wedding

i made a dear friend a gift

so as i've mentioned a few times before, i'm working vigorously to purge unneeded things from my apt. it's brought me upon things that i'd forgotten about, things i'd pushed aside, and things i WISH i had purged long ago. it's also encouraged me to completed tasks and project that have been sitting - unfinished and a bit neglected - for long long amounts of time. and, on a sort of unrelated, i've been staring at a binder for over a year - a binder filled with memories of a wedding i was part of, over a year ago. things i had tried to encourage myself to compile into a meaningful gift to the bride... which i had basically ignored for a year.
so finally, when i was purging in regions (this is what it has come to in my little apartment), i took the binder into my hand, and had to make a choice - toss, or commit to?
so i did it. i spent a few hours, and the book made itself. I had already collected notes from friends, family members, and bridesmaids during the shower, bachelorette and wedding... i also kept receipts, napkins, invitations, and other keepsakes during the planning. it made the whole thing easier. i kept it simple and streamlined - that way, if she had already made a wedding album, she could just slip these pages into it... neutrals were my choice. it also helped when i was including things like the neon pink napkins from her bachelorette, and the neon coloured invite and notes from her 80's style shower.
and, while it pained me a bit, i also included handwritten notes. my notes from our original visit to the dress shop, notes from my planning of the events, and i included a few snippets of text here and there.... i feel like it wouldn't be from me, if it didn't include the handwriting/printing that my friends always comment on (i'm a bit infamous for my handwritten notes).
it came together finally... and i was relieved. though it was a fortune to ship it (MARY - MOVE BACK HERE FROM CALIFORNIA!), it was worth it. i included a note... i wanted her to know why i did it, why it was late, and what it meant to me... so the first thing she would find would be a hand written note, when she opened her package.
in my note to her, i said this (with some edits - some things are for friend eyes only!):
"i always have the greatest of intentions. i collect things from trips and memorable occasions, and have grand plans to turn them into photo collages, scrapbooks, memory frames and all those martha stewart type things that we all wish we had 36 hours a day of free time to complete. 
so, i saved all these things from your wedding, and then they sat. i started to compile them all about 9 months after your wedding, and had everything in a binder, with scrapbook paper everywhere.... and then life got very busy, jewelry sales went crazy, and it was put aside again. 
so then. 
i started purging. i was going through clothes, books, photoframes, etc. while trying to purge & clean my apartment... and i found your binder. my friend who was helping me said, 'jamie, are you REALLY ever going to finish that?? just toss it!' but i couldn't. there was something in me that coudln't part with all of the memories - all of the receipts, notes on love. the invitations and emails, and the notes on the dresses that we fought so hard for. i coudln't do it.
so instead - since i knew it was worth it to me - i buckled down. covered myself in glue and sparkles. printed photos and spent hours on placement and location of photos. and finished it. 
you may receive this in the mail, and not want it. you may toss it once you look at it once. and that's totally fine! but i wanted you to see it all. i wanted you to know how much spending your day with you two meant to me. i spent hours and hours, and just wanted everything to be perfect for you both... and i just hope that's what this stack of memories conveys."
a perfect way to purge your home of the things we save from special events... and goodness knows, this friend was elated when she received it in the mail. heck... i want one too now!

update: miss mary received her gift. and was elated! love that she loves it... and now i can google over it when i come visit :)

my weekend in summary

this weekend was straight up exhausting. which also equates to fun. i could sleep for years.
mail from a niece - BEST thing to get in the mail (other than money... which it also came with!); a saturday afternoon hike; photographer on a cliff; i'm a risk taker; pre-party snacks; the bride and groom's (second) first dance; the high school ladies; sunday afternoon cuddles.  
thursday: i begin the weekend on thursday for a few reasons - worked from home friday, got some fun mail when i arrived home on thursday evening, and i had dinner made for me and got a good visit... so it felt like a weekend. arrived home from work, and had a perfect bumble bee painting waiting for me from my little niece. then, i packed up, and headed home - driving through post-rush hour traffic for a good meal. arrived at jeff's place with dinner already made for me. watched some dexter, and then early to bed.
friday: spent the day working from home (with a feline assistant - scamper the cat was on standby for purring and cuddles), including a rather promising eye drs appt, and consultation for a (perhaps coming soon) zapping of mon yeux (that's corrective laser eye surgery, for those of you who don't speak 'jamie'). then, came home for a nap, and to get ready for a fancy schmancy dinner at the ancaster old mill to celebrate jeff's birthday. we drank fancy beer, ate fancy foods, dressed in fancy clothes, and talked about fancy things (and our server - who said to jeff, 'well, you've finally made it to 16" even brought us fancy birthday drinks). it was fancy and fun. then, we went home, drank fancy wine ($9 a bottle), and watched fancy tv (dexter) in fancy clothes (sweatpants). it was fancy free.
saturday: slept in a bit, and then after breakfast, went out for a hike - along with the rest of the world (apparently). it was the busiest i've seen a hiking trail in a LONG time. and though it was frustrating, and we were looking forward to a quiet, lonely hike, i couldn't complain much that people were out enjoying the weather. i also approached the edge of the cliff, as i've been trying to ween my way away from the fear of heights i've recently developed (see: driving ATV off mountain). success! 1 step closer to jumping from an airplane. went home, made some lunch, and then napped in preperation for a big night. once we were up and going, i packed for the evening, and en route to my parents, grabbed some snacks, and a band tshirt for jeff. the wedding reception/party/celebration we were going to that night was rock theme.... and for that, i am indefinitely in love with the couple. a few of the high school girlies and respective partners showed up pre-wedding, and we have some quick bites to eat, and a drink, before heading down the street. spent the rest of the night dancing to great music, amongst great friends, AND i got to wear blundstones. to a wedding. dare i say, i enjoyed myself most due to the shoes. it was a blast... so happy i got to join them in celebrating, as they hail from england, and we were all very lucky they decided on a canadian celebration as well! walked home afterwards, had some late night catch ups, and then went to bed WAY too late.
sunday: woke up earlier than wanted (aka. i would have loved to sleep until 4pm), and had some breakfast with fresh air (as the weather was GORGEOUS), then went over to a friend of jeff's who was arriving back from a year in australia - with his newly important lady friend. watched the crazy man jump out of space and then headed back for a straight up nap (told you i nap a lot). afterwards, ventured out for some grocery store adventures (that dubbed in for a walk, as it was raining), and had dinner of couscous and tempeh... and crashed hard (after a few moments of learning on the internet).
it was a CRAZY exhausting weekend, but we celebrated. i promised we would.
hope everyone had a great weekend - and enjoyed the rain (that apparently most of the people i hear from had!)

my (late, friend's wedding) weekend in summary

this weekend was a wedding weekend and a half.... and we celebrated as such. however, i was sick yesterday, and literally spent the day in bed... which means i am only getting to a summary of my weekend now.
the clouds that loomed over us for set up day… and the wedding morning; groomsmen in action; you can dress us up, but you can’t take us out; the beautiful cake that my friend brianne’s mom made, and brianne built; the centre pieces, table settings, and table numbers – so totally jake and kim; wedding necessities – my purse from jake, kim and jake’s mom, and my yellow dancing shoes; the groom; cousins planting oak trees for those family members no longer with us; the ceremony in the rain; triple threat out of control; photobooth fun; the boys; we are dancing machines.
friday: i took a vacation day, so after sleeping in a bit, i showered, prepped some last minute jewelry stuff and finished packing, and then headed to waterdown where i was meeting nate and bri. after some last minute shopping for necessary items for the weekend, i met up with them, and we headed out on our adventure. 1 quick stop along the way, and we were at the farm for some set up in about 2.5 hours. we did some last minute things, and greeted a few other friends as they arrived, and then went to check into the hotel. then, back to the farm for dinner, rehearsal, and some gifts and practice for the wedding day. it was long and humorous as we attempted to accommodate some tradition into a wedding with a groomswoman (me), and a bridesman (kim's brother)... like me walking him down the aisle to the bridesmaid side, and us taking photos with everyone on our side. we then headed back to the hotel, met jeff, and had a minor hotel party with speech writing, drinks, and some olympic tv watching.
saturday: we woke up in varying degrees to get our tasks done for the day - at 10:30 (after breakfast) i headed out to have my hair and makeup done with the girls. a quick and painless 45 minutes later, i went back to the hotel, got dressed, and headed to the farm for photos and some last minute prep. the tent was up and ready, and the groomsmen spent the day taking photographs, having lunch and hanging around (greeting guests). when the bridesmaids arrived, we took photos together and prepped for the ceremony. from there it was a whirlwind - deciding where to hold the ceremony as a result of the rain (we settled on outside in the original location - just with umbrellas);  handing out appetizers while family took photos; our grand entrances with coordinated dance moves, and a mime bobsled competition; having dinner, with speeches from the party members; then, dance party supreme... it was an amazing night - i didn't want it to end. we all headed back to the hotel finally, and then watched some olympics, and conked out pretty quickly after we arrived home.
sunday: we all woke up late, and packed up to check out. we then headed to the farm for a brunch, where we helped pack and clean things up, ate some breakfast/brunch and chatted a bit more with fam before we hit the road. after a quick (accidental) meeting with nate and bri at a roadside stop, we arrived home in time for a nap (much needed after my sick body put up with me for two days worth of non-stop action). then, went for a much needed dinner, then some dexter in bed, while my body continued to hate me. 10 pm bedtime couldn't come soon enough...
ALSO. jake and kim had a photobooth set up that was a ton of fun.... i OBVIOUSLY have a problem in that i like to throw gang signs, and make faces. my bad.
hope everyone had a FANTASTICALLY awesome weekend.... and is enjoying the cooler nights that are now coming!

the wedding of the year.

this weekend, i'm taking a LONG weekend (friday off - whaaaaaat?), and i'm going to go celebrate.  i'm celebrating the marriage of one of my best friends evaaa to his perfectly awesome, and weirdly kick ass chick. i'm a groomsman on jake's side, and we're going to stand by them and support one of the best couples i know. then, we're going to dance in a 4000 square foot tent (anyone who knows jake, knows this is his standard overkill).
some of my best friends + professional hair and makeup + a dj + catered food? perfect equation.
how could you not love them?
and i'm not even at ALL ashamed to share with all y'all, that there will likely be a lot of this song. and songs like it. and awesome dance moves. lots of them. (and hopefully at least a small percentage of the gold chains in this video).
hope everyone has a GREAT weekend... hope it's sunny, lacking the rain that's supposed to be coming.... and everyone is safe!