit of good news for me. She had quoted a price for the flowers, and wanted to let me know that the price would be about $36.00 less than what she quoted in the first place. Nice! That should come in handy somewhere over the next few days!
I knew that weddings were expensive these days, but I just had no idea that even the smallest thing can have a huge price tag attached. Wow. I can't imagine how much this wedding would have cost if we had ended up having all of our family and friends in attendance. I think that would have completely wiped out a very large house down payment! Crazy!!
That's about all my news. Sorry for the boring post, but my mind is just dwirling with a million thoughts, and I can't seem to focus on one for any more than 1.2 seconds!
11 days to go....
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year!! (I know I will!!)
December 19 Superchick posted this today, so I thought I'd steal it from her!
You can only type one word. No explanations.
Yourself: Optimistic
Your Partner: Amazing
Your Hair: Straight
Your Mother: Encouraging
Your Father: Strong
Your Favorite Item: Ring
Your Dream Last Night: Nightmares
Your Favorite Drink: Chai
Your Dream Car: Landrover
Your Dream Home: Peaceful
The Room You Are In: Office
Your Ex: Disappointing
Your Fear: Infertility
Where You Want to be in Ten Years: Happy
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: Cat
What You’re Not: Conceited
Muffins: Cranberry
One of Your Wish List Items: Bag
Time: 12:56 pm
The Last Thing You Did: Filed
What You Are Wearing: Cotton
Your Favorite Weather: Warm
Your Favorite Book: Thrillers
Last Thing You Ate: Sub
Your Life: Content Your Mood: Excited Your Best Friends: Thoughtful What Are You Thinking About Right Now: wedding Your Car: Jeep What Are You Doing at the Moment: Blogging Your Summer: Engaged Relationship Status: soon-to-be-married (that's counts as one word right??) What Is On Your TV: Photos What Is The Weather Like: Cold When Is The Last Time You Laughed: Lunch
**Not tagging anyone, but feel free to post on your own site if you like!
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