Celebrate with Champagne

i love macarons!

2010-04-13T17:17:00.001-07:00

*disclaimer - i do not often drink bottles of wine while doing homework*

well, i can officially say that school has kicked my butt this semester.

i have honestly never been so completely overwhelmed and stressed in my entire life.

in fact, last night i somehow deleted close to 6 hours worth of work.

in a word - unbelievable!

however, things could be worse.

my prof is understanding enough to offer me an extension.

and my lovely boyfriend is wonderful enough to treat me to sushi, pavlova, and a walk through all my favourite stores.

i treated myself to this lovely book

i can't wait to read it! i'm hoping success will just come...

i have been so unsuccessful the past few times i attempted these with friends.

hopefully i will be able to experiment with it asap [ea - you better believe that this includes you!]

but if not, this is definitely one of the prettiest books that i own.

i also can't wait for more summery days with my boy

mostly, i can't wait for wedding planning to start being fun. i don't know if it is as stressful for everyone as it has felt for me, but i am hoping that when i have time to breathe, inspiration will show up as well...

the end is in sight!

Bonne fête!

2010-04-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

This beautiful girl is having a birthday today!

I have known her since grade 1.

Her blog is here and you should read it.

I love you EA! Happy birthday!

2010-02-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

To all fans of Taza's Kingsley, meet the love of my life...

This is Winston.

He is incredibly quirky, and alas, often misjudged because of his size (he is 114 lbs.).

He love grapefruit and snow.

He doesn't like mailmen or snowmen.

He is afraid of a lot of things, especially brooms.

He makes lot of people happy when they see him walking around in his booties (his feet are terribly sensitive to the cold).

He likes to nibble on my nose, and give the sloppiest kisses that only a mother could love.

He is not just a dog.

He is a part of our family.

I love him with my whole heart!

snowfalls on sundays

2010-02-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

There is something so acceptable about a whole bunch of snow coming on a Sunday. Snow feels like such an inconvenience any other day of the week, but on Sunday, it just gives you a good excuse to relax and take the morning nice and slow. My morning has consisted of :
1. homemade biscuits with raspberry jam
2. walk + playtime with Jus and the dogs (ruby & winston)
3. close to 10 mindless minutes of looking out the window at the snow. ruby's doing the same thing. she fits in so nicely here!

Despite the pile of homework that I need to complete today, I feel as if the day can't be all that bad if the morning was so blissful. Crossing my fingers!

ps. mel - dressy! Same dress, different colours.

Every Engagement has a Story...

2010-01-31T16:01:00.000-08:00

I get to marry this boy!

I've always said that no matter what, every girl wants a story for how she got engaged. The story varies for every couple, but i truly believe that every girl wants to be able to relive that moment in her mind over and over again. I think i mentioned that to justin once, and being the wonderfully romantic man that he is, he took it to heart and gave me the best story I could have ever asked for.

My engagement started Thursday night without me even knowing it. My mom called me and asked me if I wanted to go for lunch with her and some friends. Debbie (my mom's best friend) and her daughters Megan (one of my best best friends) and Emily had made reservations for Megan's birthday at Eat!, and they had invited my mom and I to come. This is the restaurant where my besties Janis and Krista work, along with Meg's brother Mat. I thought it was weird that we were going to Eat because it was for Megan's birthday, and she doesn't eat a lot of food there. I mentioned this to my mom but she seemed to think it would be ok (which makes sense now...)

We all had a lovely lunch! I had no idea anything was happening. They were asking me when I thought I was going to get engaged, I said I had no idea. They all knew, but I had NO idea what was coming next....

At the end of our meal, Mat brought out a brown envelope that said "for kari". I asked him what it was, thinking he was giving me a used book (Eat! is in aqua books which is a used bookstore). He said, "I don't know" and gave me an interesting grin. I took another look at the envelope and realized, "this is Justin's writing". I looked around for him, and then thought, "ok. he isn't sending me a card. he isn't asking me to go on a date with him. oh my! this is it!" I looked around at all the girls and they all had the BIGGEST smiles on their faces. I asked if they knew what it was and they just kept smiling. I started blushing because everyone was looking at me, and then I started crying because I realized what was happening.

Inside the envelope was a record (a single from Broken Social Scene) and a note. We have both enjoyed buying and listening to vinyl throughout our relationship, so this was a nice way to start things off! It looked like this...

I pulled the record out and it said, "kari! every engagement has a story...are you ready for yours? (turn over)/ ...you may now open the note. I love you Kari" I was feeling so overwhelmed, shocked and EXCITED! I have wanted to marry this boy almost the entire time we've been dating (nearly 2 1/2 years)! So I pulled out a little note, that looked like this...

Basically, the note instructed me to go to the place Justin took me the night he asked me to be his girlfriend - a loooovely French restaurant called Oui! So my mom and my mom's best friend drove me to Oui. When I got there, my mom came in with me. The host asked me if we needed a table, and I said I wasn't sure. I looked around and suddenly spotted my dad in the corner. This was such a nice surprise, because I have always been a daddy's girl. After more tears, the waiter brought out crème brûlée and coffee (a favourite of mine!) and another card. In hopes of trying to make the moments last, I decided to try and finish the crème brûlée before I read the card. This is what this scene looked like...

Post crème brûlée, I opened my card. It was sending me to another location that my dad needed to take me to. He told me to look for two items from our past. After figuring out where I needed to go, we headed to the city's legislative buildings. There is a humongous fountain that is at the back of these buildings, and it overlooks the river. Seriously one of my most favourite places in the whole city when it's lit up in the summer time! Upon driving up, I instantly spotted what Jus had left for me. Two ugly tumbler mugs.

Mugs that would mean nothing to anyone else, but to me they meant a lot and made me smile! We had taken them to the beach (stolen from his parents cabin) when we went star gazing for our first date. After running up and taking the note out, I read that I needed to meet him on the other side. This was the movie moment! I turned around the second I had finished the note and saw him walking towards me with one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen on his face :) I ran up to him, he got on one knee, and he proposed!

Of course, I accepted. Here's how I looked with the ring (so unbelievably beautiful) on my finger for the first time...

looking pretty gross...sigh! should have done my hair!

Afterwards we met up with our families and celebrated. I was just so intensely happy! I still smile every time I think about it. Really, it was perfect. It was everything I could have asked for. Jus knows me and it was so evident in the way.

Probably my second favourite part to the whole experience was the opportunity that I had to surprise my three best friends. Thankfully, Jus hadn't used them in the proposal - I have always wanted to be the one to tell them when it happened! We were all supposed to hang out anyways so it was perfect. Upon arriving 2 hours early, nobody was phased by my arrival. I started taking pictures of them, hoping they'd catch the ring and I'd get a good picture of them. I did...

i love this picture! so many things going on :)

I loved this moment. The screams! The choking (on Janis' end)! The excitement! It is really moments like these where you realize that your best friends really are the best friends you could ever have. Afterwards we skyped with Jus, made the yummiest of milkshakes, took some pictures, and looked at bridesmaids dresses.

A girl can't get much luckier! I am marrying my absolute best match (thankfully, he is just as excited as I am!), I have the best family, and of course I have the best friends. It was such a beautifulday. I can't convey how thankful I am to the people involved! [Especially Megan, who graciously shared her birthday with me!] I am so so so so excited to be engaged to Justin Oliver, and even more so excited to be his wifey!

Let the wedding planning begin!

Persevere - It's coming soon!

2010-01-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

To all you lovelies who are waiting to hear my engagement story:

I am INFINITELY sorry that it has yet to be written! University + Wedding Planning has suddenly and overwhelmingly taken over my life! It is coming and it is very worth the wait :) So hopefully I will have it done tomorrow or saturday!

Until then, phonology, reading, writing, repeat. Sigh. At least in the abyss of this phonology project I constantly feel like Eliza from My Fair Lady, played by Audrey H. of course. She is a goddess...

Our New Doggie

2010-01-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

A year and a bit after the awful process of putting our 12.5 year old dog down, we finally have a new dog! It feels a little weird... I know it's not a replacement, but seeing pictures of Abby around make it a little hard. But she (ruby) is lovely! She ran away when she first got here and we had to chase her for a while. That was pretty nerve wrecking. Now she is home and settling in and it feels nice to have a dog around! I can't believe how amazing the past few days have been. SO unexpected!
Anyways, this is mostly another post for mel. The pictures aren't the greatest. Isn't she cute?

A Pretty Ring on my Finger...

2010-01-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

For my meller who is far away, here is a picture of my ring.

I will make a post of everything this week, but for the time being...

i love it! i love it! i love it!

A Lovely Impromptu Feast

2010-01-21T19:18:00.001-08:00

I think God tried to tell me something tonight. His message sounded something like, "it is seriously time to cook more at home".

Boyfriend and I used to cook at his house alllll the time! I loved it! But for some reason we always seem to fall prey to the eat out/take out routine. We'll get back into cooking for awhile, but then back to our silly habits.

Well tonight, boyfriend started making pizza sauce. We did it from scratch. We had some mini pizza shells and some cheese. We quickly picked up some capicola, pepperoni, and prosciutto from sobeys. Then we proceeded to make the most delicious pizza I have had in a long time. Seriously so good!

We also happened to have the fixings for a delicious salad. It had a dressing inspired by EA's fav, grapefruit, feta, and tomato. It made me realize I don't make enough versatile salad.

Alas, most of the salad was long gone before I snapped a picture of it. This whole blogging thing is finally starting to occur to me, except I am still a little slow (missed a lovely photo-op at wasabi broadway last night as well!).

I have been thinking a lot about Julia Child lately. What a beautiful story! If you haven't, you should absolutely read "My Life in France". It is about a trillion times better than "Julie and Julia" (although I've only seen the movie version of "J&J". I suppose the book could be better?) The way she conveys her passion for France and French food, and really for cooking in general is so inspiring! Oh to fly away to France with the boyfriend and my sweet Winston. I think I could handle it! Till then, I will have to master some of her recipes. I will try not to blog about it a la Julie Powell! What to try first is the question...

One more member in the wedding party!

2010-01-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

I am really enjoying my MWF classes this semester. I'm in, I'm out. So I am usually in a pretty good mood as it is. But today is just the best day EVER! Possibly even history-making! Because....

my brother and sister-in-law are having a girl! I'm going to have a niece!

Ahhh! I am literally thrillled beyond belief. I was secretly hoping for a girl so that I could have a mini flower girl at my wedding and it looks like that dream is going to be a reality. I am picturing something like this -

I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!

I think I have been waiting to be an aunt since the day B. and M. got married. With eager anticipation, I have waited and waited. Finally on my birthday this past year, they gave me a birthday card that said, "happy birthday to a cool aunt". It took me a couple of seconds to comprehend what was being said and then I INSTANTLY burst into tears. I can't wait to shower her with love, love, love! Only 4ish more months!

Hand holding and blackberries. Just another day in grade three...

2010-01-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

One of the kids in my practicum showed up with a blackberry today. He's in grade three. Why? Parents - what are you thinking?

That being said, I am starting to think that grade three might just be the perfect grade to teach.

Today for example, I saw a boy and girl holding hands. Clearly, a first for both of them. He seemed way more pumped than she was. She strikes me as a bit of a heartbreaker. She is always wearing tank tops :)

Then, there was this one student who made comment after comment. I personally think she is one of the funniest kids I have ever met. She is such a geek, but that is what makes her so loveable. She was telling me today about the valentines her grandma sent her to hand out. "They are really beautiful, but there are only 15. They are for the girls, and maybe for my secret admirer!" [assuming she meant the boy she likes] Later on, she tried handwriting her numbers. She explained to the class, "I am pretty creative so I decided to do it a little different." I seriously love going to that class week after week, largely due to her. Sigh. I hope I have kiddies like that in my class one day.

Going to see Avatar tonight. Bringing kleenex! Nothing like 3-D and free popcorn :) and also, time spent with this boy...

see you soon folk fest!

See you next year Malanka!

2010-01-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

So my first Malanka was a bit of a bust.

Zrada was sold out by the time we got there (only 10:00!) so we had no Ukrainian fun until after midnight when a crowd of people left. What we saw was pretty interesting! I don't know if I could have handled a whole night of it, but it appeared like Ukies know how to throw a fun party!

The way I see it, why not celebrate Malanka? And Chinese New Year's as well? It seems like January is just a month of starting over, and even if you don't get it right the first time, you have two more chances to try again.

All things considered, it's been a good stretch of days.

1. Starting an early weekend at the King's Head

2. Crêpes + Tegan&Sara show + Wine/Wrestling/Singing/Best-Laugh-In-A-Long-Time!

3. Lunch + Coffee + Photoshoot fun with a lovely red

headed friend :)

Brunch is tomorrow! Hooray!

Happy Malanka Everyone!

First Time Malanka Experience!

And so it begins again...

2010-01-11T10:57:00.001-08:00

Well, week 2 of the lovely winter semester begins today. Already there is a pile of homework to finish. I actually found myself in my second class of the day writing down a list of all the things I have to do. Not the best time to be distracting myself. Oh well. How about a list of things to look forward to?

1. Dance party on Thursday at a lovely local pub with the LOVELIEST of friends. Perhaps the best part of this night will be the band playing. Zrada. Ukranian-Ethno-Fusion. Oh the contacts a simple barista can make while working at Starbucks!

2. Brunch at the Fort Garry Hotel on Sunday in honour of my brother's quarter-century birthday.

thank you j for posting this on your facebook so I could put i on my blog

3. A trip to Montreal with a bestie for reading week. I know this is going to come up fast. I am going to try not to think about it. I've never been. I've heard amazing things. I cannot wait!

Shiraz and Syntax

2009-12-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

After realizing this syntax project is probably going to be the death of me, I decided I might as well go out in style with a bottle of shiraz.

Things I would rather be doing:

-making peppermint sandwich cookies.

-taking beautiful pictures.

-being back on the beach in barbados. sigh.

-drinking sprite and vodka and NOT peach schnapps with j [but maybe with kd]

-enjoying this lovely shiraz with ea who is a fellow wine drinker.

-decorating for my christmas party.

anything.but.this!