Friday, September 23, 2016

Our Wedding Video

When planning our wedding, there were so many decisions to make. The options are endless but everything comes with a price tag. Initially we were not going to do a video. It seemed like an "extra" that we didn't really need. However, Jo-Anne convinced me that I would regret not having one...especially with my television background.

After plans were underway, we decided to go for it. What's a few more dollars now when you're already spending so much!?! We are so glad that we did. The day was gone in the blink of an eye and we know there are tons of moments that we missed.

Thank you to Marty Lewis for capturing our day and producing this highlight video. Enjoy.


Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Happy Birthday Duaner

I thought I'd take a moment today to wish my friend Duane a happy birthday. You know how there are some people that come into your life and you instantly feel like you've known them forever? Duane is one of those people.

We met when I started working at the TV station many years ago. We worked some shifts together but where we really connected was when we were on the same team for a company-wide scavenger hunt. Duane (and his then-fiance Debby) drove us around in their minivan - frantically solving puzzles, taking photos and racing around London.

After that, we started to chat more during our shifts and over time Duane became like a brother to me. He has always been great to listen to my issue-de-jour and provide his insight and opinion. Insights and opinions that I value and trust. He was one of the first people I talked to when 9-11 happened, coached me through many relationship twists and turns, listened to family drama, and has made me laugh. A deep belly laugh. He also shared in my excitement - whether counting down to a trip, purchasing my first home or accepting my new position and leaving TV behind me.

He has removed a dead mouse from my kitchen drawer, helped me move and inspired & encouraged me when I went back to school. He loves my hyper-expressive face and pushing my buttons.

Perhaps most importantly, he put my nightmare to bed when he agreed to run the sound at our wedding. I had multiple dreams that I got to the end of the aisle there would not be any music. Or worse, I had to run over and push play myself! Well, Duane (with assistance from his lovely wife Debby) took care of the audio/visual stuff at our wedding and kept things running smoothly.

Imagine my horror when I discovered the slideshow Devin & I had spent hours to put together would not work on the system the Elm Hurst provided. This was despite checking about that very thing the week before. I was so upset to think we couldn't share this with our guests. At the height of my emotion, Duane calmly asked for a key to my house and the password for my computer so that he could go and get the original file and sort out the details. I was overwhelmed. Talk about friendship!

Happy birthday Duane. Hope it's a great one.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Handy Hubby



Have I mentioned how thrilled I am to have a handy hubby? Devin can do pretty much anything he puts his mind to and is knowledgeable in all the things that I'm not. LOL. Remember last year when he re-wired my Christmas tree star? This time he created a coffee nook/installed a dishwasher! 
When we purchased the house, we realized there was not a dishwasher but thought we could hand-wash until renovating next year. A few weeks into our new life and we noticed most of our time was spent washing and drying dishes :( A dishwasher was necessary for our sanity!

Since the kitchen was not designed to include a dishwasher (lame, I know!) Devin had to put his thinking cap on. I'm quite impressed by what we came up with. It involved designing and building a cupboard for the dishwasher - the bonus being a little coffee bar for all our java essentials. He even thought to add a pull out shelf for coffee mugs and the dishwasher soap!

I was quite thrilled as I watched him work - scribbling dimensions, measuring, building, installing. This guy is amazing! He knows what he's doing and he's a perfectionist. This probably sounds totally "1950's housewife" of me, but it was comforting to watch this project and know that my man can take care of me & our family.
 
The end result is a great little area in the kitchen where we can make our morning coffee AND store our dishes. The best part is, we put them in dirty and they come out clean. How cool is that?