One Year Ago this Saturday in June

One year ago on this particular Saturday in June, I married D. Today I weep with joy and gratitude at the myriad of moments from that day that are still so crisp and fresh in my heart and mind...

• drinking champagne and orange juice with my chick tribe before the morning ceremony, realizing that I'd be OK no matter what because I had this amazing support network of women in my life;
• seeing D. for the first time as I walked down the aisle to a jazzy Moon River, breaking into a grin that lasted the entire day;
• swaying my hips to the jazz trio's rendition of Miles Davis' All Blues during the signing of the register;
• holding D.'s hand and feeling him squeeze it nervously while he spoke to our guests at the luncheon;
• catching a glimpse of friends and family working diligently to prepare our home for the evening cake-cutting party while we were having our pictures taken outside, J. and L. setting up the bar, Mom vacuuming the dog fur from the couch and windowsill;
• reading contributions to our garland of wedding wishes over and over - laughing, crying and feeling overwhelmed by Love;
• watching guests have fun with the homemade photo booth;
  
• Cassie chasing her tail in the middle of the living room dance floor to Footloose;
• D. searching out this song in the MP3's, leading me into an impromptu wedding dance, friends & family singing along in serenade;
• feeling content and loved on so many levels.

I could go on and on, but I will spare you and leave you with a few of my favourite photos instead. All of them were taken by my beautiful Squam-sister and friend Kirsten Michelle.

arriving to the ceremony, chauffeured by Sis in the Mini Cooper

the I Do's

our friends and family are gorgeous!

sunshine and smiles

Cassie love

impromptu wedding dance
(this is one of my favourites!)

Shadow Puppet Fun

one blank cement wall + perfect sunset timing
+ silly daughters and their mom
= shadow puppet fun!

running woman

tree pose

lopsided heart

happy

Mom & daughters peacing out

Basking

I am basking in love and friendship from this past weekend. Sentences escape me, all I can offer you is a stream of words that come to mind to describe it:

family, friends, new baby smell, Cassie, communal party preparations, getting our groove on, merriment, smitten, disco, Imagine, emotional, party, laughter, fun, food, dancing, good times, warmth, appreciation, quiet, morning coffee, family walk, baby poopers, peace, love, celebration, home, contentment

Seriously folks, still basking.

Too busy working the room and passing out Swedish meatballs on Saturday night I've unfortunately no pictures of the '70s party for you today; I'll see if I can get a few shots from others who thankfully brought their cameras!

The weekend was much more than the party though. I leave you with a few snapshots of other favourite house-warming weekend moments...

Ashlynn and Grandma Woods

Sunday morning family walk to the beach - D. and Cassie chillin'

green leaves on blue sky

sisters-in-law

Ashlynn with Uncle D. and Auntie Steph

Where have I been?

Obviously not here, hm? I've been...

• choosing paint colours for what will soon become our new home
• dealing with another move, realizing that I become very attached to any space I create for myself and how hard it is to leave each one
• adjusting to the idea of living in a seventies bungalow after spending four years in circa 1920's abodes that fed my romantic soul with their woodwork, high ceilings and architectural detail
• realizing that the '70s house we're moving to has just as much architectural detail, it's just different, and that maybe it'll feed my fun-loving funky soul for a while
  
• washing, prepping and painting three rooms at the new place
• sleeping
• shopping for window coverings
• eating take-out, trying to stay on the healthy side of things
• neglecting my blog, my emails and my online community; beating myself up just a little because of it
• crashing on the couch with D. and Cassie, escaping in episode after episode of Mad Men Season 2 (seriously, I can't watch just one!)
• sleeping more
• dealing with the odd bout of insomnia
• purging belongings from a previous marriage, getting rid of the old to make room for the new, but keeping some of the old to honour it and remind me of the goodness and richness that helped me become who I am today
• packing just a little, wondering how I'll get it all done before the move in two weeks from tomorrow
• scheming a new-to-me palette for the living & dining rooms: all white walls grounded by our wood-tone furniture, accentuated with pops of colour inspired by Giselle:

• watching the laundry and dustbunnies pile up in my current home
  
• revelling in enthusiastic conversation and a stroll by the river with a good friend
• enjoying good company and good food at an Easter BBQ graciously hosted by Sis and Bro-in-Law
• sleeping more
• missing my new niece
• getting excited for my other bro-in-law (on D.'s side) and his fiancée as they head down to Punta Cana to get married next Monday
• reading a book called Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher; it brought me so many a-ha moments it was almost overwhelming
• adjusting to new types of tasks at the office after choosing to leave a project on which I'd been working for the past 18 months
• trying to write my morning pages regularly to stay grounded during this time of transition
• trying to eat healthy food to fuel my body to cull, pack and clean
• fretting just a little bit over where I will set up my studio in the new place
• pondering a new experiment with a new series of posts, similar to last month's Creative Triggers experiment
• managing my expectations of what's realistic for me to achieve in the upcoming weeks, thinking they will be focused on creating a new space for D., Cassie and I
• planning a '70s theme housewarming party (you betcha!)
  
• mulling over roots, family and home and how I'm feeling drawn to settle down these days
• enjoying the sensation of zest, energy and potential I feel at the thought of moving to our new home, continuing my art, and exploring other projects

What've you been up to lately?

Smitten

Seriously, how could you not be...

Ashlynn Heather Elizabeth

Meet our new niece: Ashlynn Heather Elizabeth, born March 1, 2010.

She weighed a whole 4lbs 11oz. when this picture was taken. A wee angel she is.

Ode to Cassie

I'm too tired for words tonight. What a perfect excuse for a pictorial ode to Cassie!

"Are you done yet?"

chillin'

through the beaded curtain

dragon

nappin'

looking out the window

dog & Mac

A Perfect Summer Weekend

I had an amazing weekend.

Saturday was a leisurely sunny morning followed by a leisurely afternoon walk around the neighbourhood for our routine errand run. It's a routine I've come to enjoy: library, farmer's market, bakery, meat shop and grocery store. Throw in the odd stop at our favourite coffee shop or thrift store and it's marvellous comfort. The day was topped with some chillin' and dinner on the deck: fresh corn on the cob, chipotle beef kebabs and a rock salt baguette. Stay tuned for a photo post of the day.

Sunday was another leisurely morning followed by a drive to the 1000 Islands region for a visit with D's brother and his wife. They live in the country and I always love hanging out there: nature's exquisite mix of silence and song, cool breezes, lots of room for Cassie to run in the back yard, cows in a neighbouring field and stars in the night sky. Add the chill company of N & L and you've got the perfect day. Plus they have a perfect living room to hijack and spend the night.

Today was waking up to a crisp morning breeze enhanced by birdsong coming through the living room window, cows mooing in the field and more playing with Cassie in the yard. A visit with D's parents, a new hike that involved snacks on a flat rock with views of the tree line, meandering in a wooded trail along the water and tasting wild dewberries for the first time. A blue-sky puffy-clouds drive back home, a soft ice cream treat and more fresh corn on the cob for dinner.

What a perfect summer weekend. I am grateful, while aching for more.