You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘celebrations’ category.
It’s April 6 (aka the due date) and excitement for baby’s arrival is reaching an all-time high. Every day we get a stream of phone calls and emails from people checking to see if our little one has made his or her appearance yet. It is nice to know how much this baby is anticipated and already loved by our circle of family and friends.
A couple of weeks ago some of our friends gathered to celebrate baby’s impending arrival at a shower thrown by Sharon, Brita and Haley. The theme of the shower was “cute as a button” and the girls incorporated the theme throughout the afternoon via the decor, button nametags, food and the banner (which now hangs above the crib). It was a lovely afternoon and I left with a trunkload full of goodies for the baby and some beautiful keepsakes including a scrapbook with messages from our families to baby and a sock clothesline with messages from our friends from afar.
You may remember that when Andrew and I got married we were gifted with a literary trousseau. At the shower, baby Medd also received a literary trousseau to help him or her foster a lifelong love of reading. Here are the titles from the baby’s trousseau.
Gaston, Chien de Garde – Charnan Simon
The Little House - Virginia Lee Burton
The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein
Louis the Fish – Arthur Yorinks
The Hockey Sweater – Roch Carrier
I Can Fly – Ruth Krauss
B is for Bear – Roger Priddy
Peach Boy – Florence Sakade
Kintaro’s Adventures – Florence Sakade
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus – Mo Willems
Art For Baby – Various artists
This is New York – Miroslav Sasek
The Eye Book – Theo Lesieg
Goodnight Moon – Margaret W. Brown
Mother & Child Companion – Kate Ashton
The Golden Compass – Philip Pullman
The Going to Bed Book – Sandra Boynton
Hug – Jez Alborough
Baby, Boo - Emma Dodd
I Like It When – Mary Murphy
ABC of Canada – Kim Bellefontaine
One Fish, Two Fish, Three, Four, Five Fish – Dr. Suess
Plus a couple of books for the new parents:
Porn for New Moms – Cambridge Women’s Pornography Cooperative
Touchpoints – T. Berry Brazelton
Our Olympic ticket package came with two tickets to a Victory Ceremony. We didn’t really know what a Victory Ceremony was all about at the time but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Something I will definitely remember from the Games.
Victory Ceremonies were hosted every night of the Olympics in both Whistler and Vancouver. Their main purpose was to hand out the medals for the events that happened that day. The idea was to allow more people to experience the medal ceremony than just those who were at the event. When I was a kid I remember the anthem being played immediately following the event. The larger ceremony idea began at recent Olympics and Vancouver kept with the new tradition.
While you are guaranteed to see some medals handed out at a Victory Ceremony you aren’t guaranteed to hear O Canada. That depends on Canadian athletes. We were fortunate enough to witness speed skater Christine Nesbitt get her gold and hear our national anthem. As a bonus we also saw Marianne St-Gelais get her Silver. It was a big night for the American team with Shani Davis and Shaun White both getting their gold medals.
Here are some pictures of the night:
Back to regularly scheduled programming, top secret project #2 was a bridal advent calendar.
I had this idea for a long time but didn’t find the opportunity to execute it until Jen announced that she and Alex were tying the knot. I made the calendar to hold 25 notes for Jen to open in the days leading up to the wedding so that she would feel supported and encouraged as she headed down the aisle. Hopefully Jen and Alex will also use it as an advent calendar for the many Christmases they celebrate together as husband and wife.
Yesterday we celebrated Andrew’s 33rd birthday. We had a gentle start to the day rising at our leisure and eating blueberry buttermilk pancakes and cinnamon whipped cream for birthday breakfast.
In the afternoon we indulged in some favourite weekend activities that we don’t get to do that often – Andrew watched golf and I napped - and then we made our way to the seawall for a lovely pre-dinner stroll even bumping into friends along the way.
Dinner was at L’Altro Buca (note to self: always tell Ryan where you are dining on special occasions as champagne will arrive at your table upon arrival) followed by birthday cake (which may be the most decadent cake I have made) and presents with Matthew and Haley.
If this is what 33 looks like then I look forward to it myself (but not for a couple of years…)
Who says all the fun is done once the wedding is over? We’ve had much to celebrate this summer including the culmination of many years of academic studies and research.
At the end of June our dear friend Ryan successfully defended his thesis and became Ryan Takahashi, PhD. Bravo, Ryan – we are so proud of you! And, as always, happy to have an excuse to gather, eat and celebrate.
The surprise hit of the summer has been kale chips. Kale chips sound like a rustic, autumn dish but kale is plentiful at the farmer’s market in July so we’re running with it.
Kale Chips - slightly adapted from Bon Appetit magazine
1 bunch tuscan kale (not the curly kind)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
Toss kale with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes. Graciously accept compliments and share the recipe with your friends.
Many of our friends have asked to see some photos of our honeymoon. Well, now that we have finished posting some of our favourite wedding photos we’re on to the honeymoon. After 17 days spent in Paris, Marseille and the villages of Provence we have lots of pictures and stories to share. Here are a couple of photos to get things started.
We spent part of Canada Day with our friends Kate and Drew in and around Fort Langley. The main event was some berry picking at Krause Berry Farm.
We visit Krause every year to pick whatever is in season. Last year it was mainly strawberries. This year is was all about raspberries. Alyssa freezes them so we can enjoy them all year long. In addition to fields of berries Krause also has a great little outdoor cafe called the Porch. You can get all sorts of strawberry-themed food, including shakes, tarts and enormous pieces of strawberry pie. I highly recommend it to anyone. When you go definitely try the pie.
Janet and Haley threw me the most fabulous bridal shower of all time. I know, I know – it sounds like I’m exaggerating but really I’m not.
On Saturday morning Andrew whisked me away for brunch and wedding band shopping. When I arrived back at the house I was greeted by the biggest surprise of the weekend – my mom! Unbeknowst to me, Mom had flown out from Saskatchewan and picked up my grandmother in Victoria to come to the shower.
Now that the big reveal was over, it was time to get the party started. We played several games including the infamous “how well do you know your fiance” game where the bride-to-be has to put a piece of Hubba Bubba in her mouth each time she answers a question incorrectly.
What do you mean Andrew’s celebrity crush is Meg Ryan? I could have sworn it was Tina Fey. My cheeks are getting full… 
I am having trouble breathing at this point, and Haley and Janet are enjoying this game a little too much.
On to a new activitiy that doesn’t involve gum – thank goodness – opening presents. As I opened gifts, Janet read out “recipes for life” that my friends and family from near and far had sent to go along with the gourmet theme of the shower. I loved hearing the wise women in my life share their thoughts and advice with me on what makes a successful marriage. And I received a truckload of gifts from cookware to foodie books to special culinary treats and much more. I was truly spoiled.
Speaking of food, my very talented sister put on an amazing spread for us to nosh on. (Good news Vancouverites – she’s available to cater your next event!)
My favourite part was getting to hang out with my best gals and receiving notes, calls and even a video toast from those peeps who live too far away to attend. My cup runneth over – xoxox to you all.
While I was at work during the day, my lovely matron of honour Janet and her sister Keltie, with the assistance of numerous bridal elves including Ryan, Haley and Brita, were cooking up a bunch of pre-bridal shower surprises for Friday.
I knew we had a morning appointment at the spa, but other than that I had no idea what the day would hold. Those of you who know me know that surprises are very hard for me. I used all my charm and persuasive talents to get Andrew to give me a clue but he repeatedly stonewalled my attempts. Hrmph. I tried to be patient and after an amazing cool stone massage and champagne lunch, I was whisked away an undisclosed location for an undisclosed activity, which turned out to be….
Screenprinting at Blim! I heart screenprinted anything and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at it. Do my friends know me or what? We spent the afternoon burning designs, listening to music, drinking mimosas and eating snacks and screenprinting pretty much anything we could get our hands on. So. much. fun.
