Typing out her Vows

The night before the wedding Rache invited all the girls to stay in her room with her. We didn't party all night or anything ... but we did talk the hotel management into letting us use the hot tub after hours!! We had an hour of private soaking which was the perfect end to a busy day. Then we went back to the room and Rache busied herself with last minute preparations and vow writing. This was the last chance I had to take pictures as I was in the wedding party and unable to carry my camera around. I am hoping I can get pics of the cermony and reception from someone else ... hint hint ... if anyone has any they can share with me I'd be MOST grateful!! The wedding was beautiful and the bride even more so! The day went off without a hitch and all the guest seemed to have a wonderful time. When it was all over the bride and groom rode off into the sunset on a motorbike. Love you guys!! Keep in Touch.

Hannah and Steve

It was great to see Hannah again ... it had been AGES!! And it was neat to meet her main man Steve. They almost missed the wedding because of traffic tie-ups on the 401 ... but they managed to get through and we were all so glad they did!

The Rehearsal

Mark and Rache chose Sandbanks Provincial Park as the location for their wedding and it was a beautiful spot! The weather was great and I think walking around in the sand with our bare toes did much to ease any pre-wedding stress/tension. Good idea guys! Mark had all his five brothers stand up for him and Rache had her great friend Sarah, myself, her sisters and friend Giselle on her side. After a slight delay in getting there (due to conflicting directions once inside the park) the rehearsal began and was followed up by a delicious meal of pizza, bbq corn on the cob, salad and watermelon! Good thing my dress was stretchy cause I couldn't make myself hold back. (:

Friday and We're Back in the Car

On Thursday night Sandy drove Journey and I to the airport in Toronto (thanks to Richard's new GPS) where she was to meet up with Martyn, Heather and Sam and we were to catch a shuttle to our hotel. Mom and dad flew in late Thursday night and joined us. The next day we slept in, ate an incredibly greasy breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then headed off to Belleville to meet up with the rest of the gang and make our way to the rehearsal.

A Day or Two with Rich and Sue

On Tuesday we drove from Dorion to Barrie. Loooooong Stretch! But well worth it as we were met, at Rich and Sue's, with Pizza and pop for supper. The next morning Rosie (the dog) kept the girls occupied while Sandy and I sampled Sue's homemade lavender bread, zuchini chocolate brownies and mid morning fruit platter. All delicious! That afternoon Sandy had to take the car in for a minor repair so we all tagged along and Sue took us to Goodwill where Journey made fast friends with this Tigger Back Pack. At $1.99 I couldn't resist.

Swimming at Ruth's

On Monday we took a day off from driving and hung out with Ruth and George, Caleb and Micah. It took me awhile to convince Journey that these "waves" wouldn't knock her down like at the ocean ... but once I did she relaxed and had a great time. There was a huge sandbar that joined the island with the main shoreline and Journey and Danielle busied themselves digging for treasure and making castles. The water was warm and clear (even HOT in the shallowest part) and being there like that brought back lots of awesome memories of the best times I had growing up.

Sandy did ALL of the driving! I think it was on Sunday somewhere in Ontario when we saw this bull moose. He was just a youngen but it was pretty special to see him anyway. I think it was the first time Danielle had seen one in the wild. Sandy stopped the car so I could get a pic but when we started to back up he got spooked and took off.

Our Trip To Toronto

We spent a LOT of hours in the car on our way to Toronto. We started out at about 7:30am on Saturday the 21st. That day we ended up near Portage-Le-Prairie, Manitoba. We had wanted to stop in a small town an hour or so earlier but all the hotels were full due to a Lily Festival. Whatever! The girls entertained themselves with coloring pages, car bingo, kids movies and of course, eating snacks. Journey won the first bingo game and chose Reeses Pieces as her prize. Two days later Danielle won the second game and chose something like Menthos as her reward. It was a tough competition as both these girls play for keeps when candy is on the line.

August Long Weekend

We went to Pine Lake on Sunday ... Journey had a blast digging in the sand and making her aunts and uncles push her on the swings. Then we headed back to Garron's parents place for a BBQ. They have an awesome patio and we enjoyed hotdogs, homemade relish, raspberry jello (with fresh raspberries in it!!) and of course, marshmellows! A perfect long weekend picnic. The weather was beautiful and we sat around chatting while Journey watered gramma's flowers.