home sweet home

Marcus is back, after six days in San Francisco and two days in Calgary! He came home for a brief 16 hours in between the two trips. Suffice to say that he is exhausted from the run-around and emotional turmoil that funerals bring. Chloe was happy to see him, again, but I don't think she trusts him to stick around now. Well, not until he gets back from work tonight and things slide into their normal routine. I am dreading all the things that I must do over the next two weeks. And then I will be in Calgary. I guess I better appreciate the comfy, stable domestic life while it remains, even if it is filled with horrific nightmares (of the dreaming nature, not the real life variety) I can only share with Marcus.

happy world day of prayer!

I, like many people, had not heard of the World Day of Prayer before. Not sure how I've missed it since even my mother had heard of it before. This year's theme is "United Under God’s Tent". Anyway, just wanted to say "happy world day of prayer" and have a super weekend! Marcus flies out on Sunday and I am looking forward to working on a bunch of stuff that's hanging over me.

and the world keeps spinning

Haven't gotten a chance to blog properly in a bit. Seems like there's either nothing to write about or I'm too busy to take the time to write. I've just been: working, doing stuff for at-arts, sewing a bit, making altered book postcards, cleaning house (always fun...), wedding planning, stressing about finances, finding too many calls for art submissions than life will allow me to create for, enjoying the blooming crocuses, bowling with people from church (I bowled 126 and won our game!), and planning my trip back to Calgary in April. March (which I have dubbed "eeeek!!" month) and April are already looking packed full. I'm looking forward to May and June which, I hope, will slow down a bit.

I sewed some cool cushions for our living room, which I need to take pictures of and show off to all of you. Soon, I hope. The At-Arts AGM notices and membership renewal forms are all printed and envelopes are all addressed and stamped, just got to get to the post box. I found a marriage commissioner and will meet with him while I'm back in Calgary. Marcus flies down to San Francisco on Sunday for a video game conference, so I have all next week to myself to get things done. Guess there's no startling developments that need sharing...

Etsy

I was just wondering is any of you have heard of and/or used the Etsy site? It's a site for "buying and selling all things handmade". Think eBay-chic-handmade-fashion-art-stuff. Anyway, I came across it and it seems fairly popular, although I hadn't heard of it before. And it also appears to be the perfect venue to sell my sewing designs and small art. I'm not sure yet how the service charges compare to an eBay store (will look into it later), but Etsy seems like the kind of place that would be easier to sell your stuff at 'cause the people that visit the site would be willing to pay decent for your work. What do you guys think? I mean, I really am getting to the point where I need an outlet for my creative side (on outlet that would hopefully provide a little extra cash at least). Any advice or suggestions are very welcome (Tina, how's the eBay store thing going?).

technorati fever

Technorati Profile

Blame, Marcus. He started it.

human emotions

So, there was this great link on our work blog, that I just have to share. It's basically an engine that searches the internet for "human feelings" from random blogs. The interface for selecting a particular thought/emotion from the massive crowd is really neat. It seems like it would be one of those wacky foundations for a great art project. I feel fine. You feel fine. We Feel Fine. Enjoy...

So back in the day, veils symbolized the bride's innocence and modesty. Women today consider them a romantic custom. I honestly hadn't really envisioned wearing a veil on my wedding day, but then I tried so many on while looking for the wedding dress, that I got roped into the idea. I mean, when else will I get to wear a veil?! Might as well go for it. But then I got to looking at the price tags hanging from all those veils. The least inexpensive was $150. This is while I'm still trying to come to grips with how much the dress will be. I console myself with the notion that I really won't need to chose the veil until the dress comes in, which is about five months from now. But then it is pointed out to me that, no, in fact, the veils themselves take a least three months to get in. Which means I don't have to decide on the veil that minute, but I do need to make up my mind in the next few weeks.

And that's where the creative sewer in me took hold. Why the heck would I pay $150 for a veil that I could make for about $50 or less?! (I do realize that I might find out why someone would pay that much shortly, if my homemade veil is a disaster :) ) On Monday, I received a sale flyer for Fabricland and noticed that their tulle is currently 50% off. So, last night I took a little trip there, found a pattern for a variety of veil styles and lengths (also 50% off) and bought reams of white tulle to make the veil for only $2.45/m (on sale). I haven't decided what type of headpiece or comb I'll go with, but I can probably find something at Claire's with a little sparkle.

My only dilemma now is, did I make the right choice about the colour of tulle. The dress is a very light ivory. They had both white and ivory tulle in stock, but the ivory just looked too yellow. I may have to take the tulle down to the dress shop in the next couple of days and hold it against the dress.

community of creatives

Just wanted to share this great article featuring a friend of mine, Kendall Yellowhorn, who is a Calgary menswear designer. He is sooo amazing! Congrats Kendall! You keep me inspired to continue to sew my own creations.

dress success

yay, website! yay, blog! yay, visiting with my mom! and a special yay to deciding on my wedding dress!!

It was a fairly relaxing, laid back visit with my mom, who flew out to stay with us from January 25-29th. But it was super exciting because we finally got to go dress shopping together! With help from my mom and miss Lisa, I was finally able to make a decision, get sized and order the gown. I also ordered a little sleeveless bolero. Now I just have to wait 5-6 months for it to come in. It seems like a long time, but I have no doubt it will go by fast since we still have about 165 things to do before the big day.

Things we've completed so far:
- booked a venue for ceremony and reception
- booked a photographer
- bought the dress
- compiled the guest list (about 75% done)
- chosen our attendants

Our priorities this month:
- booking a marriage commissioner
- deciding on a veil
- completing the website
- shopping for Marcus' wedding ring

It's coming together...if you have any helpful hints or suggestions, don't hesitate to comment or email!

it's beginning to look a lot like...

...Alberta. It seems that the Alberta winter's have finally found Marcus and I. You just can't hide from them. Well, that's not true. Mr. Cold North wind doesn't live out here. Nor does the "I like to make the thermometer drop to -30". No, it's just been really snowy out here. I don't mind it much myself, but I don't have to drive in it. And yes the roads do get incredibly slippery out here, and all the steep hills don't help, but the main problem are the drivers. Vancouverites themselves are the first to admit they have no idea how to drive in snowy conditions. Their first reaction is to floor the gas or the brake and then begin to yell (or scream) and turn the steering wheel wildly. Can any of you Alberta folk tell where they failed the driving lesson? Oh well. And yes, my dear sweet counterpart has written an entire blog on the mayhem already. So I don't really have much more to add, except photos...

View from our balcony, 4pm(ish)

Intrigued Chloe, following day

avoiding regret

I'm soo happy... my mommy is going to fly out here at the end of the month for one of my final dress shopping adventures. I was really feeling pretty blue about the fact that she couldn't share this experience with me. It's a once in a lifetime mother-daughter thing to do. And I wasn't feeling blue because bringing the mom along to find your wedding dress is tradition, I was sad because I really wanted her to be there when I walked out of the change room onto that little podium and saw me as a woman. It's silly, I guess. But I knew it would be one of those things that I would feel regret about a little later in life. So I decided to be proactive, for once, and not let this experience slip away. I talked to my mom and she was feeling very much the same way. So now she'll be on a flight out here at the end of the month. Lisa and I can show here my top two or three dresses and I think I'll probably be able to make a decision from there... I will either choose one of the dresses or come up with a design myself and have a dear friend (and amazing designer) sew it up for me.

My son is my son till he gets him a wife,
but my daughter is my daughter all the days of her life.

positive weekend, but i still cried

So Saturday was amazingly fun! Thanks to miss Lisa for coming along on the dress shopping expedition and for providing much needed girl time. We went to two different bridal shops and also returned to the first store I had visited (back in like November) so that I could compare my fav dress there with others we had found. The verdict... I have a new favorite dress! And let's just say "WOW"! I found it at the second shop we visited. I was a little apprehensive about trying stuff on when we walked in the door because one of the first dresses we saw had a price tag of $4300, which sorry to say is way over my dress budget. But upon exploring the racks a little more, we discovered that most dress weren't too horribly priced, some were down right affordable for the design. Once the sales assistance saw the types of dresses I was pulling out she suggested one for me and put it on the pile of things to try on.

And so the process of squeezing into dresses and zipping and pinning began. I actually found several there that were very flattering, but then I tried on the dress that the sales assistant had suggested. I stepped onto the podium in front of the three-way mirrors and "wow" was all I could say. I looked amazing and it made me feel amazing, which is the general idea behind finding the perfect dress. But to put the icing on the cake, the sales assistant slipped a little sleeveless lace bolero onto me and I was sold. It is ultimately my favorite in ways that most dresses can't compare. The dress itself also simplifies a lot of alteration costs, undergarments, and accessories.

And thanks again to Lisa, I'm being the responsible bride and waiting at least a week. Then we'll head back down and try on my top two or three all in a row for good comparison. From there I should be able to decide. Plus this gives me the chance to figure out how each dress will fit into the overall design of the wedding day.

So it was a grand day, but didn't end with dress shopping. Lisa and I headed out to the mall where I found a nice shirt. Then we grabbed some groceries and met up with the boys (including Hayden) at Jared and Lisa's, had some good BBQ, and played a great board game called Settlers of Catan which Marcus and I have been wanting to try for a while. All in all a good night.

Sunday started with church, and then hotdogs from 7/11, then we visited a game store in Port Coquitlam and picked up our very own copy of Settlers of Catan, which we already played twice last night. The evening ended with a short crying session, but still, it was a wonderful weekend.

giddy

I'm giddy happy! Tomorrow I'm off to go dress shopping! It will be my second attempt to find the perfect wedding dress. Hopefully miss Lisa will be joining me, which will make the adventure all that much more fun. I made two appointments, both in downtown New West. One is at Sposa Wedding and one is at Lisa's Bridal. Wish me luck!

the date is set

I keep forgetting to blog about my wedding date, but it's not like I'm not currently living and breathing everything wedding related, I just keep forgetting to brag about it a bit.

The big day is set for Saturday, November 24th, 2007. We're having the wedding ceremony and reception at the same venue, the Al Azhar Shrine Centre in Bowness (northwest Calgary) right on the bow river. Marcus and I both grew up in Bowness (his father owned the Bowness Hotel) so we thought it was quite fitting to have our wedding within the community. The Shrine centre is also a wonderful venue and several friends of the family have had weddings there. We'll be married in front of a big fireplace and there's a dining area with a dance floor. Now we just have to figure out the other 166 details (yes, that's the actual number of "to dos" left), minus the chore of finding a photographer, whom we have already found.

Marcus is working on our official couple's website, which will have loads of wedding details, but which we also intend to maintain as our personal (and future family) website. It's all very exciting! I'll let everyone know when that's complete.

new year, less guilt

I figured I'd better post something soon before I get too wrapped up in the new year to remember what I did for New Year's Eve, which is, not much. Stayed at home, started drawing and doing art again (which I've been neglecting since mid-November). Marcus and I shared some smoked oysters on ritz crackers and a bottle of sparkling non-alcoholic cider. I watched Speed (where is Keanu these days?) while Marcus played on Sindome. We didn't plan on staying up for midnight, but we got wrapped up in watching episodes of Angel and before we knew it people were cheering and setting off fireworks in the rain throughout the neighborhood. Happy New Year!

I don't generally make New Year's resolutions, and I don't necessarily consider this a resolution, but I need to work on my guilt quota. By that, I mean, I need to harbor less guilt. It drags me down, has for years. And I'm learning from my dearest of dear friends and soon-to-be husband that I don't need to have guilt over everything. Lots of things are not my fault and I don't need to accept responsibility for them. I just need to let go. I'm sort of hoping that going to church will help me in this area. And no, I'm not attending my guilt festering Catholic church. At least going to church will act as a reminder. It might seem kind of lame or weak, but it's what I need right now. It must be what I need right now, because both times that we've gone to church, so far, I've nearly burst into tears. Not sure what that's about... well maybe I do, but I'm just starting to work through that.

I also have a goal of losing 15 pounds before the wedding. Guess I should go out and buy a scale to keep track of that. Marcus is working on a similar goal. I also think I'll buy a set of hand weights to use at home. Need to work on my arms. I used to love my arms, but now that I'm not doing heavy lifting at work on a daily basis, they've gone to flab. So much to do, and only 24 hours in each day.