Wedding Plans- the Venue

It doesn't seem like that long since we got engaged, but wedding planning is in full effect. I'd like to share some details with you as the day gets closer. First up: the venue. We've picked the Al Azhar Shriners Temple here in Calgary.

Aside from circuses and tiny cars, I don't know a whole lot about the Shriners, but their hall has a beautiful outdoor space for the ceremony and a reception space big enough for 150 of our closest friends and family.

Only 199 days to go!*


*I looked that up specifically for this post. When I saw it, I might have thrown up in my mouth a little bit. Eek!

Ahh the Weekend...

This is where I spent the weekend:

Some girlfriends and I went snowshoeing at Rummel Lake. The trail was tough, but the views and the adventure- except for the part where we took a wrong turn and almost lost Sarah- were amazing!

Dragon's Breath and Oculus Cherries

I love having cheese as a dessert course- OK, let's face it, I just love a dessert course. Period. When our wine and cheese loving friend, Kyle, was in town from Australia over Christmas, I knew we needed to have something special.

Dragon's Breath comes all the way from Nova Scotia and for the longest time this mysterious treat was impossible to find. It's entirely coated in black wax and left to ripen. When you cut the top off you discover a perfectly white blue cheese. There's no blue veining. Just white, creamy goodness that still packs the sharp punch of blue cheese without the moldy flavor. Janice Beaton had a full stock of it over the holidays, but you may want to call ahead to check if that's still the case.

The Oculus Cherries come from the beautiful Mission Hill Winery that we visited in the summer. They are exactly what they sound like: BC cherries soaked in Mission Hill's famous Oculus. They make an excellent addition to any cheese plate. They taste especially good when you stand in front of the fridge with the door open and eat them straight out of the jar. I haven't seen them in Calgary for quite some time, but you can order them through Mission Hill's website.

Ahh the Weekend- Rediscovering Edmonton

A couple weeks ago I was invited to Edmonton for a tasting of a few of Wine Spectator's top 100 Wines of 2012. I haven't spent an extended amount of time in that city for a while, but with my cousin, Stevii, as my guide, I discovered some of the awesome places I have been missing.

We shopped on 124th St. where I fell in love with pretty much everything at Shades of Gray. Specifically, this Greylin dress:

After picking up cheese at Paddy's, we checked into the Matrix hotel for a little pre-dinner rest and snack. We met my cousin, Sonja and Auntie Gloria, for dinner at the new Canteen. The food was delicious! I had the butternut squash ravioli with brussels sprouts and duck confit. After plenty of wine and many laughs, we called it a night.

The next morning, knowing that we'd need something to soak up that excess vino, Stevii took me to the super cute diner, Sugarbowl. We both had to indulge in the ultimate hangover cure: chicken and waffles. I'm still dreaming of that maple butter!

Tip: get there early. At the ungodly hour of 8:30am, the place was already packed!

Thanks for being my guide, Stevii! I can't wait  to head back to YEG.

Golden Globes Drinking Game

Are you excited for the Golden Globes on Sunday? I can't wait to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host.

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To keep you entertained throughout the show, the two of them have come up with a Golden Globes drinking game.

Tina Fey explains the rules: “Any time an actress cries in a speech, drink. Any time you see a person actively not listening to someone onstage, drink.”

And from Poehler, take a drink: “Any time someone says, ‘I didn’t prepare anything!’”

Also, remove an article of clothing when 1. someone mentions Judi Dench and 2. when Maggie Smith wins something.

From Fey, here’s an added challenge: “Any time anyone thanks Harvey Weinstein, eat a meatball sub.”

Enjoy your weekend ;)

Orange and Clove Closet Fresheners

Seeing my Nana reminded me of a project we used to do together when I was a kid. It's a good use for that leftover mandarin you found in the toe of your stocking. All you need is an orange and some cloves.

Press the cloves into the orange. Presto! Just like that you have a room freshener  You can leave them in a bowl on the table or tie a ribbon around them and hang them in your closet.

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Ahh the Weekend...

When we discovered an outdoor rink by our house last week, we immediately decided to get skates. Even though neither of us has been on a pair in years, we did pretty well while skating with friends on Saturday.

We're excited to explore more spots throughout the city to work on our stopping skills. Did you know you can skate on the lagoons at Prince's Island and Bowness Park? The City of Calgary has a full list of community rinks.

Welcome back, NHL!

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation...

...in complete and utter bliss, that's how. I was a very spoiled girl over the holidays. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, I had to have at least one bath a day to enjoy all of my goodies.

Have you read Grace? She was my favorite in the September Issue. Her book delves deeper into her life and how she eventually ended up at Vogue. I just love her sassy attitude!

Have a great weekend!

Happy 2013!

Well hello there! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year's Eve. We spent a ton of time with friends and family, took some time to ourselves to unwind, and just generally enjoyed the time off. We had an exciting week visiting with friends in town from Halifax, Australia, and Norway and one of my oldest and dearest friends got engaged!

That brings us to 2013. I'm so excited for the year ahead. I thought things might slow down after December, but it appears to be just the opposite. We're planning trips and a honeymoon. We've got friends getting married and we're planning a wedding of our own. New jobs and opportunities await us. Which has brought me to the decision to not make any goals or resolutions for 2013. I just want to let the whole year happen to me. I just want to be present and happy. That's it. No pressure- just lots of love. What about you? Did you make any resolutions?