I deserve a spank...

for not updating this since November!! And, as a result - you get a quick summary of what's happened. Too bad. I'm busy.

Okay so here's the key events (i'll keep the wedding update separate... YES i'm working on vol.2 re-LAX). So Cat and I headed to the Bahamas for 4 days (check out the pics below) at the end of November. She needed a break from work and I wasn't busy (he he). The weather was poop compared to what you would pay hundreds to go south for but we still had a nice time adventuring. Went to the Atlantis Resort, did a bike tour from our hotel but mostly since it was rainy we became "Champions of PING PONG!"

Then Christmas! I knit like a mad woman and all my loved ones got a hand-made gift this year. Which I might add are already considered vintage... as if I'll have the time to do that ever again! Check out the pics below for some of the key family fun. Mostly Janet came home and we had lots of family dins. Then wee Christopher turned 21!!! We took him to Niagra Falls for dinner at Brazilian BBQ and then walked through the casino... somehow Jason and I lost $100 along the way... wah happan?!??!

And what's a Christmas without the miracle of babies, babiesbabies...? that's 3! Jason's older sister Karen is having her first child! She announced it on Christmas day. AND! his cousin Claudia is also expecting... TWINS! Both moms-to-be will be starting their families this summer... stay tuned!

Then the New Year was upon us and Jason and I decided to go up to our condo in Thornbury to celebrate. The air was crisp and there was lots of snow up there - come to think of it, seems like that was the only real winter day I remember this year! (yipee!) So, Danny, Anna, Catherine and Sean also came up and we ended up at an Irish Pub listening to a live band from the East Coast belting out the celtic tunes... HIL-arious! we ate yummy wings and watched 2 big hockey games on the bar tv (can you tell this was a "boys" evening - geez!). Then we headed back to watch the ball drop on TV, sipped some champagne and fell asleep like a bunch of senior citizens. Ah well - nothing like a little foreshadowing for New Year's Eves to come as a married woman.

So January came and, just as I predicted, the ants made their way into my pants and before I knew it I was back at work. Mother of Pearl! you say? Well turns out that on one fine Tuesday afternoon, Sammy-the-rockstar MSNed me that they were hiring at his work (wunderman.ca) and that I should come in for an interview. I say indeed, why not? good practise (insert pompous stretching here) - and it might be good to see what's out there right? So, I went in for an interview on the Friday and by Monday I was at work. I've signed a contract till April 30. Basically, to all my friends and fam... see you then.

Since work started I've also been traveling a bit... (i know, at this point you're thinking 'my word! how does she do it?!' to this i say... keep reading my lovely) On Feb 15, Catherine and I went down to Miami for our annual Happy Birthday Janet trip. We spent 5 super days in the sun, at the beach, had lovely dins, did tons of shopping, went to Monkey Jungle, the Everglades and even had time to hang out with the college kids and catch a basketball game.... shhhhhhhh the PAW! (aka shut the hell up when an FIU Golden Panther is doing a free throw)

The following weekend my lovely friend Heather decided we needed to head to NYC for a shopping trip! So I promptly asked Catherine along (my fashion consultant for the wedding, and really let's be honest I was going to NYC for shoes - who goes anywhere without his/her stylist these days?) and we may have had the most jam packed 36 hours yet. We get up at 3am to get to our 6am flight and it's snowing. SNOWING! AS IF!!!! It hasn't snowed two flakes this year. Anyway luckily our flight was only delayed 30 mins. Poor Heather's was canceled and she didn't get into NY 'till 1pm. By then Cat and I had eaten breakfast at Grand Central, braved the cold wind and visited Ground Zero and Battery Park. After the mini sight seeing morning - it was time to start the shopping and how "a propos" the sun came out on our way to SoHo. I immediately bought new jeans (James) and some homewares from Anthropologie (amazing pink glass tumblers!). Then Heather joined us and we went to Canal St. where I argued with a Chinese lady over some pretty pink pearl bracelets I wanted for the sisters... in the end I yelled that she was ruining my wedding and I ended up buying some beautiful pocket mirrors from someone else. That night we had a delicious risotto dinner and the next morning headed to Times Square, Sephora, Rockefeller Square, JCrew and of course Saks on Fifth where Heather bought the cutest gold dress! Finally it was time to head back to the airport but, before we left I just had to hop on the subway over to Greenwich Village where Cat and I enjoyed a plain cheese pizza on our way to a shoe boutique I read about online (www.constancabasto.com/cbasto.html). I didn't end up finding my wedding shoes there but I did buy some sparkly gold flats at Shoegasm. All in all, the weekend was a treat. Oh, except that we got stopped at customs on the way home and I may have had to pay some taxes - and maybe now have a warning on my passport for fibbing... MAYBE.

Besides all this personal gallavanting I must add here that Jason and I may very well be better friends than ever before. (if that's even possible) And, yesterday may have been the loveliest yet. My fiance and I spent the afternoon leisurely strolling down Queen West. We intended on searching for a place to live after the wedding but ended up sitting on a park bench and soaking in the delicious sunshine. After a while we promptly stuffed our faces with Chippy's fish'n'chips. How simple. But it I write about it here among the other fabulous things that have been happening for a reason. As I watched him open the trunk and put my bag in to go home - be still my heart - I had to catch my breath as I thought to myself, that man is going to be with me forever.

hugs and love,
angela