www2ndWestWives.com

I've been thinking of my girls from 2nd West - the year I was an RA. Half of them are married or engaged.... here are pictures to represent each couple! I'm soo proud of my girls - for more on my thoughts on marriage see my other blog post!

The first 3 couples are engaged..... the rest are married. Kelly is waiting to find out when Brian ships out and are getting married soon though!

Sarah is marrying this guy but I've heard we don't like him....

Carrie and James just got engaged like 3 weeks ago!

Scarlet was the first to get married - the rest are in no actual order

Mel was actually probably 2nd:

Anna just got married like a month ago!!

Candace just got married last weekend!

I got married a year and 3 months ago

Natasha got married right around the same time we did - a few weeks after probably

Emily got married last year too....

Both of these girls got married - 2 weeks apart and were each others maid's of honour. Kori never posted pictures of her wedding even though I begged. Kristy got married 2 weeks before Kori...

Kaitlyn got married in March of Nicks senior year.

These guys just got married 2 days ago! Yeah Kate!

Childhood Memories

I was chatting with my cousin Jacqi on MSN about memories. We reminisced about the times we used to build forts out of blankets and chairs at Grandma's house in the living room! We also used to turn card board boxes into sleds and slide around in them! We dragged Jacqi around in a box when she broke her leg.

Grandma used to make play dough! It was yummy!! I remember it dried fast though, but it was fun to play with while it lasted!!

We also mentioned all the Christmas Pageants we were in a church! I was in all of them! I was an Angel in "Angels Aware", I was a sheep in one when I was even younger. I have sung in the kids choir every year that there was one - my mom was the conductor! I changed signs, which changed scenes in one cantata - that year I wore a dress that my mom had made me. It was Navy Blue with Gold stars on it.

We talked about the time Terry and Markie used to babysit us. We learned about Fresh Prince of Belle Air, and we were shocked and amazed by home much they could eat! I remember Markie was babysitting us one time, and he took up to McDonalds. We ordered kids meals most likely or just nuggets, and Markie ordered a 21 piece McNugget... which now doesn't seem like many but to a 6 year old - that is a lot!!

When you think about Markie you have to note how he could find his way to a hospital in any city - He was a bit accident prone. He also makes me remember a story I've heard about him. He used to live on Oxley - a street that was perpendicular to my street. He once decided to walk to my house, but he was a bit directionally challenged... he knew he had to turn at one point, so he crossed the street, turned, then turned again and then ended up back at his house! Should I tell you he was 4 years old!!

Then we started reminiscing about Fair Haven's. I remember being scared but loving to crawl up really high onto my Grandpa's top bunk! We had some amazing times at Fair Havens. that's a billion more posts, but for now I'll write about the sand castle competitions we used to have.

We also talked about how we used to climb the trees back by the clubhouse in my back yard. I remember climbing so high that the tree's used to tip over..... Those were good times! We also used to climb the maple trees out front and the one with the swing on it!

That's all we had time for, but we had some good memories!

Getting My Driver's Licence

Now since I remenisced about my 16th birthday I feel like I should recount the driver's license experience.

The day I got my actual driver's licence, like the one that let me drive without anyone else in the car, my parent's were in Chile on a Mission's trip and they hadn't put me on their insurance yet so I couldn't even go out driving on my own. But when they did, I went crazy! I picked up Mandy - who didn't have her license yet and we went to Tim Horton! Yep, that was it! That's what I did the first time I could drive anywhere!! Lol!!

PS. I posted 3 post's today so scroll down - keep reading!

Shoes & a Dress

Hi,
This is me. I was thinking last night of something that I really wanted to do for my wedding.... I had this plan for many years.... but then when it came time to actually plan my wedding I didn't even thing of it. For years I have said I wanted to wear ballet slippers for my wedding, the kind that elegantly laces up the ankle. It just thought it was funny that I didn't think of it until last night!

That also reminded me that for about 4 years before I got engaged, I had this dress picked out as the one that was for me! Sadly, when I tried it on, it just didn't look right on me, the top didn't fit-to-flattering no matter how tight we pulled it!

I just loved the way the lace made the train, and that it wasn't soo heavy with material... I still ended up with something similar though.

Surprise 16th Birthday

I want to tell you all about my 16th Birthday.

It began on a band trip and ended with a bunch of boys locked in our clubhouse!

I'll expand: My actual birthday was in the middle of my high school band trip to the East Coast. On the trip, was my friend Carrie as well as Matt & Dave Ostropolec and as chaperone's were Meg and Pete Ostropolec. We were all over the East Coast Provinces, at one point we were in Quebec and Carrie and I found birthday streamers that said Bonne Fete (Happy Birthday) but for my actual birthday we were in Halifax, Nova Scotia. That day we weren't performing, but we were going to a dinner theatre. That was exciting - I remember the cast of the theatre singing Happy Birthday. We were on our own for the other meal of the day and Carrie and I went to Swiss Chalet. We felt soo cool, we were growing up; eating out together, in another province, getting their by ourselves! Soo cool!

But the cooler part of the day was first thing that morning, the night before Carrie and I had decorated our hotel room with the streamers, but I was "rudely" awoken by the Ostropolecs. Meg and Pete had been sent on a mission during this trip. They pulled me out of bed by my feet!! And then proceeded to give me 16 presents from my parents!! They were all small gifts, but still they told me that it had taken up like half of their suitcase! I'm so lucky to have amazing parents, and amazing friends who would sacrifice like that to make my 16th birthday special! I don't remember all of the gifts, but I do remember there was like a magazine, there was chap stick, there was probably nail polish etc. My favourite was the Frog Mug!! It had feet and little bumps on it's back! Probably the coolest mug I will ever own in my entire life.

2 Weeks after the band trip, when I wasn't expecting it at all, my parents through me a surprise 16th birthday party! My whole youth group was invited as well as close family members! I remember I worked that Friday night at Gospel Text until 9pm. Dad picked me up from work and on the way home, I innocently asked if anyone was at our house... you see often Steph would stop over randomly, or other random family members... I was feeling like I wanted some company that night... well Dad just said, I'm not sure... I believed him! Since we live in front of a park, everyone had parked in the parks lot so I didn't see their cars. When I opened the garage door, there was Kerry McCord crouched down with a camera ready to take a picture! I was not expecting that! I slammed the garage door and hid in the garage... Someone, I think Mandy came and got me out! I was shocked!!! The funny thing was my brother was showing all the guys, just before I got there, that out clubhouse in the backyard had an upstairs... they didn't believe him so he herded them inside and then locked them in there.... so I didn't even know there were guys at the party until a few minutes after all the girls had yelled surprise!

There were a lot of people there, there were lots of gifts, there was lots of good food! I should find pictures and upload them sometime to this post, because I have an album of them somewhere. The one thing I remember was that the Millard boys had given me a Happy Mother's day card... instead of a happy birthday card! I also remember that there were purple, green and I think turquoise balloons? It was a great night, and a great memory.

DQ & A Snowball Fight

My yearly birthday date with Earl was a bit different this year, but it makes me think of 2 stories I want to remember about my life.

1. Mr. Earl Brinkman and I have been going to DQ every May for our birthdays since I was like 8 or something..... It's been a long time. He would always come pick me up, and most years Kathy would meet us there too - since all three of us had the same birthday! May 3rd!!!! How random right? This guy is like 50 years older than me, a deacon in our church and I really have no other connection with the man other than our birthday. I think it was my idea.... I don't really remember.... (if anyone does remember how that all went down please let me know) He always orders the same thing - a Skor Blizzard and I usually order the specialty!! Sometimes it is a hot fudge brownie sundae, or its a mocha frappe blizzard.... I never know what I want to get!

We always talk and talk and talk... even though a whole year goes by and we don't really talk except for a hug on Sundays whenever I come home for a visit - we always have lots to talk about... I think I usually do most of the talking... some years I've even cried - we never run out of things to talk about.

My 17th birthday I picked him up for the first time - that was a fun birthday! My 22nd birthday, I got dropped off at DQ by my boyfriend, who left there and went to ask my dad if he could marry me, then a couple hours later, asked me if he could marry me. This year, my birthday weekend I was only home for a day and a half and was at a wedding for most of it, so instead of DQ I invited him and his wife over for lunch after church!

Which leads me to point 2...

2. We were talking about random family vacations and one of the memories I don't want to forget is the time we were motor homin' it in BC in June. We stopped at a toll road booth and decided to get out and stretch... as I got out of the back door my mom had gotten out of the drivers seat and quickly made a snowball and ran to the back to ambush us as we got out of the back!!! How fun right? Sooo spontaneous! In June - a snowball fight!! Gotta love the Rocky Mountains!!!

Our First Kiss

I pray I’ll never forget our first Kiss. On our first Valentine’s Day, Nick got cheap tickets to see the Piston’s play the Spurs. We went with Chris & Kd, and Adam & Cheryl. That night I got car sick so we pulled over to get a drink so I could take drugs and then we got stuck in the snow. The whole ride home, we cuddled really close in the back seat of Chris’s car and once we got back to campus, Nick walked me to the door of U-hall. We stood there in the cold for a few minutes really close and then we both knew it was coming; he leaned in and kissed her. It was the perfect first kiss. His lips were the softest, fullest most beautiful thing I’ve ever kissed. We were both ready and it was so right! It was instantly warm.

Favourite Wedding Moments

In our first “legal ceremony”

i. The clock on the mantel struck 6 o’clock at the end of the prayer!
ii. Having our 2 best friends drive all the way just to sign the paper.
iii. Gavin asking “Can we sit in Lazy boys at the next wedding?”

At our May 23drd wedding celebration
c. Memorable:
i. 2 of the most memorable moments involved the boys:
ii. They thought that my decorations weren’t complete without putting a Frisbee on the stage, which was pointed out by Pastor Mark!
iii. When Mark asked for the ring, Ross pulled out a candy Red Ring Pop!!
iv. I loved that my mom played the piano at my wedding – it wouldn’t have been right without her playing!
v. Mom and Dad woke me up by singing “Going to the Chapel”
vi. Aunt Steph read beautifully.
vii. Dad and I taking our time getting to the church and stopping in at Gospel Text.
viii. Mel singing How Beautiful
ix. Uncle Paul said the sweetest thing to Nick: “I haven’t gotten a chance to get to know you well, but from what I’ve seen and heard, I know Grandma would have loved you”.
x. My flowers made my Mikyla
xi. Our Cake!!!
xii. Hailey Running down the aisle after Nick and I.
xiii. The message Mark gave spoke about each of us being God’s masterpiece which I thought was awesome since that is the song my mom used to sing to me (Masterpiece – Sandi Patti).
d. My Favourite part: it’s not possible to have a favourite part when you are enjoying every moment!

The Proposal

What was your proposal like? Was it a surprise?


a. We had talked about getting married and I had told him what I liked in rings so I knew it was coming. I had pretty much figured out that he had bought the ring over Spring Break and from then on was constantly analyzing every situation for “proposal potential”. I had told him he had to ask my dad first, and knew that that hadn’t happened so until it did he wasn’t allowed to propose. By the time we’d made it to the weekend of my birthday I was sooo hoping he would ask my dad when we went home, and then that he would ask me. I had no idea that he asked my dad that night while I was out on a date with another man (Nick actually dropped me off for a Birthday date with Earl-my birthday buddy). He had plans to go see a movie with my brother, but instead went to the church, found my dad and asked him. My dad only asked Nick 2 questions. Do you love God? and Have you been baptized?... my dad says that’s all that matters.


b. When I got home from my date, I expected Nick to be gone to the movies, but my dad told me he was downstairs working on homework and that he had come to talk to him at the church. (he probably shouldn’t have told me that… but I knew it had to have happened that night at some point if Nick was going to propose on my birthday – which I soooo hoped he would).


c. We had decided that Nick was going to work on homework and then we would go for a walk at Midnight. So close to midnight I IM’d him (because he was in the basement) and asked if we were still planning on going for a walk….. he said Heck Yes. I got sooo excited at that moment. So about 12:02 we said goodnight to my dad and went for a walk. We took a Frisbee, and played a little of that, we played on the kids jungle gyms. I went down a very wet slide, we climbed a short plastic rock climbing wall, we held hands, he wished me a happy birthday and kissed me. We ended up in the parking lot of a church because there was more light there, and we played Frisbee there. I threw the Frisbee and it didn’t go anywhere near him, so we both ran to get it. He got there first and I tackled him. In that moment I didn’t realize he was about to propose, but he put me in front of him, while on one knee he asked me if I would marry him. I said yes of course. I wanted to whisper it in his ear –like we whisper I love you in each others’ ears – because I thought that would be unique – but I just couldn’t wait to get there to say yes. So I just said it!


d. He had the ring in the little purple box, and I was struggling between looking into his gorgeous eyes and stealing a look at the ring. He put it on my finger. The whole moment seemed so real and so wonderful. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.


e. We took the longest time to walk the few minutes home than we ever will again. We stopped to talk along the way; I sat on an air conditioning box for a while as we talked. We paused to share a kiss or two. I don’t even remember what we talked about the whole night to be honest – I’m sure it was all very romantic… all I knew was I was looking at the man I was going to marry.
f. PS. I got goose bumps all over while writing this and recalling it all!!!

A college memory

I realized that I started blogging after I graduated so all of my college memories haven't been blogged.


This memory is fresh in my memory because I had to call Mel a couple weeks ago to have her refresh my memory. Magan, Mel and I were hyper one night, ridiculous you might say! We measured all of our extremities, compared them... I don't know why.... but we did. I think it probably started because Magan didn't believe that her and I were like the same size... So we measured our arms, legs, breast size, waist size etc..... I have the paper with the results on it still.... it'll be in my school scrapbook if you ever what to see it.... although I don't know why you would ever want to see it... unless I fatten up and you don't believe that I was ever sooo darn skinnny.