Jamie - one of my best friends, bridesmaids and bride-to-be had her wedding shower today at 11 Water Street Restaurant in Exeter, MA. Her wonderful sister and MOH, Stacy organized the shower and sent me a sweet email tonight to let me know that it was “fabulous…” I am sure that it was.
Only 6 more weeks until Jamie’s big day. I can’t wait to be there to celebrate this special moment in time with Jamie, and her friends and family.
Song for J.
A few summers ago, Jamie came to visit us while we were living in Horseshoe Bay, BC. We drove up to Whistler one night for fun and Jamie kept playing By Your Side by Sade over and over again in the car. She said that she just couldn’t get tired of it. I think it was the ONLY song we listened to on the drive to and from Whistler and I am not exaggerating. Now, every time I hear this song, I can’t help but think of Jamie. It’s fitting too because I will be “by your side” very soon, J. Love you.
Instead of getting married with the ocean behind us, Dan’s Mom, Bev suggested that we have our ceremony on the grass in front of some trees. We agreed.
Bev told me she had some “ideas” for our ceremonial stage and promised it would not be tacky. I wasn’t worried. I was happy to just be getting married there and didn’t expect anything more than grass, trees and maybe some urns full of flowers.
As you can see from the pics below, where we are getting married is much more than I ever expected and her “idea” turned out amazing. I can’t wait (well, I can…) to stand up on this deck, say our vows to each other, all the while biting my lip to hold back any tears that are bound to try and escape. Only 3 more months to go.
Many thanks to Allan and Roger for all of your hard work and Bev for your vision.
I stumbled upon this recipe on Epicurious.com years ago. You can make this dish in a snap and everyone seems to love it. I make a lot of recipes on my own and by tweaking things I come across to fit our tastes. I’ve made this for about 40 people before and it is a crowd pleaser. Great flavor.
Preheat your oven to 350F
Pork Tenderloin (remove silver skin)
Make a rub with roughly a 1/2 tsp of each:
Cinnamon
Chili powder
black pepper
salt
a dash of cumin
Coat the pork in the rub, set aside.
In a bowl on the side, add (per tenderloin):
1/2c. brown sugar
1 cloves of chopped garlic
a couple shakes of tobasco
Add a little olive or canola oil to a skillet and heat it until it is nice and hot but not smokin. When it is hot, add your spice rubbed pork tenderloin to the pan and sear the meat on all sides. Remove from the heat and coat with your brown sugar garlic mixture.
Finish cooking in the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5-10 minutes before slicing up. The sugar makes a nice caramelized sauce.
It has been a crazy busy couple of weeks. From launching our site, Strutta.com to a weekend of indulgence and debauchery in Vegas for my bachelorette, I have a lot to catch you up on. I definitely owe you a detailed post but need some time to think and write.
While searching and writing my to-do list, I decided to take the Brides.com quiz: What Kind of Bride are You? Turns out that: I’m Beach Casual. You don’t say…
Everyone knows that the Strutta crew works hard but knows how to have fun. We are getting close to launching Strutta to the public. Only 6 more business days until we go live. w00t!
On Thursday afternoon around 4pm, the Strutta crew took a break to film our very first office lip dub. We had so much fun picking out a song and filming this together that I think there will be more videos in our future. Check it out and if you have one to share, send us a link.
Dangley, sparkly earrings is something I don’t wear very often, if ever. But because my dress is very simple, I think earrings with a little bling will be nice for my wedding day. I found this pair on Brides.com this am.
Being real diamonds by Neil Lane for Debeers, they also came with a shiny 75,000 price tag. So, I went on the hunt for a gnockoff or similar version for less and I found these pretty art deco earrings on another (now closed) bridal blog, Faye & Greer.
When Danny was growing up, he spent many summer days at his grandfather’s cottage on Spring Lake in the very small town of Verona, Ontario. To get there, he would have to endure a good 3 hour drive from his home in Mississauga on a hot East coast summer afternoon, wedged in the middle of his older siblings. (note: no air conditioning) But once his Mom pulled up to Grandpa Lloyd’s cottage, Danny wasn’t thinking of what it took to get there or the sticky sound his legs made when he finally pried them from the vinyl seats. He was happy to just be.
If you were lucky enough, like I was to experience this special place, you would understand why Danny loved it so. Lounging in the sun, playing bocce ball, canoe rides, water skiing behind the green monster, bbqs and bonfires are things that come to mind when I remember the cottage. The bonfires were some of my favorite times too because that is when I got to know the heart and soul of his family and fell in love with Danny even more. And the stars… Well, you would swear that you never saw so many stars in the sky. ever. We would always drive away with the hope that we would stop, look up and take it all in more. And really, isn’t that what getting away is all about?
When Danny’s parents moved west and couldn’t keep up the cottage back east, they decided to sell it. His parent’s place in Mill Bay, where we will be getting married, has turned somewhat into a cottage replacement for us. There is even a bonfire pit to make the summer nights last a little longer.
Aunt Barbie & Roger
For our wedding night, I will have to remember to stash a supply of warm blankets in baskets, an ice chest full of beverages, long sticks and a smore’s kit for the die hards (that means you) down by the bonfire. There will most definitely be a few of us up for some late night laughs, a round of the name game and the chance to catch a shooting star or two.
I stumbled upon these beautiful handmade necklaces from Turq when I was looking for gift ideas. They have a number of different cleverly named styles but this one in Aqua was my favorite shade.
