More Photos! ! !

Anne Marie, A married woman

I just came home after attending the wonderful wedding of Anne Marie and her new husband Austin. What an honour it was to attend and represent the blogging world.

The ceremony was short, quaint and perfect. The gentleman officiating the ceremony did it with gusto and flair perfect to the tastes of the married couple. There were several chuckles thru the ceremony however the words that were spoken by the officiator, thru the two readings and the personal vows of Anne-Marie and Austin were sincere, thought provoking and very poignant - beautiful actually.

News has it that Austin was extremely nervous before the ceremony while Anne-Marie was as relaxed, cheerful and normal as could be.

I didn't have a clear view to take good shots, but I'm posting what I have, after making some very quick and not so perfect photoshop adjustments (to eliminate people's shoulders or heads!)

Currently, Anne-Marie is still at the beautiful historic Old Mill with her new husband and family. By now she's probably feeling like a movie star with all the photographs she's having done.

In a couple of hours I will be rejoining her, along with all the other guests for a night of food, drinks and celebration.

Feel free to leave your comments here for Anne-Marie. When I see her again, I'll be telling her that I've posted this blog so I'm sure she'll be checking in sometime soon to see what type of post I've done and comments that have been received.

Being thankful

Friends are something really special. As people living south to me celebrate thanksgiving, I am thankful for the friendships that I have. I don't have a husband and/or children. So friends in my life are extra important. And, to have caring and loving friends like these, makes me feel incredibly blessed and thankful.

Highlight of my week-end, having nothing to do with the activities that were done.

On the weekend, I traveled to a tiny horse breeding farm south of Ottawa to spend the week-end with a bunch of girlfriends. While I’m relatively new to this group, it has been meeting approximately every two months for about six years.

The group began after one of the girl’s husbands suffered a terrible tragedy due to her husband committing suicide. At that time, the seven founding members of this “group” took turns to look after her. They realized after a while that the 24-hour support would have to stop – but they didn’t want to completely stop giving her support. These women, whom are mothers, grandmothers and career women with busy lives, didn’t want to get caught up in their own lives and lose touch with Linda so they formalized this group.

Every two months a pot-luck dinner is hosted by one of the women and the gang all stay overnight so they don’t have to worry about driving home. Each dinner has a theme and fun is had.

I feel very fortunate to be best friends with two of the original seven members and am honoured to be part of their extended “sisterhood”. These get-togethers have nothing to do with gossip or “hen pecking” but have everything to do with love and caring for others in days of happiness and sadness. Linda, I’m happy to say is with a new man and this group has supported her every step of the way just as everyone in the group has supported each other.

I have had more than my share of tragedy in my life, but am thankful for what I have.

Have a good Week-end

I'm off with friends for an artistic adventure!

Photography, pottery, art on canvas

then
off to the spa for.....

body wraps, facials and back massages !!

I'm leading the photography and others are leading the other arts - quelle fun!

What will they think of next?

Today at work I was doing a media audit of stories on plastic bags and came across this story out of Japan. What do you think about this new invention?

JAPANESE women looking for a place to hold their melons while shopping may soon have an alternative - their bra.

In a bid to discourage the shopaholics from using plastic bags, a lingerie maker has unveiled a bra with cup padding that unfolds to become a handheld shopping bag.

The bra-turned-bag is made of recycled polyester fibre with straps that can be tied onto the bag as ribbons.

Japanese shops hand out some 30billion plastic bags a year but almost a third are thrown away without being reused.

A spokesman for Triumph said: "In this context, what deserves the most attention is the significance of each and every customer understanding the importance of not using plastic bags."

The company has sought a patent for the eco-bra, although there are no plans yet to put it on general sale.

Nine "weird" things about me. Answering Anne-Marie's tag

1. I love word play and constantly come up with (what friends refer to as) horrendous puns.

2. I’m a sucker for total darkness at night and have 2 sets of curtains on one curtain rod (to block out outside light) in both my bedroom and living room.

3. I like to sit in total darkness while listening to soft classical music before going to bed at night.

4. I have a melody for every moment and can break out in song at any time during a conversation.

5. I like to act like a monster in front of my cats while making growling noises, having my arms stretched high and wide, with a funny walk towards them. They’re so used to this that they usually just jump up on the closest chair to get a friendly pet after I’m finished with these strange movements.

6. I’m a sucker for intelligent men – regardless of race or vocation. To me it’s the hugest turn-on.

7. One can often see me on the street with the most peculiar grin on my face, smiling from ear to ear, while I’m in some far away place of thought.

8. I am extremely spiritual, but have a difficult time talking about it.

9. I am usually very shy, but work in communications, which entails a lot of public relations!

Oh, and like Anne-Marie, I too have way too many pictures of my cats!

Reflections: a page from my diary and thoughts from today

September 2, 2004

I'm on the train right now [leaving France] and am in Germay - no sign of customs - the times have changed in a united Europe ...

later that day:

I'm in the the Platz in front of Cologne's Cathedral next to the Rhine River listening to Raggae and now an accordian version of Vivaldi's 4-seasons - what a Global Village! ... I notice that Cologne, which was almost completely destroyed from allied bombing is really is a rebuilt city. It's not very interesting due to its lost architecture and what was replaced are drab buildings form the 1950s. This makes me reflect on the changing of history. 60 years ago we were at war and today there is a united Europe - pretty amazing. I'm glad I live in this age ... God Bless You Grandma and Grandpa for living during your time [in WW I] and helping to make this place better for us. And thank you Uncle Gordon [a fighter pilot in WWII] - But what a price you paid.

While I was writing this, I actually had tears in my eyes (I can be such a suck) but history's events really hit me between the eyes in a way that I hadn't anticipated. Sometimes, living in North America we get removed from the happenings of two world wars, even though their events influence how we live today. Somehow, I believe that I went to the boring city of Cologne just for that reason.

So, thanks to all who gave up their lives or went through horrible things such as losing spouses, relatives and friends or having to endure what my uncle did by living three of his life as a prisoner of war.

Today, I wish that war could be stopped, however, that doesn’t seem to be possible on this precious planet. However, I wish we all could give peace a chance.

later Today

Right after writing this blog in draft today at 10:30 a.m. I walked over to our downtown mall, the Eaton's Centre, to get some light bulbs and a few other things. In doing so, I walked thru the Ryerson University campus at about 10:45 and saw some students on the residence grounds writing the words "we remember" in chalk on a cement walkway. At 11:00 I was in one of the city’s largest department stores where they made an announcement of silence and you couldn’t even hear a pin drop – it was very moving.

I think today as events go on in Iraq and soldiers are in Afghanistan many people of younger generations are understanding more about what this day really means. So, as this day comes to a close, I will say a prayer for peace.