Neither Of Us Can Remember

At dinner last night, Jason and I were trying to remember the different restaurants that we had been to on Valentine's Days of years past. We knew we had visited Maple Leaf Tavern before, but I knew it hadn't been last year - we went again this year. Last year, 2019, I was in the middle of renovating the cafe and getting it ready to open in March. We actually ran a Valentine's Day event out in front of the shop to create a bit of buzz. So, our previous trip to the Tavern must have been in 2018, but I am not even sure about that. Especially because on Always Standing, I didn't mention the dinner. I just posted a photo from our wedding reception. And I should have mentioned that dinner because it was where I tried Wagyu beef for the first time - so good.

It is hard to keep the dinners straight because we also tend to go to nice/fancy restaurants on our anniversary so places and years get even more muddled. I don't seem to post about our dining experiences very much. In fact, one of the more memorable times was our very first Valentine's Day when Jason took me to La Maquette (previously a fine dining restaurant, now an event venue) and I chose the occasion to tell him that I wanted to postpone moving in together until the Fall of that year (2013). My blog post the following day talk how wonderful our day had been, with no mention of the difficult discussion or dinner location. 

I have done some fun blog post to mark the occasion:
- A poem from Facebook in 2014
- Photo collage the next year, 2015
- A quiz in 2017 with Jason and my answers the following days

It wasn't until I was looking back at various years in Always Standing to write this post that I remembered it was on Valentine's Day 2016 that we made our wedding rings! For lunch we went to a cafe near the jewelry studio on Queen West but I can't remember what we did for dinner. So many wonderful meals lost in our minds. I wonder if it makes sense to better document them somehow?

Love Is Strong, Memories Are Fading

So happy to wake up this morning, and all mornings, beside Jason. He is truly one of the greatest things in my life and sharing time (and a house) with him is so much fun! I love him in ways that I don't even have words to describe.

We are off to enjoy a fancy Valentine's dinner together this evening. And, as he reminds me, it will be our seventh Valentine's Day as a couple. I am terrible at remembering dates or keeping track of time, every time I get this type of information (usually from Jason) I am shocked at how long we have been together. The year 2010 is burned into my brain as the year that I moved to Toronto, and it feels like I lived here for a long time before meeting Jason, but it was only a couple of years later - in the summer of 2012. This means we have been together for almost eight years!

And in September of this year it will be our fourth wedding anniversary! I really need to remember these things. Here are some key relationship dates...

July 12, 2012 - Met Jason for the first time, at a Starbucks. I have this date noted in my planner each year and I try to remember and acknowledge it.

August 9, 2012 - He kissed me for the first time, on a streetcar. While we were dating we used this as our anniversary.

October, 2013 - We moved in together (Rrunuv Bayit.)

May 8-10, 2015 - We got engaged. Yes, it took a full weekend.

May, 2016 - We moved into our house (Casa Verde.) Though we bought it on Christmas Eve in 2015, and then we signed our mortgage papers on February 25 and the closing date was March 1, 2016. The move in was delayed to allow for a couple of months of renovations.

September 24, 2016 - We got married. This also took a full weekend, but for anniversary purposes we count the Saturday date as the main one. I have this marked in my planner too, so that I remember each year. Though I purposely planned for it to be on the 24th to help me remember (liked my birthday.)

Oh, and Jason's birthday is November 29, this is in my planner too since I get it confused all the time. (My brother was born the day after and my dad died two days before. The end of November is a busy time for trying to remember things and keeping dates straight.)

My Goofy Valentine

Cutting The Cake

Jason and Christine's Wedding Reception - September 24, 2016

By Stephanie Beach Photography

Quiz - Jason's Answers

From Tuesday's Valentine's Day Quiz, here are Jason's answers (as he relayed them to me verbally.)

- Who's older? Me.
- Who was interested first? You contacted me
- Married? Yes
- Together? Yes
- More sarcastic? Me
- Who makes the most mess? You
- Who has more tattoos? You
- Better singer? Me
- Hogs the remote? I don't know
- Better driver? Me
- Smarter? I don't know, what does smart mean?
- Most common sense? Probably you
- Whose siblings do you see the most? Mine
- Do you have any children together? No
- Did you go to the same school? No
- Who is the most sensitive? Me
- Where do you eat out most as a couple? Harvey's
- Where is the furthest you two have traveled together? Peru
- Who has the worst temper? Yooouuu..I mean...no one really
- Who does the cooking? We both do
- Who is more social? You
- Who is the neat freak? We are neat freaks in different and incomptable ways
- Who is the most stubborn? Me
- Who hogs the bed? You thinks it's me
- Who wakes up earlier? Me
- Where was your first date? Starbucks
- Who has the bigger family? I do, because of my neice and nephews, but you have a larger, in touch, extended family
- Do you get flowers often? No
- Who does the laundry? I do
- Who drives when you are together? I do
- Who picks where you go to dinner? Both of us
- Who wears the pants in the relationship? We are both currently wearing pants

Valentine's Day Quiz - Questions

I noticed a fun Facebook status from Jeska today. It said in honor of Valentine's Day, all couples should answer the following questions and make it their status.

Couples: Since this is a blog and not Facebook, cut and past the list into the comments! You can either fill it out from your perspective or call your partner over and ask them to answer.

- Who's older?
- Who was interested first?
- Married?
- Together?
- More sarcastic?
- Who makes the most mess?
- Who has more tattoos?
- Better singer?
- Hogs the remote?
- Better driver?
- Smarter?
- Most common sense?
- Whose siblings do you see the most?
- Do you have any children together?
- Did you go to the same school?
- Who is the most sensitive?
- Where do you eat out most as a couple?
- Where is the furthest you two have traveled together?
- Who has the worst temper?
- Who does the cooking?
- Who is more social?
- Who is the neat freak?
- Who is the most stubborn?
- Who hogs the bed?
- Who wakes up earlier?
- Where was your first date?
- Who has the bigger family?
- Do you get flowers often?
- Who does the laundry?
- Who drives when you are together?
- Who picks where you go to dinner?
- Who wears the pants in the relationship?

I also want to say that I was so happy to read their lists and learn more Jeska and her beau. I met him on our Wonderland trip this year and thought he was perfect for her! Joe is amazing and I am so excited for them.

I look forward to seeing your responses in the comments, and stay tuned to Always Standing for mine and Jason's over the next couple of days.

For The Moms

Sometimes Your Mom Is Your Valentine

Avery and Aimee

Photo and Edits by ME

Note: Yes, I asked them to pose like this and it has already been called corny multiple times on Facebook. I am not big on the whole Heart Motif, but it is Valentine's and this is much better than the 'Beiber Hand Heart' thing. It is cute. (I really wish I had brought my better camera, but I didn't really feel like we had room when packing.)

I Am So Lucky

Valentine's 2015

Clockwise from Top-Right

Brooklyn Bridge (NYC October 2014)

Roses (February 2013)

The Cottage (October 2012) by Marie

Central Park (NYC October 2014)

Avery (February 2015)

Unless otherwise stated, all photos by Me

JennD Got A Great Gift

Mid-Week Friend Update - A Wednesday feature that provides a small update on what is happening with the incredible people that I have in my life.

Jon surprised JennD this Valentine's ... with a puppy!

Jon, JennD, and Brinn

Photo from JennD, possibly a self-portrait

Her name is Brinn, which in Irish means noble defender. It looks like she is a Black Lab but I don't know for sure, Jon may have gotten her from a breeder or adopted her. I do know that she is 11 weeks old, keeping them up all night, and that it was love at first sight.  Aren't they the cutest little family!

Happy Valentine's Day

------------------ from Facebook

Love says:

I have seen the ugly parts of you

and I am still staying.

ERin Is Still Amazing

Mid-Week Friend Update - A Wednesday feature that provides a small update on what is happening with the incredible people that I have in my life.

The funny thing about ERin is that she doesn't really like board games. Actually, her husband does but she is not very keen on them. My friends are all very different and it would be hard to find a common thread that runs throughout them all, but if I had to my first instinct would be that they are all 'game' people. However, ERin is not and she is a great friend who I am thrilled to have as part of my life. So, I will have to keep looking for the common thread. The reason I mention ERin's small aversion to board games is that she gave me an incredible one a few years ago. Well, a quick update on ERin would be that her hilariously random but oddly perfect gift giving ability is still strong.

Today, I came home to a huge box. (Yesterday, there had been notice that people had attempted a delivery but no one had been home. I was happy that Jason had a snow day to get it.) Inside was a bouquet of 12 stuffed kittens! There are 4 grey ones, 4 white ones and 4 little ginger ones like Two. They are arranged on sticks, but you can easily pull them off of the sticks, I haven't yet because I just love the strangeness of having them in bouquet formation and wrapping.

It makes me long for a cubicle a little bit so that I can line them all up along the back of my desk. (Maybe at my next job.) I am going to turn some into cat-toys for Two. In her note, ERin said it was a Valentine's Day present for all of us but that Two and I would like it more than Jason. I think Jason is confused by it but I feel I should share with Two. However, I also don't want to take it apart - it is just so amusing.

So, much thanks to ERin for making me smile and brightening my day! I love her sense of humour and have always been impressed with how well she combines being so kind with also being funny.

My Valentine

Jason is amazing and we had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday, which actually continued into today with him bringing me breakfast in bed and driving me to the bus stop.

A little while ago, during a visit to Ottawa, Steph did a photo shoot with us out in the woods. I know that I was complaining about these types of photos less than a month ago. However, I justify these as different because we are not engaged and were not doing for any reason beyond helping Steph build her portfolio and get some nice pictures of each other. Also, we went cross country skiing together in the nature area where the shoot was, so the location was not random. Still, they are totally the photos that generally annoy me. But we look so good in them!

This is my favourite:

Love Is A Rainbow In A Sunbeam

By Stephanie Koning, of Stephanie Beach Photography 

Copyright © 2012

You can see the entire set here:

Stephanie Beach Photography - Blog

A Good January

There are so many things coming up that I am excited for! Normally January, February, and March are really difficult months for me but this year it seems I will be keeping myself pretty busy and hopefully happy.

Upcoming Exciting Things:
- Jan 12 - Babysitting Jason's nephews with him
- Jan 13 - Brunch with Teri
- Jan 15 - Seeing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
- Jan 19 - A new roommate moving in 
- Jan 21 - Our AGM at work
- Jan 24 - Kristen's birthday
- Jan 25 to Feb 7 - Winterlicious dinners and brunches
- Feb 14 - Valentine's Day
- Feb 15 to 18 - Ski trip to Blue Mountain

Have Car - Will Drive - Episode Six

A VERY SPECIAL VALENTINE'S DAY EPISODE

The one with the snow bank...

I am down at the cottage again, checking it out for my parents, watering the plants, etc. I haven't been down in a while and there has been a lot of snow. It is now rather warm and everything is melting a little; the result is thigh deep wet packing snow.

I have gotten used to driving into the small parking spot behind Rrunuv Bayit, which sometimes takes a bit of effort. The driveway looked pretty covered, about a foot or so of snow and a two foot bank from the plow across the end. I got out and walked around to assess the situation. For some reason, since it was packing snow and as soon as you step on it everything sinks down, I thought that I could simply drive the car in and the snow would just pack down as it drove. This is not the case - not with a 1997 Toyota Corrola at least.

Needless to say, I got royally stuck in the snow bank. So stuck in fact that I had gummed up the whole bottom of the car with packing snow. The wheels weren't even turning - not as in they were spinning and the car wasn't moving - the car's wheels did not even move, I had blocked everything up so much with snow! I then spent the next two hours digging out the car from the front and sides. Still couldn't get it out! I decided to call a tow truck and someone came and very nicely pulled me out for $40. I drove the car around a bit and it is fine. I too am fine, except that I feel like an idiot.

Headshot And Bio

This is my bio and headshot for next weekends production for The Vagina Monologues. I don't think that they are going in the program but they are on the website and going up on a big board in the lobby at the show. I'm happy with the bio, I wrote it, but not as keen on the photograph. I couldn't figure out why I didn't like it, except that maybe my face seems a little more round than usual. Heather was able to figure it out for me though, my eyes are not looking at the same location, one is focused on the camera and the other past it, making me look a little dopey.

CHRISTINE SWEETON

A passion for theatre and a strong desire to help end violence against women has led Christine to The Vagina Monologues for the second time. Christine acted in the 2006 production and is happy to be back on stage working with such a talented cast and crew. She is currently working for the Department of Justice as a Communications Assistant and finishing her degree in English at Carleton University. She is the sole writer for her blog – Always Standing. Christine lives to travel and loves to dance. She procrastinates too much and hates cooking. Christine would like to thank all of her friends in Ottawa for their support and encouragement.

V-Day

V-Day Ottawa 2009 presents: The Vagina Monologues
A play by Eve Ensler, part of the 2009 V-Day Campaign

YES I AM IN IT THIS YEAR (SATURDAY SHOW)

Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21, 2009
7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
The Bronson Centre (211 Bronson Ave)

Tickets are available in advance for $20 at:
Venus Envy - 320 Lisgar Street (Bank)
Ottawa Women's Credit Union - 271 Bank Street (Somerset)

Collected Works - 1242 Wellington Street West (Holland)

Mother Tongue Books - 1067 Bank Street (Sunnyside)

Sophia Esthetic - 190 Maclaren St., 2nd floor
Get your tickets soon - the show sells out every year

***

V-Day Ottawa is part of the global V-Day Campaign to raise awareness to end violence against women. Money raised from the benefit production will go to the Ottawa Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) and charities that aid women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery. The 2009 V-Day spotlight campaign calls attention to the wide-scale atrocities committed against women and girls in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and demands that women and girls in the DRC are safe.

My Mommy Loves Me

And my Daddy does too! I just got a care package from my parents in the mail. They are in France right now so not only am I jealous but I'm also missing talking on the phone with them. It was a Valentine's Day package with chocolates and rose stickers. They usually give me little things most Valentine's, it started on a road trip to Florida when I was 7. The trip included Valentine's Day, not that I was even paying attention to that fact, and I guess they felt bad that we would be missing out on the festivities at school so they gave my brother and I a present. We obviously hadn't even noticed the day or felt like we missed out at all, but the gift was still very nice. I think I got pencil crayons or sketching stuff or something. I'm glad that they still remember the little tradition.

A Wordsmith

There was a young girl, looked after the drink.
Put it outside, to keep it "in the pink"
In a cardboard tote
"Don't touch" said the note
Who knew, the bomb squad would make such a stink!
-By C. Sweeton

Now this is not me, my mom's first name also starts with a 'C' and it is her poem to me. She is definitely where I get my writing skills from, but poetry is not her strong suit. I don't even know what she is referring to when she says 'in the pink' and it might just be used to rhyme with ‘drink,’ besides that though this poem is much better than her last attempt. I shouldn’t judge, I’m not good writing poetry either. I do know that writing poetry takes a long time, and I'm thankful and happy that she made the effort for me on Valentines Day, as it was sent to me yesterday. I love you Mom!! The poem is in reference to an incident at work that happened to me earlier this week. I don't want to get into details, but basically I put some drinks in a box outside to keep them cold, the bomb squad was called, and I got into more than a little bit of trouble. Not my finest moment, I'm still a little embarrassed about it.