a shortie...

Ugh... it's hot! I'm not complaining though - I love summer! It IS a bit strange that overnight lows are closer to the average daytime temperature, and it IS a bit uncomfortable in the gym at CapilanoU where I'm doing camps this week, and I'm sure that I'll be cursing the sunny skies and beating sun this weekend in Kelowna... but it's summer and c'est la vie. I'm in a bit of a morning rush, so this is going to be super short, BUT I wanted to post this Vancouver time lapse from the other day, when the skies were crazy and colourful and nature's electric fireworks outdid the Celebration of Light show.... it was amazing!

down south... Seattle!

How much volleyball is too much? Well, apparently, 11 hours a day isn't too much for me. It's definitely a bit too much standing around (the coaching thing), and, to confess, I've thought about how I might still enjoy participating in camps like this (even as a grown-up... if that's what I am). With quality coaches, drills, stories and more... why not? It's a super-keener/nerd confession, and a reality show in the making. À la Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader: grown adult participates in kids sports camps all summer and sees if she's still got the energy and endurance (and patience and a whole bunch of other stuff I'm sure) to survive. It might be interesting, it might be boring, but I'd go to the casting call. As if I don't have anything better to do... I should change the subject before I realize how ridiculous this makes me sound. And, since I don't have much else to say - other than that I'm exhausted and that, to my amazement and delight Nordstrom had both pairs of shoes that I picked out in my size! the other day (I bought the boots, pictures to come) - I will leave you with the family pic that Bob took the day after our wedding on Thetis Island. The summer, as usual, is flying by!

from Calgary to Vancouver

And another week is gone! I had enough self control to not demolish the bucket of Oreo ice cream but I sure did gobble up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society – it was sooooo good! A fast read with a great story and fantastic, lively writing, it’s one that I’m pretty sure I’ll read again. And, Guernsey! It made me want to visit. Coincidentally, our childhood once-(or two times)-a-week nanny, Grandma Heath (I should dig out a picture of this lady, we loved her!) hails from the very same channel island. There are just so many places to go in this world – sigh!

So my time in Calgary was good. Volleyball was busy but fabulous, and the last day was incredible (as far as sports camps go) – the camp’s all-star team played Team Alberta and did such a good job. I think my favourite part is seeing the girls celebrate after executing new and/or refined skills. Some of them got some huge blocks and the yelling and group excitement was soooo awesome. So, it all ended well – we were a happy group of coaches, and they were a happy group of sweaty volleyballers hugging and thanking us and, the very best part? It was over! Week one of work – done! There wasn’t too much celebrating – a movie on Friday night, a backyard inflatable pool party on Saturday (post-gardening) chez Kim and Jesse (perfectly mellow and fun) and out for drinks with a small group of friends on Saturday night. I finally dragged my sorry self out of bed early enough today to go for a run, and thoroughly suffered on the Hugh McBluff stairs – ugh. I closed up shop at Erin and Fred’s place, and Claire, Chris and I went to check out the salsa festival in Kensington. And that’s salsa as in salsa that you eat not salsa that you dance. This was the deal: buy a bag of chips, and sample salsa from I’m not sure how many booths, and then vote on your favourite… how awesome is that!? There were also booths and contests and things for sale, but we looooved the salsa, and ended up not voting for last year’s champ (more of a dip than a salsa – sheesh), but for Julio’s – it was simple and delish: tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and maybe something else but that’s all my non-refined salsa tongue could pick out. It was goooooood! We were salsa- and crowded out after an hour and a half, and after saying byebye to Kim and Jesse, headed for the airport with Claire and Chris. And so… I’m on my way back to Vancouver, and think I’m ready for more volleyball. Work week number two starts in Seattle, with pretty full days (11 hours) of camp… eeeeyikes. But it will be great – I’m working for a mentor that I can learn sooo so much from, and I feel lucky to get some time in with him. Well… WestJet is calling... time to fly!

work!

And back to work it is! Shamefully, I haven't had this much work since... well, last summer. My yoga gig in Romania doesn't really count as work to me, especially since I made a grand total of hmm... maybe $200 in three months and was kind of winging it the whole time (don't tell them). I am definitely not winging the whole volleyball thing here in Calgary, but I am enjoying myself - coaching, teaching, being around volleyball, playing volleyball... it's awesome. There's a great coaching staff and the days are flying by. I went to Walmart the other day to print out a few wedding pics, and ended up leaving with a few other items: a $9 watch, a box of Kraft Dinner, a tub of Oreo ice cream and a book. The list looks kind of icky (all impulse buys, except for the watch), but the book is great so far - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society... I'm loving it! So off to read, and hopefully I'll avoid the ice cream on my way downstairs...

weekend of wedding fabulousness: part three - the finale!

And we’ve been married for a week! It’s been busy, but great, and I feel happier than I’ve ever felt before – it’s awesome! When the alarm went off on Sunday morning at 8:30 (yes, we set an alarm the morning after our wedding fiesta – crazy, I know), we were both pulled out of deep slumbersleep and into our first morning together as husband and wife. We were happy, exhausted, and had a few questions: WHY did we set an alarm for 8:30? Am I hungover? Are you hungover? Do we get up now? What now? And then… hugs and happiness – elation – that we tied the knot and had so much fun with our friends and family. We dragged ourselves out of bed (looking back, it almost seems heroic – bride and groom getting up before 9 on Sunday morning after three hours of sleep…!?!) and made for the sister’s cabin – Karin, Claire, Rob and Chris were leaving around 10, and we wanted to say hello and goodbye. So we did, and then I realized (we both did) that there was a LOT to do. Ya ya ya, in retrospect it was the wrong thing to realize (going back to bed, lying on the beach – both better choices, no?) but we knew that we had to clean up Dad’s house before Overbury’s people got in there and drowned in beer cans and boy-mess. I was all about the business and dove on in – we rounded up bags of beer cans, boxes of mish-mashed-all-brands beer, and emptied out some half-empty and mostly-full beers and beverages. Ick. There were spills and dirty dishes and chips and snacks all over the place, and after an hour or so of cleaning, tidying and organizing, we called it a day – at least for Dad’s house. That was pretty much it for cleaning, but we did organize and clear out other fridges – of food and drink, and loaded and carted a whole bunch of stuff (clothes, dress, suit, gifts, leftovers, food) from Overbury to my Mom and Dad’s place. I was surprised that my dress was as clean as it was – there were no massive dirt blobs on the bottom, and no spilled drinks anywhere! Not that it’s clean – I sweat like nobody’s business in that thing - in the ceremony, during pictures and on the dance floor (so fun)… so it just might need to get cleaned. But at this point I’m not so sure that I want to shell out such cash to the dry cleaners. Anyways… We didn’t end up getting to my parents’ place until some time after lunch – I was totally beat but still on a high from the night before, so it was no nap for me. After a well-deserved shower (sweat, can of hairspray in hair, globs of makeup in skin), I blobbed around and talked to sister Sarah while Steve and some dudes loaded up the Expedition with a surprisingly small amount of leftover alcohol. The fridge chez nous was still bursting at the seams with leftovers, so my parents invited anyone left at Overbury over for a please-help-us-eat-the-leftovers party. People showed up around 4:30, and we had yet another afternoon party. Fred and Paul brought guitars, and after snacks and food and goodies (and drink for some – not me), music was played and sunshine was soaked in… It was awesome. The night ended with some gift opening (great gifts!!) and then a total lights out by around 11. The wedding weekend had finally come to a close!

Or not. We continued the par-tay – or gathering – on another island with the Brinkman-Tukker clan on Monday and Tuesday. We headed for Galiano on Monday afternoon and made it in time for some pizza and a hot tub at an amazing home on the south end of the island. Eagle’s Nest slept all 14 of us, and it was a blast. We had time for a run, for relaxing and magazine reading (I think there were upwards of 10 mags, and the most popular ones, hands down, were In Touch and Us – and that’s with everyone…), for hot tubbing and a dolphin show (thanks Nyla!), and for some wildlife viewing. A pod of orcas passed by right in front of the property, and surfaced for all to see – it was pretty amazing. As always, there was food and drink galore, and games and music. We had a great time, but weren’t too reluctant to leave – we still hadn’t spent much more than five minutes alone together, and hadn’t done a full wedding debrief. After goodbyes (always sad), we made for the city – yuk. After a few weeks on paradise islands, the city seemed so horrible - concrete and ugly. We had a full day of errands and packing and packing up the car, and after a SUPER yum sushi dinner on Wednesday night… hit the road early early early on Thursday morning – we were bound for Lake Louise and our honeymoon at the Fairmont Chateau. I don’t have too much to say about that, other than IT WAS AWESOME. Our room was amazing – we were upgraded to a junior suite with a full view of the lake, and after Steve said, “You must have known it was our honeymoon!”, were treated with champagne and strawberries (delivered to our door 10 minutes later) and then more champagne and treats at dinner later that evening. We were always addressed as Mr and Mrs Brinkman (!!) and really just had the most amazing time. It felt like we were there for longer than two days, and we left feeling rested, happy/ecstatic and calm. We were family! I felt like that time together made it all sink in a little bit – I have a husband (who is the best) and I am his wife and we are married. So exciting!

the view from our room - amazing!!



And now, the weeks of wedding extravaganza are over. We drove to Calgary yesterday, and I dropped Steve off at the airport this morning… sad. He flew to Ottawa to rejoin the national team for the rest of the summer, and I’ll stay out west to do some coaching. We wed, spend a week together and then separate… blech. But, we’ll both be busy, we can see each other on skype every day (yay for skype), and before we know it we’ll be back together again for Best Man Dan and Milka’s wedding in Toronto in August.

So, it’s been a blast – we are so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family, and I am so lucky to have found one of the greatest guys in the world to marry and spend my life with. Thanks to everyone who helped make these past two weeks what they were – it was THE BEST!!!

weekend of wedding fabulousness: part TWO - WE WED!

I went to bed on Friday night feeling excited and anxious, and had a horrible sleep. Sarah slept over (Steve stayed with Best Man Dan and Milka) - she dozed off talking and I stayed awake… and stayed awake… and stayed awake. It felt like one of those sleepless nights, but I woke up feeling excited and ready, even though I knew that I’d have to try to fit a nap in at some point before the early afternoon. The four of us (Moms, Pops, Sarah and I) had a light breakfast, and Sarah and I drove over to Overbury where Steve’s parents were hosting a campus-wide breakfast. I delivered the seating plan and a few other essentials, and ran into Steve on my way back to Bob and Marg’s. Zero sleeps! Today was the big event, and I was so happy to see him – happy we weren’t doing the whole can’t see each before the ceremony thing; I would have been even more nervous and anxious, and seeing him and being together was the perfect start to the day. We mingled with people, had some juice and then it was down to business. We had meetings (albeit informal) with MC Rod and the sound guy Troy, so off we went to sort out some business. After figuring a few things out with Steve’s cousin, I left my husband-to-be to figure out the sound/tech stuff and headed back to Mom and Pop’s for a nap – I had an hour. I didn’t manage to actually sleep, but lying in bed and having some quiet time – alone and restful – up in our room was exactly what I needed. Steve had made his way over for a swim, shower and wedding-day-shave, and it was so lovely to have him come wake me up and lay with me for a moment. We somehow managed, throughout the weekend, to find time to have moments (is this cheese?) for ourselves, and I think this, in part, helped the whole thing last – there was no time flying by, and I’m grateful for that. Anyways, we planned the rest of the afternoon. I had lunch and drove back over to the resort where I met up with Karin and pretty-haired Claire, and brought them back over to the Osberg cabin to help with the dress, my overnight bag etc. etc. There were a few more trips back and forth, but somewhere in there Steve and I had a moment and said goodbye (goodbye singledom!), my dress was hung in the dressing room in the main house, and I was dropped off at the sister’s cabin for hair and makeup prep time with Rachael. It was all happening…

The four of us (Linds, Sarah, Karin, Claire) got ready, and Rachael made us look beautiful. There was a lot of activity: people ironing dresses, opening presents, donning earrings and jewelry, popping champagne, making mimosas, and makeup and hair magic being worked; it was never too much, but the time just seemed to vanish. Before we knew it, it was 3:00 – eek. My family had written a poem about/for me, and before we left for the main house to get dressed, Mom and the three sisters read it to me. It was so sweet and so lovely – there were some tears and hugs and we all hoped that that would be the end of that. I think I’ve cried at almost every wedding I’ve been to, and I had this fear that I’d totally lose it walking down the aisle with my dad, or saying my vows in front of so many people. I was trying to keep the floodgates closed, but wanted, as the same time, to be true to whatever emotion was there. So, I (or we – all five of us) decided to focus on being happy (not necessarily emotional), and having fun, and it worked – I wasn’t a blubbering fool! None of us were. Wait… I’m getting ahead of myself. We walked over to the house – it was a gorgeous day, have I mentioned that? – and waited for some time to pass before we got into our dresses. We were in the main room of the old farmhouse, and the large window looked out onto the back lawn and the chairs and the pergola and the aisle, and we could see all of the activity, all of the guests mulling and sitting and waiting. We were all a touch warm, and waited until the last possible moment to get dressed. The bridesmaids donned their gear and then helped me into my dress, which Sarah, with some extreme effort and exertion (there were grunts), managed to get closed and done up. I felt packed in there – it was tight and I was almost instantly sweating under the SEVEN layers of dress. But, like the man I was about to marry, it was the dress of my dreams – I loved it. There were a few in-the-room photographs, and then it was almost time. We saw Bob the Commissioner poke his head up, and then it all started. The guests sat down and the Steve and his groomsmen walked up from the beach. The moms and dads readied themselves at the top of the stairs, and Fred started on the guitar (our processional was an acoustic version of Colbie Caillait’s “Realize”) and it began. I was suddenly nervous, but the girls and I were giggling about something someone had said about the flowers (which were amazing-beautiful), and my butterflies simmered down. Bob and Marg, Mom and Dad, Claire, Karin, Sarah and Linds were down the aisle, and it was my turn – I was so excited and… I’m not sure what else – a bit nervous, but more happy and excited than anything else. Steve looked amazing, and I hardly noticed all of the guests staring and smiling. I was on my way up there and it was all happening – it was happening!

The ceremony was beautiful – short and sweet, and we both managed to keep it together. Steve shed a tear or two when he hugged his best friend Dan-O, and I couldn’t help but let a few out when I put the ring on Steve’s finger (I had to shove and wiggle it on there). There was a dab-dab of some tears when we signed the register, and that was about it. We were pronounced husband and wife and we kissed and hugged and I’m not sure if I’ve ever been so happy – we were married!! Yay… we’re married! We walked back down the aisle and away for pictures, and had a few moments alone before pics pics pics. I don’t have tooooo much to say about the pictures section of the event except that we LOVED our photographer Devon (of Vancouver Island based Tall Tree Photography – check it out!) and really had a great time with the creative shots we did down at the beach. We (Steve and I and Devon) totally clicked, and things just worked between us. She emailed me on Sunday (Subject: Good Morning Married Lady! – so sweet!) with a few pics, and aren’t they just LOVELY?! I’m so excited to see the rest… yay. After pictures we made a grand (not) entrance (unannounced) and joined the party. I had a deliciously cold Corona, and almost teared up again hugging my most fabulous friends: Linds and Griff and Clifford and Jayme… and everyone. People had their cameras going like mad, and I was exercising my permasmile – we mingled and from one person to the next said hi and took photographs and posed and then hugged and mingled some more. I’m not too sure what I should say about the rest of the night other than IT WAS AWESOME! Dinner was fabulous, dessert was fabulous (even though I only had a tiny wee bite of cake and two mouthfuls of Lindsey’s nanaimo bar) – it was all fabulous. Our MC did an amazing job – way more than either of us expected. He wowed the crowd with a power point presentation complete with Deep Thoughts by Steve (/Jack Handy), a conversation with Archie on Skype, and some helpful tips on what men really mean when they say things like “You look great” or “We’re not lost I know exactly where I’m going”. Steve had put together a slide show and that was fabulous too, as was the mad dance party that got going around 10:00. It was an amazing party – it TOTALLY rocked! I think people had tons of fun – I know I did, and I know Steve did… it was awesome. After the bar closed we kept the par-tay going at the beach (I went swimming with Clifford and Lisa-doggers), and then at Dad’s House. There was enough beer to sink a ship, and we rounded out the evening with a sing-along and some leftover chips. A good group of us stayed until just after five, until the energy of the guitarists and guests (and hosts) started dying down. It was an awesome party – from beginning to end… and the best part? We got married!!


TOP 6 THINGS ABOUT THIS WEDDING:
1. Marrying Steve
2. Getting to spend so much time with our family and friends – they are THE BEST!
3. Getting to wear the most beautiful wedding dress in the world – I still love love love love it…
4. That it lasted for 4+ days: Wednesday through Sunday we had get-togethers and dinner and afternoon parties with our friends and family – four parties are better than one.
5. The weather: sunshine all around!
6. Our wedding parties – like our friends and family – so so SOLID! Thanks Dan and Rob and Dan and Linds and Sarah and Karin and Claire!!!


Here are a few pics from our fabulous photographer... more to come later!

weekend of wedding fabulousness: part one!

Dan and Milka - en route to Thetis

Dan-O carrying BEER

I’m married! As of this very moment, I’ve been a Mrs for 49 hours. Even though writing a blog might not a top activity for the first few days of one’s marriage, I’m going to try to fit it in – I want a pre-wedding, wedding! and post-wedding account of it all. So, this blog is as much for you (whoever you are) as it is for me… Here goes…

PRE-WEDDING

The week or so before the big event was busy, but never stressful. People kept asking us if we were stressed or overwhelmed, if we were getting things done and if everything was wrapped up and ready to go, and the answer was always yes. We wondered if there was something that we were forgetting to do or to tend to, but now that it’s all over (yikes), there sure wasn’t. Thanks to the ample time that I had in Romania, I was able to think of and get most of the important stuff planned.

So, from Wednesday the 1st to Sunday the 5th, our lives were full, but full and fabulous. (Sounds like a tagline for some plus-sized line of clothing – not the case.) We picked up Steve’s best friend Best Man Dan and his fiancée Milka on Tuesday night, and headed back to my mom and dad’s house, where we sat on the patio with a few beers, caught up, and enjoyed the calm before the storm. It’s not so often that we get to see our friends, but it’s always sooo great to get together. To state the obvious, time with people you care about is so valuable and so amazing. Wednesday morning we were up fairly early, and had the truck packed full to the gills with clothing and food and wedding paraphernalia, and with three more sleeps to go, made our way to Thetis Island. And it was sunny! Sunny and HOT! Summer arrived in time for us to wed, and the island was just like the weather – absolutely incredible. Thetis is pretty much a gem of a place – a small idyllic island with a close community of people that share a strong mutual respect for each other and the natural environment… lovely. And Overbury Farm Resort is just amazing; I highly recommend the spot for family vacations and weddings – it was just awesome. Steve’s family arrived Wednesday night, and we got together for a dinner at the pub and were joined by more aunts and uncles and cousins later, for a drink chez Bob and Marg at their Crescent Point cottage. We had a big crew of people on deck (literally): Paul and Patti from Sioux Lookout, Ryan and Shauna from Winnipeg, Erin and Fred from Calgary, Nik from Kavasila, Greece, Bob and Marg from Bowmanville, Dan and Milka from Toronto, and me and Steve, from Winnipeg I suppose. It was a great way to kick off a four-day wedding par-tay; we started small on the 1st (Happy belated Canada Day!) and added to the party with new arrivals every day, ending with the big best bash on Saturday night.

Thursday saw the arrival of more guests, including the rest of the Osberg clan. I did a fair bit of running around, and if I had to pick the highest-level-of-stress-day, it would be this one. After I picked Claire and Chris up from the Nanaimo airport, we hit Costco and got a bunch of food for the Friday night get-together at my parents’ place. After we realized that we had a decent chance of getting back to Chemainus in time to catch the 12:45 ferry, we ripped through a Save-On-Foods (we bought a LOT of citrus fruit – Costco had no lemons or limes) and a liquor store (more beer… ugh), and put the pedal to the metal. We got to the ferry terminal in time, but alas, didn’t make the boat – the car in front of us was the last vehicle on. We had lunch and nerves and excitement settled a bit before we made it over to Thetis in time for more busy busy. Steve and a few dudes had the big job of moving a ridiculous amount of beverage (beer, wine, mix, liquor) from mom and dad’s to Overbury, and thanks to the ridiculous capacity of the Suburban, it was done in one trip. We were both kind of smoked by this point, but had to perk it up a bit – Thursday night was family dinner plus already-there Overbury guests chez nous. We quick dipped in the chilly clear water, and that did the job… we were (somehow) ready for more activity. After some organization (lasagnas in the oven! Chill that beer! Chill that wine!), the people came. It was the first time the Osbergs had been complete with all four sissies since Karin’s wedding two years ago – and we were rounded out with a great group of people. There was great food, immaculate weather and of course fabulous company and free flowing wine. With this sort of situation in mind, my Dad had built an amazing table, and somehow we managed to fit all 20 people around this thing – it was a scene out of a French movie: sunshine, a crowded table, food food food, drink drink drink, smiles, conversation and laughter, and an aura of happiness and contentment made the meal complete perfection. Hugh Pops could only really get one arm to the table, and we were wedged on the west side; it was so so so fun – so great to see everyone and laugh and eat and enjoy fabulous food and fabulous company.

Thursday night saw the arrival of another crew of people: groomsmen and dudes. Back to Overbury we went, and all there is to say (really) about the rest of the evening is … beer. A great (in size and quality) group of us drank beer and caught up until the wee hours of the night – I had to tap out around 1:30, and Steve stayed until who knows when; all I know is that I woke up next to the man I was to marry on Friday morning. We’d been counting down the sleeps every now and then, and it felt incredible to wake up and say, “One more sleep!” Hurray.

This is starting to get long, so I’m going to finish Friday off here pretty quickly. I don’t remember exact events of the day, but 4:00 saw the ceremony rehearsal – which made it all so real and fabulous – followed by an amazing dinner at our place. We had someone in to cater a casual dinner of burgers, salads and appetizers, and the food (like everything else) was absolutely amazing. After the family and bridal party dinner, guests began to arrive in numbers; we’d invited everyone to our place for a drink and some appies – better to enjoy people’s company for two or three days instead of just one, no? The deck was packed, and we were able to enjoy the amazing property that my parents have there. It was so great to see all of the people, all of our friends and family in one spot, and I think it took a bit of pressure off for Saturday; we knew who was there and we’d seen and spoken with almost everyone. After an intense evening of a mix of mingling, talk-talk and by-the-water-relaxing, we kicked the whole lot of them out just after 10:00, and dealt with the leftovers. Steve and I parted ways for the night – I dropped him off at Overbury, and after a moment together there… went home to bed for the last sleep before the best day of our lives!!

on deck after a swim on Thursday night

a big group around a big table!!

the Brinkmans - my new family!

the girls: Claire, me, Brie, Mom, Linds and Karin

Linds, me and Rachael - awesome friends!!!