Wedding Wednesday- Groomsman

This is normally the time that I would wish everyone a happy Wednesday and say "hold on, your half way through the week". However, for all of my Canadian readers get your red and white party hats on because tomorrow is everyone's Friday! July 1st is Canada Day!! WOO HOO

Seeing as it is so easy to screw up schedules on long weekends I figured I would ground us all by my Wedding Wednesday post, is it helping? Just humor me! :-)

Today is a special post. Not only is it the last (but certainly NOT least) member of Ryan's groomsmen but it also happens to be my brother. Therefore, I have LOTS of dirt!! I've been warning my brother all week to be nice to me! MOO HA HA (That's my evil laugh)

Todays post is also going to be special because Ryan and I both will be writing about my brother. I'll start!

Let me introduce you all to my brother, Jared:

Jared is 4 years older then me. I'm sure he would have rather had a brother when I was born to play ninja turtles with but no such luck. He got me, sucker!

Since Jared and I are a few years apart I think he always thought of himself as more mature! I remember him telling me NUMEROUS times that no matter what, he would always be older then me! Frigger! I have to admit though, for the most part we usually got along.

But, we had our moments. Jared was never a bully or someone who was violent. However, for a kid, he was smart and was good at manipulating me!

I remember Jared used to tell that there was quick sand all over the farm. One day when I was out helping Dad at our neighbors I fell in a manure pile and my rubber boots started to sink. Immediately I assumed I was being swallowed by quick sand and freaked right out! I jumped out of my boots and rolled out of the "quick sand" to my safety (at this time I was COVERED in cow manure).

I always got my pay back though because being the actress of the family I could turn on the tears in a second! Jared and I, for the most part, agreed on the same t.v shows. In the rare chance we didn't agree I would look over at Jared, smile, and then just start HOWLING. Claiming that my brother had hurt me he would sent for punishment and I would be with the remote control! We had a pretty typical brother/sister relationship.

Once we got older, Jared and I seemed to come to an understanding. It was better to use our powers (his manipulation skills and my acting) for the better instead of the worse. I think we probably got out of some trouble from my parents by working together for a better cause.

Jared left for college and I missed having another sibling in the house. He did return to the farm and married his sweet heart Holly. Not to mention they have my most favorite little munchkins, Faith and Clark.

Jared lives right across the road from us. It's a comfort level for me to have my brother there for me, always. As adults, Jared and I get along really well. I can honestly can that I can confide and trust in him with anything. I really am so lucky to have such an amazing brother and friend!

Why yes, our mother does still dress us alike.

Jar-head,

You'll never know how much I look up to you. You really have been an amazing brother! It is so important to me that you are standing up there, supporting me, when I marry Ryan. Thank you for being apart of our wedding.

Love you,
Lindsay

P.S

It's going to take me FOREVER to deflate his head!

Ryan's turns:

Jared,

My first memory of you was in high school. High English with Mrs. Halligan. I was in the wrong class

:-)

We didn't hang with the same group of friends in school. We had different friends and different interests.

I am sure Jared, you were shocked, maybe a little scared when Lindsay told you about us.

Over, the last three years Jared has become a great friend of mine. We defiantly have more in common now. We golf together, have a cold beer together and also some pretty good laughs too.

He is a good, proud father and a good husband.

Last but not least, thanks again for standing with me at our wedding. I promise you to treat your sister right for the rest of my life.

Thanks Brother (ha ha),

Ryan

*Ryan's section was suppose to have pictures too but blogger is being a pain!!

Hope you all have a great Wednesday!

xo

Waterlogged Weekend

It's amazing how an adventurous, productive planned weekend can be turned around so quickly! I wish I could write to you about all that I accomplished this weekend but let me start from the beginning.....

Friday afternoon, Jilly, Ryan and I loaded up the car and headed to Ottawa for the Chicken and Rib Festival. Annually, Ottawa hosts a Chicken and Rib festival. Up and down Sparks Street Mall vendors are there competing for that first place prize. I had never been and so Friday afternoon we ventured out in the rain for a rib supper.

Raining it was, more like down pouring! We got SOAKED through but it was so worth it! We all ate in the comfort of the Jeep!

We decided since it was raining, it was the perfect opportunity to see a movie! We decided on X-Men First Class!

On the way to the movie theatre it was wet....really wet! But it had stopped raining hard so we never thought anything of it!

When we got out of the movie (which was good by the way) it was like the flood gates opened. Every parking lot was covered it water and the police were closing down roads all over. Driving through the parking lot, water was up to the door.

I have to admit...I was scared. The visibility was limited because of the rain, roads were washed out, other roads were questionable and we could not get home.

Luckily, Jill's sister and brother-in-law (Hi Kara!) were accessible and agreed to let us stay the night. Thank God we know such wonderful, generous people!

The next morning!

Saturday morning we left Kara and Chris' to try to take the 20 minute drive home. Unfortunately, things (again) didn't go as planned. We stopped on the road and were told 30 minutes before we could pass on the detour. 30 minutes turned into an hour....and finally we were told, no one will be passing...at all!

We were literally 5 minutes from home but had no way to pass on the road! Instead, we had to turn around and drive all the way around...another hour later and we were finally home!!!

Who knew that rain could cause so much damage. I know there is always the obvious of water damage in a basement but it really put into perspective how much we depend on our road ways and how quickly you can be isolated! I had to avoid the urge to stock up my cold storage with non perishables!

The HWY 148

As frustrating the situation was at the time I am so thankful for being with my supportive fiance and best friend. Being with them made a frusterating/scary situation into an adventure after all! (Let's just not have another one for a LONG time, ok?)

How was your weekend?

xo

You Know You Live In Quebec When..........

Happy Friday everyone! I know most are complaining about all the rain we are getting but seriously, for this farm girl, it's awesome! My only wish would be that it doesn't rain from noon to 6 PM on Saturday for any fellow brides out there....it's all about Karma Ok? :-)

Here's a little fact that some of you out there on cyberland might not know about me, I live in Quebec and I'm english. Sure, I can say a few things in french and have a BASIC conversation with someone who speaks french. However, mostly I speak english. Not just me though, most of my friends and family in Quebec are english as well. It's tough being english in a french town and a lot of the time you get alienated. Don't get me wrong I believe in kids being bilingual but how about having that same respect for your english inhabitants? I would LOVE to go to a Quebec McDonald's and see english AND french! Can I get an AMEN?

O.K...O.K....I'll stop ranting now because really it was just suppose to be an introduction to the title....You Know You Live In Quebec When.......

You are grocery shopping at 11:00 AM on a weekday and they are giving away free BEER samples!

Another thing you might not know about Quebec, you can buy booze ANYWHERE!

That my friends is a tell tale sign that you are in QUEBEC!

Happy Friday!

xo

Wedding Wednesday - Bridesmaid

Happy middle of the week everyone and officially (well yesterday) welcome to SUMMERTIME! Sometimes I just completely skip over most of spring because it feels like summer to me!

Being that it is Wednesday, I'd like to introduce you all to my final lady in my line up of bridesmaids! I'd like you all to meet Amanda:

Amanda and I have known each other for a very long time! You see we are the same age and we both live in this very small town! We both went to the same school from kindergarten....

I'm at the head of the table, Amanda's to my left

Through elementary school......

High School until we graduated!

Ya, we have known each other a long time! That's almost 17 years...wow! Through birthday parties, school trips, sleepovers, and much much more, Amanda has always been apart of my childhood memories!

Normally, after high school graduation, people part ways and drift apart. It's the sad reality of living in a small town and then going to the "big city" for further education!

Amanda went to college in Kingston and I went to school 4 hours away in Guelph. We were still friends but the visits became limited to holidays and special occasions.

Both Amanda and I finished our education early and moved back home. Instantly, since being in the same small community, our friendship continued on like there was no interruption. Movie dates, concerts, ice cream trips became a monthly occurrence!

Now, Amanda and her boyfriend Josh have become two of the greatest friends Ryan and I have had as a couple! Jokingly, we say Ryan is Josh's girlfriend. In fact, in September we will be venturing out to visit Josh (and I'll be driving out there with Amanda) in Calgary!

Amanda and I have a lot in common! Being that she is also a small town farm girl we always have something to talk about! And talk we do! I don't think 2 days goes by without some kind of exchange!

Amanda,

I still giggle every once in a while thinking about us as little girls growing up together. I am so thankful that throughout all of those years knowing each other we still maintained our friendship! You have been there for all of my major milestones (birthdays, graduation, heartbreaks, etc) and I couldn't imagine you not being there with me on my wedding day.

Thank you for being apart of mine and Ryan's special day!

Love you!

Linds

xo

Busy Pool Party Weekend With A Side Of Father's Day

Happy Monday! I am actually kind of glad to see Monday here. I had a fabulous weekend but I'm glad for routine that the week days brings!

Lucky for me, I actually had a three day weekend! I took Friday off of work so that I could head to the city to get last minute supplies for our 3rd annual pool party! The rest of the afternoon I prepped all the food and when Ryan got home from work we got the outside ready for all the people!

Saturday morning was spend finishing last minute details before everyone arrived for the party! I have to say that one of the reasons I love having the pool party is that we get all the property cleaned up, looking nice and it stays that way for the rest of the summer.

People started arriving at 2 PM on the dot and continued to roll in for the whole afternoon! It was so awesome to see everyone and to sit back and see how the group has changed so much!

There are so many young kids and it makes me smile watching all the kids and parents have a great time in the pool!

We had lots of activities between Texas horseshoes

Longest drive contest

and yummy food galore! (I love preparing the food list every year, party food is ALWAYS the best)

Thank goodness the weather was so beautiful, the sunshine made the day even better! Ryan and I are so thankful to have such a large group of friends! We love being able to host a party that the whole family can enjoy! Thank you to everyone who was able to join us!

On Sunday morning Ryan got up at 5:30 AM and let me sleep in! He was like a little energizer bunny and cleaned up everything from the night before! Then he made me breakfast in bed, he's a keeper! :-) When I finally rolled out of bed I went outside to admire the chalk artwork from the party. Brought back lots of happy memories from the day before!

Since Ryan had already done all the cleanup we decided to head to Shawville for lunch and ice cream! On the way home Ryan must have been feeling adventurous because he decided to make a pit stop to show me a surprise. First, we stopped in the middle of no where.

Then we climbed over this old set of rickety stairs.

Through a field of wild flowers and then through the woods.

Finally, after a bit of a hike, we finally made it to High Falls.

I had never been here before but it was one of the hang out spots from Ryan's youth! It was a fun little mini adventure.

A little tip, when hiking to High Falls, bring better foot wear!

For the rest of the afternoon we napped, I picked some fresh peonies for my kitchen table and got supper prepared!

We a very important guest (who had been away on a fishing trip for the last week) coming for a father's day BBQ!

I see my dad everyday at work! A day doesn't go by that I don't see or talk to him. So, when he is gone for a week I miss him terribly! On Sunday afternoon Mom and Dad came over for a swim and a relaxing BBQ. It was a perfect end to a wonderful weekend!

How was your weekend?

xo

Grow Seedlings, GROW!

Happy Friday everyone! I am technically off of work today so that I could make the trek to the city for the last minute pool party supplies! Can I get a "WOOT WOOT" for 27 degrees tomorrow and sun...perfect pool party weather!!

I think I've mentioned before that I've become a little bit obsessed over my vegetable garden. Sure, I still love my flowers but there's something about my vegetables that has me drawn. It's almost like I need to make sure I get a good supply before the winter otherwise we'll go hungry! I know a little far fetched but it might explain why I'm so anal about checking it's progress!

Every morning when I walk over for breakfast I check the garden for any little guys that I might have sprout up overnight. Then, at lunch, again I check it's progress and look for any bug damage (stupid rose chafers). Then, at night, it's time for watering and again I look for growth. Yes, that's three times a day....I'm turning into the crazy garden lady!

After pondering (ponder, ponder, ponder as my brother would say) and analysing my behavior I've come to the conclusion that I have a serious case of "self conscious green thumb" disease. It's not pretty.

This may come to a shock to those who know me. In fact, it comes to a shock to me, my job is to grow grass for goodness sake, I should be able to grow vegetables! However, I'm not. I'm worried the soils too wet or too dry. My seeds are too deep or too shallow. Am I saying the right things to make them happy?

I should be a natural at this stuff but I guess I'm not. Until I get the hang of this you will find me crouched next to my row of cucumbers that are trying to grow, waiting, hoping and obsessing over the littlest amount of growth. I think I need therapy! GROW SEEDLINGS, GROW!!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

xo

Wedding Wednesday - Groomsman

Happy Wednesday everyone! It hit me last Saturday, 11 months till the big day! Less then a year! Part of me hopes that the next 11 months fly by! The other part of me wants it to slow down because I am really enjoying these "pre-marriage" moments!

So, being that it is Wednesday and around here Wednesday's mean all things wedding I'd like to pass this post to Ryan!

Hi everyone. I'd like you to meet Luc, Papa Ski-Doo, one of my groomsman.

I've known Luc for about eight years now. I met him through Lisa, Crawfish as I call her.

My first memory of Luc was the day we met. He was watching the races on the Ottawa River in the winter. He had brought down his sled and that is when I first started loving snowmobiling.

Luc is a great friend. We've had lots of fun together in the years that I've known him. He is very hard working. The man will do anything for anyone. He will help others before himself, he is very unselfish.

I'm glad he is a friend of mine. He has bent over backwards for me, helping me in whatever way he can. I was spending so much time at Luc and Lisa's that they jokingly gave me my own room.

I've been kicked out of my room but for good reason. He has two wonderful kids, Yanni and Syndey.

Luc is hard working, a good father and a jack of all trades, all things that I look up to. I am so glad that he is part of our special day. Thank you.

Peace Man!

Ryan

*Lindsay here*

l'm thinking Ryan should start his own blog pretty soon eh? hee hee! Last night when I asked Ryan to write a post for me he never even hesitated. Just went to writing. I was pretty impressed! Thanks again Ryan!

Happy Wednesday!

xo

*All pictures are stolen from Luc's Facebook*

Weekend Recap and CHECK

Happy Monday! As I am writing this, my eyes still feel like they are half asleep! Even though I get up early it takes my eyes and mind time catch up with the rest of me!

I hope you all passed a great weekend! Let me start by telling you about the special mail I received on Thursday. A while back I mentioned that I had signed up for a flip flop swap! It turns out that it was for Americans only but after e-mailing the organizer, she agreed to be my swap partner so that I could still participate! Pretty awesome, eh? I was SOOO excited to see this pretty envelope on Thursday! I mean, an envelope like that MUST be something good!

It was something good! It was an adorable pair of flip flops with a cute little zipper rose detail! They fit perfectly and they go with so many outfits! Thank you Lyryn for my flip flops and the swap!!

Back to the weekend! Friday evening, after a hectic week at work, I worked outside where I got attacked by black flies! It was all worth it though because I got my whole vegetable garden weeded and now my little seedlings can GROW, GROW, GROW!!!

Saturday was a big day! I could not sleep but I managed to get to work and work the morning away which made the time pass by super quick! I had a lot of mixed emotions about Saturday. It was a mix between excitement and nervous, I couldn't believe I was going to be purchasing my wedding dress!

My mom, Bev (future Mother-in-law) plus Jilly, Bekk and Amanda (MOH & bridesmaids) headed to the city for a quick lunch and then wedding dress shopping! The place of choice, The White Dress on Preston Street in Ottawa.

If you want an AMAZING shopping experience visit this bridal salon! Jasmine is so helpful, kind, and genuinely excited! You can really tell she loves her job! The dresses of coarse are BEAUTIFUL but the experience is first class! Thank you Jasmine!

Us ladies, pre shopping! Thank you all for coming with me, I couldn't have done it without you!

The trip was so fun and successful! Lots of laughs, the funny hip dress my bridesmaids picked out, and kind of got a little emotional for me when Jasmine put the veil on my head! I am able to CHECK a big item off the wedding to do list, buy the wedding dress!

Whether it was all the excitement, or the lack of sleep in anticipation, I went home and CRASHED on Saturday afternoon. I was feeling so ill. I tucked myself into bed at 5 and slept the night away (except for one supper break)!

Sunday morning I was feeling 100% better. Ryan and I loaded up the jeep with food and chairs and headed to a neighbors for the annual Sunday School Picnic. It was fun to be able to sit and enjoy the out door church service, anticipating all that yummy potluck food to come!

The kids had an amazing time and once in a while during the service you could hear the giggles in the background.

That afternoon Ryan and I headed to the city and got most of the supplies for our upcoming pool party!! But, more on that next week! :-)

How was your weekend? Hope you have a wonderful week!

xo