my suitcase heart

2012-01-20T12:51:00.000-06:00

Our wedding was recently featured in a local wedding magazine. It was quite a thrill to see our favourite day ever so prominently displayed. It's also been kind of fun to run into people who have read it!

You can read the full article here.

See our wedding posts here.

2012-01-18T07:00:00.003-06:00

In an effort to use up some gift cards (and let's be honest - to put off grocery shopping a bit longer), we decided to have a progressive dinner of sorts, using only our random gift cards. It didn't lead to the most nutritious meal, but I think it could be the start of a fun little tradition.

*Shot using our new(ish) 85mm f/1.2 lens!
*Shout out to that talented husband of mine for the new blog design! :)

2012-01-13T13:23:00.001-06:00

My friends and I had our first Book Club meeting yesterday. It's about time that I'm in a book club. I've been dying to be in a book club since I was probably seven years old!

We met yesterday to discuss the structure & how it was going to work. We're going to meet once a month and take turns picking books. First up: Sarah's Key!

2012-01-09T07:31:00.000-06:00

I know that it's not polite to invite yourself over for supper. But when you've been invited over already, I figure it's not too presumptuous to suggest a potluck. So I did. It spun into a happy mish-mash of dishes (all a bit carb heavy), shared amongst friends.

And then - the Christmas tree burning. I don't think it's a popular activity, but it should be. The smell of those pine needles crackling in the fire is just out of this world.

It makes a wee bit of a mess and the flames occasionally got a bit out of control, but still highly recommended.

2012-01-05T15:46:00.000-06:00

I have lovely people in my life - friends who knit me scarves and a husband who designed/organized my recipes into a recipe box (quite the upgrade from my haphazard scraps of paper!).

(Note about the recipe box: We had been talking about doing this since we saw Angela's lovely recipe folder. So even though we had agreed on no presents this Christmas, Mike sneakily bought this vintage recipe box off of ebay and designed me recipe cards. How's a girl supposed to compete with that?!)

2012-01-02T16:48:00.001-06:00

I think this was my happiest New Years Eve ever. We always seem to be scrambling last minute for plans, so this year we decided to host a party. Sparkly decorations, tasty food, and 40+ of our friends crammed into our 700 square foot abode - it really doesn't get any better. We toasted Prosecco as the clock struck twelve and then threw on our favourite song of the New Year. It felt like we were in a movie. (When I tried to play the beautiful ballad a second time, people told me the song was 'boring' - a swift reality check, haha!).

2011-12-28T08:35:00.001-06:00

A little Christmas video.

2011-12-24T14:53:00.000-06:00

We've had fun wrapping up the presents this year. We've also been loving turkey dinners with family (1 down, 2 two go!), reading for pleasure, watching Modern Family, and playing around with our new tablet. Oh, I love the holidays.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all of you out there. Thank you for reading and always writing us such nice notes. I love this little blog more than I can say.

*Mini wreath idea from here.
*Chalkboard idea from here.

2011-12-19T07:00:00.001-06:00

It's time to pull out the Lonely Planet again!

Mike and I recently booked tickets to Honduras for a week in February. We don't know much about it, but we know it's warm and the tickets were cheap. It was really a no-brainer.

Anyone have any tips or recommendations? We'd love to hear them!

We also happen to be spending about a day in Miami each way... so fill us in on some things to do/places to stay there too!

Thanks in advance. Our Hawaiian honeymoon was made all the sweeter with your amazing recommendations. :)

2011-12-16T07:00:00.002-06:00

Life has been incredibly busy lately. Coming home everyday to this Christmas-y home improves my quality of life greatly. Especially when Mike sets the timer on the Christmas tree lights to turn on exactly when I get home from school. He's a good man!

See our tree last year here.

2011-12-15T07:00:00.001-06:00

This past weekend, our dear friends, the Aysons, had their Fourth Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Each year, the sweaters get uglier, the treats get tastier, and the company gets sweeter.

In fact, it was two years ago at the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party that Mike and I had our first real conversation! At last years party, he was my boyfriend. And this year, he was my husband!

We obviously owe the Aysons big time.

See last years photos here.
See photos from the first year here & here.

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

On Saturday evening, my friends and I threaded felt bunting and made sparkly holiday messages. It brought back fond memories of wedding craft nights. Oh those were crazy days, but I sure loved making all the pretty things.

I also love spending time with my best friends, eating the most amazing food*, and laughing a lot.

*baked brie in puff pastry. seriously, go make this right away.
*sparkly holiday message inspiration here.

2011-11-30T07:00:00.003-06:00

I'm not a winter gal, but I do love early winter snow falls. It's not too cold and getting all cozy inside still feels like a novelty. A cute beanie and scarf seem like fun fashion accessories rather than absolute necessities in combating frost bite. And we can pump all the Christmas music we want!

2011-11-24T07:00:00.004-06:00

I know photos of succulents are nothing new, but I happen to like these little guys quite a lot. They're a nice pop of green when I look out at the dreary (and often dark) window. I just hope we don't kill them, as we are sometimes prone to do.

On another note, I started my teaching block yesterday. So last night, I read journal entries, lesson planned & ate skittles. Brain food, you know.

2011-11-21T09:34:00.002-06:00

Mike and I have a silly little competition when it comes to Scrabble. I had always thought of myself as rather good at Scrabble, but then Mike came along and beat me every time (except for that time that I was creaming him at Neighbourhood Café. But then it turned out he was going to propose, so I guess he had good reason to be playing so poorly...)

However, I'm happy to report that I beat Mike for the first time this weekend. He was quite surprised, I was elated. It was the highlight of my weekend.

We also did some planning for our New Years Eve party. I've been pinning some photos on my New Years Eve pinboard, but I'm having a bit of a hard time finding snazzy/crafty/cool New Years Eve ideas (finding a lot of tacky/cheesy ideas). If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

But look at this fancy little design Mike whipped up for the soirée:

And lastly, here is the Shabby Apple giveaway winner:

Wishful Nals, please email me your shipping information :)

2011-11-18T07:00:00.002-06:00

Lately Mike and I have been going to a church on Sunday evenings, which means that Sunday mornings are now the perfect opportunity for brunch.

My friend Sarah has not only an amazing sunroom, but also a charming, cozy apartment. My friends and I gathered for a simple Sunday morning feast of pancakes, bacon, raspberry buttermilk cake, and christmas oranges. We chatted, looked at beautiful cookbooks, and I, unsurprisingly, took many photos.

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's always a bit of adjustment getting used to the dark after Daylight Savings. I miss those warm, bright summer evenings more than ever.

However, my friend Kari recently made an excellent obersvation about the cooler weather. She said, "In summer, you feel obligated to spend all your time outside. In winter, it's totally okay to just stay inside."

Absolutely true. Bring on the fires, scrabble games, moccasin slippers, and HBC blankets to snuggle in!

*Did anyone notice the "?" tile? ...it's from our engagement! :)

2011-11-14T07:00:00.002-06:00

Isn't that the most darling little black dress? (I love that zipper in the back!) Well, my friends, you can win it!

Shabby Apple has generously offered to give this Forbidden City dress away to one lucky reader.

Here's how you can enter:

Scoot over to Shabby Apple's website and tell me you favourite dress.

Become a follower of Shabby Apple's Blog

and then leave me a comment.

I shall pick the winner Monday, Nov. 21!

*Note: Unfortunately, this giveaway is only open to US readers.*

2011-11-13T07:00:00.001-06:00

I realized I never shared about our wedding favours. We were so happy with how they turned out, so I wanted to just quickly explain them.

For our favours, we gave each person a film canister filled with skittles (purple package - our fave!). Mike designed paper that fit perfectly into a film cassette We wrote each guest at our wedding a little note and would it up in the cassette.

We initially saw the idea here. And we bought the film cassettes here (although, it looks like they maybe don't sell them anymore. Shame, because it was almost impossible to find them online in the first place!)

Here are also what our menus and wedding programs looked like. Mike also designed a ton of other stuff for the wedding (like little signs for the sparklers, the photobooth, the gift table etc), but we unfortunately don't have pictures of them.

Some of you may remember that we sent out our save-the-dates on vintage postcards. We decided to do something similar with our wedding thank yous. While in Hawaii, we picked up a bunch of faux-vintage postcards and brought them home with us. Everyone seemed happy to get a little Hawaiian sunshine in their mailbox :)

Well, that's it for wedding details, but we do have a wedding video (!) that we will be showing next week!

Have a great weekend!

*First photo by Josh Dookhie.

2011-11-11T13:21:00.001-06:00

photos by josh dookhie.

A few nights before the wedding, I was in the garage until 3 AM, organizing and labeling all our boxes of stuff for the wedding. I worried about how this was going to all come together. Was it going to look like a garage sale? Would it have a cohesive look? Would all our hours of hard work be worth it?

Well, I worried for naught. The reception was crafty, magical, and beautiful. It was like a huge, wonderful dinner party with all our very best friends and family. We ate delicious food, laughed so hard during speeches, and danced up a storm during the crazy dance party.

I remember sitting at our little table for two (pictured above) right after we finished dinner and thinking, "I need to remember all of this. Every little detail. This is exactly what we wanted!" It was just so dream-like.

So, I am so excited to share this all with you. First, I'll explain some details, and then I'll show you heaps & heaps of photos of our favourite evening ever.

First up, our amazing seating chart. We came up with the idea together, but Mike executed the idea perfectly all by himself. Here's how it worked:

We collected over 25 different brass animals (from thrift stores and garage sales). It was quite the treasure hunt all summer. But we did it! We had an owl, a swan, a duck, a horse, a lion, and a snail to name just a few. Each table had a brass animal on it. To find out where you sat, you looked for your name (listed alphabetically) on the seating chart. As you can see, each name card also has a hand-drawn (by Mike) animal on it. You then had to go and find the brass animal that matched the drawing on your place card.

Mike tied each of the namecards to a old wire gate that came from my grandparents farm in Iowa. My grandma was just bewildered that we wanted to use her old "farm junk" at our wedding. We actually ended up using quite a few items from the farm!

Mike (ever the electrician) also hooked up some cool lights to that chart so that it was perfectly illuminated!

Quite a few people told me that doing my own flowers would be too stressful. So I decided to compromise and have a florist do my bouquet and the boutonnières. I wanted to do the vases on the table myself, so we got those flowers from her supplier.

We got all the flowers from the florist on the Thursday before the wedding and stored them in buckets of water in my in-laws crazy cold basement. Friday morning, a bunch of us ladies got together and put all the bouquets together. I had chosen a variety of white, yellow, and green flowers.

After all the vases were filled, we stored them again in the basement until Saturday around one. Some family brought them over to the church and set them out on the tables before the ceremony. Each table had about three or four little vases on it. It just looked so pretty!

My friends and I love baking, so I knew that I absolutely didn't want to pay someone else to do it. My friends graciously helped me bake up a storm the Wednesday before the wedding. My sister-in-law also made three beautiful cakes and dozens of cupcakes. We stored all desserts in fridges and freezers at our place. In between the ceremony and reception, my friends drove to our place and grabbed all the desserts and set them up.

Mike made fantastic labels for each of the desserts. I made the little cupcake toppers and the cake bunting.

We hauled in three pieces of furniture for the dessert "table". My mom helped paint the two dressers white. My mom also collected over a hundred vintage plates and forks. This gives you a bit of an idea of what they looked like all together.

It was mighty tricky estimating how many desserts we needed, but I think it turned out well! Almost everything was polished off! Always a good sign :)

That's it for details. If you have questions about anything else, just ask in a comment & I'll respond there.

Thank you so much for sticking through all these wedding posts and for leaving such lovely, kind comments. You all are so kind!!

xoxo

2011-11-10T07:00:00.002-06:00

photos by josh dookhie

We drove outside the city and took photos in, around, and on top of (!) enormous cement cylinders. Who knows why they are there, but they're sort of beautiful in a weird way.

On another note, I love that Mister so much. Even more than I did on our wedding day.

Tomorrow - reception!

2011-11-09T07:00:00.029-06:00

photos by josh dookhie

My love and I got married on the second floor of a historic building in Winnipeg's Exchange District. It has beautiful hardwood floors, huge windows, and black ceilings. It may look like a hip art gallery, but is actually a really cool church. We couldn't have been happier with the space! However, it was a rather unconventional wedding venue, so there were a few bumps along the way...

When Mike and I started dreaming up ideas for our ceremony and reception, we decided we wanted something with an art gallery feel. I set off emailing every art gallery in the Exchange District of Winnipeg. Alas, they all emailed me back and said they didn't do weddings. Finally one gallery suggested Exchange Community Church. As soon as I saw it online, I thought, "This might be it!"

Mike and I quickly went to check it out. It was probably more amazing in real life than in the photos. Amazing hard wood floors, huge windows, and cool black ceilings and lights. Also, the church has the most amazing staff. They told us we could do whatever we wanted with the space (I think they had no idea what that would mean for us!). It also presented some interesting challenges - the tiniest kitchen ever (with no faucet!), only two bathroom stalls, and limited space. We decided the pros outweighed the cons (plus they rented it to us for dirt cheap), so we decided to have our ceremony AND reception there.

We thought it made sense to have the majority of the reception in the larger side of the space, and decided to have the ceremony on the smaller side (tough to explain, but it's sort of L-shaped). There are some poles that sort of acted as dividing lines between the two spaces. So we decided to create a horizontal ribbon wall divider since I didn't want everyone to see the reception space during the ceremony.

Sometime in June, my friend Kari and I went to the church and did a trial run (the real version ended up being a lot thicker). The final product is what you see in that second photo in the collage. We cut many, many curtains and tablecloths and then tied them all together. It was a labour of love, but worked out perfectly!

The biggest twist in wedding set-up was the big black stage you can see in some of the photos. As you can see sort of in the first photo, it looks like it's a bunch of different pieces. I had talked to someone from the church, and mistakenly thought we could take the pieces apart and store them in the back.

Oooh no. When we were setting up, we realized that huge black stage was not going to go anywhere. Unfortunately it was right in the MIDDLE of where everyone would be sitting during the ceremony. We weren't able to really move it around because of the darn poles. It was a terrible dilemma. In the end, someone from the church let us cut out (!) a section of the stage so that we could push it against the windows. That big old stage cost us five rows of seating, so the ceremony ended up being a lot ~~squisher~~ intimate than previously planned.

Other ceremony details:
-The table we used to sign the registry cost 25¢ (yard sale find!)
-We got the three old doors behind us on the stage from an amazing antiques store called Old House Revival
-The two old windows came from my grandparents farm in Iowa
-My nephew Xavier pulled my other nephew down the aisle in this ancient old wagon (later used to hold flowers at the reception). Shaela, my niece, followed them and threw flowers down the aisle.
-We hung small mason jars with baby's breath at the end of each aisle.
-We hung doily bunting down the aisle (à la Julia & Yuriy - thanks for the inspiration ;)
-Mike's suit is from H&M, his shirt is from Club Monaco, and his darling bow tie is from American Apparel.
-My dress is Alfred Angelo.

There is more than you ever wanted to know about our ceremony! :)
Tomorrow - the photoshoot (some of the prettiest photos of the whole day, I think!!)

2011-11-08T07:00:00.002-06:00

My friends Randi and Rosie did my make-up and nails at my mom's house. I read a little handmade card that Mike gave me that morning at breakfast. I got zipped into a pretty dress, and met my husband-to-be under a big, beautiful tree.

Little memories that are not captured by these photos: A few days before the wedding, walking around the park that I went to almost daily as a child and picking this tree as the first look spot. The hook and eye breaking on my dress and my sister-in-law to the rescue with a needle and thread (had to text Mike and tell him to hang tight under that big, beautiful tree!) Having trouble walking through the grass in my high heels and heavy dress. The butterflies in my stomach as I walked up to Mike....

Tomorrow: Ceremony!

2011-11-07T07:00:00.002-06:00

photos by josh dookhie

The morning of our wedding was a bit different than most. Since I didn't have to get my hair done at a salon (woo pixie cut!) and we didn't have a wedding party, we had some free time in the morning. We decided to spend that extra time with our families.

We all went out to breakfast and then took some casual family photos. Family photos often tend to be a bit rushed in between the ceremony and reception, so we decided to block off some time for them, go to a cool location, and use fun heart shaped balloons. We didn't want to be in our wedding formal wear for the breakfast and family photos, so I hunted high and low for a pretty, white sundress.

It was also nice to take some casual photos of just us. We never got engagement photos done, so I'm just thrilled to have these!

Tomorrow - getting ready photos & first look!

2011-11-04T07:00:00.003-05:00

We are so so happy to be able to start sharing our wedding photos with you! It's been so fun to look at the photos and re-live the day.

Check back here on Monday (and every day next week!) if you're into huge photo-heavy wedding posts! ;)

2011-10-31T14:14:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, we woke up to a foggy, misty morning. I decided that capturing this moment was more important than being on time for school, so I slipped on some shoes and took these photos in my pajamas. I was twenty minutes late for class so maybe I would have been late regardless... The fog seemed like a spooky little prelude to Halloween.

Hope you all have a happy halloween. We didn't do much this past weekend to celebrate, but we're having friends over for board games, snacks, and handing out candy tonight!

Ps. The white house above is our humble abode. Mike strung up leftover globe lights from the wedding and set them on a timer. The pathway to the side door is illuminated every morning and evening :)

2011-10-18T07:00:00.006-05:00

While Mike was busy shooting a wedding on Sunday, I went over to my friend Cayleen's for some tea & waffles. There was also a toasty fire, some mad good white sauce for the waffles, and one of my favourite games. A happy autumn afternoon, that's for sure!

2011-10-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to a pretty, outdoor, autumn wedding that was pulled together in seven weeks. I can't even fathom how they did it. I guess after dating for four years, they didn't want to wait any longer! We are so so happy for Paul and Laurel (and a little bit emotional too - I couldn't stop crying during the ceremony!). Congratulations you two!

2011-10-11T07:00:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, Mike and I went to two weddings and two thanksgiving dinners. It was crazy busy, but check out my handsome date! We always have fun together wherever we go.

By the end of the weekend, we sort of felt like this!

But... then we found out my brother & sister-in-law are having another baby. Yahoo!

2011-10-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

To celebrate Mike's recent birthday, we had both of our families over for dinner. Lemon Garlic roast chicken, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables - roasted heaven! We had lots of laughs, wine, presents, and stories. It's so fun having people come over to our little home!

2011-10-03T07:00:00.005-05:00

primarily hana, maui.

This is the last Hawaii post (I know I know, finally!). I felt badly dragging it out, but Mike and I always love looking back at old posts and reminiscing. I knew if I didn't edit these photos, they would just end up on an external hard drive somewhere and we wouldn't look at them very often. It reminded me of the dual purpose of this blog - to provide little snapshots of our life to all of you out there reading, but also to function as valuable journal of memories for Mike & I.

So thank you for putting up with all these posts. I'm excited to start sharing more about our newlywed life here in Winnipeg!

2011-09-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

Mike turns 26 today!

I love this guy with my whole heart.

He's the sweetest, kindest, most talented, goofiest, most stylish man I know!

I am so so lucky to be his.

xo.

2011-09-26T10:32:00.001-05:00

sunrise at 10 000 feet.

directions: wake up at 3.30 am. stuff as many blankets & sweaters as you can into the car. (optional: pack snacks you don't end up eating). drive for an hour until you reach an altitude of 10 000 feet. shiver for an hour, but marvel as the sky slowly turns pink, lighting up the clouds below you. suddenly, that hot fiery ball of sun pops up over the clouds and the clouds disappear. the sun lights up the crater below you and instantly warms the air. and then be amazed, because it's really one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen.

2011-09-21T07:00:00.005-05:00

la pérouse bay

Yes! I'm back after a brief unintended hiatus. And yes! More Hawaii photos. Here's why: It's been a long, cold, rainy day filled with university classes and these photos (when accompanied with a warm blanket & a cup of hot chocolate) make me feel nice and warm.

ps. I'm just going to say it - I love love love being married. Heaps of laughter & silliness before 8 am is a fabulous way to start the day.

2011-09-09T07:00:00.002-05:00

The Lonely Planet guidebooks make lovely travel companions*. The books provided us with top notch restaurant suggestions, interesting anecdotes about each region, and (best part!) directions to ~~a sort of dangerous~~ an absolutely dangerous, rugged path - one false step could send you sliding down the sharp drop off into the ocean.

(That photo of me trapizing down the trail does not accurately portray the sheer drop offs. I was scared. But then I saw people with babies on the beach, so clearly I am less fearless than Hawaiian locals.)

You follow the twists and turns and good old LP eventually leads you to the most beautiful and startling red sand beach. And then you wonder, how the heck is Hawaii allowed to be so devastatingly gorgeous?

*Be careful not to speak too adoringly of LP whilst on your honeymoon. Mike made me a few comments about me loving my Lonely Planet books more than him. Untrue!

2011-09-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

Shave ice eating, photo taking, people watching, and boardwalk strolling in Lahaina, Maui.

2011-09-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

While in Kihei, Maui, our condo was across the street from a beach. Occasionally we crossed the street, just in time for the 6.30 pm sunset. There's nothing really like a sunset over the ocean, and inevitably we would begin plotting ways to live close to an ocean and in a warmer climate.

We usually discuss: Vancouver (still too cold in the winter and not enough sunshine), California (sunny, but tricky with visas), Australia (free healthcare!, but very far away from our families). We'll see where we end up in coming years, but it really would be most ideal if California or Hawaii simply became part of Canada. Pourquoi pas? ;)

2011-08-30T13:03:00.000-05:00

little bits from our hawaiian honeymoon.

(oahu&maui)

many more to come.

*check out the flickr album for descriptions of each photo*

2011-08-29T12:10:00.000-05:00

hanauma bay, ohau | waimea bay, ohau

Our honeymoon to Hawaii was the best trip I have ever taken. It was the perfect combination of complete relaxation (napping, reading, lying on the beach) and uncharacteristic spurts of athletic activity (surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving). Two weeks was also the ideal amount of time to be away - we were well rested and eager to re-connect with family and friends.

Unfortunately we came home to a very messy house. It looked like a hurricane had hit it - wedding stuff, my stuff from moving in, suitcases from our honeymoon - a veritable disaster! We've been busy trying to give it some semblance of order, but I seem to have hit a roadblock with our bedroom. It's been sitting there for a few days, crying for attention, but I keep finding more pressing things to do... Hopefully I'll attack it this afternoon!

Thanks for being patient with the blogging break & for all your sweet comments on the last post. More photos will be coming soon! In the meantime, check out our fuji instax shots from Hawaii here (this one is my favourite!).

2011-08-08T08:17:00.000-05:00

(all photobooth images available here)

We're married! It was beautiful, hilarious, laid back, and the happiest day of our lives. But we are more than ready to say good-bye to wedding to-do lists and hello to Hawaii this evening! While out there, we'll be taking a facebook/blogger/twitter two week break, so we'll see you on the flip side, friends!

Love, Mike & Janis

*Check out a few wedding instagrams on my twitter.

2011-08-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

By forgoing bridesmaids, I knew that I might miss out on somethings like a proper bachelorette. And that was completely fine with me.

But when two of my close friends suggested a low-key, beach side bachelorette, I was completely smitten with the idea. They brought flowers, stacks of magazines, an outrageous amount of delicious food, a beautiful gift and decorations that they hung from tree branches. I felt doted upon, loved, and relaxed - quite the winning combination. It felt like a little vacation from all the wedding craziness!

Speaking of which, three days!

2011-07-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

Yes that's me there in the corner - hightailing it out of the photo, just a little too late.

Mike, in kindness and good faith, let me assist him at my cousin's wedding this past weekend. I mostly tried to stay out of the way (occasionally failing, as the above photo bears witness), fix Kristin's dress, marvel at Mike as he perfectly executed the photoshoot portion of the day (read = extremely attractive), and carry bags and coats. I did manage to snap some photos as well, of which Mike was highly complimentary. (Seriously, that man is just the nicest!)

The wedding was gorgeous, colourful, and crazily creative. Thanks for setting the bar so high for mine, dear cousin! ;) These two lovebirds have been dating forever so it was awfully nice to see them make it official.

There were some additional fun twists to the weekend which included somehow getting my seatbelt twisted around my waist. I got completely stuck, laughed hysterically until I cried and a convenience store employee had to use a wrench to undo the seatbelt.

I also chipped my tooth last night as I was tickling and playing with my niece and nephew. Never chipped a tooth in my life, so why not do it less than two weeks before they wedding?! It's not a huge trip, but it will unfortunately will be bit of a tricky fix.

In an effort to make me feel better, Mike commented that we can now go by "chipped tooth" and "snaggletooth" - an attractive combo, n'est-ce pas?

2011-07-21T07:00:00.006-05:00

We are going through a crazy heat wave right now. I want to spend every day at the beach, like I did last Friday!

Nikaela (my favourite local blogger) wrote a lovely tribute about our dear prairie city:

In winter, I wake up to my radio alarm clock warning me about -47 degrees celsius (-50 degrees f). frost bite, hypothermia, loss of limbs. Yesterday that same radio alarm woke me warning me of +46 c. (116 degrees f) heat stroke, sun stroke, etc

Because we are landlocked, because we are far enough north to get that cold, because of a host of other factors I don't understand, we get some of the biggest extremes in the world. It makes for a certain type of personality, I think. In winter we keep going with school/work/life even when we have to plug in our cars and shovel for hours to get out of our driveways. And in summer (because we must take advantage of it, because soon it will be winter again), we play outside with hats and sunscreen and hot dogs and put off getting an air conditioner, when most southerns would look at us like we're nuts. Maybe we are nuts.

2011-07-18T07:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Mike's mama got a new puppy. His name is Mac & he's an Australian Shepherd. He is also cuddly, playful, and pretty darn adorable.

This new puppy gave us the opportunity to roll around in the grass and drink slurpees on a warm summer evening. Doesn't get much better!

2011-07-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, we had the complete pleasure of visiting Mike's friend Paul at his family's strawberry farm. He let us do some picking after-hours and encouraged us to eat as we picked.

As soon as I bit into my first one, I realized that I had forgotten what a strawberry was supposed to taste like. You sort of get used to eating the ones from the grocery store that are all white inside and not really sweet at all. These perfect little strawberries were unbelievably juicy and blood red on the inside. I never want to eat a store bought strawberry again.

As I ate strawberries and occasionally threw one into my box to take home, the three of us chatted. As Mike and I were driving home with three cases of strawberries in the back seat, we both commented on how struck we were by Paul's authentic, down to earth kindness. Paul's mantra is to be as kind as he possibly can to everyone he meets, no matter the situation. His comments made me think a lot about how I treat people and of how much more intentional and mindful I should be in my daily interactions.

This last week I've noticed my perfectionism and impatience beginning to mount as the wedding inches closer. In these moments, I really ought to remind myself of the strawberry field and kindness that knows no boundaries.

More photos here.

Post script - I'm so proud and happy to be part of Kinfolk Magazine. It launches today, check it out here! I can't wait to dig into it this weekend.

2011-07-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

film photos from Spring 2010.

Time is flying by and each day is full to the brim with wedding details. I was marvelling yesterday how many layers there are to wedding planning. Just when you feel good about finishing one thing (like all the major décor diy projects - yay!), you realize a whole mountain of other things that still need to be done.

But it feels like an exhilarating roller coaster. As time accelerates and we zip closer and closer to the big day, I feel more than a little anxious about how it will all come together. But just when I feel like my car might derail from the roller coaster, I realize I'm having the time of life and am so terribly excited and thrilled and over the moon happy to marry my best friend so soon.

2011-06-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a little peak at some of the wedding décor projects we've been working on. I want to show even more, but I feel like I should demonstrate a little restraint!

My friends have been so lovely, helpful, and amazingly generous with their time throughout this whole process. For various reasons, we chose not to have a wedding party. The decision has simplified things in a lot of ways (don't have to worry about bridesmaid dresses! or flowers! or awkward group photos with twelve people!) but I was a bit worried that I would be stranded doing a million of DIY projects alone. My friends have jumped in with no hesitation - title or no title, they just want to help. I could almost cry just thinking about it. Seriously, so grateful.

Thank you friends!

2011-06-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Moses Mayes concert in Old Market Square is, for many, the kick off to a Winnipeg summer. I've been gone the last few summers, so this was my first time going to this annual event (Mike missed me last year)! It did not disappoint. We biked to the show, found a spot amidst the crowds, and had a great time dancing around to the funky grooves of Moses Mayes.

ps. Isn't that stage craaazy amazing?!

2011-06-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday evening, me and ten friends biked downtown for a concert. Biking in a large group offers several perks - a wide variety of people to chat with while biking, a feeling of safety (because really, who could hit a pack of 11 bikers?), and a great deal of attention from motorists. It was the perfect temperature for an evening bike ride and the ride itself was made infinitely more enjoyable with Mike's freshly installed bike sound system (ingenious!).

I fell in love with summer in this city even more.

*Kudos to our friend Kevin for snapping these photos with a DSLR while biking - I would never trust myself to do this!
*My bike is the pretty red one in the first, left photo. Mike restored it for me while I was gone last summer!

2011-06-17T08:57:00.000-05:00

I live for summer. I think I'm a Californian girl at heart. I'd quite like to eat a cinnamon bun on the front stoop any day of the year.

Happy weekend, friends.

2011-06-16T07:00:00.002-05:00

Oh dear. I've been meaning to post these photos for forever, but I've been busy bidding on film canisters, madly throwing together an application for a scholarship that I forgot about, and booking condos for the honeymoon. I realized today that whenever I have a spare moment, I immediately launch into "to-do" list mode and begin reminding myself of the mile long list of things I have to do. Oh what a crazy season this is. But it's seriously so much fun. I have another DIY project party slated for Saturday night with my lady friends - always a great time.

Now about these photos, they were taken at my favourite breakfast place in the city. I realized as I was sitting there with these lovely friends that I have met every single one of them through Mike. A few years ago, I didn't know any of them! It's really lovely how dating someone opens up a whole new circle of friends. I'm so blessed.

*Thanks for all your kind words about the invitations. This is such an amazing, supportive community!

2011-06-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited to finally share our wedding invitations! Due to the untimely Canada Post strike, I'm not sure if all our friends & family out of province have received them, but I couldn't wait any longer!

It took us awhile to decide on a design. Turns out, it's quite tricky to decide on something when both of you care so much about it. But with a little compromising and a bit of tweaking, Mike designed one that we both absolutely loved.

Mike gets complete credit for the invitations. He designed every little detail on these invitations and spent hours printing, cutting, trimming, typing address labels on the typewriter, tying bows, stamping etc. I fell more in love with him every minute.

If you want to see the adorable wedding website he whipped up, look here.

If you'd fancy reading some FAQs on a Monday morning, look here.

If you'd like to check out a magazine project that I'm so honoured to be a part of, look here.

2011-06-08T07:00:00.002-05:00

Oh goodness, I am happy to be posting again. I missed it, although there was hardly anything (interesting) to post about my life during my absence. But here we are, photos (finally!) from an inaugural visit to Smoke's Poutinerie on Monday night. After a busy week and an even busier weekend, it felt long over-due, but also especially sweet to spend an evening with Mike.

I'm not sure the extent to which Poutine (a Québécois masterpiece) has captured the heart of the American general public, so allow me to explain: Fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. Smoke Poutinerie actually also offers a variety of other toppings, but Mike and I favour the traditional poutine. It may sound gross, but the first half of that poutine is pure magic (after the halfway point, you start becoming uncomfortably full and consequently a bit gross).

After our poutine in the park, we took a stroll to burn off some of the calories (if you're interested in a blow by blow account of how bad poutine is for you, look here. I sort of wish I hadn't). The Poutinerie is located in an area of the city that I don't spend enough time in. It's an artsy neighbourhood filled with cute shops and restaurants and features beautiful turn of the century architecture. As it turns out, our wedding venue is located in this area, which makes us feel sort of hip!

Well look at that, I don't post for a week and then I end up writing more than I have in the last ten posts combined!
xo

2011-06-01T08:35:00.000-05:00

I know it's been quiet around here lately. Quite simply, life is busy.

I'm working much more than I'd like,
but I keep reminding myself each penny earned will make our honeymoon in Hawaii that much sweeter :)

Hope to be back soon, friends.

2011-05-23T07:00:00.001-05:00

friday evening feast in Sarah's beautifully exquisite sunroom.

It's interesting how some nights with friends are good, and some are just spot-on fantastic. I realize I am sometimes guilty of making every night sound spot-on fantastic on the blog, but Friday evening was truly grand.

There was delicious food (roasted asparagus with lemon & goat cheese, this absolutely delicious, mind-blowing herb lasagna, and home-made oreos), drinks (sweet tea flavoured vodka mixed with lemonade - ah!) and a slightly humorous game (found at a thrift store for $1.50, so no judgment please).

But really the best part of the evening was talking and laughing for hours. I love when conversations delve into the deep, real, meaningful stuff of life. I am so truly blessed to have great friends who appreciate good food and conversation - and also happen to have fabulous summer sunrooms.

More photos here.

------
And congratulations to Autumn of Stay Gold, Autumn on winning the Pressedpetal giveaway.
Autumn, please email me at (janis.roseanne@hotmail.com) and we'll get you your goodies!

2011-05-17T07:48:00.000-05:00

On Sunday evening, I took a walk around the neighbourhood, camera in hand. It has been so sunny and warm lately, I really ought to be out there every single chance I get. The evening stroll was a good chance to think and pray about things. It occurred to me that I'll never have a summer like this again - engaged to be married and planning a wedding. It's so busy but also awfully special.

*More photos here.
*Don't forget to enter the Pressedpetal giveaway. You have until Friday!

2011-05-16T08:23:00.000-05:00

Pressedpetal giveaway!

2011-05-09T07:00:00.002-05:00

This was truly one of my happiest Sundays in recent memory. It felt incredible to enjoy the day without having homework or lesson planning hanging over my head. Such a wonderful feeling.

We cleaned Mike's house from head to toe and then had a bunch of family over for Mother's day. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, the quality time was so so good. Things got really interesting when Mike's dad pulled out his blood glucose monitor (no, he doesn't have diabetes. Apparently it's just a quirky part trick). Mike's cousin Nathan got unexpectedly freaked out about it which led to a hilarious half an hour of convincing.

And a quick note on our mamas - they are both pretty incredible. That's mine on the left , and Mike's on the right. We love them both so much.

2011-05-06T07:00:00.002-05:00

I'm so happy spring has finally arrived. I look forward to more convertible rides, picnics, walks, and dinners outside. But I really need to figure out how to balance things better because I'm feeling awfully tired and stressed out during my supposedly happy care-free summer holidays. I have so much to be grateful for and need to focus on the positive. Example: I get to marry this guy in exactly three months.

ps. Keep the questions coming! There have been some really interesting ones. It will be fun to answer them!

2011-05-02T07:14:00.002-05:00

Saturday night, my friends and I had a sublimely chill evening at my friend Sarah's new apartment. We talked for hours as snow fell outside. Yes. Snow in May...

On a different note, I got a twitter. You see, I finished my teaching block on Friday and felt I could now afford spending some time on there. It was also a little congratulations gift to myself. Some people in my life don't understand why I wanted to join ranks with Ashton Kutcher, but maybe you'll understand.

Also, now that I have some more free time, I've been thinking of writing some FAQs. I get emails from readers sometimes (always a happy moment). Usually they're camera related questions, but sometimes they're about other things too. Please let me know in the comments if there is anything you'd like me to answer.

And thank you for all your Hawaii recommendations. We appreciated it so much!

2011-04-26T07:00:00.002-05:00

This past week, Mike & I booked our plane tickets to Hawaii for our honeymoon! Neither of us have ever been & we are deliriously excited. We plan to be on the island of Oahu for 4-5 days (Honolulu, Waikiki, the North Shore) and then on the island of Maui for about 10 days (road to Hana and then the west coast, most likely staying in Kihei & Lahaina).

Honeymoon planning has been a welcome diversion this semester. I've already devoured Lonely Planet: Maui and Lonely Planet: Oahu and pestered Kylie quite a bit (she has been extremely helpful!). We have a tentative itinerary plotted out, but we would love to hear any suggestions you might have. Places to visit, spots to avoid, where to stay, where to eat... anything!

Thanks so much!

*Postcard seen here. Design by Mike.

2011-04-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

My oh my this has been a long week. I know it's not technically finished yet, but I have today off so it's as good as done in my books!

Let's move on. Look at this little lady. Is she not the most beautiful girl you've ever seen? This little niece of mine is so so dear to me. Her brothers are pretty swell too.

Her family is in town this weekend for Easter. Looking forward to lots of family time & decompressing (because let's face it - breaking down crying at supper on a Thursday night is not endearing).

2011-04-18T07:00:00.004-05:00

2011-04-17T15:00:00.001-05:00

The original plan was to go out for brunch with Mike's family, but it turned out they needed to stay home so that a repair man could swing by. So they suggested having brunch at their place. Within an hour, the table was covered with crêpes, sauces, a variety of fruit, bacon, and roasted baby potatoes. I was a happy girl.

I mentioned earlier that I am doing my teaching block right now. It's going really well and I'm having fun. However, I am so excited to be able to enjoy a long, luxurious weekend brunch without worrying about all the planning and prepping I have to do later on that day. I am anxiously awaiting this sweet sweet summer. It's my first summer at home in four years AND I'm getting married. It's destined to be one of the best.

2011-04-13T19:15:00.001-05:00

dinner at oddfellows.

My last west coast post and my favourite for two reasons. Reason number one: just look at this place. Funky, eclectic magnificence. Incredible attention to detail abounded at every turn - the cash register, the antiques scattered across the restaurant, the citrus wedges at the bar, the place settings, and the fresh flowers everywhere.

Mike and I talked about how neat it would be to decorate and design a place like this - similar to decorating and designing a wedding but more permanent (and while it seems unimaginable to me right now, it would be way more work!). Hats off to whoever decorated this place.

Reason number two: We had a blogger meet-up at this restaurant (my first)! We grabbed some supper with Julia and Yuriy of Mr and Mrs Globetrot. I was very nervous beforehand - it honestly felt like a first date. But I felt comfortable instantly - they were so sweet and funny. We all had heaps to talk about between traveling, photography, and weddings. We liked them so much! It's highly unfortunate that we don't even live in the same country.
Thanks for sticking through all these west coast posts (and for being so complimentary!). Life got so crazy right after we came back, so it took me a bit longer to get through them than I anticipated. I don't say it often enough, but thank you so much for reading & for continually sending sweetness my way.

xoxo

2011-04-11T07:15:00.000-05:00

While on the west coast, Mike and I ducked down to Seattle for a day and a half. The trip was too short, but definitely worth our while.

The last time I was in Seattle, it had been sunny and hot (unusual). This time it was rainy and chilly (the usual). Mike and I had quite a few discussions concerning the gloomy weather throughout the course of our trip. While Winnipeg is cold and snowy for months, it is the second sunniest city in Canada. The continuous rain and overcast skies of the west coast would be something to get used to.

Regardless of the weather, we wandered around downtown and Pike's Place market happily. My favourite things to see were the blossoming trees, buckets of fresh flowers, and the busy market.

More photos here.

2011-04-09T08:30:00.006-05:00

Sophie's cosmic café - a retro diner with self-described "garage sale décor". It's a wacky and wonderful place to have breakfast. I thought at first that the décor might be their primary focus and the food second. Wrong. Their food was amazing. I was completely smitten with my waffle and heaps of fresh fruit.

And then we met the most unbelievably cute puppy on our walk home. After a few minutes of petting & cuddling, I realized that it was a seeing eye dog. Whoops!

Have a lovely weekend!

*Explanation for huge delay between posts = started my teaching practicum block. It's taking over my life.

2011-04-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

Granville Island is filled with little shops, restaurants, galleries, a market, and a marina. It's a fun place to wander around, but I also loved just sitting by the water. It's pretty spectacular to be surrounded by the ocean water and towering skyscrapers. Although one had to be mindful of the swooping seagulls - Melissa just narrowly avoided being pooped on.

Mike and I just fell in love with Vancouver this week*. So many neat spots and neighbourhoods - I can't wait to go back when it's sunny!

*This maybe sounds like I'm done with Vancouver posts - hardly. I'm just already reminiscing.
*As per usual, more photos here.

2011-03-31T07:00:00.003-05:00

These past few days, Mike and I have popped into quite a few antique/vintage/thrift shops. We have come out empty handed, but the unusual items often prompt interesting conversations. Or in the case of of the toy periscope, we spent about ten minutes taking cool photos with it.

More photos here.

2011-03-30T07:00:00.001-05:00

I already have many stories and photos to share from Vancouver (and we're only half done our trip!), but I think Gene Coffee Bar is a good place to start.

White walls, minimal décor (except for the amazing light installation), long, sturdy, wooden tables for people to share, and three walls of windows that let in enormous amounts of natural light - this was a bright, beautiful place to spend a few hours.

I felt lucky to have visited this place and I felt even more lucky to spend such quality time with a dear friend. Melissa is one of those friends that makes me laugh all the time, but also really gets me. It's a pretty beautiful thing.

Post script:
Gene Coffee Bar has to be one of the most interestingly shaped cafés I've ever been in. Regrettably, I didn't get a shot of the triangular shaped café from outside as it was raining by the time we left (look here if interested). Speaking of rain, it has unfortunately been raining almost our whole trip. Fortunately, we have an umbrella and we don't let it stop us at all!

2011-03-25T19:45:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow evening, Mike and I are leaving for a week long trip to Vancouver! I get to introduce Mike to my extended family living in BC and spend some time with friends. We're so excited! But first, I need to finish my last school assignment! Back to the books... xo

2011-03-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

photos by mike.

My dear friend Kari got married this past October. My darling, talented fiancé shot the wedding and here, my friends, are the beautiful photographs!

I realize this photo collage is a bit of a mishmash, but who can blame me when I happen to be in some of the photos and I find every single one so beautiful I could cry? Kari and Justin are just so gorgeous, stylish, and absolutely meant for each other. And Michael continually blows me away with his creativity, composition, and editing.

To see more of Mike's photos of the wedding, see here and here.

Our good friend Josh also took photos that day, see them here. (He also happens to be shooting our wedding. We are so lucky!)

Post script: I miss my blonde hair. These photos make me miss it even more.

2011-03-21T08:08:00.003-05:00

On Friday night, Mike and I had a crêpe & pancake party at his place. It was a bit of a housewarming party, and a bit of a "Mike finished the wall" party (he took down the wall between the kitchen and the living room, and built a half wall. He did an amazing job.)

We weren't sure if our friends would be into the crêpe & pancake idea, but they wowed us with creative and delightful toppings (fresh berries, whipped cream, lemon curd, cottage cheese, yogurt, bananas, caramel sauce, and chocolate sauce just to name a few). We ended up making six batches of crêpe batter as the night progressed (I am highly indebted to my friends who slaved away in the kitchen!) and were left with only three crêpes when the evening winded down.

We both agreed it was one of our favourite parties we had ever been to (can you say that about your own party?).

*photos by Mike, Kevin & I.

2011-03-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

save the date.

Mike and I went back and forth on save the date ideas several times. I haven't actually ever received a save the date (is it more an American thing than Canadian?) but since we have quite a few out of town family and friends that are invited, we thought it would be nice to send them out.

We attempted to take a photo for the save the date on the coldest, windiest Saturday of the year. Our lovely helium balloons kept blowing in our faces and we looked grumpy and frozen. Since we didn't want to actually deter people from coming, we scrapped that idea entirely and bought a heap of vintage postcards. We accidentally bought twice as many as we should have (bought one for each person invited, forgetting about couples and families) but luckily they're a nice thing to have sitting out on a coffee table.

It was sure nice to get these mailed off, but the to-do list seems never ending...

2011-03-14T07:00:00.008-05:00

shaela's princess birthday party.

These photos are actually a few weeks old, but I got all nostalgic looking at these last night because this darling little family of five (two of the family members aren't actually photographed - whoops!) moved away yesterday. Oh it's not that far away, just to Brandon (about two and a half hours away from Winnipeg), but I'm still going to miss them like crazy.

That was sad, on top of the fact that I got pretty sick this weekend. And then when I was feeling better, all I did was homework (...and all right, squeezed in some Arrested Development. Weekend highlight!). But really, none of that compares to the devastation in Japan. It makes my heart hurt...

On a happier note: Look at Mike's handcrafted card for Shaela. That man is amazing.

2011-03-11T08:23:00.002-06:00

manitoba hydro place

It's sometimes nice to do touristy things in your own city. One time, I visited the Royal Canadian Mint with my friend Mel - for some reason, people made found that very nerdy...

Manitoba Hydro Place has been around for a few years now and I've been itching to see inside it. So Mike & I signed up for a guided tour recently, cameras in hand.

The tour ended up being even more interesting than I predicted. And the building - well, even more gorgeous than we expected. Just look at it.

Here are some additional facts about the building for those who are as nerdy as I am:

1. The buildings that were taken down to make room for Manitoba Hydro Place were carefully deconstructed, allowing 95 per cent of the materials from these old structures to be reused, recycled or salvaged.

2. The building is one of the most energy-efficient buildings of its size in North America. It is 66% more energy efficient than the model national energy code for buildings (and this is in a city in which temperatures flucuate from -35 degrees Celsius (-31 degrees Fahrenheit) to +34 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit)).

3. The Toronto and Winnipeg architectural firms that designed the building won the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's 2009 Best Tall Building Americas award.

4. The building has a 100% fresh air ventilation system. It was honestly amazing. I have never breathed in such clean, crisp air inside a building before.

5. 100% of cooling load and 50% of heating load is covered by geothermal heat pump system.
(There is a lot more information about the geothermal heating system and the fresh air ventilation system here. I must admit, I don't quite understand it all.)

6. Studies have shown that people are most productive when they are able to see nature outside (trees, flowers, etc). From any spot on the building, you can see most kind of greenery outside (thanks to rooftop gardens).

7. The solar chimney, as designed initially by the architect, was going to cast a lot of shade on a little downtown park across the street where people eat their lunches in the summer time. The architect was already disappointed about the amount of green space downtown, and he did not want to take away this little park from downtown workers. So he intentionally designed the solar chimney in just a way that it will never cast a shadow on the park (incredible!).

It is reassuring and inspiring to know that there are people committed to constructing buildings that maximize employee productivity and minimize energy consumption There are just so many facets of this building that are complete genius. I'm proud for it to be in the middle of my little city!

*most information taken from Manitoba Hydro Place's website.
*most photos taken & edited by Mike

2011-03-09T07:00:00.007-06:00

I know that I've been a little down on Winnipeg in the past, but I realize it's what you make of it. When it's freezing cold outside - gather up some friends and make pizzas inside!

Our pizzas ranged from traditional (pepperoni & cheese) to unorthodox (pesto, shrimp, sundried tomatoes and feta) to pure delight (pesto, tomato, and brie). It's worth mentioning that Justin's pizza dough blew us all away. Some Heinekens (or Coca Cola for the less beer inclined, ahem) and pizza provided the perfect platform for hilarious stories, re-enactments, and conversation.

More photos here.

*Thanks for all your feedback in regards to longer/shorter photo collages!

2011-03-07T07:00:00.002-06:00

We were in the mood for a picnic, but unfortunately temperatures in Manitoba do not allow for that right now. So we decided to wine (sparkling apple juice) & dine at the plant conservatory instead. It was warm, humid and we were surrounded by lush vegetation - pseudo summer perfection.

We were happily enjoying our tasty little lunch until a security guard told us we had to leave. We'll just have to be more sneaky next time.

More photos available here.

*In regards to the link: I'm always unsure about how many photos to add in a collage. Bigger, longer collages offer more information and details, but I'm afraid they might be boring. Smaller, shorter ones provide less information and detail, but are easier to glance at. Do you have a preference? I've been thinking of keeping the collages shorter, but linking each post to a flickr set with more photos. I would love to know what you think.

2011-03-03T07:00:00.002-06:00

"all happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast"
-john gunther

I don't know if all my happiness depends on it,
but I do know that the combination of breakfast & girlfriends is very good for my soul.

2011-02-28T07:00:00.004-06:00

playing around on the frozen beach after our tasty lunch.

while it's fun (and slightly dangerous!) to do a handstand on a frozen lake, i'm ready for spring. we're presently experiencing quite the cold snap (one of many). however, happy weekend activities made the freezing cold more bearable. and it's almost march!

weekend highlights: we played the most hilarious game with friends, went to go see the king's speech (definitely deserved best picture), i had a lovely breakfast with a friend, we signed up for our wedding registry (tiring, but fun), and spent yesterday evening honeymoon planning (me) and wedding website building (mike).

2011-02-25T07:00:00.009-06:00

on monday, mike and i took a little trip to gimli, a small beach town about an hour outside of winnipeg. the aforementioned beach is obviously frozen over right now, but it's still a nice change of scenery. it also gave us ample opportunity to day dream about the upcoming summer. mike and i grabbed some food and then took a stroll on the frozen lake (photos of that later).

here we are with our tasty lunch. and yes, it is apparently possible my face to morph from normal - ugly in less than a minute (and put on my coat and glasses while i'm at it!).

hope you have a great weekend, friends.

2011-02-23T07:00:00.005-06:00

white wedding flowers.

a few people have asked me if i'm going to be sharing about my wedding planning on the blog. i want to, of course, but i also want to keep things a surprise for all my friends and family who read my blog. so i will every once and awhile, and then talk about it way too much after the wedding is done!

as i briefly mentioned in this post, mike and i are collecting all things old for the wedding - brass animals, jars, books, cameras, doilies, candlesticks, trunks, and crates. as of right now, boxes of these treasures are taking over half of mike's room. it's going to be pretty funny to see the state of things come august.

i've decided something we need to do (soon!) is take an inventory of everything we have and better organize our items. it is a distinct possibility that i might buy three times more vases and bottles than we actually need. they're all just so lovely! and inexpensive!

which brings me to what we're going to put in all these old jars and vases - the flowers. i was showing mike some pictures i had come across on wedding blogs when he stopped me at this one. why not just a bunch of different white flowers?, he suggested. a perfect, simple, gorgeous idea. we've since decided that we're going to add some green to this mix (like green mums and bells of ireland). a friend of my mom is a retired florist, so she is going to make my bouquet, mike's boutonniere, and our moms' corsages. she is going to simply supply the rest of the flowers, and we will do all the arranging. any tips or advice in this department is more than welcome. it's tough figuring out the logistics of when to do them in order to maximize freshness...

i think i am honestly more excited for the flowers than anything else (besides marrying my best friend - just to be clear). now just about anytime i buy flowers, i buy white ones and try arranging them in some of our jars. and then i fall in love with the idea all over again...

2011-02-21T07:00:00.001-06:00

red red red.

last weekend, we went out for a little dessert with mike's sister & her boyfriend. the colour red abounded.

2011-02-14T22:52:00.001-06:00

valentine's day fort, 2011.

maybe the start of a new tradition?

hope your valentine's day was cozy and filled with people you love.

2011-02-12T17:44:00.006-06:00

last week, mike and i had our "official" one year anniversary (the day he proposed to me was the one year anniversary of our first date. we officially started dating three weeks after that first date). since there had been so much celebration since the engagement, i wasn't expecting that we would do anything special for this milestone.

mike picked me up from school and when we got to his house, i discovered the most beautifully decorated tablescape. and then i realized he had made me dinner. and then i started crying a little bit. mike always claims he can't cook, but somehow whipped up a dinner of balsamic chicken breasts, lemon asparagus, and roasted baby potatoes. just when i think this man can't make me any happier, he does.

also: the table decoration gives you a bit of an idea of the sort of items that mike and i have been collecting for the wedding: brass animals, old jars, books, cameras, doilies and candlesticks. really, just about anything old. last weekend i spent $35 on the most amazing antique gold telephone. not very practical, but very charming.

and: thank you so much for your sweet words about my ring. i would love it even if no one else did, but it's always nice to hear that other people think it's beautiful as well.

2011-02-07T22:47:00.001-06:00

i think the photos convey its loveliness without me going on about it.
absolute perfection. (thanks mike!)

ring by satomi kawakita.

balance.

2011-02-01T14:02:00.006-06:00

when life gets busy, it is so easy to lose balance. in the whirlwind of wedding planning (so fun!), school and work (not so fun!), i'm sad that i haven't been able to give this little blog much attention. but don't worry, i'm still here.

on a different note, making food makes me happy. mike is always so appreciative & impressed - an added little bonus. (i made a spaghetti sauce on the weekend which involved cooking some ground beef and adding it to a jar of sauce - and that darling man was again so appreciative & impressed! i felt guilty taking his compliments!) cooking is again one of those things that gets put to the back burner when i'm running around like a crazy lady between jobs. but it is just so lovely when i carve out that time.

inspired by rachel's cute mini spinach quiches, i set out to make my own. a spinach quiche was obviously going to taste very... spinach-y but it was a bit too much for me. so i tried again - martha's crust recipe paired with a broccoli garlic quiche recipe from epicurious. broccoli and garlic, always a delicious combination. and it proved to be just what these flaky little crusts needed. definitely a perfect winter comfort food.

{proposal story: text + photos}

2011-01-24T20:28:00.001-06:00

a little while ago, mike and i both independently came across the genius that is jeweler satomi kawakita. we also both fell in love with her brown diamond engagement ring. however, her shop was closing for awhile (so that she could get married in japan!) and mike had informed me that a ring was simply not in the budget for awhile. i pestered him a bit, but then finally believed him.

at the beginning of january, we had decided that we should go to the neighbourhood café on january 10th to celebrate the one year anniversary of our first nine hour date there. to be honest, i briefly considered that mike might propose that evening - but then i reminded myself that the shop was closed and mike didn't have money for the ring. so i forced myself to put it out of my mind!

i got home from work around 5.30 pm, relaxed a bit, read some blogs and then started on homework. mike had told me he was working till about 7.30, so i told him i would be at his house around 7.45. unfortunately, i got a little involved in my homework (so nerdy!), and texted him at 7:55 that i would be leaving shortly!

i got to his house around 8.20 and we walked over to the café (about a one minute walk from his house). we started playing scrabble - a game we both love dearly and that he beats me at, every single time. however, that evening seemed to be different - i was slaughtering him! the last score count was 181 - 82... i couldn't believe my good luck!

at one point, mike went to grab us some waters. then mike said he needed to exchange his tiles, since all his letters were rubbish. unbeknownst to me, he purposely dropped one so that he could exchange his tiles with tiles that were in his cardigan pocket. at this point, he started fumbling nervously, and i realized that he just might propose any second. my heart started beating really crazy and i very concentratedly texted someone (i can't even remember who).

mike finished up what he was working on, and said, "hey jan, look at this!" he turned the board towards me, and spelled out, in tiles, was the query, "WILL YOU?"

i lept up and said, "OF COURSE!"

at that point, the lights suddenly went off in the café. instantaneously, everyone in the café lit sparklers. i could not believe it! then i glanced up and saw my friends krista and kevin video-taping and taking pictures of the event. i did not understand how on earth they were there!

mike got down on one knee and proposed. everyone in the café cheered and suddenly our families started streaming into the café. it turns out they had been watching from across the street in mike's dad's SUV. mike's dad had also been documenting the event with a big old paparazzi lens on his camera!

from left - right kevin, krista, sarah (mike's sister), dan (sarah's bf), mike, juergen (mike's dad), me, janni (mike's mom), my mom

it was absolutely surreal and completely perfect!

some of you may be wondering how the sparklers were dispersed: mike had gone by the café earlier and talked to the girl working. she happily agreed to turn off the lights soon after he got us some waters. he also went to each table, handing out sparklers and lighters. mike explained that he was going to propose to his girlfriend and asked if they would mind lighting a sparkler once the lights turned off. everyone was super stoked on the idea (although one woman asked him if he was sure that i would say yes! ha!). after mike received my text informing him that I would be by his house around 7.45, he ran back to the café and told everyone that it would be happening around 8. unfortunately, i made everyone wait around as i took my sweet time getting to his house! whoops! but everyone graciously waited at the café, sparklers hidden!

my friends krista and kevin had gone to the café to save us the table right by the window. they then hid themselves in the corner. i can't believe that i didn't see them when i came in! i walked right by them! so sneaky!

so there's the story - more lovely than i could have ever asked for! thank you mike!!

post-script: mike claims that the only reason why i was slaughtering him at scrabble was because his mind was elsewhere.... sigh. slightly takes away from my victory!

*see proposal video here. thank you for all your kind words about it! you're all so sweet!

{proposal story: video}

2011-01-23T09:52:00.001-06:00

two peas. from Janis RoseAnne on Vimeo.

here is part one of the proposal story. text + photos coming tomorrow. promise!

(i've been honestly feeling so guilty that i haven't posted it yet. school and work have just been crazy.

but better late than never?)

xo

song: sweet pea by amos lee.

2011-01-17T07:24:00.009-06:00

thank you for all your sweet words + well wishes! mike + i loved reading each one!

i fully intended to have the proposal post pulled together for this morning, but the weekend just slipped through my fingers. as soon as i get the chance to edit the photos + video, i will throw them up here! i'm so excited to share wedding details on the blog as we go along. i can already let you know that the wedding is going to be august 6th (this summer!) and that i'm going wedding dress shopping this weekend! wish me luck - i'm hoping it isn't a long, drawn out process.

on a completely different note, here are some film photos from a sunny, snowy saturday in winnipeg, taken by mike with his pentax k1000. while winter is not my favourite season, pretty winter photos help me appreciate it in at least some small way. thank you, mike!

will you? OF COURSE!

2011-01-11T18:44:00.001-06:00

He proposed! I said OF COURSE!
(a slight twist on the usual "yes" - i like to keep it fresh!)

*detailed proposal story (absolutely swoon-worthy!) and ring photos to come!*

2011-01-10T07:00:00.006-06:00

it is not often that a cold, wintery day coaxes me outside, but it managed to yesterday afternoon.

despite the frozen toes and fingers, i'm quite glad we went out.

2011-01-01T14:48:00.002-06:00

when i was younger, i always felt the pressure to do something really cool and specatcular on new year's eve. this is rather difficult to accomplish when you're young and living in a city like winnipeg. consequently, new year's eve often seems like a bit of a let-down.

my friends and i had plans to go to a show last night. however, glacial winter temperatures and uncertainty about getting tickets at the door made staying in seem like a very attractive option. so we rang in 2011 with tacos and a lost marathon. it wasn't glamorous or sparkly, but it was truly wonderful. (mike's spin on jude law's mr. napkin head was definitely a highlight...)

we found the most ghetto 2011 countodwn streaming video from chicago, in which the announcers were counting out loud "4,3,2.." when the numbers "12,11,10" flashed on the screen (?), but it was perfect. because really, i would rather be around people i love than a bunch of strangers any day.

2010-12-28T07:00:00.002-06:00

happiness is... {christmas edition}

2010-12-24T12:50:00.001-06:00

this christmas season, i was reminded of why i love blogs so dearly - they motivate me to put more effort into the little things and be more creative. i have never been one to put a lot of effort into wrapping, but after seeing piles of beautifully wrapped presents online, i thought why not?

in another burst of christmas spirit, i cajoled my family into taking some family photos for my mom this christmas. they turned out just perfectly! (thank you mike!)

hope you all have a very merry christmas!

lots of love, janis

xoxo

(mike, me, cohen, jared, dana, shaela, brendan, xavier, jesse)

santa stops by

2010-12-23T10:10:00.002-06:00

mike and i's friend steve recently entered a short christmas video for a contest on appvent. the video with the most youtube views wins a free macbook.

in the last six days, steve's video has been talked about on local radio stations and featured on ryan seacrest's site, the vancouver sun, the winnipeg free press, and the daily what. whaaat!? it's crazy!

good work steve!! check it out for a good dose of christmas cheer...

2010-12-16T12:27:00.000-06:00

i'm so excited that christmas season is upon us - i've been dying to give mike his gift for two months!

and really, what's better than a good christmas party? we went to our first last weekend.

hookah, turkey, mulled wine, cookies, and egg nog - the dookhies sure know how to throw a lovely christmas soirée!

photos by josh dookhie

2010-12-13T18:01:00.001-06:00

as temperatures have begun to ~~dip~~ plummet into the -30ºCs (-20s ºF), mike and i have been revisiting our travel photos and videos from the last year with reckless abandon (him - thailand + laos. me - greece + turkey). a beautiful, sunny, but ultimately depressing escape. why again, do we live in this freezing wasteland? why are we not wandering around outdoor markets, reading books on sandy beaches and racing around on scooters in asia? oh right... that's supposed to happen after i graduate.

in any case, allow me to offer you one of my favourite escapes as of late - a video mike put together of his time in asia last march. it's beautiful. feel free to get lost in it for awhile, but don't hate me if it makes you even more bitter and depressed about the winter chill...

*song: anoraak remix of 'psychic chasms' by neon indian = perfect accompaniment.

asian adventure from Mike Severloh on Vimeo.

*we have also been dealing with the cold by plowing through seasons of lost. another pleasant yet dangerous diversion.

2010-12-11T19:30:00.004-06:00

*mike needs to get credit for scanning these in. what a guy!

*clip art via pugly pixel

2010-12-07T01:09:00.005-06:00

inspired by over-priced anthropologie winter garland, i set out to make my own pom pom garland. easy as pie and gosh darn cute! i couldn't stop swooning over it!

we turned up sufjan steven's christmas album, threw on some lights, bells, and random popcorn kernels and we had ourselves a christmas tree!

we sure love this fat little tree.

*pom pom garland tutorial here.