My weekend...

Sadly, my camera didn't even leave my desk this weekend, so I have no pictures, but this is sort of how it went...

Friday night grocery shopping...



Saturday morning bank appointment...

Home for some rest...

The mall to watch The Green Hornet

(super funny and had my funny-man crush in it - Seth Rogan)...

Met up with Mom and Linda to go to Reflect Social Lounge for Dine Out Vancouver...

Home for some tea...

Sunday morning was spent relaxing (and eating Aaron's specialty - waffles) before heading over to Canada Games Pool...

with Colby...

and Calista...

Then home for steak (for Aaron), fish (for me), and pasta with a fresh tomato sauce...

It was a busy but fun weekend spent with 2 of the best kids in the whole world! They are such well-bahaved, happy children, and Aaron and I can only hope that our children are just as wonderful!!!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekends too!

Tonight I'm Free!

Aaron's best man Mike is in town for schooling, so I'm left to be a single woman for the evening!

Aaron with Mike (right) and Dani (left)

So what's a girl to do when left to her own devices???

This is what she does...

Sounds like the perfect evening!

My Girls

I'd like to introduce you to my bridesmaids...

(Lisa, Lizz, me, Emily, and Jay)

These are my best friends, the people who I turn to when I am sad, the ones I celebrate with when I'm happy, and the most loyal, wonderful, charming, kind, and beautiful women I know.

Lisa and I met when we were about seven years old. We grew up 3 doors away from each other, having sleepovers, discovering boys together, playing softball, and becoming adults together. Lisa was my best girlfriend - really my first girlfriend because all of my other friends were boys for some reason. Our co-op was very tight-knit... all the kids played together, and all the parents looked out for every single child. We were like a large family. Her parents were like my parents, and my parents were like hers. It's just the way it was. Eventually, Lisa's family moved out of the co-op, she got married and had a baby, and we just drifted apart. It wasn't because of any issues or hard feelings, we just lost touch. But through the power of Facebook, we reconnected, had dinner, and fell back into each other's lives like not a day had passed. She's one of the best things in my life. When I asked her to be a bridesmaid, she got teary eyed. And when she asked me to help her with her wedding, I cried. It's just who we are, and I love her!

Lizz is Lisa's younger sister. She is about 5 years younger than me, but she was always around. She was like my little sister when we were kids. It was almost a hobby for Lisa and I to tease her and convince her to embarass herself. But she was our little sister so we had to do it! When Lisa and I reconnected a few years ago, Lizz was part of the package, and she wasn't so little anymore. She'd grown up into a beautiful woman with a large heart, and no more Sally Jesse Raphael glasses! :) I love Lizz for many reasons, but especially because she's the little sister that I'd always wanted and actually got to choose!

Emily and I worked together. When she first started, I never thought that I'd be friends with her because she was 20 years old, fresh out of college, and engaged to her high school boyfriend. We didn't have a lot in common, or so I thought. After a trip to Kelowna together for work, I let her in to my little closed-off world and suddenly I felt myself liking her. She's now a married woman and one of my best friends! She is one of those girls that tells it like it is and doesn't really care if people like her. She is always just who she is, and I love her for her attitude and for her humor and because she is always real.

Jay and I met at Douglas college in the fall of 1997. She was blonde, beautiful, smart, and absolutely the kind of girl I dispised in high school. But she was also funny and generous and warm, and I desperately wanted to be her friend. By the end of our college life, we were not only friends, but planning a trip to Mexico! Since then, we've really grown up together. We experienced everything together - EVERYTHING - that a young woman experiences, and we always supported each other. Through the best times in our lives, the lowest points, the saddest moments, our highest highs... we did it all together. And when she got married in September, I stood next to her - never more proud to be her best friend. I don't know how I would have survived my twenties without that girl beside me!

These are my girls... the best ladies I know. They each provide me with different kinds of love, support, and understanding. They have each held my hand. They have each watched me cry. They have each laughed with me. They have each received the joyous call about our engagement. They have each received the question... will you be my bridesmaid? They have each said yes. I love them all because they are unique, and I can't wait to go through this journey with them!

My Best Friends' Weddings

I was lucky enough to be the MOH at Jay's wedding on September 25th, 2010. She was a stunning bride, and I was lucky enough to stand next to her as she became Mrs. VanDenBerg!

Now, my life long friend and my bridesmaid Lisa is getting married on September 24th, 2011, and has asked me to be involved in helping her plan her wedding, although she is not going to have a traditional MOH! How lucky am I to repeat this again with another one of the friends in my life that I couldn't live without!

Lisa and Darren have the kind of love that exceeds traditional sentiments. They are best friends, they support each other, they truly enjoy spending time together, and they also allow each other their own independance. They are honestly just two of the best, kindest, most generous and giving people that I know and I'm so very excited to watch them vow to love each other for the rest of their lives! And I'm also very excited to help another friend plan a wedding!

Aren't we the cutest friends? :)

Lisa and Darren - Cheers to a lifetime of happiness and love!

We Have A Decision, Folks!

Aaron and I had our eye doctor's appointment yesterday, then we headed off to the Centennial Lodge. I had very high expectations about this place for a few different reasons: 1) We could bring in our own catering and alcohol - saving us a lot of cash! 2) It had the wood beams and wood floors like I love and that fits into our theme. 3) It was in Queens Park which allowed us a lot of photo opportunities that the Diamond Alumni Centre didn't necessarily have surrounding it since it's in a university campus.





We met with one of the caretakers of the Lodge, and he showed us around. It was much smaller than I had expected, and didn't allow for a lot of room once tables were set up for dancing. The fireplace was nice, but only one of the two side-by-side fireplaces actually work which would throw me off since I've very particular about things being even and symetrcial.

I thought it was very nice, and had a lot of potential though. However, for our winter wedding, we would need a ceremony sight as well, and their rose garden (beautiful!) just wouldn't work in November. We left the Centennial Lodge feeling slightly discouraged. Aaron didn't like it, and my heart was telling me that we'd already found the place that we were meant to get married.

So today we had a very frank discussion and made the biggest decision in our wedding planning process... we choose the DAC as the place to vow to love each other for the rest of our lives in front of our family and friends!

In February I'm taking my mom and bridesmaids to view the DAC to get their thoughts on decorating and logistics, and then Aaron and I will be signing the contracts in March! We don't need to look anywhere else when our hearts have already decided for us!

Cough, cough!

Aaron got sick a few weeks ago on a Friday. Three days later on Monday I got sick, while he got better. Then he felt sick again for a day or two. We both felt better that Friday, but then on Saturday I got REALLY sick. I started to feel better, then 2 days ago, he got sick again. Then yesterday my cough got worse. We are a sad bunch of people!

But this makes me feel better ------

A monkey named Keiko...

A donkey named Halo...

A good movie...

A bowl of hot & sour soup made from scratch...

A good book...

And this wonderful man who makes me smile every single day of our lives...

I guess it's okay to be sick as long as you're surrounded by love!!!

The Venue Search

A and I began the GREAT VENUE SEARCH on Saturday. We started with my dream venue, the Diamond Alumni Centre. I had discovered this little gem while following the blog, Vancouver Vows. Amy and Patrick chose this venue for their darling nuptuals, and I fell in love with the beautiful charm. Wood beams wrapped in white lights, hanging lanterns, a wooden bar, wall-to-wall windows, a covered balcony, 2 fireplaces. I was in love, and so was A! It was everything I could have imagined.

THIS IS WHERE WE'D GET MARRIED

The only concerns we have about this place are as follows:

1. The price. We would have to cut our numbers from 120 to 80 to be able to afford it.

2. The chairs. Simply put, they are not attractive. We will have to rent chair covers.

3. No bridal suite. This means that my bridal party and I will have to wait in the limo out front until it's time to enter. This is a small issue, but not a big deal.

4. Alcohol. We will have to go with a cash bar, which I don't like, but it's okay. I'm learning to deal with it. :)

THIS IS THE MAIN RECEPTION ROOM

(See what I mean about the chairs???)

We love it, but we'll be checking out our next venue choice this weekend. Stay tuned! :)