TB - September 2007

Throwback Thursday - Scroll to the bottom of the month and read up. Or click on the earliest post in the month (to view the post and the comments) then keep clicking Newer Post until you finish the month.

SEPTEMBER 2007

Settling into a full-time job, at GeoConnections, and going to school in the evenings (I am going to meet Erin AH and Jenn soon ... pretty sure they are both in the class I mention attending.) Looks like I signed up to help Kristen at The Charlatan and that I quit Subway, did I end up going back to Subway later? I have a hard time leaving that chain.

There is a quote from my dad! I don't exactly remember where or when or the context in which he was saying it but totally sounds like something he would say. Probably was on the phone. Sadly, I can no longer hear how his voice sounds in my head, it left quickly and I hate that it is gone. 

Noted Post: The I Can See!! post describes one of my favourite personal anecdotes, I remember it happening and I still laugh about it to this day.

TB - August 2007

Throwback Thursday - Scroll to the bottom of the month and read up. Or click on the earliest post in the month (to view the post and the comments) then keep clicking Newer Post until you finish the month.

AUGUST 2007

This month saw some considerable shifts, I made the decision not to go back to Carleton full-time and instead took a contract extension with The Department of Natural Resources. I do detail my plan to take two night courses, which I think is where I meet/met Jenn and Erin. (I also feature an adorable photo of the other ERin at the start of the month.) The other change is that Anna and Wes moved out, which I remember being sad about.

Also, I mention Brian and Tina going to Japan, but I can't remember who these people are. Did I meet them at school, or work, if so which work? Were they friends through another friend? The link that I reference in the post is long gone.

When doing these Throwback posts I like to edit them and provide updates, mainly adding in more tags or fixing spelling. Grammar and editing wise I had to do a lot with paragraphs and spacing, what was I thinking? Did I believe that I was writing stream-of-consciousness, and if so that it didn't need to be put into paragraphs?

Noted Post: I don't think the writing is very interesting, but I love the photo of my smile in the Humour post.

My 'Not A Bucket List' Bucket List

I don't like the idea that I might have a bucket list, it is a morbid concept. I also don't like the idea that I would go through life checking off boxes, lists help me achieve things in my daily life but I wouldn't want them to control my entire existence.

However, Erin AH gave me My Future Listography, and I do really enjoy picking it up and going over things in it every year or so. There are also things that normally show up on other people's bucket lists that I really really want to do - so I basically have an unofficial one.

Skydiving would be incredible, I would love to run a marathon at some point, and there are lots of counties still to visit and amazing places to see. In fact one of the things I am most excited about for my upcoming Africa trip is the chance to cage dive with Great White Sharks which has been a dream of mine forever! It is something I thought I would have a hard time figuring out how to do, not just because they are remote but because I assumed that I would need to learn to scuba dive, turns out I will be doing a tour that has the cage attached to the side of the boat, so you can snorkel.

Something else that I have wanted to do for a long time was go tubing down the Elora Gorge. It keeps getting mentioned in various 'Toronto Day Trip' lists and sounds like a really fun thing to do. Last weekend Kristen and Noah invited us to go with them up to Elora and spend the day swimming, I mentioned the tubing, which they hadn't heard about, and we decided to try that. No matter what, it is an early morning to get there because the conservation areas fill up and the lines to get in can be insane. Last Sunday it turned out the tubing was closed due to high water, so we went with Noah's original plan to go swimming in the Elora Quarry, it was beautiful and very enjoyable. It also served to whet my appetite even more to go tubing.

Luckily it was open this weekend and we got to go. It was even more exciting and beautiful than I had imagined. The rapids were fun, I dumped out of my tube at one point even though we had gone into town to rent special ones that had handles and a back rest (they were cheaper, cleaner, and meant we got to skip a line inside the conservation area.) I would say I can cross it off my bucket list, but I like to instead think of it as a new fun tradition to try to do each summer - now that I understand the system better and know what to expect.

(Photo: Selfie by Jason. From Right: Jason, Me, Kristen, Noah - Helmets and life jackets on, ready to ride the rapids at the Elora Gorge.)

An Epic Party

My Bachelorette Party was this weekend, a three day event planned by Teri and flawlessly put together for me by 11 amazing friends. This has brightened my summer into the phosphorescent. There are no words so how loved I feel, how grateful I am to have these beautiful, inspiring, women in my life, how much fun I had, how touched I was by each thoughtful gesture. My abs hurt from laughing, my face aches from smiling, and these are the greatest pains to have.

Thank you so much to Teri, Steph, Kristen, Tessa, Andrea, Erin, Jenn, Jen, Maria, Meghan, and Taylor.

Four Things

Erin AH filled this out on her Facebook and I thought I would transplant it over the the blog, also I am heading to Ottawa tomorrow to visit her so that is exciting and fitting:

Four places I've lived: 
1. Cambridge, ON (1984-1985)
2. Paris, ON (1985-2003)
3. Ottawa, ON (2003-2010)
4. Toronto, ON (2010-now)

Four things I love to watch on TV or Netflix: 
1. The Daily Show
2. Orange Is The New Black
3. Archer
4. Property Brothers

Four names I go by:
1. Chris
2. Christine
3. Aunt Chris
4. Tita Chris

Four places I have visited: 
1. San Diego, CA
2. Yekaterinburg, Russia
3. Tangier, Morocco
4. Corner Brook, NL

Four things I love to eat: 
1. Bread
2. Watermelon
3. Pasta
4. Spaghetti Squash

Four favorite drinks:
1. Chocolate Milk
2. Pink Lemonade
3. Coke Zero
4. Gin and Tonic

Four people I would like to see respond:
1. Mom, maybe even on her blog
2. Steph
3. The T's (Taylor and Teri)
4. People who don't usually leave comments

Copy and paste this into the comments for this post and fill in your responses. Have some fun!

Quotes Of The Day

People say that jokes and sarcasm may get lost in text messaging, that it might be hard for the receiver to understand the friendly and funny intention. Not with my friends and family! Check out these quips from this morning:

In a discussion with Erin AH about Two and how angry she is all the time.
Erin AH: She's in a constant state of terrible Two(s).

After sending my brother a picture from my kitchen door of our (large by Toronto standards) yard, back porch, and cherry tree in bloom - very excited about home ownership.
Mike: Where is the other half of that back yard?

My Opinion Of Wedding Trends

I haven't written a lot about wedding planning, it is ticking along slowly but in general I haven't been thinking about it - unless, I am actually thinking about it, then I am a bit stressed about it. It is strange that way. Jason and I have our locations sorted out, a general idea of what we would like to happen at the event, and most of the planning pretty much finished. Now it is just the doing, the putting together of things, the writing of things, actually making the wedding happen - not just planning for it.

Erin sent me a Buzzfeed post - 17 Trends That Appeared at Literally Every Wedding in 2015 - and I thought I would use it as a jump off point to start thinking and talking about wedding planning more on Always Standing.

1. Cupcakes
This is not a new trend, Taylor had them at her wedding four years ago and three years ago Mike and Aimee did as well. I think I saw them at weddings even before that. They are easier to serve and tend not to be as pricey as a big decorated cake, also some locations charge a 'cake cutting fee' which is ridiculous.

2. Peonies
I don't know how accurate my opinions can be about this list since I don't think I even went to any weddings in 2015, it has been a quiet year. However, I love peonies, we used to have the deep red ones in Paris growing up. What a lovely flower choice! So big and soft.

3. Sweet buffets
This is just an awesome trend. It too has been around for a while and is a great idea. I love candy.

4. Vintage suitcase for cards
This is all over wedding websites lately. The only time I ever saw it was at Kristen's bridal shower, which was travel themed so it made sense.

5. Wooden signposts
I have also noticed this all over wedding websites.

6. Ampersands
Oh, who doesn't like Ampersands?! I can't even use them here because they mess up the HTML coding on Always Standing. I don't really see how this is a trend, I am sure that is has pretty much been used off and on for all of wedding/writing history.

7. Naked cakes
Definitely a 2015 trend. I personally think that the icing is the best part of a cake, but then again a lot of wedding cakes are decorated using marzipan which is super gross. Marzipan makes the cake look very pretty and they can do great sculpture-like things with it, but it just doesn't taste good. So I like the choice of no icing over that, but really would prefer a good icing on there.

8. Those giant balloons
I guess these are a thing? Maybe not in Canada

9. Bunting
The first time I saw this was at Jenn and Jon's wedding. It was so pretty. The one that they had hanging up was very delicate, usually on wedding websites the type of bunting shown is more casual.

10. Wildflowers in jars (bonus points for twine and/or lace)
Hey, bet this is cheap to do! Though I am sure it is often done by florists, venues, and event planners at a massive wedding premium, which sort of defeats the whole purpose.

11. Blackboard Signs
It is a bit 'hipster' but it they are washed off and reused then it is a great idea. Often it is more of an aesthetic look than true blackboards.

12. Bridesmaids in multiway dresses
I used to have a multiway dress, actually more than one, and they are awesome. However, having different types of styles in the same fabric, like we did at Steph's wedding, or even having the same dress with different necklines has been done for a while.

13. Birdcages
I feel like these were big in the 80s, but then at the same time they can be quite hipster too.

14. Wedding flipflops
This is expensive and difficult to do - think about all the different sizes. It is a fun idea because heels hurt! I always bring my own flip flops to weddings.

15. Light up letters
I have not seen this at an actual wedding but it is a big thing right now, for both weddings and home decor. It is probably all over Pinterest (which I don't have) and I have definitely seen it on Buzzfeed.

16. Photobooths
For a while people would bring in the old-school mall-style photobooths sometimes, but now lots of people just have their photographer set up one during the reception. These are a really fun idea, not a recent trend and not a passing fad. If anything the video booths are less common and the photobooths are around to stay.

17. Mismatched bridesmaids
This doesn't happen as much as this list suggests. Maybe different necklines like I mentioned before, or different dresses, or even different shades within a shared colour - but full on mismatched isn't that common.

Bracketing Thirty

Happy Birthday to two of the greatest friends I could ever ask for!

I am back from a quick trip to Ottawa. Jason and I drove up for the weekend. We got to celebrate two birthdays and see a lot of people. I miss my friends from there so much and it never feels like enough time: brunch with Heather, a quick hug from Justin, Erin AH stops by for a party. It was also great to stay with Jenn and Jon, in their new home they purchased this past summer.

It was a prime weekend to catch people on their birthdays! We didn't choose specifically to go up for that reason; we hadn't been in a while and it was a weekend that worked. Anna turned 29 on Friday and I left work early to ensure we could make it in time for a bit of the party she was having (got a quick catch up with Wes too which was nice.) Steph is turns 31 today, though we mainly celebrated last night with games, nachos, pizza, and pie. A quick visit with her and Dave this afternoon to toast some cupcakes before the drive back to Toronto meant that I did get to see her on her actual birthday too.

A Week To Reflect

A week ago today I was shocked and scared by the news from Ottawa. A man had shot a soldier standing guard at National War Memorial and proceeded to enter parliament (where he was killed by the Sergeant-at-Arms). For much of the day, downtown Ottawa was on lock-down with police looking for a possible second suspect. These events have be weighing heavily on my mind and I figured it was time to write down my thoughts.

The Soldier

The young man shot at the Memorial died. The news was heart breaking. Every death of a soldier is tragic, every one of the thousands of Canadian soldiers who have died in our nation's 150 year history is devastating. This death captivated the nation and photographs of him still appear in the news. He reminds me of my brother in his early military days - young, similar skin tone, shaved bald head, deep 5 o'clock shadow, and the same big smile.

My Brother

As my brother prepares to take a more covert role in the Canadian Military, he becomes more secretive. At one level he has changed his name on social media and on another he sometimes leaves for extended periods of time and is unable to tell us where he is/will be. I wanted to be assured of his safety last Wednesday as images of police and military rushing around Ottawa dominated the news. Aimee assured me that they were both home safe, in Edmonton. I then proceeded to have the following text conversation with Mike:

Me: Why are you in such a scary profession?!
Mike: I would be bored doing other stuff. I wish I was at the hill right now.

Ottawa Friends

I felt an overwhelming need to reach out to my friends in Ottawa to check that they were okay and to tell them how important they are to me. I tried to reach, via text and email, Steph, Dave, Anna, Jenn, Erin AH, Heather, and Marc. News that some were in lock down was worrisome and delayed responses more so. I love them all so much and am relieved that everyone is well.

My University City

I lived in Ottawa from 2003 to 2010 and I love the city. What shook me up first and foremost was my connection to the area. Talking to my mom on the phone, my voice caught when I said, "But it is Ottawa, I lived there." I am connected to many cities but while horrific events like these should never happen anywhere, my impression of Brantford or Toronto or lots of other Canadian cities is a bit different. Ottawa, like my experience growing up in Paris, represents peace and perfection. This felt like a gross violation of the place itself.

Hockey

I can not get over how important of a role Hockey played in the aftermath and even during the event itself. The Toronto Maple Leafs were in the capital to play the Senators and I heard some some news outlets that they had heard gun shots from their hotel. (I suspect they were staying The Chateau Laurier which would have been right in the middle of it all.) At about mid-afternoon the NHL announced that the game that evening was cancelled. There were tons of tweets about it, almost as though that announcement really solidified what was happening and the gravity of it. It takes a lot to cancel a hockey game. That evening the hockey game played in Pittsburgh between two American teams, Penguins and Flyers, sang the Canadian national anthem in support. The following morning on the bus, I overheard a gruff construction worker say to his friend that the gesture was beautiful, "it brought a tear to my eye." Then a few days later, Hockey Night In Canada on Saturday opened with a beautiful joint ceremony joining three rinks across the country giving solemn tribute. I found the entire event especially well done and very appropriate. I even appreciated Don Cherry's discussion on the matter.

Our Values

I want our country to learn from this incident and respect what it means. I have spent many conversations lately discussing the idea and claim of terrorism, my thoughts on which I will share in a different post. However, I don't want this event to change us to the point that we loose our values as a nation. Justin Trudeau gave a speech on the evening of the attack and I feel that it is a solid expression of my thoughts. You can read the transcript on the Maclean's website. Here are some of my favorite parts.

Criminals cannot and will not dictate to us how we act as a nation, how we govern ourselves or how we treat each other. They cannot and will not dictate our values. And they do not get to decide how we use our shared public spaces.

To our friends and fellow citizens in the Muslim community, Canadians know acts such as these committed in the name of Islam are an aberration of your faith. Continued mutual cooperation and respect will help prevent the influence of distorted ideological propaganda posing as religion. We will walk forward together, not apart.

In the days that follow, there will be questions, anger and perhaps confusion. This is natural, but we cannot let it get the better of us. Losing ourselves to fear and speculation is the intention of those who commit these heinous acts.

My Solace In The Instant

Being far away with confustion surrounding the situation, I found comfort from two things last Wednesday:

The Breaking News Consumer's Handbook

By Alex Goldman

and the often reference quote by Mr. Rogers:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, 

my mother would say to me, 

"Look for the helpers. 

You will always find people who are helping.” 

-- Fred Rogers

Jenn & Jon's Wedding

So, this post has been a long, and I mean long, time coming; I wanted to add photos and I am glad I did, because Steph (and Dave's) photography was an amazing part of the event. When Jenn and Jon sat down to plan their low-key wedding, having photos was an important part for Jenn - as a couple they don't have many pictures, it is a perfect time to capture a beautiful time in a relationship, wedding photos also mean photos of friends and family, and the reasons go on. I think calling and booking Steph was one of the first planning steps Jenn and Jon made. The wedding was on July 14, 2014...

This is my

smart,

beautiful,

hilarious,

and loving

friend:

Jenn

I am not great with dates, but I think JennD and I met in early 2008 at an evening Mass Communications course at Carleton. (It was the same course that I first met Erin AH in.) Jenn met Jon very shortly after meeting me, so I feel like I have been there through the highs and lows; to see them reach this amazing point in their relationship is very exciting. Their future is looking so bright and joyful.

The weekend of her wedding, Jason and I drove up to Ottawa on the Friday evening and stayed with Steph and Dave (pretty much a given for a visit to Ottawa - I have my own room there, which is tulip picture free.) Early Saturday morning I had to be at Jenn's place to help her get ready - I was so honoured to have been asked! I dropped Jason off at the park that was the site for the wedding, since I had volunteered him to help set up. Before going to Jenn's, I picked up her flowers. The bouquet was beautiful, I choked up at the shop when I saw it. (I choked up a lot throughout the day, and was quite emotional - she look so beautiful and it was such a special event.) I got to her house just as the stylist was putting last minute touches on her hair. After make-up and some last minute wedding logistics, I helped her into her dress and tied the back (Left), which took way longer than the 5 minutes we had scheduled to do so.

I drove Jenn to the Ornamental Gardens, where her and Jon were doing a 'first look.' Normally this is a very private event (and it still was) but I stayed around a bit to hang out with the happy couple. The way a 'first look' works, is that before the wedding (or in Jenn and Jon's case, before their party; they got legally married at Ottawa City Hall earlier in the week) the bride and groom meet up to see each other - often this event is captured by the photographer, and sometimes they are the only other person there. The first time I have ever heard of it was for Steph and Dave's wedding; the photo I chose to post on Always Standing to announce their marriage was from their first look. I am a huge believer of this concept, it is a much better idea to have the first look and do a majority of the photos earlier in the day before the event starts.

Anyway, Jon waited for Jenn (Right) at the bottom of these beautiful stairs, and she walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. It was magic. I had to hurry back to the park though, so as to be there when the couple arrived, and also I had to get changed.

All morning I had been wearing sweatpants so as to be comfortable when helping the bride, who at one point ask, "I'm not judging, and it is casual, but is this what you are wearing to my wedding?" I finished doing my hair, changed into my dress, and did my make-up in the park's washroom, all of which took about 10 minutes. I hung out with Jason, Erin AH, her boyfriend, and some awesome co-workers from Justice. Soon, the couple arrived, walking across the grass towards us (Left) while the crowd blew bubbles. There was some more photos with guests and then the food started. Jenn and Jon really wanted to serve a great meal and so much of the lunch they had prepared themselves; salads, barbecue, treats, etc. It was such a fun summer afternoon, spent with great friends.

All of my love and best wishes

to the happy couple,

Jenn and Jon!

Photos by Stephanie Beach Photography

Copyright 2014

Sleeping Kitty

Toddie Asleep On Erin

Selfie taken by Erin

A Useful Machine

After a weekend with Jason's nephew's I have some thoughts on children/babies: For example, one should probably not have them until one is living in a place that has a dishwasher (and probably also easy access to daily laundry.) I am pretty sure that I am one of the last remaining people, of all my friends, still washing my dishes by hand. Thinking about their various houses and apartments the only people that might also be in a sink-only situation could be Nic and Drew, Erin AH, Anna, and Danielle - even them I am not totally sure, maybe they do have the very useful machine that is a Dish Washer.

Big Changes

--------- from a poster
Thank you to Erin AH for sharing this with me.

"Making a big life change is pretty scary.

But, know what's even scarier?

Regret."

Culture Doesn't Die - It Changes

SMBC (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal) by Zach Weiner 

---- thanks to Erin AH

All Grown Up

A little while ago, I featured a photo-story about Erin AH's cat, Tod. She had sent me the pictures of him as a kitten because I was looking for something cute to put on Always Standing and was too lazy to find and photograph Two. However, I have know Tod for about as long as I have known Erin AH, and while he has always acted like a kitten, I didn't know him when  he was that small. This is more what he looks like meow:

Tod 'The Black Peril' Armstrong

By Erin AH

A Hot Toddy On A Cold Day

Sometimes you wake up on Monday and just aren't feeling it...

 ---

You check the news and find out that Toronto has a freezing rain warning...

---

And that means wearing those winter boots you don't really like...

---

Better just grab a snack from the fridge...

---

Curl up with a blanket on your favourite chair...

---

Have a stretch and go back to sleep!!

---

All photos courtesy of Erin AH 

Featuring Tod 'The Black Peril' Armstrong when he was a kitten

Three Months And Counting

I met someone on eHarmony back in July. We got coffee and had a couple of dates spread out over a few weeks. I kept quiet about it on Always Standing because I did not want to overwhelm him with public declarations. Well, I feel like enough time has passed and today we are celebrating our 3 month anniversary so it is time for a true and official mention on Always Standing.

So, I am dating an incredible guy, named Jason, and couldn't be happier. I could go on and on about how great he is but instead I thought I would share some texts I got from friends after they met him...

"I like your bf he's cute and seems nice" --Danielle

"I think Jason is great by the way, he really seems into you and he's handsome to boot!... He seems like he's just a really nice guy. He could be the one!" --ErinAH

"Jason was lovely!" --Anna
*Note, after being told that he had liked her pancakes she liked him even more.

"I really like Jason... Anyone that can make Lochlan stop crying is a yes in my book. But seriously, you have picked someone special... You guys balance each other. You seem really happy!" --Taylor

It is always nice to get the approval of friends and family. I am very glad that they think he is awesome too. Also, for someone who is fairly quiet he seems to do really well meeting new people.  

Happy Anniversary Jason 

I love you

Quote Of The Day

"Apparently people at McDonald's have goals."
-- ErinAH

(She had meant selling quotas.)

Steph's Bachelorette Weekend - By The Numbers

Dates - Friday September 14th at 7pm to Sunday September 16th at 2pm
Emails sent between JennD and I the week before - 11
Emails sent between Steph and I the week before - 3
Glasses of champagne served upon arrival at the hotel - 2
Rounds of Cards Against Humanity played w/JennD - 10
Pairs of shoes bought, for myself, at Ardene's - 2
Time on hold w/BMO about cancelled debit card - 12 mins
Teapots on our table at Chateau Laurier's High Tea - 4
Relaxation cycles done at Le Nordic baths - 3
Times we saw someone holding a 'silence' sign at the baths - 4
Won at the casino - 20 cents
(Photo of ErinAH and Steph with the winnings)
Hashbrowns ordered from McDonalds on Sunday morning - 6
Times ErinAH redrew her design at The Mud Oven - 5
Distance traveled by ZipCar Mini - 1026 km

Earth Hour

It has been a long time since I have had a good Ottawa Erin quote (Both Erins live in Ottawa now so I guess I should switch to the names used when they get tagged in Always Standing posts.) Erin AH has always had some of the funniest quotes. See: Balls, Bread, & Drugs.

So, out for breakfast with Steph and Erin AH. Talking about Earth Hour since it always falls around Steph's birthday and we usually do something fun, like play boardgames by candlelight. However, this year, Steph and I napped though it - which still meant lights off and energy conserved.

Me: So, what did you do for Earth Hour?
Erin AH: Oh, I don't do Earth Hour. I celebrate Human Achievement Hour.
Me: What?
Erin AH: Yes, I just go around and turn everything on.