We had a Merry 1st Christmas Together!!

I wanted to get one more post in before the new year. Brandon and I are excited to be starting a new year together, and are looking forward to all the things that 2008 wil bring to our family. We are spending the New Year at home surrounded by some friends, Phil, Sonja and Ethan as well as Matt and Nancy are heading our way and were excited to just hangout and eat some food!! Anyone else want to come just give us a call we'll be at home.

Here is a little recap of our holidays, it was busy and we never stopped going...we are in need of a little break for sure!

Christmas Eve I worked until 12:30, and was ready to get out of there! Brandon picked me up and we headed over to his parents place. The whole family got together and we had Swiss Chalet Festive Specials for lunch and we did Jack Corner Pie...for anyone who doesn't know what that is, basically there is a big tangle of ribbon attached to presents in the middle, each person has a string and they pull and untangle their gift. After we ate we all headed over to Bayers Lake for a traditional Christmas Eve movie. The boys went to one and the girls went and was Enchanted and it was toooooooo cute!!!! We all came out of it talking about how good it was! I'd for sure see it again, I want to watch it with Jessica and Sarah when it comes out on DVD. It was a lot of fun to go to a movie with my amazing sister-in-laws and my mother-in-law....such a fun group of gals. We headed back to the house for a brief moment because then we were off to the Live Nativity at the Stake Center...Chelsey was an angel this year and looked so beautiful. It was so adorable to see Kristine and Davis as Mary and Joseph. Her little baby belly has grown so much, she's such a cute pregnant mommy to be, I cannot wait to see what baby podeszwa will be. It was great to see the nativity and to visit with friends afterwards. Back at the Bing's, we had a Christmas Eve Feast, and all the siblings exchanged gifts. Chesley had my name this year and she got me this awesome cup cake stand,moo shoo mits, and stickers. I loved the gift and cannot wait to knit my mits. While we ate we did our last Christmas Eve Tradition, and that was watch the Bing's tape of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It's tradition to watch this tape because Peter, long ago decided certain parts were not appropriate, so he recorded black over it...it is always a fun laugh. We got our Christmas Pj's and then headed home. It was the perfect Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day was BUSY...but wonderful. We were up by 7am, to have Christmas at our apartment, Brandon bought me a beautiful jewelry box and some cute shirts, plus some other things. By 9am we were at my parents house, where mom did a delicious Christmas Breakfast. They waited and we opened gifts together, I got some good books which I cannot wait to read, as well as some sweats. Brandon got a new church shirt and a big garbage can...which he really wanted. Laura finally gave us our wedding/Christmas gift...which was a bunch of fun kitchen things. Our greatest surprise was our wedding gift from Nathan and Caverly...she painted us an amazing picture of the temple. I'm so excited to find a home for it at the apartment. By 10:30 we were at my grandparents to wish them a Merry Christmas and around 11am we were at Kathy and Jeff's to take the kids their gifts. They loved them and were really cute opening them. Poor Georgia's gift was bigger then her practically, so her sisters gladly helped her. By noon we were at the Bings again, where we celebrated Christmas for the third time and opened gifts there. They did a cute stocking for both newly married couples...lots of great things for the first year of marriage. They gave us a beautiful hall table, that we already have set up! We were so excited about that. They gave us a bunch of other amazing things but my in-laws surprised me with a beautiful earring and necklace set, it was super thoughtful of them...I love them. We had some down time in the afternoon, where we rested and got to talk to my Brother-in-law Jaccob. He is serving his mission in Nevada. It was great to hear from him and to hear how he's doing. Next Christmas he'll be back home with us and we are super excited for that! Laureen out did herself again with a delicious Christmas Dinner...Meaghan made the sweet potatoes this year and they were soooooo yummy! Great Job Meg!! We headed out shortly after dinner, and Brandon went to work and I went back to Kathy and Jeff's to play some Wii with the family. The kids were super cute playing the games...Check out my facebook to see the videos of the kids. I was so ready to get to bed though by the end of the day. We feel so blessed to have such an amazing family, and we are so lucky to have gotten to celebrate Christmas with them. We look forward to so many more Happy holidays with them.

Boxing Day...although not as busy as Christmas Day...we were still on the go. Brandon got home from work and grabbed a few hours of sleep, and at noonish we headed over to my parents home for my moms yearly Boxing Day Brunch. She out did herself again this year with an amazing and delicious spread of food. It was so great to visit with all of my relatives and eat such yummy food. Brandon and I were ready to get home though, we were both so tired, and needed to put our apartment back together. It was so nice to finally have a quiet moment together to just relax and be together. We ordered some pizza and watched TV and it was the perfect end to our First Christmas as a married couple!!

We hope that everyone has had just as Merry a Christmas as we did, and that everyone has a Happy New Year!!

We wanted to send our love out to all of our family and friends, and to let you all know how thankful we are for all of you and the impact you have on our lives. It's been a great year for Brandon and I...graduating and then marriage. We feel so lucky to have each other for eternity!!

A Busy Blogger had Returned...

Hey Everyone, I have returned after a long long break! This month has been a busy one around our home, which has left me just worn out with no energy to post, which is no excuse. So I'm back and going to try to stay on top of things for good!

This month has been crazy as Brandon and I have been preparing our application for University, next year. We've sent our first one in which was close to the wire but it arrived on time. We've been taking a short break before we start on the next batch. We want to get our Bachelors of Education, so that we can both be teachers. I want to do elementary and Brandon wants to do High School. We've also been volunteering at schools, and although Brandon wants to do high school, I think he'd be great in elementary. He is just too cute with the kids. I spent a few weeks in grade primary and absolutely loved it. I had so much fun working with the kids and helping them with their math and letters. Although it was hectic and busy, I loved every minute.

Relief Society had it's PJ Party enrichment night...the enrichment ladies did an amazing job as always. I had so much fun hearing the great lessons and eating the treats and visiting with all the girls. My prayer rock wasn't the prettiest but it was neat to see everyone else and how creative they all were. I've started writing in my journal again, Meaghan's inspired me to do that again and it's been good getting things out and written down.

The reason I loving eating the treats was because I had a dental emergency and didn't really eat for over 24 hours. In November church was cancelled one week so I was at home eating a snack and i took a bite of some evil fiddle faddle and cracked my tooth...no good...so after a teary call to Brandon and my mom, I calmed down and left a message for my dentist. I managed some soup and soft rolls that night, and yogurt the next morning and then I went to the dentist. She fixed me up and then told me not to really eat on my tooth for 24 hours. So I had some soft foods at home, and some at work but nothing nourishing...so the treats were quite exciting that Tuesday. All is well with the tooth now and I couldn't be happier.

November also brought Kristi home and it was so great to see her, and her adorable family. Little Isaiah is too adorable, and has awesome hair. Karlee had all the girls over before Kristi headed home and I had such a fun time. There were so many girls there and so many cute babies. I loved visiting and chatting and just hanging out!! I hope that we'll have another one sometime soon...there is nothing like girls nights. It was sad to see Kristi head back home...you'll be missed here!! But hey at least we all have the Blogs to keep in touch!

Brandon celebrated his 27Th birthday this month. I wanted to make his Birthday special since it was our first married birthday, so I planned a little party for him...both our families came along with some great friends. We ate snacks, visited and had some yummy delicious super store cake. I think Brandon really enjoyed the night being surrounded by so many people that loved him. He got some really thoughtful gifts and we took lots of pic's which can be seen in my slide show. What was really cute too was that we have this white board in our hallway and I had everyone write a message to Brandon on it and everyone embraced it and wrote some great messages. We hung out with Matt and Nancy afterwards which was a lot of fun...Nancy is looking even more pregnant and too cute. I was super excited last week when Sonja called to let me know that they are having a little girl...so exciting!

So I also wanted to share my random small world moment that happened this month. So one Sunday afternoon I was putting some dishes away when the phone rang. I answered it and the women on the other end asked if Justine Brodie was there. I said no, there is no one by that name here, but I do know a Justine Brodie. So the woman explained to me that she was calling from Dal dental clinic, and had Justine's name and number on her list, and was wondering if I had a different number for her, or if I could pass a message on to her. I replied, that the Justine I know did go to Dal but she had graduated and that she was actually married to my ex-boyfriend and lives in another province now. So I finished the conversation with her and went right to my face book and messaged Ryan and Justine. Justine wrote me back the next day saying that it was too crazy...her old number is our new phone number... HOW CRAZY IS THAT...out of all the phone numbers we could get we get my ex-boyfriend of four years, new wife's old number....crazy!!! Justine is a really sweetie though, I'm so happy for her and Ryan...they looked amazing on their big day!!

ROOTS has been crazy too...we had our 25% off customer appreciation weekend, and our employee shopping weekend which was super busy. I got pretty much all of my shopping done, and had a great time at work as Kerry & Natalie, Sonja & Ethan, the Bing girls, Kathy & Jeff and my parents came in to visit and take advantage of my Roots discount. We've also had some changed occur as Terri had her last day at Roots this past Saturday...which was an emotional day, but we made it through. We have no replacement manager yet, so that means I'm running the show, with lots of help from the awesome Jeff and Maria...plus Malcolm and Monika are helping us out a few days in the week. We are taking control of things right away and getting things organized, so that when we finally get a new manager we'll be ready. It makes my December a lot crazier, but I think it'll all be okay...i hope!!hahha!!!

The last thing to mention is that WE MOVED!!!! I know we've only been married four months today and we are already in our second apartment. Don't worry though we have not gone far, only down the hall. We moved into a fully renovated apartment and couldn't be happier, it is BEAUTIFUL! It feels so much more like a home, and we've been working today at getting things up on the walls...it looks amazing and I hope everyone will come visit soon...message me or give us a call we'd love for everyone to come see the new place all set up. The move went so smooth, and it's all thanks to my in-laws and my super husband. I'd stayed up late the night before putting somethings into boxes, and then headed off to work. By the time mom and I showed up after work, they had almost everything moved...we just had the kitchen and my closet to do. I was so shocked. By the end of the night our curtains were hung and things were put close to their proper places and we shared some pizza...I hope every move will be that easy...but I doubt that!! We are very lucky to both have such amazing and supportive families...we could be luckier!!

The Christmas mood has arrived in our home. I think Brandon would have liked it to have waited a little longer but I just couldn't help myself...our tree is up although it needs a few more decorations. We also have a little tree in our craft/computer room...I love having the rooms lit by the tree...it makes it feel so warm and cozy. I love that our families share this appreciate for the holidays too...mom had her lights up for December first and Laureen had us over for lunch after volunteering one day and had left us a little Christmas treat. Along with our yummy chili lunch she gave us a CD of Christmas music and a cute cookie platter. I'm just waiting to find some time to make cookies to use it! I'm excited to spend time with our family and friends over the holiday. I'm also excited to start some family traditions with Brandon...it's going to be a super month!! I'll keep you posted!!

Halloween 2007...

Okay so I did post on Halloween before the day began so check it out and comment...but I did want to share my Halloween pictures because I had one of the BEST Halloween's EVER...it was filled with family and I loved it...more to come about it later. So for now enjoy my first slide show, to see the pictures in color check out facebook! Hope you guys had a great Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

I cannot believe that it is actually Halloween already...this year seems to be flying by so fast. I have today off and I'm so glad I do because we have a lot of running around to do to see all our nieces and nephews. I'll post pictures later on for sure of all the kids in their cute costumes! We are also heading over to The Bing's for dinner and I'm super excited for that...it's always a great dinner when Laureen makes it!! I also want to see all her Halloween decor...my mother-in-law decorates better then Martha Stewart...so I'm excited!!! Brandon unfortunately has to go to work later on tonight...he forgot he'd switched days with a guy at work who has a child...so it kinda stinks but what can ya do!!

Here is a little recap of what's been going on...

Last Monday I got home from a long day at work and was hoping dinner would be on the table...it wasn't but my sweet husband decided he would take me out for dinner. I was pretty tired, but hey when your husband offers to take you out on a date, there is no turning it down. So we just walked to the Lone Star down the street from our apartment. We had a nice time hanging out together but I should have listened to Julia's blog when she said that she didn't love Lone Star...because I wasn't overly impressed with my meal at all...Brandon liked his though which was good. I filled up on their yummy Taco chips and had cheesecake for dessert, so that saved my meal. It was really nice just to be able to walk to somewhere close by...we came home and just relaxed and watched Dancing With The Stars...I Love Love Love that show...Brandon is not a big fan at all...but he suffers through it for me!! I have to mention I'm SUPER upset about Dancing with the Stars last night...I was watching it and fell asleep mid-way...I woke up at 12:30am and was super bummed that I didn't know who got the boot...I was already worried about it because Jane Seymour was safe before I fell asleep, and I totally thought she'd go...so this morning I get up and turn on the TV only to find out that Sabrina from the Cheetah Girls was kicked off can I just say my Jaw Dropped...she definitely should have stayed...she was one of the BEST out there. Anyway back to the original topic of the paragraph...Brandon and I had a great date and I super appreciated it..and of course I brought my camera and took pictures. I always feel like I should have my camera with me to capture family memories like this one!! Hahha Good Times on Monday's!!

Thursday night was GREAT...we had survivor night at my place which was a first. Kerry, Natalie and Laura came over and was had a great night watching our shows, eating food and chatting. It was great to have Laura back. She recently moved back home from living out west and we are glad she did because it wasn't the same without her...now we just need to convince nicole to come back!! The food we had that night was cut of fruit with this yummy dip and then nacho's and salsa...it was delicious...I'm always going to try to have yummy treats here when the girls come over! Fun times at Survivor night...Melissa I'm super excited to hear that you are watching Survivor...my guy is James the Gravedigger...I'm totally rooting for him, and he needs it right now since they made him switch tribes...although the merge is coming soon so hopefully he'll make it a bit further!!!

Last Friday was my day off for the week, which I was super excited about because I had a lot planned to do. I can't wait to have a day off where I can jut relax the whole day but right now I need to take advantage of my time off to accomplish things. So I walked and did the grocery shopping and then mom picked me up and we headed over to Dartmouth to see mikes soccer team play. I love going to see soccer games and I hadn't been to one since I stopped playing myself. So Laura and I laid on the blanket and watched and made comments. Dad ended up being the linesman for the game, but don't worry everyone he doesn't show favorites EVER...if anything he's harder on the team that we would play on. Mike's team won 6-0...woohoo go team!!! They played the next day and also won, so they are onto provincials...it was really cool to see my big brother coach...for YEARS I would go and watch him play so it was cool to see him on the other side of things, and doing such a great job. The players and the parents love their Mr.O...the man in yellow in the picture!!! Of course Laura and I were our cool selves and took pictures, this was the best on out of the three. Also during half time I was bored so I was taking random pictures and I did one of the grass which I think turned out really pretty with the sun shining through it. When you think of beautiful things in nature Grass isn't always on the top of the list...but it is really beautiful when it's bright green...and some people love the smell of cut grass...so there is lot to love about it...random rant on the love of grass is over now...hahaha!!! Mom and I ducked out before the game was over because she had to drive me over to the temple for 5:30. Brandon and I had not been back since we were married back in August so when we both had Friday off we figured we better take advantage of it and I'm so glad we did. It's so relaxing and peaceful in there a great escape from the world. Davis and Kristine were also there, it was great to sit with them and see friends. We are going to try to get there more regularly because we do know how very important it is! The day didn't end there, after the temple we headed over to hangout with the Nelsons and the Maxwells. It was a great night and I needed it...the guys had a guys night in one room and we had a girls night in the other. We basically hung out and chatted the entire time, looked at scrapbooks and played with cutie pie Ethan. The boys ordered pizza which was delicious...we headed home around 12:30 am. I think we could have hung out even longer, but unfortunately we had to work the next day! We are going to try to make nights like this more regular too!! Thanks Phil and Sonja for having us over for a great night!! Oh and I have to mention that Ethan is walking like a pro now, this was the first time we have hung out with Ethan walking and it was so crazy to see him walking around...soon enough he'll be talking, this little boy is growing up too quick!!! He is such a total cutie!! So I've never added a video to a post but I thought everyone needed to check out the little man walking...he is such a little ham for the camera it's awesome. This is also posted on facebook but hey watch it twice because it is just that cute!!!!

Okay so one more thing to post about. Lately I've been feeling kinda blue...I don't know exactly why, I've just been kinda lonely. I have a great family, and a few really close friends that I hangout with occasionally and a great husband, but none of them really live close by except for Brandon and I cannot drive my car yet since it's a standard. So during the week and on the weekends when Brandon is at work I'm all alone. Some days I love it because I'm able to get a lot done around the apartment, but the rest of the time I'm alone and lonely. This past weekend it really hit hard and I was feeling pretty bummed but that all changed yesterday after reading this book. I bought this book Christmas Jars when the church bookstore was in town. The back of the book sounded interesting and it was a great price so I figured why not. I also wanted to find a book to have around each Christmas that had a good message to it and I was hoping this would be the one and everyone it is!!! It's only a short book but the message that it carries amazing...I hope you can all check it out and feel the warmth of the story that I did last night as I finished it...I hope that Brandon and I can one day start this tradition in our home! This book just cheered me up and made me feel so Thankful for all that I have and I just couldn't feel blue anymore. Check it out, I LOVED it!!!!!

We've been keeping busy...

Okay Everyone I will warn everyone now, this is going to be a long post...but I promise if you stick it out you will see lots of pictures. We've been busy but have had a lot of fun these past few weeks!

Thanksgiving 2007...Okay so we did Thanksgiving as I mentioned before at my parents home the week before Thanksgiving, so on the real day we headed over to be with my In-Laws. I was super excited for this meal because mama Bing is an amazing cook. I always like to describe her as another Martha Stewart, and as you can see from the table decor she is quite talented. We had a delicious meal and I don't think anyone went home hungry, I know I didn't! Laureen's sweet potatoes are to die for...yummy! I was also happy because I was able to meet more of Brandon's family. His Uncle John and Aunt Gail were unfortunately unable to make it to our wedding, but we were excited to see them for Meaghan's.I had a wonderful afternoon chatting with Laureen and Gail in the kitchen. It was really nice to visit and get to know her more, she showed us beautiful shots of their cottage and of her cute grand kids. We also found out that we have a common interest and that is Dancing with the Stars...we had a great chat about it, and we were going to watch it together but Brandon and I had to leave. We had to leave because we were bringing home our finished furniture from my parents place with the help of Meaghan and Jason...it's so great to have it in the apartment, and there will be picture up on another blog. The pictures below are a few from the day...there is my father-in-law peter and my sister-in-law Brittany and then there is one of the happy couple Meaghan and Jason...under one week until their wedding!

Thursday night I headed over to The Bing's again for a big family dinner. Peter picked me up, and in the car were two more of his sisters, Phyllis and Audrey. They had just arrived, so I got to meet more family and it was wonderful. They were both so sweet and I got to learn all about their families. Phyllis lives on a cattle farm and they have over 500 cattle...crazy, but cool! I think it was my first time there without Brandon, but it was totally great. Jason's parents and grandparents were also there tonight for dinner, so we all got to meet them and know them better. They are very sweet people, and will be great in-laws for Meaghan!

Tidal Bore Rafting...was the next day on Friday and I would have to recommend it to EVERYONE! We met at the Bing's Friday morning and figured out the carpooling situation and then we were on the way...There were 15 of us in total rafting and then Jason's grandmother, sister, her husband and their kids met us up there later. The place that we went was super cute and has really beautiful cottages. We got in and were suited up in rain pants and survival jackets and they we headed down to the boats. I was in one with my In-Laws, Brittany my sister-in-law and of course Brandon. They took our three boats out to the middle of the river and left us on a sand bank to wait for the tide to come in. So while we were waiting of course the boys got silly and started throwing people in...Jason and Peter were first...then it went down hill from there, and all the girls were thrown in. Chelsey and I were thrown in together as we were trying to save each other. It's funny looking back now we were all saying how cold we were, but it really didn't matter because we got SOOOOOO much colder. I would recommend to anyone who is going to try this out, it is a great ride but go in the summer on a hot hot day because we FROZE!! It was probably the wildest thing I've ever done, I was holding on for dear life but it was a great rush. We were going into so many waves I didn't know how the boat stayed floating...at one point the whole boat was filled up to out knees. Brandon fell out twice, the first time was on purpose and the second was due to the crazy waves... I came close a few times but was determined to hold on tight. Brandon was shocked to see the wave go right over him and his father and splash us. We were all kinda blue when we finally docked again, and Brittany and I couldn't feel out feet as we walked up, but it was amazing. I have never been so excited to get in a hot hot shower...my feet didn't fully defrost until later that evening, but I can't complain. Afterwards we had a BBQ and Meaghan and Jason presented their parents with beautiful gifts of Thanks for all they've done for the wedding. Brandon and I swung by the church book store on the way home and then he crashed since he had worked until 7am and then went rafting! It was a Great day and a fun bonding experience with my new extended family!

Meaghan and Jason's Big Day... was the following day and I don't know about them but Brandon and I were both quite sore from rafting. The day started off early as I went out and got my hair done..i needed a little change so I got a shorter cute new due and got my make-up done too. I should mention now that you won't be seeing any of pictures of the happy couple together because due to Jason's profession pictures of him in his work uniform cannot be posted...which is sucky but what can you do, it's his safety. I didn't want everyone to think we didn't like Jason, because we all love him and he's a great addition to the family. Him and Meaghan are so cute together, so happy and in love!!! So the wedding was at 4pm at the Halifax Chapel...it was a short ceremony but it was so beautiful, Bishop Pilling did a great job and brought tears to many peoples eyes. Meaghan's bridesmaids were so elegant and beautiful, and little Akayjah was an adorable flower girl. Meaghan was stunning as she walked down the isle on her father's arm. One funny moment was when they were being pronounced as husband and wife, there was a name slip up, as he called her Meaghan Chelsey instead of Meaghan Ashley...Chelsey is her sister...it was cute. After the ceremony there was an hour for mingling and snacks while the family headed to the public gardens for pictures...It was a cold day but the weather cleared up nicely for pictures. There were two other weddings there too which was funny. I aired the grounds at the Gardens with my heels...I kept getting stuck. They both looked sooooo beautiful and there were so many beautiful pictures taken...The family picture looked great, I want to get one for the apartment. Meaghan's dress was perfect for her, she has a smaller frame so it suited her so much. The layers on the dress are lace and the dress was also covered in lace with the right amount of sparkle. Her veil was simple but stunning and her hair was so beautiful. Her flowers were from My Mother's Bloomer's located in my mall...Nevil did an amazing job, the colors were beautiful and perfect for a fall wedding. They had five people each in their wedding party...Jason's guys were great and super funny and Meaghan's girls were too cute. Her Maid of Honour was Celine, and then her bridesmaids were Elyss, Stacey, Chelsey and Brittany. I took a tonne of pictures, so if anyone wants to fully see the wedding pictures come visit when I get them developed because they were beautiful. The reception was at the Prince George in downtown Halifax. The room looked beautiful and all of Meaghan's hard work paid off because everything looked great. The center pieces were designed by Nevil, and were surrounded by candles and rose petals. Her favours were beautifully put together, what they did...each guest was given a little Chinese take out box that was tied with either a gold or red ribbon, and they had a wax stamp of the letter S on the front. Inside wrapped in tulle was a little tin that held Red and Gold M&M's and they all said Meaghan and Jason...and their wedding date...which was too cool...I don't want to eat mine because they are so neat. Chelsey and Brittany did a beautiful musical number, which I believe was Cannon in D...I have some very talented sister-in-laws. Dinner was delicious and we had a great table...Brandon's three aunts and his uncle John...Nathan the videographer and family friend and also two of Chelsey's friends. We laughed and joked so much, I think John took just as many pictures as I did. He was too cute, he wanted to get a picture of the Happy couple kissing, so he went out and stood in front of them and looked over at the table to get us to ring the bell...it was hilarious. What was great about their kissing game was that in order to get the couple to kiss, guests could make a donation to curing Breast Cancer...they had little cans on the table to put the donation and this is what it said...or close to it...

"You Can Make a Difference it's as Easy as a Kiss!

At Every Wedding, as Tradition, Guests Clink their Wine Glasses Anticipating A Kiss From The Bride and The Groom To Follow.

Today, Instead of Clinking Glasses We Make The Bride and Groom They Ask a Donation To The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation."

It was a great idea for a very great cause. They were toasted man times and so many beautiful things were said about the happy couple...Celine sis a great job as she made us all cry a little when she said that Jason is very much like Meaghan's Father. It was so sweet. Both my In-Law's got up to speak and mentioned Brandon and I in their speeches and how they are so happy to have Jason and myself as new members of the family, which I thought was so sweet of them. It seems like our wedding was forever ago, even though it's only been about 3 months. They had an adorable slide show, pictures of Jason were played to "My Guy" and pictures of Meaghan were shown to " My Girl" and then the pictures of them together played to "Happy Together" which was too perfect...there was even a picture of us on our wedding day with Meaghan and Jason, it was a nice moment to remember our special day!! Meaghan and Jason also played a fun game to see their thoughts on each other. They were placed back to back and they switched shoes, the MC then asked them questions and they'd hold up whose shoe applied, it got so many laughs from all the guests... and some of the decisions were a laugh!! They got their cake from Scanway which is where ours came from and it was beautiful and delicious...it was simple with Red Flowers on it, but it was so perfect for the reception. They also had an amazing strawberry pyramid they was covered with drizzled chocolate...it was super delicious! They danced their first dance to what I think was called "Man and Women" or maybe "Man and Wife" by Michelle Featherstore which is one of the most beautiful songs that I have heard in awhile. I want to get in on disk...so if anyone owns the CD let me know because I want to borrow it badly. Meaghan and Jason danced with their parents to "What a Wonderful Life". Meaghan and Peter looked so cute dancing together...it was really great because Laureen got her dance in August with Brandon and now Peter got his turn October. Let's see, I hope everyone is still hanging in and enjoying the wedding recap. We had an amazing time partying it up as a family...I think we were all up dancing which was so great to see, such fun times with the family. It was so awesome to see everyone smiling and just having so much fun. It was also really nice to dance with my husband. We don't get nearly enough opportunity to dance together so it was wonderful to be together. We also don't get to fast dance often really ever...so this was one of the first times we were able to bust a move, which was funny. I am not a big fast dancer so I tried my best, what really matters though was that we had fun together. I loved spending time with my extended family and getting to know Brandon's aunt's and uncle more...we were given two more wedding gifts this weekend...and we used them to get a new printer and a few other things for our second bedroom. I love having a color printer...really just a printer in general because we hadn't had one in awhile! It's crazy to think that the weddings in the Bing family are all over now...what will we all do without wedding planning to do.hahha!!! What would have been great for both weddings would have been if Jaccob could have been there too, but we are so proud of him as he is out serving his mission in Nevada. He comes home this spring which will be another exciting time for the family. It will be great to have the whole family together!! Here are a few more pictures from the reception...more are on facebook as well as two videos. One is of Jason taking off the Garter...he surprised us all by doing a little strip routine...don't worry everyone is was just taking off his jacket, but it was quite funny and un-expected.

In between all the wedding, rafting, turkey fun we did work but that's nothing too fun to write about!! We bought some new bedside tables and had a nice movie night watching Transformers...Brandon didn't love it as much because he watched it growing up and he didn't like some of the changes that he made. He's been working on his cooking more. This week he made Shepherd's Pie, a Swiss Cheese Pie and Pork Cutlets and they were all pretty delicious...he surprises me sooo much...and I appreciate all the effort he puts in. I do try to do my part by keeping the apartmen clean and surprising him with my own cooking skills...I make one mean apple pie!!

Stake Conference Sunday...was today and we had a great meeting. It was really great to see so many people there. I got to see Kristine finally and her little baby bump is getting bigger, she is looking great!! It's super exciting to have a friend that I grew up with in the youth program here expecting a baby...we've had three other friends have children from our youth days but I didn't get to see them...Margot had Autumn...Hannah had Isaiah and Matt recently became a dad to an adorable little boy! So I'm excited to see Kristine grow and to meet the newest Podeszwa!! Julia was looking super cute in her new dress...I was loving it...great shopping choice and from what she said it was a super deal! We had a big family dinner tonight...everyone but Jeff and Brandon were there. Mom did an amazing job and we all left filled of roast beef. Below are a few pictures from the day... Laura's Boyfriend Cory was up for the weekend, so he got to be surrounded by all of Laura' crazy siblings. He's from a big family of 8 kids but they are all younger. He's a great guy and we love having him around. The kids were as cute as always...Georgia's two teeth are really showing now...as you can see she is still quite drooly...but she was filled with smiles today...I love when she is like this... she is so fun to cuddle with and make laugh! Kiel had his computer with him at the house today so he was showing the kids all the fun shows on there...they all watched an episode of Gummie Bears and Jake was making the funniest faces...this is a picture of just one of them...he looked so puzzled and concerned which was a riot!!!

There is not too much planned this week for the bing family...we both are working our normal amount, which is too much but what can you do. We have Friday Night off and are hoping to make it to the temple and then to hangout with The Nelson's and The Maxwell's... we are hoping to put the boys infront of a video game or something so that Nancy, Sonja and I can have some girl time together. I love hanving girl's nights, so hey gals if anything is ever going on give me a call...and if anyone ever wants to come hangout, Tuesday Nights I'm around and Brandonless since he is at work...I love visitors so let me know. Hope you enjoyed my marathon entry and hopefully you've all made it to the end of it! I give you all two thumbs up for doing it!!! Hope you all have a great week and I look forward to hearing comments from all of you and I can't wait to read all your Post's this week!!!!

Congratulations Meaghan and Jason!!

I don't have much time this morning to write a big post, but I wanted just to write a quick note of Congratulations to Meaghan and Jason Stewart!!! They were married this past Saturday and it was such a beautiful day. All the pictures are posted on facebook, but I do plan to write about it more in detail in an upcoming blog. We are excited to have Jason officially as part of the family!! They are off to Italy tomorrow...but I cannot wait until they get back so that I can see the pictures their photographer took!!! Congratulations guy and I love you!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I cannot believe that it is Thanksgiving already...this year seems to be just flying by! A lot has happened this year and I have so much to be thankful for. I won't list everything because that would take too long, but here are just a few things...

1. I'm thankful that I was married this year to Brandon in the temple and that we will be together forever...he's an awesome husband and I feel so lucky that he is mine.
2. I'm thankful for my amazing family...both the O'Hearon side and the Bing side. Brandon and I are both so lucky that we have amazing in-laws... I just love my family!!
3. I'm thankful for my nieces and nephews...Jessica started grade one this year and has started losing teeth...Sarah started grade primary and has become a great little artist...Jacob has finally started to talk and it's been so much fun to hear what he has to say for himself...Ethan turned one this year and has such a funny personality- such a little flirt!! Finally Georgia joined our family this year and is a total doll...she is adorable!!
4. I'm thankful for my Friends... School friends...Survivor Girls...Church Friends...Work friends and my best friend...I feel like the luckiest girl to know all these people!! You all ROCK!!
5. I'm thankful for the promotion I received at work...I'm assistant manager at Roots for my year off from school...it's more pay, but not too much change from what I was doing in the work department...I work with some of the best people around...store 380 is the BEST!!!
6. I'm thankful that Brandon and I were able to graduate from University this year...I felt so proud watching him walk across the stage!
7. I'm thankful for my calling at church...I'm Relief Society Secretary and I LOVE IT....It's so awesome to be around all the sisters at church. I work with a great presidency...they are all very amazing people!
   

There could be so much more added to that list, but I have some other things to Post about for this week... Not too much has been going on in the Bing House. We've just been enjoying spending time together when we are not working.

Brandon and I finally got our new appliances...that was the BEST day ever...they are 1000 times better then before...so we've been taking advantage of cooking things that won't burn!! Brandon as I think I've mentioned before has become quite the cook. He really enjoys it and likes trying to things. It was too cute I got home from work last week and he wasn't home, so I was a bit concerned,but tried not to worry too much. He showed up awhile later and was surprised to see me...he thought I was getting off work later, and was going to surprise me by cooking dinner. He'd found recipe on-line and had gone out to get what he needed. He cooked an amazing dinner...it was a Peanut Butter Chicken Stir-fry and it was super yummy. I like to capture all these great moments so here as you can see is Brandon looking like a pro cooking and here is what the dinner looked like, it was so beautiful and colorful. I appreciate that he does things like this to surprise me, it's really nice to come home and not have to cook dinner. My mother-in-law is really sweet about doing things like that too. The other night I got home and she had stopped by and brought us spaghetti sauce, her amazing home made rolls and an apple pie. Which we had for dinner that night...yumm yummm. She also brought us this really cute candle holder which you can see lower down in the post. It's really cute and great for the fall, it's totally going to be my Thanksgiving decoration. Laureen is a totally sweetie and I appreciate all she does for us. I also wanted to mention that Brandon and I celebrated 2 months of marriage this past week...it's crazy it seems like just yesterday we were at the temple getting married...and now it's been two months...oh how time flies... but I can't complain they've been a GREAT two months!!

You have all probably noticed that the weather is slowly changing in Nova Scotia and that the mornings and most of the days are feeling more like Fall. As I walk to the bus stop each morning I can feel the difference in the season. I found this to be super funny and I'm glad I had my camera this morning...I arrived at the bus stop only to find that someone had written brrr...on the bus stop shelter wall...they were so speaking the truth that day!




Brandon and I went to visit Cole Harbour Ward two Sunday's ago...It was great to be there sit surrounded by our family. The girls came to sit with us and had a blast as uncle Brandon drew pictures for them to color. Brandon and I got to go to Sunday School together which was really nice because he normally has to leave right for work after sacrament. We had Georgia with us, which made it even more fun. She's gotten some teeth so as soon as she holds your finger it goes right in her mouth. I had planned to go to the combined lesson afterwards but I was stolen by Jake. Georgia and I went to nursery with Jake, he kept telling us that we were not allowed to leave. It was fun though, my sister-in-law meaghan works in the nursery, so we got to chat about the upcoming wedding and play with some totally adorable kids. I went back home with Kathy and spent the afternoon with the kids...which was fun but tired me out so much. We watched Mulan 2 in the afternoon and I was hoping to squeeze in a little nap but that clearly didn't happen...they made sure to keep me awake...then we went up to the girls rooms and had Georgia join us...we spent

more time in the afternoon just all cuddled on the bed reading. It's really a cool experience to sit and listen to jessica read to me. I remember when she was born, and now she is six years old and can read an entire book to me- it's crazy how time flies. I'm sure Sarah will be doing the same thing soon enough. We all drove over to my parents house for Thanksgiving dinner. We did it a week early since not everyone would be around this week. Mom out did herself as always with a delicious meal for almost the entire gang...there was even enough to take a plate home to keah and brandon, who both had to work that Sunday. I went home feeling super tired and very full!! But it was a great day and I cannot complain. A shout out to Sonja who got a new calling on this Sunday...she is now second counsellor in the Young Women's...way to go Sonja...you'll do awesome!!

I had a productive day off this week...I felt like using my new oven, and I had been given some apples from work and needed to do something with them. So I went for a walk out to the bank and to the grocery store to pick up a few things I needed. I love the location of our apartment because it's within walking distance of sooooo much. When I came home I got right to work making my muffins...they were nutmeg apple muffins...i had to make two batches because I want to put apples in them and forgot in the first batch...luckily muffins are super easy so I made a second apple batch. I was quite proud of myself and even took some to my mom to thank her for all she's been doing for me. I of course had to take pictures of all my hard work, so I set up a fall display and here it is...the candles in the background are the ones Laureen brought us last week and I'd picked the pumpkins at sobeys that day. When Brandon woke up we went out to Sunnyside mall to pick up some Great Canadian Bagels and the best Carmel apple cream cheese....it's soooo delicious you've all got to try it. We had some fun looking around out there before heading into mom's to do some laundry...which that was going we went to walmart and picked up some things we needed and then to the mall to try to find a dress for Meaghan's upcoming wedding. We looked EVERYWHERE and I just couldn't find a dress that was what I'd been picturing in my mind. I'd found one that was black purple and white, but I was looking for something a bit more in fall colors. So I gave up on a dress and bought a really cute skirt, now I just need to find a shirt to wear with it. That night Brandon and I went home and I made a super yummy dinner...it was Kathy's Curry Chicken...which is one of our favorites...the only thing I would change for next time would be that it was a bit too spicy...but we left the table both feeling very full!

This week is going to be an exciting week and a busy one for the Bing family as we are getting ready to expand again. Meaghan and Jason get married in less then a week and we are all getting pretty excited. Friday we have the rehearsal in the morning and then we are all going rafting which should be quite the experience. I'm super excited to see Meaghan's dress and all the details that we've been talking about. She is going to be a beautiful bride and Jason will be a great addition to the family. We are heading over that way today for Thanksgiving dinner...which I'm super excited for because Laureen makes one mouth watering dinner!! It'll be great to be with the family and just relax and prepare for the upcoming festivities!!!Look forward to upcoming posts about all this exciting news!!!