Chelle's 75 in 2012 Challenge (take #9: Wedding edition!)

Welcome to my thread! This is my wedding month thread so it will be a busy month!
I'm not setting any reading goals for this month. I'll be happy if I finish any!

http://www.facebook.com/Chellescustomcakes

Feel free to "like" me on facebook for those of you who are on facebook.
I've decided that after the wedding while I search for a job I am going to try and get some baking business going. Wish me luck! :)



Currently Reading:


My Threads:
12 in 2012
Orange January/July
Booker Prize
1001 Books to Read Before I Die

Books Read in 2012





August
90) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (315 pages, 4*)
91) Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson (3.5&, 11 hours, 5 minutes)
92) Animal Farm by George Orwell (4*, audiobook)
93) We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee (4*, Audiobook 8 hours, 14 minutes)

Pages Read in 2012

Books Read in 2012
January

1) Lord John and the Hellfire Club by Diana Gabaldon 3* (ebook, novella, 73 pages)
2) The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht 4.5* (338 pages)
3) Hurricane Story by Jennifer Shaw 3.5* (92 Pages) (ER book)
4) The Drop by Michael Connelly 3.5* (388 pages)
5) Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson 4* (364 pages)
6) Dead Cold by Louise Penny 4* (405 pages)
7) Eragon by Christopher Paolini 3.5* (ebook, 509 pages)
8) The Hangman by Louise Penny 3* (ebook, 99 pages)
9) Cannery Row by John Steinbeck 4* (ebook, 301 pages)
10) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 2* (324 pages)
11) The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny 4*(454 pages)
12) The Murder Stone by Louise Penny 4* (422 pages)
13) The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny 4.75* (384 pages)
14) Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny 5* (470 pages)
15) A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny 4.5* (339 pages)

February
16) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 3.5* (232 pages)
17) Hells Angels: Into the Abyss by Yves Lavigne 3.5* (339 pages)
18) Bay of Fundy: A Natural Portrait by Scott Leslie 4* (167 pages)
19) The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck 4* (261 pages)
20) Blood Red Road by Moira Young 4* (459 pages)
21) Dissolution by CJ Sansom 3.5* (400 pages)
22) 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz 2.5* ( 451 pages)

March
23) Darkest Powers Bonus Pack by Kelley Armstrong 3* (eBook, 3 novellas 287 pages)
24) I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore 4* (440 pages)
25) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 4*(304 Pages)
26) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith 3* (319 Pages)
27) A Century of Policing: The Ontario Provincial Police 1909-2009 3.5* (128 Pages)
28) The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore 4*(406 Pages)
29) Night of the Living Dead by John Russo 4.5* (144 pages)
30) Return of the Living Dead by John Russo 3.5* (161 pages)
31) Dark Fire by CJ Sansom 3.5* (384 pages)
32) Cinder by Marissa Meyer 3.5* (387 pages)

April
33) If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White (audio: 2:17) 4*
34) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (533 pages, 3.5*)
35) The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan (371 pages, 4*)
36) The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck (188 pages, 4*)
37) I'm Starved for You by Margaret Atwood (74 pages ebook novella, 3*)
38) Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (4*, 348 pages)
39) We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (eBook (no page count), 5*)
40) Heat Wave by Richard Castle (Audio, 6 hours 23 minutes) 3*
41) The Calling by Kelley Armstrong (326 pages, 3.5*)
42) The 39 Clues: Cahills vs.Vespers Book One: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman (Audio, 5 hours 22 minutes, 2*)
43) Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton (3.5*, audio 9 hours 46 minutes)
44) The Mask by Dean Koontz (140 pages novella 3.5)
45) The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (Novella, audio 3 hours 57 minutes, 4*)

May
46) Stiff by Mary Roach (audio 8 hours even, 3*)
47) Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye (414 pages, 4*)
48) Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood (3.5*, 301 pages)
49) Calico Joe by John Grisham (3.5*, 198 pages)
50) Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong (3*, 95 pages novella)
51) Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (455 pages, 5*)
52) The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King (3.5*, 309 pages)
53) 11th Hour by James Patterson (3*, 391 pages)
54) The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz (3*, 366 pages)
55) Insurgent by Veronica Roth (525 pages, 4*)
56) Rabbit, Run by John Updike
57) Lover Reborn by JR Ward (4*, 572 pages)

June
58) The Color Purple by Alice Walker (288 pages, 4.5*)
59) Kat & Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong (novella)
60) Becoming by Kelley Armstrong (Graphic Novel)
61) Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong (novella)
62) Hidden by Kelley Armstrong (long novella, 216 pages ebook)
63) Gideon's Sword by Preston & Child (4*, 342 pages)
64) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (4*, ebook 152 pages)
65) Seizure by Kathy Reichs (3*, 491 pages)
66) The Coroner's Lunch (4.5*, 272 pages)
67) Red, White and Blood by Christopher Farnsworth (383 pages, 3.5*)
68) They Thirst by Robert R. McCammon (4*, 531 pages)
69) Gideon's Corpse by Preston & Child (3.5*, 355 pages)
70) The Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat (4.5*, 280 pages)
71) The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (4*, 163 pages)
72) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (3.75*, 651 pages)
73) A Visit From the Goon Squad (4*, audio 10 hours 8 minutes)

July
74) Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (5*, 528 pages)
75) Kissing Sin by Kerri Arthur (3.5, 355 pages)
76) The Hunter and the Hunted by Kelley Armstrong (2*, novellas)
77) Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (4*, 407 pages)
78) Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (2.5*, 11 hours 18 minutes)
79) Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (4*, 304 pages)
80) The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (3.5*, 507 pages)
81) Angle of Investigation: Three Harry Bosch Stories by Michael Connelly (3 novellas)
82) Pay Me in Flesh by K. Bennett (3*, 280 pages)
83) Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton (290 pages, 3.5*)
84) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (19 hours, 11 minutes, 5*)
85) Dead to Me by Kelley Armstrong (ebook, 3 novellas)
86) I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson (3.5*, 383 pages)
87) The Road by Cormac McCarthy (4.5*, audio 5 hours 8 minutes)
88) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (5*, 372 pages)
89) Hidden Prey by John Sandford (3*, Audio 5 hours 59 minutes)

Books I own and need to read!
Wolves of the Crescent Moon by Yousef Al-Mohaimeed
Tempting Evil by Keri Arthur
Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur
The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Flashback by Nevada Barr
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
I am Half Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
World War Z by Max Brooks
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
Echo Burning by Lee Childs
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Cold Moon by Jeffrey Deaver
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Ape House by Sarah Gruen
Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
The Case of the Man who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall
Horns by Joe hill
Cider House Rules by John Irving
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Solar by Ian McEwan
The Shimmer by David Morrell
Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson
Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
1984 by George Orwell
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steg Larsson
The Girl who Played with Fire by Steg Larsson
Seizure by Kathy Reichs
Lasher by Anne Rice
Merrick by Anne Rice
New Tales of the Vampires by Anne Rice
Blackwood Farms by Anne Rice
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Taltos by Anne Rice
The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice
Lost Boy Lost Girl by Peter Straub
Dead Watch by John Sanford
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink
Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

And as ebooks I own:
Little Women by Louissa May Alcott
Dead to Me by Kelley Armstrong
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Pay Me in Flesh by K. Bennett
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon
Game of Thrones by George R Martin
The New World by Patrick Ness
Sovereign by CJ Sansom
The Hunter and the hunted by Kelley Armstrong
Angle of Investigation by Michael Connelly

Audio Books
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Recent Additions:
Audio Books:
Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

eBook:
Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill

Novel:
Rabbit, Redux
Rabbit is Rich
The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (due in Sept)
Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton
Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz
Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Series on the go...

Active Series

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton (1/21): Finished Guilty Pleasures, next up The Laughing Corpse
Aunt Dimity by Nancy Atherton (2/17): Finished Aunt Dimity and the Duke, next up Aunt Dimity's Good Deed
Camp Half-Blood by Rick Riordan (5/10): Finished The Last Olympian, next up The Demigod Files
Christopher Snow by Dean Koontz (2/3): Finished Seize the Night, next up Ride the Storm
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (1/7): Finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, next up Prince Caspian
Dr. Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill (1/8): Finished The Coroner’s Lunch, next up Thirty-Three Teeth
Fallen Angels by J.R. Ward (1/3): Finished Covet, next up Crave
Flavia de Luce by Alan Bradley (1/4) : Finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, next up The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag
Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom by John Updike (1/4): Finished Rabbit, Run, Next up Rabbit, Redux
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (1/4): Finished Eragon, Next up Eldest
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (1/2): Finished The Magicians, next up The Magician King
Matthew Shardlake by CJ Sansom (3/5): Finished Dark Fire, Next up Sovereign
Nick Lupo by W.D. Gagliani (2/3): Finished Wolf’s Gambit, next up Wolf’s Bluff
The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel (1/3): Finished Night, next up Dawn
Nikki Heat by Richard Castle (1/4): Finished Heat Wave, next up Naked Heat
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (5/7): Finished The Fiery Cross, next up A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (1/3): Finished Prophecy of the Sisters, next up Guardian of the Gate
Riley Jenson Gaurdian Series by Keri Aurthor (2/9): Finished Kissing Sin, next up Tempting Evil
Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (2/9): Finished The Vampire Lestat, next up The Queen of the Damned

Series waiting for next installment to be written

Alex Cross by James Patterson (18/18)
All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness (1/1): New release July 10th Shadow of Night
Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward (10/10)
The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett (1/1): New release September 18th Winter of the World
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache by Louise Penny (7/7): New release August 28th The Beautiful Mystery
The Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong (5/5): New release April 2013 The Rising
Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth (2/2)
Dustlands by Moira Young (1/1): New release October 2012 Rebel Heart
Gideon Crew by Preston & Child (2/2)
Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly (17/17): New release November 2012 The Black Box
Kay Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (19/19): New release October 2012 The Bone Bed
The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore (2/2):New release August 2012 The Rise of Nine
Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (1/1): New release Scarlet (2013)
Michael Bennet Books by James Patterson (5/5):
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (4/4): New release July 31 2012 Odd Apocalypse
The Passage by Justin Cronin (1/1): New release October 2012 The Twelve
Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs (14/14): New release August 2012 Bones are Forever
Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong (12/12): New release July 24 2012 Thirteen
Women’s Murder Club by James Patterson (11/11)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2/2): Finished Bring up the Bodies

Series that I own a book and haven’t started yet:


Adam Dalgliesh by PD James(own #10 A Certain Justice)
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
Anna Pigeon Mysteries by Nevada Barr (Own #11 flashback)
The Book of Art by Clive Barker Own The Great and Secret Show
Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness (Own #2 The Knife of Never Letting Go)
Lincoln Rhyme by Jeffery Deaver (Own #7 The Cold Moon)
Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice (Own all 5)
Lord John by Diana Gabaldon (Own #1 & #2)
Mallory Caine, Zombie at Law by K Bennett (Own #1Pay me in Flesh)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Own #1 The Maze Runner)
MIllennium Trilogy by Steig Larsson (Own #1 & #2)
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (Own #1 Ship Breaker)
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (Own #1 A Game of Thrones)
Vish Puri by Tarquin Hall (Own #2 Case of the Man Who died Laughing)

Gorgeous photo of your NS coastline, Chelle! Yay, it's your wedding month! ENJOY : ).

Great photo, Chelle. I'm in the middle of one of your recent reads, Gone Girl. It's a twisty one!

Have a great month Chelle - not long to go now. Take care of yourself; enjoy and don't forget that books are patient - they'll wait for you:)

I think you should read World War Z next. I really liked it!

Wedding month - woo! Love your lists :-)

Yay! I made it in good time here on your new thread. :) Yes, wedding will trump any reading goals so enjoy all the craziness. So excited for you!

How exciting Chelle!!!! The best of luck to you :)

Woo hoo! Wedding month! Very exciting, Chelle.

Lovely new thread, Chelle - congrats! Love all the lists and the photo up top. REALLY love how you organized your series list!

Best of luck with the wedding, Chelle!

Hi Chelle, great photo for the new thread and i love the "book hoarder" picture, i might have to adopt that after my July book buying spree. Wedding month countdown, very very exciting, we celebrated our 28th anniversary last saturday, would marry my Karen again tomorrow it only seems like yesterday.

90) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Read for 75 books in 2012
12 in 2012:Category #3) The Real Deal: Non-Fiction/Biography
4*

Welcome Nancy, Joe, Calm, Morphy, Heather, Valerie, Callia, Ellen, Mamie, Micky & John!

I appreciate the visits here even though I haven't had enough time to visit all your threads. I'll be making it up to you all in September

Hope everyone is having a great week!

I predict this will be a busy thread in the next four weeks and I also predict that this will not be your "wedding thread" unless you keep it for 500 posts as there will be a helluva lot of traffic here from now on. I for one will be raptly attentive (can you be unraptly attentive?) with less than four weeks to go.

Hi Chelle- Love the new thread and the gorgeous photo at the top! And you enjoyed "Wild"! Yah! Nothing but winners over here!

Happy Wedding Month! I'm excited to be here for the countdown!

I've been away from your thread for a bit - had company visiting for a few days - so I missed chiming in on how cool your shower was! You've got some great friends, it seems, to organize such a thing, and yay for Nate for helping out too. Oh, and I vote for streaming the wedding, too - I want to throw some virtual rice!!

>18 PaulCranswick: I'm pretty sure I can be unraptly attentive, Paul. My family often notices I'm only half-there (thoughts somewhere in the clouds), but I pay enough attention not to trip over myself too much.

Having said that, I plan on being raptly attentive here during Wedding Month. Like Amber, I'm getting the virtual rice ready!

Hi Chelle!
I missed so much of your excitement last month - everything is looking good! I hope you are printing out / saving somehow all these LT threads/messages so you can re-live these moments in years to come :-)
Practice cake - wedding shoes - Skype shower - taste testing - photography - seating plans! I'm pooped! How about you?

Stay happy and rest when you can ;-)

Hi Chelle. When I was last here your wedding was more than fifty days away. Now here it is, your wedding month and only 26 days away! I'm looking forward to following all the excitement and romance that is to come.

Oh, good grief! My comment posted three times - sorry!

Sorry again!

Hi Chelle! Good luck on the finishing touches. I agree, the seating chart was stressful, especially with my family!

I'm going to start Games of Thrones pretty soon too, in audiobook format. I love the television show.

Hi Chelle,
What a month you have planned.
I have wanted to read Wild (>16 ChelleBearss:) for a while, since I saw it on Mark's thread I think. But our library doesn't carry it. Ill keep my eyes out for it though as I'm sure it'll turn up somewhere one day.

I'm so happy to have finally found you wedding edition thread, chelle!
I must have accidentally clicked on the ignore this thread button when I was working on my iTouch. I blame it on big fat fingers! I"ll sit here now and anxiously await the big day. Love your dads gift trap box and you skype shower. Both so very special.

Hi Everyone! I'm here, kind of! It's hot here and I've been keeping super busy but I'm sitting down for a few minutes. I have to head into town tonight for a BBQ at Nate's work but I wish I could just go lay in a cold pool instead!

Our order of favours for the wedding arrived yesterday so I've been busy assembling them. We are doing little gifts bags with a personalized shot glass filled with jelly bellys, a starfish book mark (of course!) and a small picture frame with a picture of the Peggy's Cove light house in it. So last night I spent my night in front of the TV assembling all that. I am going to wait until closer to the wedding to put the jelly beans in the glasses as it's so hot and sticky here I don't want the beans to get sticky.

Today I went shopping and some decorations for our front hall. We've had a shoe rack there but I thought it looked plain so I bought two glass and metal tables and a hanging wall thing with some flowers in it. I'm not much of a decorator but I think it looks better than the shoe rack, and thankfully Nate liked it so I don't have to return anything ;)

Now I am trying to teach myself to write some calligraphy with chalk but it looks crappy. I bought a little black slate heart to write "Thank You" on and hold in a picture so we can include that in our thank you cards, but my writing sucks. I need to practice.

Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!

18 haha Paul I figured my thread would be quieter until after the wedding when I get to post some photos. I wish I could be around more but it's been quite hectic here

19 Thanks Mark! Wild was pretty great. I have great respect for Strayed for continuing with her feet like that. I don't know if I would have been able to keep walking.

20 Thanks Amy!

21 haha Amber Nate isn't going to go for it. But feel free to toss some rice in the air around 4pm on the 29th just for the fun of it! lol My sister actually is buying some small bubble wands and she wants our guests to blow bubbles at us. I think it sounds cute

22 Joe, Nate has also mastered the unraptly attentiveness to a degree that he can stay out of trouble. He must be practicing for being a married man

23 Hi Cee! I am pooped actually!
That's a great idea, I should print out my threads to look back on. It's been a very exciting couple years!

24 Hi Judy! Down to 24 days now!! My family starts arriving in just over two weeks now! Eeek!

25, 26 & 27 Hi Kerri! heehee
I am enjoying Game of Thrones but I haven't had much time to sit down and read it. I may still be reading it come September!
Thankfully the evil seating chart is finished! :)

28 HI Megan! That sucks that your library doesn't have Wild. I was on a waiting list for it for a while, it was pretty popular

29 Hi Lynda! Thanks for finding me again :)

Hi Chelle! Goodness, you've been busy. I love the favors! I have an extreme fondness for jelly beans :) Hope all is well

This month will fly by for you, Chelle. I'll be here with the other 75ers to cross off the days with you. And then, on the Big Day, we can raise our flutes of virtual champagne to honor you and Nate!

91) Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson
Read for 75 books in 2012
12 in 2012:Category #6) Who?: Authors I have not read before
3.5*

Hi Chelle, only 22 days to go, excitement building up and thats me and we've never met, hope you are having a good weekend.

Chelle - Sounds like you are doing a fabulous job of remaining sane as the days draw near to the big day. Your gift bags sound fun and creative, just like everything else you have put your personal stamp on. I love the idea of the slate heart to write thank you on and hold for a photo to be included with your thank you notes - they are going to LOVE that!

Ha - perfect! Charlie and I can blow some bubbles at 4pm on the 29th!

ARG, in my frenzy of wedding crap I missed my thingaversary!! It was on August 3rd. Good thing I had bought books anyway eh! This is my first thingaversary and what a great year it's been! LT was such a great find! I had been looking for a website to keep track of my books and instead I found some amazing people to connect with! xo

Books bought this week and two count towards my thingaversary
Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz
Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong
Rabbit, Redux and Rabbit is Rich by John Updike
Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton
Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill

and pre-ordered the Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling! I hope this one is as awesome as her HP books.

I'll come back and respond to comments later. I'm trying to go easy on the typing as my tendonitis is killing me today. I'm taking a lazy Sunday and doing NOTHING wedding related today. Olympics, LT and reading are the only things on my schedule today

Happy FIRST Thingaversary! It's been a wild and crazy year for you :-) We have all enjoyed it right along with you!

Looks like you managed to treat yourself very well! Nice going!
Glad you can take a day of rest today -
*putting champagne on my list for wedding toast*

Happy Thingaversary to you, Chelle! You didn't miss it by much! And as long as you got your books, that's all that matters.

Happy first thingaversary, Chelle! So glad you found us! It's been a delight meeting you and Nate.

Happy Thingaversary, Chelle! I pre-ordered The Casula Vacancy, too! One can hope! Have fun with your relaxing day - sounds like an excellent plan!

Happy Thingaversary Chelle! Looks like you are managing the pre-wedding frenzy pretty good!

Happy Thingaversary, Chelle!

>30 ChelleBearss: Just have Nate get a hold of me if he wants to review unrapt attentiveness techniques. They indeed can be important for a successful marriage. We're celebrating our 29th anniversary this week. My ma and pa made it to 63 years together!

Chelle, happy thingaversary, you have a lot on your mind at the moment just don't forget that anniversary when it comes around.

Happy Thingaversary, Chelle! You're just a baby around here! Here, let me pinch your cheek. There, there.

Happy Thingaversary, Chelle. Wow, that first year went pretty quickly didn't it. Hope you had a nice quiet Sunday and got lots of reading in. I had planned the same but visitors in the form of two grandchildren dropped by so I spent the day hitting tennis balls and playing cards. Hopefully a quiet day tomorrow will give me some reading time.

Happy Thingaversary Chelle!!! I have no idea when mine is.....

Happy Thingaversary Chelle.

Callia - the date you joined LT is on your profile. Looks like you missed it this year but only by a few days, you joined 25th July 2009, belated happy Thingaversary to you as well:)

92) Animal Farm by George Orwell
Read for 75 books in 2012
12 in 2012:Category #7) Morbid thoughts: 1001 Books to Read Before I Die
1001 Books to read before you die
4*

Hi friends! Today is rainy and muggy and I am a busy bee! The landscaping company showed up this morning to deliver equipment to start our lawn tomorrow! I am very excited that we will have a real lawn soon!
After my day of rest yesterday I'm feeling rejuvenated and am back into the swing of wedding stuff. Among the tons of stuff I'm picking away at today I am making mini menus for the reception tables. I am researching love quotes to put on the bottom of each menu. I originally thought I would do a different quote for each menu but have found that most love quotes are rather cheesy. I might narrow it down to 8 or 9 different quotes so each table has a different quote at each seat, but all the tables will have the same ones.

32 Hi Callia! I have a very large Jelly Belly addiction. Not regular jelly beans, only jelly bellys. I actually had to promise Nate that I wouldn't even open the bags of beans for the wedding and I had to go out and buy my own bag of beans so I wouldn't touch the others. It's killing me to have 5 pounds of Jelly Bellys in the house that I can't touch!
(Which is probably best as if I ate them all I probably wouldn't fit into my dress!)

33 Aw thanks Donna! It's so sweet that all my LT friends are so supportive and willing to cheer me on!

35 Thanks for being excited for me John! It's coming so soon

36 Hi Mamie! I've been practicing my chalk art and as it turns out I probably shouldn't turn to that as a career. It doesn't look too bad but you can really tell that I'm not the best at calligraphy

37 Aw Amber that would be so cute! Make sure to take a picture of Charlie and his bubbles!

39 Thanks Cee! It has been one hell of a year! Hopefully after the wedding life can calm down for me! I swear my life isn't usually this dramatic

40 Thanks Terri! I can't believe in all my wedding excitement I forgot about my thingaversary! Good thing I had already bought myself books. Maybe my subconscious remembered and just didn't want to bug me

41 Thanks Lynda! I am very lucky to have found a cool place like LT to hang out in :)

42 Mamie I just hope that she hasn't lost her creative touch. I don't think she has ever written anything meant for adults before. I wonder how different it will be from her previous works

43 Thanks Lori! So far, so good. We will see what the next few weeks bring!

44 Hi Joe! Happy Anniversary week!! 29 is pretty great, 63 is amazing! I would have to live to 94 to make it to 63 years married ...

45 Don't worry John, I won't forget it! I saw a cool ring that a day before your anniversary the ring gets warm. I should get that for Nate!

46 haha Mark I'm just a cute little baby here on LT eh! In a few weeks I'll be an old married lady though so I guess I'll be the one pinching cheeks then

47 Hi Judy! Hope you had a good Sunday with your Grand kids! I actually didn't read much, just listened to my audiobook at the beach for a bit and then layed around on the couch watching mass amounts of Gilmore Girls.

48 Happy Belated thingaversary Callia! Looks like you owe yourself 4 books, 3 years and 1 to grow on!

49 Thanks Calm!

Hah! My folks got up there pretty close to 94, Chelle. My dad's still hanging in there at 89. Walklover and I are shooting for 85+ together. So we've got to live well into our 100s . . . :-)

Thanks Calm and thank you Chelle!!!

Haha I think my mom knows not to buy jelly bellys anymore :)

Happy thingaversary, Chelle! I've been away for three weeks so am just now catching up on threads--I'll have to get back to your previous one to find out about the shower, but I'm here keeping up on the wedding preparations from here on out.

*waving* at Chelle

Whew! of all of your threads, I don't want to miss the wedding edition!

Hi Chelle, just passing by, 20 days to go to your big day, how are you and Nate.

Hi friends!
Did you know that wrapping tiny shot glasses in cellophane is incredibly boring? I should have guessed it would be, but I know for sure now! Nate and I spent out evening last night counting out jelly Bellys and wrapping the shot glass favours. At least that is something else done off of our list and I got to eat some candy! :)

Well Joe, the way Nate and I eat I seriously doubt we could make it to 100, but I wish you and walklover good luck in that dept! ;)

Well Callia we finally got to eat some Jelly Bellys and they were yummy!! We even have a half bag left that I have hidden in the cupboard to munch on after the wedding

Hi Roni! Hope you had a great vacation. Not much going on here right now, maybe in about 22 days or so ;)

*Waving at Stasia!*

Hi Kath! Don't worry, you still have lots of time left.

Hi John! Nate is doing fine, I am starting to stress. So pretty much the way any bridal couple should be three weeks before a wedding :)

Awesome Chelle! I am envious :)

This is my TO DO list for the wedding. I am posting it here as this is where I spend the most time and hopefully this way I won't forget anything. I will be adding to this as I remember things that I have already forgotten... (the work on this list will be shared with Nate too, not just me)

TO DO:

*Print 8x10 photo for guestbook photo album

*Make 2 boutonnieres and 2 corsages for Grandparents. (I only made them for the parents, didn't realize Grandparents get them too)

*Print menus (buy proper paper first, 2 sheets short currently)

*Write thank you cards and notes to add to bridesmaids gift bags

* Make thank you cards for groomsmen

*Make thank you cards for parents

*Buy thank you presents for parents

*Write speech (gah!!)

*Clean entire house and organize library.

*Set up inflatable beds with sheets, pillows and blankets in basement

*Track down last two delinquent guests who have not replied with RSVP card or responded to calls

*Finalize seating chart and print table descriptions and add to current chart

*Meet with DJ

*Make list of songs for DJ

*Make cake stand

*Start baking and freezing cakes

*Write Thank You cards for shower

*write out instructions and information about wedding party for MC

*Make list of photos we want to give to our photographer

*Give resort our final numbers and seating chart

*Make bride/groom trivia questions for reception. If people want us to kiss they have to answer a trivia question about us instead of clinking glasses

*Get stinky dog a professional bath

*PACK

(OK my parents arrive in 13 days and our first non-family house guest in 15 days. Seems like my list is kinda big to finish in 13 days! .... understand my stress now? ;)

You're amazing, Chelle!
With all this experience, You can open your own wedding consultant business.
I would stress along with you but I know you'll be able to get it all done.

I need a nap just from reading your TO DO list - it was exhausting just thinking about all of that! If you need my help, I volunteer to organize the library.

Three weeks! Great!

Like Mamie, I was thinking you could get a lot of volunteers here (including me) for "organize library"!

It's amazing how much goes into a wedding.

Getting down to the fine details, Chelle : ). OK, setting up airbeds is not exactly a fine detail, but you know what I mean!

Oooh, I love the kissing trivia idea! V. cool.

Hi Chelle. The countdown is getting close! Everything you've done so far is just amazing. Sorry I have been MIA. Medical issue in my extended family. In fact I am sitting in the waiting room during surgery. So far so good. : ). I will be back when I can.

Chelle, happy belated thingaversary. I can't believe you've only been on LT for a year. I would have guessed longer...
Just think, in just over a year, we'll all be wishing you a happy first wedding anniversary!!

Yikes! I'm getting nervous! There's so much to do!

However, I did start to look at the internet for planning our NS trip :D

I finished something that wasn't on the list! Extra bonus points for me :)
I made Jackson (the dog) a bow tie tonight to wear to the wedding. While he won't actually be at the ceremony he will be staying at the cottage with us and I plan to have him in some pictures. I used an old silver tie of Nate's and turned it into a bow tie.
Doesn't he look so dapper!



Thanks Lynda! I would love to run a wedding business but I am afraid of all the bridezillas out there! They scare me

Mamie my list exhausts me too! Thanks for offering to tidy up my library for me! I would love to take you up on that offer!

Joe you say amazing, I say insane! There is way too much involved in weddings! This is the reason we wanted to go to Jamaica in the first place *sigh*

Nancy the airbeds are technically Nate's job but it's on the list anyway. I'm not sure if I will enjoy having so many people staying in our house but I guess it's only for a week

Thanks Amber! I have yet to think up any of the trivia questions but I'll get around to it

Hi Kim! Sorry to hear you have family medical stuff going on. Hopefully the surgery went perfect!

Thanks Ellen! It's been incredibly easy to fall into a social routine here on LT.

HI Cee! Yay to planning your trip!! Have you thought of where in NS you will be able to go?

What do you think of this one???
http://www.vrbo.com/418199

Oh - did I mention we got our passports???
:D

wow that cottage looks amazing! You will only be 30 minutes from Peggy's Cove too! I'll have to come down and meet up with you!
Yay for passports! You are one step closer to the ocean now! :)

Ohmygosh, that bowtie is adorable! He looks very dapper.

I love that Jackson will be part of the fun :)

That is so cute:) Jackson looks wonderful.

Hope that the things to do list is shrinking:)

Aw ... Jackson ... what a handsome boy.

Hi Chelle, Jackson looks the part with his bow-tie, a handsome fella.

Jackson is very dapper! :)

Well, I am a little behind on your thread Chelle. My sister was in town from VA and I am just catching up. She will be back again in a few weeks so I will be behind again later.. LOL ;)

I love the pic at the start of the thread I always love your photos of your area. I would love to visit there someday it looks so beautiful and as for the bow tie and Jackson, well that is just to adorable and I just wanna give him hugs and kisses for being so darn cute.

It looks like you have a lot of stress, but as long as you keep pluging away I have faith that you will get everything done and it will all be wonderful. Try taking a deep breath now and again and it will hopefully lessen the stress a little. Sending some Energy your way to help you through.

PS... forgot to say, You did a great job on the bowtie!
He looks like a typical guy - not crazy about getting "dressed up" but will do it for you cuz he loves you!
There's just something about guys in formal wear - so handsome! And Jax is too!

Liking the bow tie!

WE HAVE A LAWN!!!! After 5 months of living in something resembling a hay field we finally have a lawn! And a garden!! Can you tell that I am excited?

We have had a very long day and I'm sunburned and exhausted so I will write back to each response tomorrow but here is a picture to tide you over!

Before


After

Very exciting! And look how cute your house looks !! Congratulations! And Jackson looks amazing also - loving the tie! Understated elegance at its finest!

Hi Chelle- I love the pictures of the house! That's a great color blue, of course my favorite color.

Gorgeous Jackson, gorgeous bowtie, lovely house and lawn! You've got it going on!

That's a lovely lawn! And your house is adorable.

I love your house Chelle!!!!!!! Very cute, and I love the lawn :)

Oh dear I had so much catching up to do Chelle. First of all, your big day is almost here and I can't believe you To Do list. I couldn't help but notice: Write speech. Is the bride expected to give a speech in Nova Scotia? I've been to many weddings in Toronto and Hamilton (my husband's Canadian relatives) but don't remember that ever happening.

Jackson looks adorable with his spiffy bow tie:)

Happy Thingaversary!

The new lawn looks terrific and your house is lovely!

Very lovely!
Things are coming together ;-)

So, what are you gonna do after the wedding?
Hibernate? lol

Love the lawn! A cute house like that deserves a lovely setting.

Ohhh your house and yard look gorgeous! What a lot of things you have to do before the wedding! Take it easy, Chelle -and enjoy your wedding!

74 Thanks Amber! He hated it but after I gave him a cookie he realized there was a prize for wearing the goofy tie and he kept it on no problem! I'll have to remember to bring some dog treats to the resort when we go!

75 I do too Kath! I tried to talk Nate into letting Jax had a doggie tuxedo shirt but Nate thought that was a little over the top

76 Thanks Calm, it's slowly shrinking. It helps that Nate talks me out of my insanity and makes projects go away. He nixed the menu idea as I had already printed them off before without the love quotes and he says that I don't need to print new ones.

77, 78, 79 Laura, John & Callia I agree that he is a handsome little devil! :)

80 Hi Monica. Hope you enjoyed your visit with your sister! Thanks for sending some energy my way, I sure do need it today! We are very tired from our yard work yesterday. I can't even imagine how tired the guys from the landscaping company are at the end of the day!

81 Thanks Cee! We had actually gone out to a thrift store to find Nate an ugly suit for his bachelor party and I found a big red bow tie so I just covered it with the fabric from an old silver tie of Nate's. It's not the best sewing job I've even done, but it works and from the front you can't see the crappy stitching ;)
Jax probably does love me, but I'm pretty sure he was just wearing the bow tie for the cookies that he got from me!

82 Thanks Joe!! :)

84 Thanks Mamie! It looks a ton better now that we have grass an no weeds! I was starting to feel bad for our neighbours since they had to look at our crappy property! Only the front portion of the property has sod, the rest is getting grass seed today. An acre is way too much property to sod, but at least the front looks nice :)

85 Thanks Mark! We really loved the color of the house when we bought it. Most of the houses in our area are light coloured and ours really stands out. Love it :)

86 haha Thanks Terri! Everything is starting to come together now!

87 Thanks Julia! It's amazing how a little grass can make a house look so much nicer!

88 Thanks Callia! I am rather fond of it too :)

89 Hi Bonnie. Yes, unfortunately the bride and groom are expected to speak here. Nate and I will be standing up together though so I won't be doing it by myself. But I HATE public speaking. I'm terrible at it, my knees shake, my stomach tightens. It's just BAD. My entire family is like that, my sister and my parents are just as bad as me. Nate understands this and will probably do most of the talking but I do have people that I need to personally thank. That's part of the reason that I am including thank you notes to my bridesmaids in their gift, so I don't have to say the mushy stuff to them in my speech.

90 Cee after the wedding I am going to READ! I haven't picked up a book this week and it makes me sad.
(Oh and I probably should find a job at some point too ...)

91 Thanks Laura! It's much cuter now that there is grass.

92 Yay it's Deb!! Yes, my to-do list is rather huge but it's coming along slowly. I'll get more done while Nate is working this weekend. (And maybe some reading too!)

Chelle-- and Nova Scotia is so pretty! I showed my mom the picture of your house and she just sighed and looked out our window... :)

Your house (and lawn) look lovely. I love those Nova Scotia style houses.

All good wishes as the actual date of the wedding is near!

The house and yard look great, Chelle! All the hard work will be well worth it.

Wow, less than 20 days to go. I feel tired just thinking of everything you have to do, plus having company! Your landscaping looks lovely, Chelle and really makes the house stand out.

Hi Chelle, love the house (i'm jealous) and what a job you've done with the garden. Are you trying to work the nerves off,lol?

Help! I have "bridal brain" and Nate is starting to laugh at me!!
Urban dictionary defines it as:

A less invasive, but more expensive version of a frontal lobotomy. Experienced by most brides, as they enter a catatonic state which renders them incapable of sustaining any thought or conversation that does not involve cake, caterers, flowers, wedding dress designers, Chinese wedding dress knockoff designers, updo's, hair pieces, color schemes, wedding themes, and personalized M&M's.
Bride Brain symptoms include, but are not limited to, driving erratically because they can't stop staring at their shiny diamond ring; being amused by the resentment of all their single girlfriends, rewinding songs several hundred times while imagining themselves walking down the aisle, and starvation induced bitchiness which is generally followed by late night binging at a Dairy Queen. (Note that this can only occur outside of the bride's native geographic area, where they can't possibly run into anyone they know).
Symptoms are ordinarily well controlled with valium, alcohol and endless hours of watching youtube "first dance" videos.

Which in my world means paying for a downspout at the hardware store and then driving away without picking it up from the stock yard and only remembering an hour later when I went to install it and realized it wasn't in my truck. Duh!

I think I need a nap

Love the "bridal brain" definition! At least you remembered it the same day!

Whoa, lady! Brides aren't supposed to ge installing downspouts! You already have too much to do...
*walks away muttering about the new generation of liberated women* lol

Track down last two delinquent guests
lol, hope you had luck in getting an RSVP from them.

I love your house! Is that window on bottom right hand corner the basement, or a downstairs room? I love that its a raised house, it that to put off scary animals, flood risk or just cos?

Oh wow! What a great house. Nice lawn, but wow the house!

Most dogs will do almost anything for cookies :)

Chelle - definitely an award for the most exciting thread to visit at the moment - we have debonair pooches, immaculate new lawns, a count-down to a wedding that the 75ers will all attend proudly if vicariously and a lady host keeping it together superbly - bridal brain or not. x

Love the bridal brain Chelle!!!! Very nice! Best of luck to you in keeping it all together!

#70 - Doggy with bow tie! Adorable! Love it!

It sounds like the finishing touches are coming together - you're a wedding champion!!

Skimming through.
I ADORE Jackson in his bow tie. I mean, that is one cute doggie to start with and then you add the tie! He's irresistible.

Your lawn looks lovely and your house is adorable! I love the look of the place, the upstairs deck, the sun shining on it.... it looks like a very nice place to call home.

Closing in on two weeks to go...... :-)

Hi Friends! I'm still visiting here a bit even though I can't spend a ton of time online
I'm slowing working at my list and doing a very small amount of reading (mostly in audiobook form).

I tried another cake design today. I wanted to practice my fondant again because the last one came out a pock marked. Today I tried a new way to put it together and used my bread hook on my mixer and it came out perfect! I was so happy. I never thought I'd be so happy about cake icing!
and because I don't have 5 million things to do I decided that I didn't like my original cake design so I tried out a new design. I have seen around the interwebs ruffle cakes. So after Nate went to bed tonight I played around with some tutorials and figured out how to do it! This is what the cake tiers would look like. It will still be three tiers and will still have the flowers on it


I started a facebook page for my cakes. After the wedding I am going to start a kijiji ad to see if I can see some cakes in the area around my house. If anyone of you want to "like" my page or add me on facebook you can find me here

95 Hi Callia! Nova Scotia does have it's charms for sure! I love being this close to the ocean but I'll let you know how much I still love it after I survive a winter here ;)

96 Thanks Rhian! I have always lived in a brick house so I struggled a bit when we started looking at houses here as there are hardly any brick houses and mostly vinyl siding. I'm getting used to it though

97 Hi Lynda! We are less than three weeks now and our house guests start arriving in 10 days!!

98 Thanks Joe! I love having grass but I liked it a little less after I got the water instructions! OY it requires a lot of watering

99 Hi Judy! The list is getting smaller thankfully!

100 Hi John! The time outside was really good for me and my nerves (Helped me tan too!) I'm a little sore and lazy now though but it helped me clear my head a bit. Didn't help my bridal brain much though, still acting goofy

102 yes Roni I was happy I realized it rather quickly or else it would have been very embarrassing!

103 haha Cee thanks for making me laugh! I wasn't actually doing the installing, it was more like holding the thing in place while Nate installed it. He whipper snippering like crazy or else I would have sent him to the hardware store to pick up the downspout instead of me going, and then I wouldn't have been embarrassed!

104 Hi Megan! I actually haven't tracked down the last two guys. Nate is concerned about one as he had said he was coming and was telling us how excited he was, but then he didn't send his response card back and hasn't answered phones or emails for two months now. Nate thinks he might have been sent over seas or something (military friend). The other one said he was coming when we first got engaged but we haven't heard from him since. If we can't find them soon they are going to be marked down as No's

That lower window is our basement living room. I'm not sure why the builder made the house raised like this but I like it. Only one set of stairs in the house! :)

105 Hi Kath! Jax is a cookie hog but he isn't the smartest pooch. I saw a picture of a pooch with the bride and grooms rings on the puppies nose. It was soooooo cute! I showed my photographer the picture and she is going to try and do that with Jax. I will be bringing extra cookies for him

106 Hi Paul! I hope I'm holding it together ok! I feel stressed but I hope I don't come off as bridezilla. there are still three weeks for the 'zilla to come out though!

107 Thanks Callia! I have 10 days until my parents get here so I figure if I'm going to get super stressed and lose it, it will be between now and then!

108 Thanks Kerri! I still have a huge list but the major stuff is finished! yay!

109 Hi Ellen! Thanks, we are loving the house now that we have less weeds and more grass!
Jax is snoring on the couch now, even snoring he is pretty cute! ;)

Of course he is!

Will you ship cakes anywhere, Chelle? I would love to get one from you for my hubby's birthday in September :)

Eeeeeek! A little over 2 weeks left! I'm so, so excited for you guys as this day creeps closer and closer. Hopefully you don't feel too stressed with all the preparations. At some point, gotta just let go and enjoy the special day. Love all the pictures! :)

Hi Chelle, ther's nothing wrong with acting goofy as long as on the day your not goofy. I'm getting excited for you, it's as if it was my day which only seems like yesterday, can't believe it's 28 years and two lovely kids later and now a grandad to a gorgeous 18 month old little girl. Have a lovely weekend with Nate and remember to breathe, chill with a glass of wine.

Found you delightful facebook cake page! Wonderful cakes, Chelle!

I "Lked" your facebook page, Chelle. I'd keep you very busy if you lived in my neck of the woods!

I am exhausted from reading your threads and in need of a slice of cake.

Chelle-- The cake is gorgeous! I love it. That seems to be my family's motto-- "because I don't have 5 million things to do I decided that I..." Good luck keeping it together! Would you consider sending cakes?

Hello friends! Thanks for all the support! I am going to start advertising when the wedding is done and hopefully I can start making a few sales around here.
It's raining and I've never been so happy to see rain before!! It means I don't have to water my sod and seed today, yay!
Today I will be spending some time cleaning up and baking. My goal is to get all the wedding cakes baked, cooled and in the freezer by tomorrow night. Then I can just focus on cleaning up the basement where people will sleep in a couple weeks
Hope you all are having a great weekend!

111 Ellen he is pouting today because it's raining here and he is a sensitive dog that doesn't want to be wet unless he is swimming. What an odd duck he is

112 Thanks Stasia! I'm not sure the cake would hold up so well in the mail. I could always deliver it ;)

113 Hi Val! I'm hoping to get as much done as humanly possible before our house guests arrive so that I can hang out with everyone and relax. My parents will be here a week from Monday and they are our first house guests (But they are aware that they could, and probably will be, put to work)

114 Hi John! Wine sounds like a great idea!! Nate is working this weekend so it's just me and the pooch today. It's raining so the dog will probably sleep all day while I bake. (An empty house means I can listen to my audiobook without headphones, glorious!)

115 Thanks Deb!! I was up to 30 "likes" as of this morning :)

116 Thanks Lynda! I'm hoping to become busy enough that I can afford to stay home. With Nate's income I don't need a fancy full time job, just enough to pay for my car and groceries since he covers everything else. I would love to be busy enough that when we have kids I could be home and just do something like this on the side. A friend of mine is trying to talk me into becoming a saleperson for Arbonne, but I'm not sure that's something I'd be interested in

117 Kath I am exhausted too! I have some cake left over from yesterdays trial if you want some ;)

Hi Callia, I missed you there!
I am my own worst enemy when it comes to creating extra work! Hopefully I'll stop that really soon :)

#119: I just know you want to deliver to Texas when it is 107 here :)

Hi Chelle! Oh man I am too! The rest of the time I'm too lazy LOL I need to find a happy medium!

gah, 107?? seriously? ick
It's 70 here so maybe you'd like to come pick one up instead ;)

LOVE the ruffled cake!

#123: I would gladly do that! :)

Well, the work will all be over soon.. and so will the wedding. I hope it is everything you dream it will be!

Cheering you on as you reach the home stretch before the big day! :)

OK you talked me into it, Ill hitch a ride with Stasia and come visit, just to collect my cake, mind you. What a fun (plane and) road trip that would be!

I am so glad I'm not too late - I saw your new thread (am about 200 messages behind on the old one) and got all worried that I had missed the big day!!

That cake is amazing. #128 Megan, how long do you reckon it would take us to get there?

93) We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee
Read for 75 books in 2012
12 in 2012:Category #3) The Real Deal: Non-Fiction/Biography
4* (Audio 8 hours, 14 minutes)

124 Thanks Cee! I can't wait to see how three tiers like that looks!

125 Ok Stasia, your cake is in the oven ;) Don't dawdle though or the cake will get stale

126 Thanks Kath! I think it is going to be amazing! And even if stuff goes wrong we still have our best friends and closest family here to hang out with so we will make the best of it!

127 Thanks Val! Two weeks from tomorrow! Eeek!

128 Wow Megan, I thought Stasia's 48 hour drive would be a big comittment for a cake ... but all the way from NZ for cake is huge! I would have to make sure that's the best cake ever!

129 Don't worry Cushla, it's still two weeks away! It is getting here fast though! :)

The car's filling up now, one more seat left, who's going to grab it? :)

I've been away for a week, and I feel like I've missed so much here, since you've been so busy! Your lawn and house looks amazing, and I can't wait to see the finished cake! I'm certain you'll have more business than you know what to do with once you start advertising your amazing skills.

I see it's the final countdown to the big day! I love the dog's bow tie. :) Best wishes with all the final preparations.

You have a wonderful attitude, I am so impressed !

TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY!! eek!

We met with our DJ and got a surprise visit from our photographers today. DJ sounds like a great guy and he has agreed not to play any cheesy songs (like the macarena or the chicken dance!)
Our photographer surprised us with a disk of photos from our spontaneous photo shoot a few weeks ago when we met them to discuss the wedding. We didn't know that we were going to be doing a photo shoot so Nate was wearing a silly tshirt and I had wind blown hair. They turned out really great!
Here are a couple



haha Megan, maybe wait until after the wedding and then I will have enough time to make cakes for all of LT if needed!

Hi Amber! Hopefully word gets out about my cakes after the wedding. I've been feeding Nate's detachment with all our practice cakes so some of his coworkers might order some

Thanks Genny!

Thanks Kath! I've seen so many brides just lose their minds at their weddings about small details going wrong so I decided to try and remain Zen about everything. I, of course, hope that nothing goes wrong and everything is perfect but I'm a realist and know that something could be off.

Chelle, photos are lovely! Almost there now ... : ).

Sweet pictures! You make a lovely couple - can't wait to see the wedding photos :-)

Those are great photos - thanks for sharing!

Chelle, the photos are wonderful. And Nate's t-shirt cracked me up!

ETA: I like that you weren't "prepared" for the shoot --- it's the two of you as you are on a more day-to-day basis. Nice.

My goodness, it's getting close now. Your pictures are wonderful, looks like you are going to have some amazing wedding photos to look forward to. Having a "zen" attitude is the way to go, just remember, it's your day so take the time to enjoy it.

Lovely, lovely, pictures and I too love the fact that you guys aren't "prepared". The natural look makes it seem all the more real. :)

What a treat it is to share your happiness as well as your diverse book choices! Love the photos - but really love your house! Fabulous!

Aw! Look at you two gazing into each others eyes, so sweet :) And how cool to have a few professional "before" shots too.

Wonderful pictures, Chelle! Not long now!!!! I LOVED your fabulous cakes! Wonderful!

Oh, those pictures are beautiful! No doubt the wedding ones will be spectacular.

(Charlie and I have our bubbles ready...)

I loooove the photos!
No chicken dance?! Ha ha, that cracked me up.

Jeez, you two seem to like each other a bit, Chelle. Great photos! Getting close to the big day . . .

Beautiful photos of a beautiful couple. Thanks for sharing.

Love Joe's comment - yeah mate it is noticeable just a little isn't it?! Chelle the look on your face can only be described as rapturous in the second photo.

The Zen approach is definitely the right way to go. As long as the two of you are there on the day, along with the necessary witnesses and whatever is needed to complete the legal ceremony, then everything else is a bonus when it goes to plan, and not worth stressing over if it goes wrong!

Wow! If those pics are from an impromptu photo shoot, I can only imagine how awesome your wedding pics are going to be. It's obvious you and Nate are really head over heels.
Nate's shirt is certainly a good motto and a helpful reminder to get you through the next two weeks.

Lovely photos - impromptu ones are often the best.

Ah young love, you are a lovely pair and that's just a taster for the wedding photos, can't wait to see them. So it's down to the final countdown( think that's a song from way back, your too young to know that) don't let the nerves get to you.

Chelle, gorgeous pics.. cant wait to see the wedding photos. Also, checked out your cakes on Facebook.. Awesome .. Wow do I wish I was needing a special even cake and it didn't have to cross borders.. LOL ;)

Hi Everyone! Wow all the support and positive comments on here are amazing!! We are down to 11 days now and my parents start their drive here tomorrow! They are stopping along the way to visit my Grandma (who is not well and unable to travel for the wedding) and then they should be here by Monday or Tuesday , depending on when Grandma kicks them out!

Today one of my friends from Ontario is visiting. She couldn't get the time off for the wedding but already had this week off for vacation so she decided to come visit anyway! We are going hiking to show her the views of the valley and then taking her to the beach at high and low tide and then for some lobster at the wharf. It's chilly and overcast and it's been raining here for a week but I hope we get a few hours of sun for her!

Last night Nate and I finished our cake stand!! This will be the base that our cake sits on, on the table.

I am so happy to have it done because now that means the DIY portion of the wedding stuff is finished!!! That means I can finally put away all our tools and clean up my house properly

I will try and write everyone back tonight when we are home. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Oh, I can't wait to see that cake! The stand looks very elegant.

Have fun with your friend... don't worry about us! You are a very busy lady.

Hi Chelle- 11 days, huh? Wow, very exciting. Love the photos. You guys look very happy. Have a fantastic weekend.

You two are amazing. Absolutely no tools and DIY were involved in ours - although we did write our own vows.

I send all good wishes for your impending happy occasion. I wish you a lifetime of happiness!

It's getting close!

Absolutely amazing! Just relax and enjoy from here on out...

Edging towards the big day as the excitement is built gradually by our New Scotland correspondent! 2nd last weekend single - have a lovely time!

You guys are sooo creative! It looks beautiful and we can't wait to see your amazing cake on top of it! Enjoy the ride here on out, Chelle. :)

Trying my best to keep up! This wedding is a lot of work for you! That is a beautiful base :)

Hi Chelle - Beautiful photos of you two! We also had a no cheesy songs rule at our wedding! I can relate.

Chelle...been lurking around...but since we're under 10 days at this moment, I don't expect you'll get back here too terribly much before the day.

You are a treat and a treasure of a Thingamabrarian and a delightful proof that good people *DO* get to be happy in this world.

You and Nate go forth and live a hundred more happy years, more good than bad in each day, blessed in every trial and boosted in every thrill by the bliss of sharing life with a friend more special than any other.

It's my pleasure and my hono(u)r--you wacky Canadians and your useless "u"s--to call you a friend.

Happy Wedding!

Hugs
Richard

Hi Everyone!
8 days!! wow, it's coming fast! Just popping on here to say hello and thank everyone for the continued support. My parents have arrived in New Brunswick to visit my Gramma and will be continuing to my house tomorrow!
Nate and I have finished most of our to-do list and are just cleaning and organizing some more. As of tomorrow I won't be online much (if any) until after the wedding!

Thank you to Nancy, Cee, Mamie, Ellen, Judy, Valerie, Prue, Megan, Deb, Amber, Laura, Joe, Calm, Paul, Genny, Lynda, Rhian, John, Monica, Cee, Mark, JoeL, inda, Lori, Roni, Paul, Valerie, Kath, Kerri & Richard Dearest! You are all incredibly sweet and so kind to keep visiting me while I'm not here!

I'll be online a few days after the wedding with some pictures to share
See you in September!!

xoxo
Chelle

Hi Chelle--Back from MN and my niece's surgery (which went well). Wishing you the very best on your big day!! The bow tie on Jackson looks wonderful, your house looks very inviting with the new lawn out front and I adore the pictures of you and Nate. Don't stress about the public speaking and I know you are going to be just beautiful. Remember: anything that goes wrong is just fodder for good stories later on. Don't sweat it! Congrats!!

Hi Chelle, all the best for your special day, will be thinking of you both on the day, just try and enjoy every moment i am sure you and Nate will. Best wishes from Karen ( my better half) and John. Don't bother replying as i know you are busy and i will post a message on the day.Looking forward to your messages in September. XXX

Have a great time, Chelle! Congrats!

Chelle, I'm wishing you and Nate all the best for your upcoming wedding. You have worked so hard! I love the informal pics of the lovebirds...and Jackson in his perky bowtie. You have thought of everything...even putting in a lawn and learning how to make fabulous ruffles on cakes. I'm nominating you for the new Wonder Woman of Canada!

Congratulations Chelle!!!! I love the photos. The best of luck to you!!!

Best wishes for your big day! Looking forward to all the pictures! Congratulations!

Have a wonderful wedding, Chelle.

Best wishes for your wedding day. I've been following your countdown these past few weeks, just not posting very often.

Best wishes for the wedding to you and Nate!

Hope the parents arrived safe and sound. Oh, this is so thrilling!

Best wishes, Chelle, to you and Nate!

Sending best wedding wishes from the UK! Hope all goes well and you have a lovely day.

Still a few days to go, I bet you are busy.
Cant wait to see some photos, and here's to a fantastic day for you all. Think of so so long ago when you were planning an overseas wedding. Well, that wasnt to be, but your day will be amazing Im sure. Have fun!

Chelle, I am sure you are busy I just wanted to send you best wishes for the best wedding ever. I really hope it goes well for you and you have fun :) . Will be thinking of you and cannot wait to see photos :)

Chelle, I hope you and Nate have a wonderful day!!

I hope everything goes perfectly for you both, and you are able to enjoy yourselves, instead of running around worrying about other people :)

Is today the day?
I think today is the day.
Chelle won't see this for a while, but I thought I'd find a seat for the wedding.

>185 EBT1002: No, but there's only 5 days left so it's close!

So excited for you, Chelle!

Happy Wedding and best wishes to you and Nate!!

Sending loving energy to get everything done and keep in balance...

So close....

I hear some wedding bells! :) Happiest of days and blessings for a beautiful marriage, my friend!

Best wishes for a wonderful wedding and beautiful marriage, Chelle!

Hope you are not too busy my dear only three days to go, Karen and I wish you lots of love and happiness on your big day, will post again on the day, hope the weather is good for you.

What fun :) A wedding watch!

All good wishes that you bask in the glory of love on your very special day

Just hours away now Chelle! Best wishes for the two of you for a life filled with love and happiness!

Hi Chelle, best wishes to you both on your wonderful wedding day from John and Karen. Nate is a very lucky man and as you gaze into each others eyes you will see the love for each other, have a fantastic day all your LT friends are sending their love for you both. Please post some pictures of the day my dear, it's so nice to have a friend like you. Lots of love and kisses from the UK.

I hope all goes well and you have an absolutely fabulous day.

All best wishes to you and Nate on your wedding day!
Hope your day is more than beautiful with good memories to last a long, long time.
Wishing you both deep love and happiness for life :-)

Yay happy wedding day!

Congrats on your big day!! :)

Happy wedding day, Chelle and Nate!!
Best wishes for a loving, beautiful and wonderful forever!

Tropical best wishes to Nate and your lovely self Chelle. Have every confidence that you will have a rapturous and loving life together. Best wishes always and SWMBO asked to include her in my best wishes too.

Oh Chelle, I can't believe I have missed YOUR WEDDING THREAD!!! I am all caught up now, and I am so happy and excited for you both! Good luck to you, and many, many wishes for a lifetime of happiness together. Love the photos -- can't wait to see more!

I hope your wedding day has been all you dreamt and hoped for. Here's to many years of happiness!

Best wishes as a married couple, Chelle!

I hope you guys had the perfect wedding day! Congrats and Hugs!

chiming in amongst the wedding bells to say my big congratulations as well. Looking forward to the pictures!!

Congratulations Nate and Chelle. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.

I always cry at weddings.

*sniff*

Wishing you and Nate a long and happy marriage. I hope your day is everything you've dreamed.


glitter-graphics.com

Just adding my congratulations!

Good morning Mr and Mrs ?, welcome to married life and a long and happy future together, congratulations to a special couple.

Have a blessed union! Congrats!

Ah, welcome to Married Life! It's quite nice here, really. Congrats!!

Sending my good wishes along with the others, and hoping that everything is wonderful for you for many years to come.

Hope today is everything that you want it to be. Soak it all up. My best wishes and congratulations to both you and Nate.

*hands handkerchief to Ellen*

Congrats to you and Nate, Chelle! How great. A new adventure begins.

Best wishes and many happy years! We're up to 27 years now and it seems like yesterday.

>208 EBT1002: Oh no! I forgot I always cry at weddings too! *sniffle sniffle*
oh heck *weep weep*
Pass the tissues!

Charlie and the wedding bubbles! Congrats from both of us!

THANK YOU!!!! I can't believe all the messages! Thank you all for the amazing comments! The wedding went amazing and we couldn't be happier! We still have family members staying with us for a few more days so I can't reply to everyone yet but I will next week.
Here are a couple photos. Our photographer sent us a teaser photo and hopefully more are coming this weekend.




ETA
Changed cake picture for one that was lighted better.

Shes' back! Why hello Mrs Chelle :) :)

So glad to see that it all went perfectly. And look at that big ring on Mr Nates finger, he wont be losing that in a hurry. you look gorgeous, beautiful pose too. And the lighthouse.....perfect.

At the risk of gushing, you did a fabulous job on the cake! And for extra grandeur, the art deco figures on top is superb.

Gorgeous, just gorgeous!!! Keep up the happy! It looks good on you :)

Beautiful pictures. Can't wait to see the rest. I'm so pleased to hear that the day went so well!

Beautiful!!

Bee-you-tea-full!

#220 Oh wow! Glad to hear you are both enjoying married life so far :-)

Gorgeous, Chelle! Congratulations!

Wow, I'm loving the ruffles on the bottom of your dress and the wedding cake picking up the ruffle, very sharp and OMG what a beautiful day and both you and your new husband are picture perfect gorgeous. Hugs, hugs, hugs

Lovely pictures, Chelle. You and Nate look like you belong on the cover of Bride Magazine! I hope your cake tasted half as good as it looked. Can't wait for more pictures and details about the wedding. Best wishes to the happy couple!!!

Wow! Gorgeous photo of you and Nate! And the cake!! So incredible! Thanks for sharing so quickly - so glad you had a beautiful day. Wishing you a lifetime of fabulous.

What a gorgeous couple! The photos are awesome. I love the pose.
Glad to see you had enough time to clean up and look beautiful. LOL Your dress and flowers are perfect.

The cake came out as spectacular as I imagined.

Ya done good, Mrs Chelle!
Nate is a lucky man ;-)
(I think he knows that.)

Gorgeous pictures, Chelle. Thanks for sharing them with us!

What a lovely couple! Congratulations!

Great photo of a very happy couple!! Congrats!

Congratulations to the lovely couple - hope you still look as good after knocking back all that delicious cake!

Thanks everyone! Here is a link to our wedding album that I've started. We've been getting some pictures sent to us from guests and I've started to collect them together. I'm still waiting on more professional ones to come. http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBQaGEY
I'm going to start responding to your lovely comments but have patience with me as there are so many that it might take me a while to get to them all. xo

169 Hi Kim! Glad to see your niece's surgery went well!
The wedding went very well and we had no real issues. Small things came to our attention later but nothing that we really cared about. Couldn't have asked for a better day!

170 Thanks John & Karen! We definitely enjoyed everyone moment! We had a great group of guests and the whole day was amazing!

171 Thanks Joe!!

172 Thanks Donna!! My wonder women month paid off and it was awesome. Now I can relax!!! :)

173 Thanks Callia!

174 Thanks Roni! I really hope to get more photos back soon. I'm waiting anxiously to see how they all turned out

175 Thanks Judy! It was very wonderful

176 Thanks Kerry! The countdown is finally over

177 Thanks Heather!

178 Thanks Lynda! Everyone arrived on time and with no travel glitches. I don't know how 60 people all got so lucky with their flights!

179 Thanks Katie!

180 Thanks Rhian! It was amazing

181 Thanks Megan, it was fantastic. The whole day went so well. We still plan on heading to Jamaica in February for the honeymoon so it all worked out.

I'll respond more later as my in-laws have just arrived back here from their tour of the area :)

Wowsers, it looks like a great event, Chelle! Congrats to both of you - you're now embarked on a great adventure together.

Everything looks absolutely gorgeous, Chelle! Whatever will you do after everyone leaves? Oh, wait, read.

Oh, Chelle! Thanks so much for sharing the pictures...
I LOVE the ones of Jax - sniffing the lobster, looking out over the water, sprawled on the white bedspread!
I LOVE how beautiful you looked - your dress, your hairdo, your smile, your glow!
Nate looked pretty dang happy too...
The lobster looks yum and Jamaica is still to come!

:D

Chelle, I love all the informal pictures. Everyone (including the bride and groom) look like they're having a fabulous time. Other than the wedding itself, my favorite pics were of the fire on the beach. What a lovely setting.

Chelle-Congrats, congrats!!! The pictures are lovely and so were you! You did an amazing job on everything and I am blown away by your cake. WOW! Blessings to both of you. I hope you have many wonderful years together. Best wishes always. : )

182 Thanks Monica! It really did go well!

183 Thanks Cushla! It was wonderful

184 Thanks Luna! We really didn't have to do anything. The night was so fun and the lady who runs the resort was spectacular and did everything for us. We didn't have to worry about a single thing

185 haha Ellen you were a little early but I appreciate your excitement! Hope you got a great seat ;)

186 Thanks Nora!!

187 Thanks Kerri!

188 Thanks Cee. The morning the day before was a little stressful getting everyone (and everything) out of our house but the rest of the time went well and balanced

189 Thanks Valerie! It was the happiest of days for sure!

190 Thanks Deb! And thanks for your comment on the cake on facebook :)

191 Thanks John. It rained the day of the rehearsal and we did the dinner and rehearsal inside the lodge house instead of outside, but the rest of the time we had perfect weather!

192 Hi Kath! Thanks for joining in on the wedding watch :)

193 Thanks Linda! It was a very special day

194 Thanks Bonnie! A few hours away I was hiding in our cottage and try to stay calm :)

195 Thanks John! Thanks for the lovely comments and kind words. The day ended up perfect and Nate calmed me down at the altar but chatting to me and cracking jokes. Took my nerves away perfectly

196 Thanks Luna! It was fabulous

197 Thanks Cee! It was very beautiful and I hope we will be able to remember this day 40 years from now, if not then we will look at the photos ;)

198 Thanks Nora!

199 Thanks Valerie! Love the picture!

Chelle, pictures are just lovely - your dress is fabulous.

Add my congrats and oohs and ahs over the pictures to the respective piles. :)

Congratulations Chelle. May you and Nate share a wonderful life of love together.

The cake is beautiful and the pictures amazing!

Beautiful photos, Chelle, thanks for sharing them. Many best wishes for you and Nate.

Thanks for sharing the pictures Chelle - looks like a lovely day and what a beautiful location for a wedding.

Also thanks for taking the time to keep us updated when you must be very busy.

Hi Guys!
Well Nate's parents left yesterday and my parents left this morning and I am officially all cried out! My sister and her fiancé leave tomorrow so today we are having a relaxing day together. They are watching a 3D movie with Nate so I am relaxing on the computer. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

200 Thanks Linda! It was a wonderful wedding day and we are excited for that wonderful forever

201 Thanks Paul and please send my thanks to SWMBO! Your tropical thoughts paid off as we had a beautiful sunny day for the wedding!

202 Thanks Anne! You didn't miss the thread, you caught up just in time!!

203 Thanks Laura! It went exactly as we hoped it would. The minor things that went wrong were so minor that we didn't even know about them until later. It went great

204 Thanks Roni! The first few days of marriage has gone great :)

205 Thanks for the hugs Mark! It was perfect

206 Thanks Megan! I hope to have more pictures soon. I added some more to the link but I don't have any professional ones yet (and it's driving me batty! ;)

207 Thank you Judy!

208 me too Ellen!! I was about to start bawling during the ceremony and Nate started whispering funny things to me and made me giggle so I stopped crying. It was perfect

209 Thanks for the love birds Calm! So cute!

210 Thanks Rhian!

211 Thanks again John! The morning after came very early after a fun night of dancing but we can always sleep later!

212 Thanks Morphy!

213 Thanks Amber! I think I am going to enjoy it!

214 Thanks Kath! I appreciate the good wishes!

215 Thanks Mamie! It was exactly as we hoped for. I couldn't have asked for a better day

216 Thanks Joe! We are always up for a new adventure! :)

217 Thanks Doc! I hope we can look back at our picture 20 or 30+ years from now and remember how much fun we had and how we were surrounded by the love of our families

218 haha Megan, I think I only cried about 4 or 5 times that day! I bawled during our speech and everyone laughed at me, apparently I was funny

219 OHHHH Amber!! The bubbles are so cute and Charlie is a doll. Thank you! It was actually quite funny at the ceremony as it was so windy I think all the bubbles ended up blowing back in everyone's faces.

221 Hi Megan! Yes we are back to reality now! Nate is still getting used to wearing his ring. He doesn't usually wear any jewellery so it's feeling a bit weird for him. He needs to get it fitted a little smaller but he is being a sport about wearing it and making sure it doesn't fall off
Thanks, the cake turned out exactly as I hoped for. And thankfully the majority of it got eaten at the BBQ the day after the wedding. I only have a small piece at home to pick at now.

222 Thanks Kath! Happy is exactly what we are and plan on staying!

223 Thanks Luna! I was really hoping the photographer would have sent us more by now but I know she was doing another wedding yesterday so I am going to try and have patience! I am really excited to see how some of them turned out

224 & 225 Thanks Amber and Morphy! :)

226 Thanks Heather. Married life is going well and I expect it get better once our house is back to normal and we can relax together more

227 Thanks Katie!

228 Thanks Lynda! Actually that ruffle from the bottom of my dress had been pretty much pulled off by the end of the wedding! Nate's aunt stepped on it and it ripped and then others stepped on it and ripped it more. Before the second photo shoot my mom sewed the ruffle back on! I'm going to have to check it after it's dry cleaned and see if it needs to be fixed by a professional

229 HI Donna! The cake ended up tasting delicious as well as being pretty. I ate WAY too much of it. The nutella frosting was my favorite and I will be making that again!!

230 Thanks Mamie! Thankfully I've been able to relax a little bit since we got home, but not a ton. We took my family swimming at a nearby lake yesterday which was nice.

231 Thanks Cee! The photographers didn't even know that my flowers were fake until they got right up close to take pictures of them. I was really happy with how everything turned out in the end.

232 Thanks Stasia! I hope to be able to share more sometime soon

233 Thanks Laura! Nate is very photogenic so that helps with our pictures :)

234 Thanks Mark! We are very happy

235 haha Thanks Paul! I think we may have gained a few cake and lobster pounds over the last week but that's ok, we can lose them later! It was worth it

237 Thanks Joe! I feel that with Nate it will always be an adventure!

238 haha Roni I will be reading!! I miss books! I think I managed to read 3 books in August! Sad. However I have some great ones sitting here waiting to be read in September. Nate goes back to work on Friday and I will probably spend the whole weekend reading!

239 Thanks Cee!! The photographers got a few great ones of Jax in the cottage as we were getting ready and then one with us and him with his bow tie after the wedding. I can't wait to see them!
And now we have Jamaica to plan for February. Looking forward to it

240 Thanks Donna. The bonfires were one of my favorite parts of this past week. We had a big bonfire with most of the guests the night before the wedding and then another one the day after the wedding. We had a BBQ and lobster cookout the day after the wedding and we got to spend a lot more time with our family. I'm so glad we decided to do the wedding this way as instead of one day with everyone we got three!

241 Thanks Kim! Everything went so well that I was actually surprised that nothing really went wrong. I always hear those wedding horror stories and thankfully we had nothing bad. One drunk fool and one snotty girl and other than that everyone got along well and had a great time.

243 Thanks Rhian! I really love my dress and how it wasn't too huge and puffy. It was perfect for the day after on the beach. If it had been bigger I probably wouldn't have been able to move around in the water that well

244 Thanks Micky!!

245 Thanks Caro! If this wedding was an indication I feel we will have many years of love and being surrounded by the love of our families. Everyone was so amazing to us this past week. It was a little overwhelming

246 Thanks Julia! I'm glad everyone is so supportive and actually wanted to see the pictures :)

247 Thanks Calm. We got so many compliments from guests about the resort that we chose. I would recommend this resort to anyone!! If anyone from LT wants a great place to stay here in NS I would totally recommend the Oceanstone Resort. It was amazing from start to finish.