130-O Reunion Weekend

This past weekend, I reunited with 5 of my besties for a long overdue 130-O Reunion weekend. I am still grinning ear to ear thinking about this weekend. We had such a great time, and while I could detail every moment, you might not find it as amusing as we did - there were a lot of 'had to be there' moments for us, and while you really did have to be there, you can still appreciate the fun we had sharing old memories and making some new ones too!

Needless to say, we laughed a lot this weekend (howled at times)... and renewed our faith in the fact that living at 130-O and experiencing University was indeed some of the best times in our lives! We obviously thought this because we headed back to scene of the crime for a reminiscent tour of the hot spots!

Its hard to put into words what these ladies mean to me, its like being sisters - only a glorified sisterhood - we love each other, we rely on each other, we share the same opinions on some things, and oppose each other on others, but all around, we stick together, we support each other, we embrace each other - no matter how long its been, no matter what the distance between us... we are there for each other, and truly soak up the laughs and time we have together, because we all lead busy lives, and we know that the next time we get to do this, might not be for a while.

I really do love these ladies... and this weekend only reminded me how important these girls are to me! I can't wait for our next 130-O Reunion... it may be hard to top this one, but I look forward to trying!

 

Hunger Games Virgin!

This weekend marked the opening of the movie Hunger Games (in Ottawa), and a few days ago, my besties asked me if I wanted to join them to see the movie.

I accepted the gracious invitation... not because I've read the book and was dying to see the movie, but because I was dying for an excuse to have a night out and a little break from my Mommy duties.

I think I am probably one of the rare few who were in the theater and had never heard of Hunger Games, let alone the names Katniss and Peeta. I went in blind, totally blind, and... I LOVED IT!

My besties are die hard Hunger Games fans... as they were Twilight fans! I never got into Twilight - my interest was not once peaked by the whole vampire love story. The whole Hunger Games movement is also one I did not jump on. I have to admit if it weren't for the odd snippet of info on Ellen and the entertainment pieces on my local radio station, I don't think the words Hunger Games would mean anything to me.

However, I really thought the movie was fantastic... super intense, and although based on a semi-unrealistic storyline, it was totally believable to watch. I loved the character of Katniss... she was phenomenal on all accounts.

Having enjoyed the movie so much, I am actually thinking about adding a copy of the book to my nightstand in hopes of reading it before... 2022!

Thanks to @erinseller and @ericaclapp for putting up with my virgin HG questions, but also for insisting I join the party! It was a great night out, followed up by some good laughs at Moxie's!

I am so pumped for Catching Fire... (whatever that means)!

 

Good Great Friends

What would life be like without great friends?

On Thursday night, I was out for dinner with three of my besties who I haven't seen in quite some time. It was a belated birthday dinner celebration for me (but really just a good excuse to get out for dinner for all of us), and it could not have come at a better time.

I have been in a bit of a funk lately, the "I have two kids" reality has sunk in, and while its going well, its also a reality check that this is MY life. The ups and down of parenthood have hit me this week... newborn baby, sick toddler, and sleep deprived parents, makes for a *lovely* combination of 'joy and happiness' in this household.  I did not leave the house since the Friday before, so was finding it hard to be energetic and cheerful when I can't pay for two minutes of downtime, but yet I do my best to pick my battles and hope for a better combo of everything next week (although it grand scheme of things, I know its not. that. bad.).

Now... where was I going with this (Mommy brain)... oh yes, great friends.  I had a long overdue scheduled outting with the girls and we spent two hours laughing (and at times laughing so hard I was almost crying). Nothing lightens my mood like some good girlfriend banter... I can't even begin to share what we were talking about, because I don't remember half of it, but I do know that leaving the restaurant I had a permanent smile on my face the entire drive home. Seriously, these ladies make me laugh and smile, and it was a great break from a trying week.

Girlfriends are the best medicine... and I am so thankful to have so many great girlfriends ... even those that I don't see very often or live miles away, but I know that when I do get a chance to catch up with them, they brighten my life!

Thanks ladies for a great night! It made Friday's outing of lugging two kids to the doctor with me that much more bearable (which is a whole other blog post for another day).

My Second Labour Story

Well, its been four weeks since I gave birth to my second precious baby boy, and as promised, I am ready to share the details of this labour and delivery. Grab a coffee.. its a bit of a long one!

You may recall my labour story with E's arrival, that ended with a fairly traumatic delivery...which I can now look back and say it was all worth it, but it still not a labour & delivery fairytale - that's for sure.

This time around was so much different from my first experience.  For one, I had to be induced as labour didn't come on naturally. This was frustrating in a way, because of the waiting.  I had an induction scheduled for the 15th of December, but the hospital got extremely busy that morning and so my induction was pushed back. I was pretty bummed about this... as the anticipation was at an all time high on the morning of the 15th, but nonetheless, waiting one more day was pain free... which was nice.

Prior to my induction date, lots of people wished me well and hoped that I didn't have to be induced, but I would say induction is the way to go in a sense, because in my experience, its a gradual labour and for the most part is always monitored and under control (especially if you opt for an epidural).

So.. the morning of the 16th, we got the call at 7:15 am from my good friend and nurse SS9 to come in to the hospital to get the induction underway.  The hospital was still extremely busy and the triage nurse wasn't overly happy to see me, but I explained we were called to come in and she reluctantly agree to put me on a monitor while she got to the bottom of my story.  After being on the monitor SS9 arrived to explain the situation to the triage nurse and let us know that although there wasn't a room available at the moment, there were many rooms freeing up over the morning, so to come back in a bit and she would admit us to get the induction going.

The hospital was busy, and our good friends Vicki and Toubi were actually occupying one of the rooms in the hospital as they delivered their baby boy, Tomi the day before. We visited it with them and then PC and I had some Timmy's breakfast and then waited around for a bit before SS9 came to bring us to our room.

By this time it was 10:00ish, and by 10:30 I was in a gown and the resident OB, was breaking my water.  As she broke my water, we learned that the baby had already pooped... so although not a big concern, it was a definite sign the baby was ready to come out.

The plan after my water was broke, was to WAIT for the contractions to come on by themselves. At the time I was only 2 cms dilated, so if the contractions didn't start to intensify naturally, then they would put an IV in and put me on the drip (oxytocin) to help me along.

PC and I walked around, we visited with our friends, and while I was leaking water with every step, contractions were not really present or anywhere near intense.  This went on for a couple of hours, and while I was having the odd pain, I could tell I really wasn't dilating anymore, so they administered the IV and started the oxytocin. Contractions came on close together but not very intense at all. They checked me again, and I was 4.5 cms at around 3:30. The kept upping the drip, and soon the contractions were 2 minutes apart but again not too painful or intense (in comparison to my contractions with E).  After a short conversation with SS9 I decided that I would get the epidural now ... so that I could ensure I would get it while the going was good, and not be SOL later if things decided to process quickly.

By 6pm I had the epidural... and was feeling no pain whatsoever.  I was 5 cms and at the half way point, 8 hours after my water had broke. The epidural procedure hurt a bit more than my previous labour, I think because the contractions were not so hot n' heavy this time around that I was able to focus more on what the anesthesiologist was doing, which was not overly pleasant! Nevertheless... he got it done and I was very thankful for his work!

I think SS9 upped the drip again, and again. and again. Contractions were showing on the monitor as being 2 minutes apart but when the doctor checked me at 8pm, I was still only 5 cms.  I was holding back a few tears when the resident explained to me that if I didn't show any progress in the next couple of hours I could be headed for a c-section as it could become dangerous for the baby at some point.  I didn't want to have a c-section after waiting all. damn. day. for baby to arrive.  If I was going to have a c-section, we could have just done that at 10:30 am and be sleeping peacefully by now.

After the 8 pm check-in by the resident, we discussed maybe trying to get some rest while I waited to dilate more. She said she would come back at 10 to check me again, and we would devise a game plan for the rest of the night then.

My parents and my in-laws were at the hospital waiting, so they decided to go for coffee in the lobby for a few hours while I was to be resting.  I think they all thought it was going to be a long night so why not load up on caffeine to keep them going. PC went with them... and I told him I would message him on his phone if anything was happening.

During the time I was suppose to be resting, SS9 I got to chatting, catching up on things, and I was talking to friends on BBM. Around 8:30 the OB that was working the night shift came to see me and explained to me that she was prepared to be extra patient with second babies, because my first was delivered vaginally. She reassured me that if I showed a bit of progress in the next couple of hours, we could wait it out. That put me at ease, but I was still thinking there was no way this baby was going to be born on the 16th at the rate I was progressing (or not progressing).

Around 9ish SS9 maxed out the oxytocin, but again I wasn't feeling a thing so it made no difference to me. At 9:30 she left the room to go get a quick snack and to find the doctor to come in at 10.  She wasn't gone 10 minutes when I all of sudden started feeling a ton of pressure. At 9:50, I messaged PC to come back to the room because I was having all of this pressure suddenly and the doctor was to come in at 10. I told him to tell our parents to come up after 10 when the doctor would have already checked me.

SS9 returned to the room at about 9:50 pm, she sarcastically asked me how I was doing and to her surprise, I said I had A LOT of pressure in my butt. She got that look in her eye and said 'Really? Let's check'.  I was 10 cms and the head was very low.  SS9 took off out of the room to get the doctor and PC. Before I knew it, they were in the room, the resident checked me and confirmed I was definitely 10cms and ready to push.

I started pushing at 9:58 pm and 17 minutes later at 10:15 pm, Hudson was in my arms and crying that sweet sweet cry that was so reassuring.

It happened VERY quickly. So quickly that when our parents returned to the room, they were waiting outside thinking the doctor was checking me, when in fact, they were stunned to find out that their newest grandson had already arrived.

I think I was shocked too that he was actually in my arms and looking at me. He literally just flew out after making us wait all that time.  To say labour was quick and painless, would be fairly accurate. Of course there was some pain and a lot of waiting, but when it came to actual delivery - it was quite fast which meant no time for pain.

I have to say, this delivery would not have been possible without SS9... she A. got us admitted to the hospital, B. got labour started, and C. was still working a full 15 hours after she first called us that morning. She was the best coach, and is a superstar nurse and even better friend! Thanks SS9... could not have done it without you.

 

As I said before, this experience was so much different from when I had E. This labour reassured me that childbirth doesn't have to be traumatic and can be a wonderful experience. 

I give a ton of credit as well to the resident doctor, Dr. Jennifer Brown-Broderick who delivered H. She has an awesome bedside manner and overall wonderful coach during the actual delivery. She was really great, and put me at ease and ensured the arrival of H didn't cause my body too much wear and tear ;-).

PC was also the best... I think he puts other husband's to shame in the delivery room as he is very comfortable in the medical setting, and for me he is a calming influence and great partner to have by my side.  

I am 99.9% sure this will be the last time I have a labour story to share with you... but if by narrow narrow narrow chance I had to end up doing it again, I would want to repeat this story to you! 

Thanks for reading... I have spent the last month falling in love with my little boy and being even more in love with my little family of boys! I'm definitely outnumbered but wouldn't have it any other way.

10 years ... for 130-O!

This week I have been doing a bit of reminiscing ... as it has been 10 years since I started University, and 10 years since I met some of my best friends.

My University crew, who I refer to as 130-O, are some pretty terrific friends. We have shared so many funny and memorable moments, I don't know where to start... I am so thankful for this group of girls. The thing about these ladies is that no matter where we go, or what we do, we always can reunite every so often and share stories from our Ottawa U years all over again.

I really believe that University was some of the best years of my life. I feel old saying that... I think every phase of your life has good things about it, but University was one of the most care-free, life-changing periods of my life. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was the chapter in my life where I had a lot of fun, learned a lot about myself, yet was careless about some things while learning responsibility about others.

Yes, I got an education out of the deal, but I wouldn't say it was the book education that I learned the most from, it was the social aspect that taught me more than any book ever could. I learned that good friends are for life, and these are the friends that will be standing over my casket in 80 years saying, 'damn, she's still got it', with a chuckle!

I thought, on our 10 year anniversary it would only appropriate to share how we all met... so below you have the story how 130-O came to be (from my perspective).

When I think back to starting University... I think of my, now, good friend Erin (aka Boyder). At the time, she and I did not know each other, but we were both enrolled in the Communications program at Ottawa U. She had taken French in high school, I had not. We sat next to each other the first day of orientation, and when the prof started speaking French, I sat there for 3 minutes pretending I was understanding, and then looked at her and said 'Do you speak French?'... to which she nodded yes, with a sympathetic smile. She helped me out that day, translating to me what I missed out on, and from the point forward our first day interaction was the beginning of a beautiful friendship... and so much more.

Boyder, roomed with a girl named Erica (aka Clapper) who both lived in the same residence as me. Clapper was enrolled in the Business Administration program and in that program Clapper met Krista (aka KL). KL was roommates with a girl named Amber (aka Bee), and Bee and Clapper actually went to high school together for a few years, back in Whitby - so they already knew one another.

Through these mini connections, we started all hanging out together in a group, going to eat at the cafeteria, walking to classes together, and by Christmas time, we were each others allies in Thompson residence. When the 3 am fire alarm was pulled, we would call each other and wait for one another in the stairwells so we didn't have to be stuck out in the cold alone... instead we would hang out, laugh, make fun of each other, and get to know one another even better.

Shortly after Christmas of that year, we decided we wanted to cohabitate off-campus the following year. So we set out searching for a house close to campus, and we stumbled upon a run-down 3 story house with 6 bedrooms and one (yes I said ONE) bathroom - in a prime location. It had major potential, but when we showed our parents... their faces pretty much screamed 'I am not leaving my daughter in that death trap'. It took some convincing, and a game plan, but of course we all stuck together, everyone pitched in, and by the following September, we were happily moving into 130 Osgoode Street... which would be home to us for the next 3 years. Having that address, we became known as the girls of 130-O.

We did have 6th roommate that first year, who we don't speak to anymore... she moved out after our first year together in 130-O and in moved our 6th and final member of the house... April (aka Baby). Baby was a year younger than us, but fit in well... and in no time was up to speed with the 130-O lifestyle! She completed our group... and together as a group of 6 we made some great memories.

We still talk about the random streaker who showed up at our front window one rainy night, whipped open his trench coat and was naked - he stood there laughing and staring until we shut the blinds. There was also Pita Pit delivery guy who rolled up on his bike with our order. The crazy creepo men who lived next door and shouted things like 'I want to gauge your eyes out with a spoon'... and let's not forget the thief who PC caught red handed in our living room, stealing our booze and my Palm Pilot! We had our drunken pub crawls, street parties on Spark's Street, birthday theme parties, our famous trip to Dominican, movies nights, flash light dance parties, our crook of a landlord Ivan, burning the three-wick candle, our crazy 130-O keg parties, Sunday dinners, the good luck song, and many late night conversations in each other's rooms talking about random events, relationship issues, and school stress.

Yes... 10 years has come and gone, but in that decade, so much has happened in my life, and these ladies (Boyder, Clapper, KL, Bee, and Baby) have been there to share in all of the highs and lows. My girls have become sisters to me, they are my family and my best friends.

10 years is a long time, but in the grand scheme of life, I think our friendship is only the start of beautiful things to come.

Happy 10th Anniversary 13o-O Ladies!

We went out last night... !

PC and I, and my BFF Clapper 'went out last night - like we swore we wouldn't do! Drank to much beer last night... a lot more than we wanted to' ... all in the name of Kenny Chesney!

What a great concert... there is something to be said about country concert-going fans, they get a little crazy in a good way!

We had such a great time and KC did not disappoint! He still isn't any better looking in person, but he sure knows how to entertain a crowd. High energy for two and half hours straight. Good times!

We hadn't planned on going to this concert, but we snagged floor seats on Monday morning, and I think that made the show. KC came out on a moving camera/chair and was right over top of us at one point. I actually spilt beer in my eye trying to get the shot (LOL!). He was worth every penny, and his opening acts Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert made for a jam-packed concert package.

There isn't much more to say above and beyond 'FUN FUN FUN'. We did snap some pics so ... I will let those illustrate my thoughts better than my words would! I will say, if you enjoy country music and haven't had a chance to see Kenny in concert - GO! He wasn't named entertainer of the year, 4 years in a row, for nothing!

This and That

Its been several days since my last post, and I wish I could say I had a valid excuse for not posting, but as it turns out I have no excuse! I have had tidbits and partial posts floating around in my head... but just never the time to sort them out on the blog, so I thought I would just throw out these random updates and thoughts, and let you take what you want from them... if anything at all!

• Two weekends ago, I took E on his first over night roadie... to a cottage just past Bancroft. My roomies from University (130-O ladies) planned a get together as one of our members (shout out to Bee) is moving to Texas, and we wanted to have one last weekend together, before she departed. It was quite the adventure... packing for this trip for me was nothing, but packing to take a baby to a cottage in the middle of winter ... WOW! The things you have to remember to take... I don't think the term 'packing lightly' was meant to be applied when a baby is involved.
  

The weekend was quite good... as per usual when I get together with these ladies, we always have a good time... reminiscing about old times, and then adding new memories with our silliness!

Here is a quick pic from that weekend...

• Then... last weekend, I went to a SURPRISE goodbye party for little Miss Texas... in Oshawa, as her sister had planned this party in addition to our previous ladies weekend. This meant, a second roadie with E, for a second weekend in a row. This was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I wanted to go, but wasn't sure about taking E all that way just to go there and back. But then my BFF Kristy was going to be at her place that weekend in T.O. so I decide to go to the party in Oshawa with E, and then in T.O to stay the night, see her new condo, and get in a quick visit. It was a fabulous trip... Bee was so surprised when she showed up and we all jumped out to welcome her, and seeing Kristy was the perfect bonus to the trip. On top of that.... taking E in the car was awesome! He's a good little traveler... so our next trek will be definitely be the 8 hour jaunt to Thessalon!

Here's a quick pic from last weekend... the boy toy in the picture is Bee's boyfriend Ryan - the reason she is moving to Texas!

• Tomorrow... we visit E's family doctor for the mommy are you feeding him enough monitoring session weight check up. I think its going well... I am hoping he will have gained close to another pound this round. The bottle feeding is going really well... and I have actually come to see that its a hell a lot more convenient to bottle feed on road trips than it is to breast-feed, so while I was at first a little bitter about the whole situation, I have since discovered the silver lining in it all.

• This week, the Tim Horton's Brier in on (curling for sports challenged)... and its been fun to watch (minus the fact that I have issues listening to Linda Moore and Ray Turnball for more than 20 minutes at a time. I won't go into a long rant on these two... but the older they get, the worse they are! Thank god for Vic Rauter... he's still got it)!

This is why I love curling so much:



Honestly... best shot I've seen in a long time, and so glad it came from Team Ontario!

• The time change has been kicking my ass this week... and its only Tuesday. E somehow got his signals crossed and is acting like we will fell back instead of springing ahead an hour. I... being the confident mother I am, was so sure that the darker mornings would translate into longer sleep-ins for E, but he apparently feels the need to wake up almost an hour earlier than he was previous to the time change. This has me being extra tired and thus being a little cranky by the day's end. I am hoping to get back on schedule ... by the end of the week (if the good lord knows what's good for this world)!

• Our PVR is on fritz... somehow, PC and a party who shall remain nameless (JULES!), were screwing around with the dish while I was away on the weekend, and the somehow the PVR quit working in the middle of this necessary repair. I could literally lose my mind. I heart my PVR... it allows me to keep up to date with my key shows, but not have to be restricted to the TV schedule, because as we all know... babies have this way of keeping you on THEIR schedule, which doesn't happen to be the same schedule as the TV guide. I grilled PC on how long the repair is going to take... as I was secreting loading the gun behind my back and removing the safety for emphasis.

• Before the PVR went on the fritz... I managed to take in the finale of The Bachelor... and the After the Final Rose, Part I and II. Oh the drama. I swear this is why I have faithfully watched this show, I love stuff like this. He dumps the one he proposed to, to ask for a second chance with the one he originally dumped... and its all on TV for my viewing pleasure. Someone at ABC obviously had me in mind when they thought up this show - I just can't get enough. And too boot, the Bachelor himself, Jason Mesnick, is now on Twitter... so now I can keep tabs on him and Molly as often as I want. God, I love when reality TV and social networking unite! LOVE IT!
  

• Baby bottles... HOLY complicated. I went to Toys R Us this week to look at getting some larger baby bottles for E, as he is outgrowing the 6 oz. bottle and fast. I am using breastfeeding bottles right now, and really like the nipples on these bottles. I want to keep the same type of nipple just on a larger bottle but do you think it could be that easy - NO! I must have starred at the bottle wall for a good 10 minutes just overwhelmed at all the options. Its crazy... slow flow, fast flow... even flow... air flow, drop-ins, plastic, BPA Free... the options are endless. I think taking the brakes off the Escape and putting them back on would be an easier job then selecting the right bottle and nipple to transition into!

Okay... there are other random thoughts floating around in my head, but I will have to cap it off at that for now as I am one tired cat! Feel free to comment on anything that may have peaked your interest... especially if you have some suggestions in the bottle department.

Cheers!

What a great weekend!

I don't have much time to compose a post today, but I did have a really great weekend. My BFF Kristy came to town for a much needed visit... and we treated ourselves and my other BFF Clapper to a really relaxing pedi at the Day Spa in Kanata on Saturday.

I loved every. single. minute. of it! We took our time, and then followed it up with a lovely afternoon lunch at Moxi's complete with a savoury glass of red wine. Afterwards we shopped around a little bit... and I finally pooled my Christmas and birthday presents to purchase the ipod touch (I love it). PC kept E for the whoooooooole day and I think it was the first day I have ever been out of the house for 6.5 hours ... without my smiling boy.

It was a really great afternoon, and what made it even better is that E was a very well behaved for his Daddy!

The following day, Kristy and I lounged around in the morning, made some delicious crepes for breaky... then went for a walk with E in the 'brisk' wind to the smoothie shop. We got caught up on each other's lives in the past couple of months... and the rumour mill from back home.

It was just an all around great weekend for me... and the best part is I now have lovely toes to look at while I am changing diapers, doing laundry, and singing 'three blind mice'!

Here's a few pics from the weekend!

T.O isn't such a bad place afterall!

This weekend I travelled to Toronto to visit my BFF (Kristy).... she's been there since November, and has now settled into a place ... so I decided to hop on the train and reintroduce myself to T.O life.

I haven't been to the Ontario capital since I was fairly young.... to put it into perspective, the SkyDome wasn't built the last time I was there. I sort of remember T.O. as a bit of dirty hole to be honest. But this weekend I was surprise to find out that its not how I remember it all.

Friday night we headed downtown and out for dinner to a place called 'Fred's not here' on King street. We had a great meal... and just got caught up on everything that has been going on in our lives over the last little while.

Saturday we met up with two good friends from University (KL & Bee, former members of 130-O) and headed to Yorkville for some afternoon shopping. I loved Yorkville... the stores were quite big and roomie... and there was everything you could imagine. The only thing I purchased was some new M.A.C. makeup... but it was well worth the trip!

As you can see from some of the pics below, we had a great time in Holt Renfrew trying out some new styles!

We decided to stay in Saturday night (yes... we are old) and order in from Spring Rolls... so good. It was actually better than going out to a nightclub and screaming over the music to talk to one another, as we were able to get caught up ... and tell some funny stories!

Sunday.... KL took the GO train back to Burlington and Kristy and I headed to the CN Tower, as neither of us had ever been to the top before. 28 years of living in Canada and I hadn't done one of the most touristic things in the country. It was quite the experience... first of all I am not a fan of heights... I get a little bit of anxiety when I think about it, but nonetheless, I still wanted to do it. The elevator ride to the top was a bit much for me... some 5 year-old kid was saying 'I'm scared Mommy', and I said to myself 'I know exactly how you feel kid!'

When we got to the top I was relieved to see that it was fully enclosed, so I relaxed a little. The view was spectacular. It reminded me a lot of the look out PC and I did in Boston, at the Prudential Centre... but I know we were much higher in the CN Tower. Kristy and I made our way to the glass floor, which is where I had a mini freak out... I didn't think I could do it. Luckily for me there was another lady beside me (my mother's age) and she didn't want to do it either, but in a moment of weakness, I grabbed the lady's hand and said 'C'mon, let's go' and pulled her on to the floor with me.... all the while, Kristy and the lady's husband were dying laughing at us. If I am going down, I want to take another innocent bystander with me! Luckily, the floor held up... and we all made it out alive!!!

After the CN Tower we had time for a stop at Starbucks... and then I headed back to the train station to catch my ride home.

It was a great weekend... and I realized that T.O is a city that I actually like... its a nice getaway. I still don't think I would want to live there, but its definitely a place I want to go back and visit more, and with Kristy there - I definitely will.

Here are a few pictures from my weekend excursion.
Enjoy!

Wedding Reception Done Right!

Okay... where did we leave off? Oh yes... the ceremony was complete, and guests were escorted via a lovely school bus to two Niagara wineries, for two hours worth of wine tasting and testing.

I have two words for you: GOOD TIMES!

The wedding party spent the time taking the necessary photos to complete the afternoon portion of the day, and then we all reunited at the Olympia Hall in Hamilton for a 6 course meal.

Can you say STUFFED? Because we were!

Dessert was the most entertaining course of the night as the staff of the Olympia Hall showcased their talents by making flambe in front of all the guests, lights off, music pumping, it was a theatrical display, as was the midnight buffet, which Krista and Kelly were incorporated into on their rolling chairs! It was definitely something see, a reception like no other.

After supper, and a few more drinks... everyone moved out to the dance floor to further the wedding memories for Krista and Kelly, with some good ol' get down and boogie dance moves.

Phase II can be summed up in two more words: OPEN BAR!

Below is a progressive display of the evening... PC showcased his stellar dance moves, and

everyone took turn doing the Kenora version of the Horns of Hell when their picture was snapped! This was a little tribute to Kelly's signature picture taking pose, discussed earlier in the evening thanks to Ms. Clapp who so perfectly summed up (with photos) how Kelly and Krista came to be via the Kenora Horns of Hell!!

You also will notice the final two photos really tell the tale of the night for PC and I... neither one of us letting any drinks go to waste, and finally PC holding my purse... clearly you know a man has had too much to drink when he publicly hold a woman's purse in front of a crowd and doesn't even wonder what others will think!

Thanks to Krista and Kelly Mr. & Mrs Burchall, (who are on their honeymoon in Jamaica) for a great time and great memories... as you can see we had a lot of fun!

Congrats to the newly married couple!