Are you guys getting tired of seeing wedding photos yet? lol
Just of few more:


J and yours truly at dinner


My gorgeous maid of honor and me. D, thanks for being so wonderful! I couldn't have ever asked for a better maid of honor. Love you lots!


My grandma, J and me. Isn't my grandma just beautiful??













J and me cutting the cake. We chose a chocolate mousse cake with a buttercream frosting. can you say "d-e-c-a-d-e-n-t"?? :) Definitely not something one would eat regularly..oh, and diabetics, beware!!!

Aren't these absolutely gorgeous? Our photographer is truly an artist! I was shocked to see how well these turned out! Can't wait to see the rest of the photos this weekend!!!!!!

**Before I begin, congrats again to Dina and Gavin! Baby K (who will be named on Thursday by his rabbi) was born on June 22. We are all so happy for Dina and Gavin and are anxious to meet the little cutie!**

Well, we've been married a week already and I'm getting used to being a Mrs.
Life is great and things are very busy around here. Someone told me "Let the romance not end with the honeymoon" and I think that is soooo true! Every day should be a special one when you're with the one you love :)

I think I'm recovering from all the excitement of the past week because lately I've been feeling very tired, headachy, nauseous and just very, very sick! Today we went to my parents' for supper and I was getting some veggies and dip ready. The peppers were going bad and I started gagging...and then throwing up...then my mom started laughing and all of a sudden I started bawling! I have no idea why I'm feeling so sick. I just hope whatever it is I've caught goes away soon!

We had some speeches after supper at our wedding. Thank you for all your wonderful speeches, everyone! You guys made me cry (again)! John happened to mention that it was 13 months and some odd days since we had even met. I think that may have generated some comments and it made me think a little...

Is knowing someone for a little over a year too short to know someone enough to get married? I think not. The reason I say this is that I think that love has no time limits, boundaries, restraints, expiry dates, etc. I believe that if it's the right person, you just KNOW that you're meant to be together.

I was with someone for FIVE years and even up to the end of our relationship it wasn't certain that we were meant to be together. There were so many doubts and what ifs. With J, I NEVER wonder or question or doubt. I just KNOW. I know people who have been with their partners for almost 10 years and are still not married or engaged. If it's the right person, then why wait? J's mom told him when he was thinking of proposing, that if I'm the right person then don't wait. (Gosh, I love that woman!!) I think that if you're with someone for almost a decade and still don't know if you want to get married to that person, then there's a problem. If both people are happy with their situation, then that's a different story. I don't believe one NEEDS to marry the person they're with. As long as both people are happy, that's all that counts...but if you love someone and want to spend the rest of your life together, then why not?

Anyway, that's just my opinion :) There's never a too soon if you know it's right for you! With J, I just know :)


NEWS UPDATE!!!
One of my really good friends, Dina and her hubby Gavin just had a baby boy this morning!! Congrats to you both and welcome to the world, Baby K!! Can't wait to meet you! xoxo

Our bagpiper marching us in
Aren't these girls the most beautiful you've ever seen? They got LOTS of compliments on how gorgeous they looked!!



My mom and my little brother


The happy family

More photos to come...I promise!!

I can't believe how blue the water was!! People at the wedding said that had they not noticed the trees in the background, they would have thought that we got married on a tropical beach!! It was absolutely breathtaking...gorgeous...stunning...perfect!!

Well, the day has finally come. We are officially married!! The ceremony was just perfect. Everyone who attended said it was the most magical and majestic wedding they had ever been to. We couldn't have asked for better weather! It poured the night of the rehearsal and the day after the wedding, but on our special day, it was hot and sunny and just spectacular!! Someone was definitely looking out for us!

The beach was gorgeous! Aqua and turquoise water acted as our background, with white sand all around. Wedding guests gathered in beautiful summer attire and my bridesmaids were the show stoppers!! Gorgeous! (Thanks girls, for wearing those beautiful dresses, eventhough it was hard to maneuver in them for photos - esp. the one on top of the rocks!!).

Click on this for some Wedding Photos . More photos to come and the professional ones will be arriving in a week! This was a pretty high profile wedding for the island and we'll be in this week's newspaper :) LOL Lots of people from all over the island came for the reception after supper. What a fun night! It was great to be with friends and family. It makes both J and me really happy to know how very loved we are and how lucky we are to be blessed with so many special people in our lives.

You walk down a beautiful rocky path which opens up to a clearing at the beach. Warm light shines and shimmers on the crystal blue water and fine white sand. To the left, there's a giant rock that was washed onto shore hundreds and hundreds of years ago by a glacier from James Bay. Nature has provided 'benches' for people to sit on, in the shape of limestone and fosilized rocks.

There's an arbor set up near the water, overlooking where the sun sets. Bunches of white, billowy, flowing tule are blowing with the wind. Ivy and other greenery and flora decorate the arbor. Along the path to this picturesque vista are citronella torches that guide you to this spectacular piece of Heaven on Earth.

This, my friends, is where we will be getting married in two days!!!

Now, I've got to get back to all the wedding chaos. Just needed to unwind and relax, and have found that writing this blog has been theraputic for me and just relaxes me and allows me to gathere all my thoughts...even if no one really reads this but a handful of my friends and family! :)

This wedding's going to serve a few purposes. One: it's the union of J and me and the beginning of our life together. Two: it's a reunion of families and friends who have not seen each other in ages. Three: it's a get away from problems for some. Manitoulin means "God's land" in Ojibway language. It's the perfect place to collect your thoughts, refresh and pamper yourself and it's just plain 'ol good for the soul, body and mind.

The wedding guests have slowly started trickling in. My wonderful grandmother is here along with some of my mom's fam who are helping out before the wedding. One of my bridesmaids is here with her significant other. Kell and I have been friends since we were 16, so it's only fitting that she would stand up with me on my special day. Things have been busy busy today with all the running around.

I think I'm feeling a little anxious or over excited because I was kinda sick today. I had the weird tummy prob, feeling dizzy, etc.

Can't wait til tomorrow for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. Most of my family will be here by then and we're having a huge BBQ party a la filipino style. Music, lots of talking, dancing..rehashing of childhood stories..I love it! I am sooo happy right now :)

Those of you who changed your last name when you got married...do we do that before or after the wedding? I was putting a list of various places I need to inform of my name change. Banks, driver's licence, health card, passport, credit card, etc.

I guess my question is when do I do the name change and also, do they change your last name on your Social Insurance card too? Speaking of which, better add Revenue Canada to that list!!

So much friggen paper work!!! Arrgh!

So, we're 5 days away from the wedding. There are soooo many last minute things to do. Everything from picking up the beverage fountain (I also wanted to rent a chocolate fountain, but everyone else didn't seem to think it was as cool as I did!) to re-organizing the seating arrangement, decorating the beach, manicures and pedicures, etc, etc, etc..

Good news: Old John isn't dead :) I dropped by the hospital thinking he was still on his death bed, but was surprised to see him up and laughing. He had 4 other ladies visiting him in the hospital. We joked around about how he's like a cat..with his 9 lives and all! I doubt he'll be strong enough to attend our wedding, but I am just so so soooo happy he's alive and well :) The doc's said he had 4 days left and he was on morphine..but guess he fooled them!

A friend and I attended the Healthy Lifestyles Conference yesterday in Sucker Creek. The speakers were the famous Bonnie Stern and Fran Berkoff. Bonnie Stern is a well-known chef from Toronto, who runs her own cooking school. You can take a peek at her website: www.bonniestern.com . Fran Berkoff is a dietitian/nutritionist from Toronto and the two of them joined together to help people learn what kinds of foods are good for you and how to use them in cooking. You may have heard of both ladies, as they have been on the radio and both have publications and newspaper columns.

It was an action packed day and a very informative one. It began at 8:30 and ended at 6:30. There were cooking workshops and nutrition classes, all of our meals were provided, we also received lots of free goodies to take home, and we had a great dance lesson! Wendy from Funky Groove Dance Crew taught us a few line dancing steps. It was hillarious, as women young and old danced together (and stumbled together) and had some good laughs. It was a great workout too. Wendy has been on Gap commercials and appeared in concerts and on video for Madonna as well as in the movie “Honey”. She’s traveled around the world for dance and has so much life and energy. Check out her site: www.funkygroovedance.piczo.com

Since this was held in Sucker Creek, we also had a traditional Native feast and there was a drumming session and dance afterward. I got to meet some of the elders and they are such wonderful, wise, lovely people :) So much fun!

Here are a few things I found interesting at the Healthy Lifestyles Conference. Some stuff I already knew and practiced, others were new, and some were just good to have a refresher course on:
1. The more colorful our plate, the better (Foods rich in color are good for us)
2. Fatigue is a symptom of dehydration. Always have a pitcher of H2O handy
3. Oatmeal is a power food. It stays in you longer and you’ll be less hungry if you have a bowl of oatmeal in the morning for breakfast. Oats are high in fibre and help lower cholesterol levels. Good for diabetics because it makes blood sugar rise more slowly. Insulin works less hard to get your blood sugar down and doesn’t make your pancreas work as hard. (Add oats to your cookies, meatloaf, fruit, crisps, bread, etc)
4. 5-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day! 1 serving = 1 single unit or ½ a cup
5. Dried fruit is good because vitamins and minerals are still intact, but when eating too much, it’s like eating candy. It’s a bit sweet but a healthy snack.
6. Toasted nuts have 3x more flavor than regular nuts (A handful of nuts = a healthy source of fibre and protein)
7. There’s a book out called “French Women Don’t Get Fat” and it talks about how the French eat lots of very rich food, yet stay slim. They eat rich food and drink wine, but they really TASTE and ENJOY their food. Eat slowly, get the flavor, get fuller faster, and therefore eat less! 8. Buttermilk tastes rich, but really isn’t. It’s made with 1% or less fat. (I didn’t know that!)
9. Fat Free everything still has calories! Though something may be fat free, it still has sugars.
10. With garlic, the health benefits are in the oily part of the garlic.
11. Soy helps us lower cholesterol.
12. Omega3 fats- important for mood disorders, cancer and brain development. It’s good to eat fish a couple times a week.
13. Flax also has Omega3 and the best form is if you grind the seeds.
14. Lipopine in tomatoes: 10x a week to lower prostate cancer in men. I’m not sure if I spelt Lipopine correctly, but it’s a plant chemical (antioxident) and is also found in tomato products like tomato paste, sauces, juice and even in ketchup.
15. Olive oil helps us get it into the body, so when cooking with tomatoes, use olive oil in dressings, marinades, sauces, etc.
16. Food labels: always look and see what a serving size is. Usually it’s different from the serving size you would normally eat.
17. Trans fats: unhealthy fats found in processed foods (crackers, cookies, biscuits, chips, though many companies now offer products that say 0 trans fats) We don’t need trans fats in our diet.
18. North Americans as a society eat way more sodium and processed foods than we ought to. Ex: a Big Mac and fries = way more than we need.

That’s just some of the info I thought was interesting. Each of us also received at the end, a HUGE basket filled with Bonnie and Fran’s “power foods”. The baskets contained: 3 heads of broccoli, a package of spinach, a pint of grape tomatoes, a pint of blueberries, a can of salmon, a jar of minced garlic, a package of red lentils, a tin of classic green tea (Tetley), 1.35 kg bag of oats and a big container of Yoplait Source yogurt. I was sooooooo happy, as I was supposed to do groceries and didn’t have to! Most of the things in the basket were on my grocery list anyway! LOL

I will leave you with a recipe from today’s conference:
Muesli – 2 c oats, ½ c skim milk or 1% milk, ¾ c orange juice, 1 apple grated and unpeeled, honey or maple syrup, vanilla.

Mix it all up, let soak for 1 hr or 2. The longer it sits, the thicker it gets. Looks like mush but tastes incredible!!

An alternate breakfast idea is a spoonful of yogurt, muesli, dried apricots and nuts.

My SIL2B and I went to the garden center with her 2 little girls. J dreads when I go there because I can spend an entire day just looking at plants and flowers...thinking of which ones I'd like for the house and garden. It's a dangerous place to be! Today, Lori and I picked up some gorgeous annuals that were already potted, to put on either end of the arbor we got for the wedding ceremony. We decorated it with tule and ivy, and we're putting flowers the color of my bridesmaids' dresses. It is going to look soooooooo pretty on the beach!!!

BTW, the arbor/trellis was only $49.99 + tax at Michael's (the craft store). What a deal!! It's not that heavy and is pre-lit! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!! We'll light the arbor at night for photos.

So, gardening is one of my new passions, but now so is finding 'safe' places to eat for my nieces-2B. It is now one of my missions to find safe and healthy alternatives for J's cute little nieces, since it's hard to find places that are aware of gluten and nut allergies.

I now carry in my purse with me at all times, "Acceptability of foods and food ingredients for the gluten-free diet" and "Eat well, Be well: A guide to gluten free manufacturer's products" - both are published by the Canadian Celiac Association. So far, I've found that there are TONS of companies that have gluten-free products and that are safe for the girls. Heinz, Green Giant, Dole, Primo, Unico, Del Monte and a whole bunch of other companies are safe for the girls. PHEWWWW!! I used to think it would be so hard to cater to their food restrictions, but it's not really difficult at all.

I also found out that "East Side Mario's" is 'safe' for them, as East Side is a nut free restaurant! Yippeeee!! The nearest East Side's is in Sudbury, and we don't dine out much at all, but as a treat, it's good to know that we can go there.

Last Christmas I did a lot of research on celiac disease and made a recipe book for Lori so she can have more options for what to cook for Elizabeth. Trips to the health food store are fun too because I get to see all the cool stuff out on the market now. Tinkyada has a line of gluten free pastas that are very good. The girls are also happy to know that they can have Tostitos nacho chips (corn flour) and homemade salsa!! Good job that we grow our own veggies here-- makes cooking for the girls easier because we know what exactly we're putting in our bodies.

Ohhhh!! The temperature's been sweltering hot...unusually hot for this time of the year! It's been SOOO hot that our peonies, lily of the valley, white roses, and lilacs are already out in full bloom! Crazy!! Good thing we've got tons of beaches in every direction you drive in - ahhh...I love island living! LOL

Now for the Awwwwww part!!! My friend, Tara just had a baby girl last month, so my mom and I went to visit her and little Skylar! We came bearing presents, as unfortunately, my mom and I LOVE shopping for baby stuff!!! I got Skylar her first pair of baby shoes. They are the cutest!! Little pink kickers! I also got her a bib that says "I love Daddy" and a bunch of wash cloths, as I know they'll come in handy. From my mom, she got her first Winnie-the-Pooh. Toooo cute!

Having a little one around is so wonderful! They just brighten up everyone's day. This is terrible...the wedding's 2 weeks away and I want one already!!! Anyway, my mom couldn't get her hands off of little Skylar. As soon as Tara finished breastfeeding, my mom just HAD TO burp her! LOL A few minutes later, Skylar had the hiccups! Poor thing! Then she started crying :( I told my mom, "Pass her to me. Let's see if this works." I took the little babe and did the swaying/rocking/walking around thingy and sure enough, the hiccups disappeared and not only did she stop crying, but she also fell asleep!!! LOL Tara and my mom were both like, "Oh! HOW did you do that???"

I could have said it was my magic touch, but I said, "That's just because she likes the extra padding!" (meaning my boobs!) Never fails...ever! All babies fall asleep on my chest! LOL My poor mom looked down at her chest and said, "Hmph! I guess you're right!" Mind you, my mom is soooo little...she's so petite, that she weighed 75 lbs on her wedding day!!!

*sigh* Be still my beating uterus...I can't wait for J and me to have our own little one! Holding Skylar only reiforces how much I want to have a baby of our own! :)

Wow! It seems like just the other day that we sent out our invitations and engagement announcement. I thought it would feel like forever until our special day came and now it's in little over two weeks!!! Time sure has a way of sneaking up on you!

I got some stuff for the night before the wedding. I want to have a little "spa night" with my maid of honour and my bridesmaids. I'm hoping to get lots of sleep the night before so that I'm well rested for the next day. I know if I don't get enough sleep, I'll probably be cranky and have bags under my eyes the next day...and I know it's going to be a LONG day!! Despite my best efforts, I know I'm probably not going to get enough sleep and my girls and I will probably not be able to go to sleep. I have a feeling I'll be way too excited and anxious! LOL

Okay...For our spa night, I plan on us doing manicures and pedicures. I entertained the thought of doing facials too, but didn't want to risk the girls trying new products the night before the wedding...just in case they react adversely to the facial masks and creams. I got a line of Sally Hensen products of the hands and nails and for the feet, a bunch of Got2B stuff. I'm looking forward to it! I love a good foot scrub! LOL