Naomi's Road

My cousin Jessica is the soprano for the Vancouver Opera's production: Naomi's Road, which is coming to Ottawa. I have heard many cool things about this opera, so I am really happy that it is coming to town. I have copied the press release below, so others can read about it. I am about to read the book as well, and my mom has informed me that it is quite sad.

VANCOUVER OPERA

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 6, 2006

Media Contact: Doug Tuck, Vancouver Opera 604-331-4823
dtuck@vancouveropera.ca
Vancouver Opera presents
at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa
its acclaimed opera for young audiences
Naomi's Road
A touching drama of family, home, and cross-cultural understanding


Vancouver, BC ~ After inspiring nearly 50,000 children in schools and
community venues throughout British Columbia , in southern Alberta , and
in Washington State , Vancouver Opera's acclaimed opera for young
audiences and their families, Naomi's Road, continues to resonate in
profound ways. From November 1 through 12, 2006, Vancouver Opera, in
partnership with the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa , will present twenty
performances of this very moving opera at the museum.

About the Opera
Commissioned by Vancouver Opera, Naomi's Road was composed by Ramona
Luengen to a libretto by Ann Hodges and is based on the 1986 novel for
young readers by award-winning Japanese Canadian writer Joy Kogawa. Set
during World War II, the opera depicts the dramatic journey of
nine-year-old Naomi, her older brother Stephen, and their "Obasan" (aunt)
from their comfortable and happy home in Vancouver to a Japanese
internment camp in the interior of B.C. Sister and brother endure the
harshness of war, racism, bullying, and loss of family to discover the
gifts that sustain them: music, words and love. Their resilience of
spirit and the kindness of certain strangers they meet offer hope for the
future and will lead Canadian War Museum audiences to discover the power
of understanding and the beauty of compassion.

In announcing these performances, James W. Wright, VO's General Director,
said, "This meaningful work deeply touched many people, children and
adults alike, during its tour of B.C. and in locations in Alberta and
Washington State that hold their own unique memories of the Japanese
internment. We are delighted by the opportunity to share this opera with
young audiences in Ottawa , within the resonant surroundings of the
Canadian War Museum ." Added Wright, "I believe that this presentation of
Naomi's Road comes at a time in history when it is important to reflect on
the ways in which war and its by-products can not only affect the future
of nations but also forever alter the lives of children and the security
of their families. Vancouver Opera is privileged to stage a production
that has the unique ability to act as a catalyst for audiences of all ages
to enter into important dialogue on these issues."


Performance Details / Tickets
November 1-3: School performances (not open to the public)
November 4 and 5: public performances 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm each day
November 7-10: school performances (not open to the public)
November 11 and 12: public performance each day at 2:00 pm

Tickets to the public performances are now available from the Canadian War
Museum 's call centre at 1-800-555-5621 or 819-776-7014. Tickets may also
be purchased in person at the Canadian War Museum box office. Prices are
$10 for students, and $20 for adults, plus any applicable service charges.
Schools can purchase group tickets by calling 1-800-555-5621 or
819-776-7014.

About Joy Kogawa
Joy Kogawa's novel Naomi's Road is based on her 1981 award-winning adult
book Obasan, the first novel to deal with the internment of Japanese
Canadians during and after World War II. Widely admired and read, Obasan
was chosen for the Vancouver Public Library's 2005 city-wide annual book
club program, One Book One Vancouver. Joy Kogawa was born in Vancouver in
1935. Like Naomi's family in the novel, Joy's family was interned in
Slocan and later sent to Coaldale , Alberta after World War II, where Joy
taught school. Kogawa, who now lives in Toronto and Vancouver , is a
recipient of numerous honorary doctorates as well as national and
international awards for her writing. In 1986, she was named a Member of
the Order of Canada . "When I first heard that Naomi's Road was being
made into an opera for children, I had a sense of unreality," she said.
"I couldn't quite fathom it. And even today, knowing that somehow,
through some mysterious process, the story has been magically transformed
into a wholly different and wonderful medium, I still find it hard to
believe and am left somewhat stunned. It's more than a dream come true."
Adds Kogawa, "The existence of this opera tells me once again that the
unexpected is what happens -- and that there are more blessings in the air
than we can ask for or imagine. May we each walk on our own special
roads - like Naomi and [her new kindred spirit] Mitzi - with Friendship,
discovering as we go that our world is full of a loveliness that is
greater than all the grief in our lives."

The Creation Process
Vancouver Opera awarded he commission for Naomi's Road in the fall of 2003
and the process of writing and composing began. Ann Hodges penned the
libretto in the winter of 2003/2004. Composer Ramona Luengen wrote the
last notes of her score in September, 2004. That same month, the libretto
was read at a special event at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National
Historical Site , in Steveston, B.C., (located at the site of the seizure,
in 1942, of hundreds of fishing boats owned by Japanese Canadians).

Two week-long workshops were conducted, one in the fall of 2004 and the
other in the spring of 2005, during which the work was developed and
refined. In May, 2005, portions of the opera were sung for an
international audience at the annual OPERA America conference, in Detroit
. And in early June, 2005, selections from the opera were performed at
the 2005 UBC-Laurier Institution Multiculturalism Lecture, at the Chan
Centre for the Performing Arts, in Vancouver . The performance and the
lecture, by poet and writer Roy Miki, were later broadcast on the CBC
Radio program IDEAS.


During 2005-2006, Vancouver Opera's touring production of Naomi's Road
visited more than 140 schools and community venues throughout B.C. The
experience of seeing and hearing Naomi's Road was enhanced with study
materials that were created and provided by Vancouver Opera to each school
in advance of the performance. The production also traveled to Lethbridge
, Alberta and to Seattle and Bainbridge Island , Washington . It was
enthusiastically received wherever it was performed.


Production Details

The production features original sets and costumes, designed by Christine
Reimer, which beautifully evoke the 1940s period of the opera's story and
have been cleverly engineered to fold up for touring purposes. Stage
direction is by Ann Hodges.

The musical score, for piano accompaniment and four singers, is richly
melodic and dramatic. Easily enjoyed by young audiences, the music is
also deft and sophisticated enough to be appreciated by adult audiences.
It incorporates traditional Japanese melody and its beautiful voicings and
harmonies are influenced by Ramona Luengen's experience as a composer of
choral music. The Musical Director is Leslie Uyeda.

Cast
This production reunites the four young singers and the nimble-fingered
pianist from the Spring 2006 segment of the 2005-2006 tour. Soprano
Jessica Cheung is Naomi; soprano Gina Oh is Mother, Obasan and Mitzi (a
non-Japanese girl whom Naomi befriends); tenor Sam Chung is Stephen; and
baritone Gene Wu is Father, the Trainmaster, a bully, and Rough Lock Bill
(an eccentric but kindly man who lives in the mountains above the
internment camp). The pianist is Angus Kellett. The stage manager is
David Fuller.

Support
Naomi's Road was commissioned and produced by Vancouver Opera with the
support of Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Opera.ca,
Vancouver Foundation, RBC Foundation, Vancouver Arts Awards, The Hamber
Foundation, The Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation, and the Spirit of BC
Arts Fund.

This presentation at the Canadian war Museum is made possible with the
generous support of Ms. Yoshiko Karasawa.

Our wedding pictures

Here is the last set of "official" pictures. These were taken by my brother Francis. I call this set the authorized unofficial pictures. If anyone out there has any of our wedding pictures that they would like to share, please do - it would be nice to see them.

"Official" Pictures from the Wedding

Here are some of the pictures that Dan Benoit took for our wedding. It is located here.

The only set of pictures that I have left to upload are those that my brother Francis took with Geofford's camera.

More pictures from the wedding

Here are some more pictures from the wedding

Yvan's
Toto's

I am going to pick up the official photographs from our photographer tomorrow, so we will hopefully have some more pictures soon!

Married life is pretty good, it is still strange to see Geofford's finger with a ring on it, but it does really make me smile.

We had a busy few days over the past little while. Francis and Jaclyn had their blessing on Friday night, which involved the nuptial blessing as well as some food and drink. It was nice to see Jaclyn's family again. We also finally got to meet Justin - her brother who was away in St. Lucia doing some great work. On Saturday we went to DimSum with the Gannons and then on Saturday night we celebrated Stephan's 30th Birthday. I really hope that married life doesn't involve so much eating/partying because then I don't think that I will have time to get a job because I will be too busy trying to work out to keep off the extra calories.

I think that this week will be good because we will start settling into a more regular routine. Geofford working, and me being a housewife (I am no longer unemployed, I am a housewife until I find a new job). I hope I do find a job soon because I don't want to get too used to not working or else Geofford will be in trouble :)

I'm Married!

Wow, it has been an amazing few days, but Geofford and I got married on Saturday, September 16, 2006. We haven't received our official pictures yet, but my dad posted some of his here, and I have attached one of our pictures from my camera. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to carry a camera all day, but I guess this way there are way more pictures of me :) Here are some more pictures of the day - some that I took, and others that I didn't.

The day turned out to be a perfect day. It was crummy here in Ottawa for a while, but on Saturday morning, after the fog cleared, it was a bright and sunny day. After an early start with a 8am hair appointment, I arrived at the church a little early, and was able to get ready. My bridesmaids and I discovered that Tide to Go Pens actually do work. Some of the pollen/petals of my flowers got on my dress in a few places, so we used the Tide to Go pen, and there were no more stains, phew... The ceremony was perfect, and Father Joseph Muldoon spoke the perfect homily for us. He spoke about how it was such a great day and although we chose the auspicious day, it turned out to be a great day because it was also Geofford's paternal grandparents' anniversary. Overall I think that it was a great day for the wedding. I will post more pictures when they become available. Thanks to everyone for helping out to make this such a spectacular day.

Thank you to all!

Thanks to all who attended my bridal shower today, and thanks to those who attended in spirit - you know who you are. A huge thanks to Tracy, Kathy, and Lisa for making the day really special. I'm not sure that I really liked all the attention, but it was nice to get a little dry-run in before the wedding when I'm guessing that I will have a lot more attention. Fortunately on the wedding day, I will get to share the limelight with Geofford.

The wedding planning is progressing quite well. I have almost all of the details completed except the flowers - but I have picked the type of flowers, so that is a big step :) I am also meeting my seamstress tomorrow for the dress alterations, so that should be exciting, this means that I can't change my shape for the next 4 weeks. After Nationals (we leave for Halifax on Wednesday and I get back on Monday - Geofford gets back on Sunday), then it will be 4 weeks until the wedding, which means that organizing gets into high gear. I promise to update all of the wedding party and relatives on the tentative timeline and what everyone is responsible for.

I also didn't realize how many people secretly read my blog - but for the record David, I did post that we were registered at the Bay - and it was back on May 14 in the second last paragraph. Also for those who are interested in more information about the tea ceremony, you can click on this link. We are modifying it slightly and both the groom's and bride's families will be participating.

Pictures from Halifax (trip 1)

So if you click on the title above, you will see the rest of the pictures of the trip. It is a mix of the wedding, a trip to Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg and the post-wedding Brunch.

So, here is a picture of Geofford and I from the Francis and Jaclyn's wedding. I had curled my hair in the morning, but it looks pretty straight now...so I know that I am not wearing my hair down and curly for my wedding... oh well...

This next picture is also a nice one of the bride and groom with their maid of honour and best man. It pretty much captures my brother's personality - fun. He's the one that did the raise the roof after shaking hands with the governor general.

MixedUp is come and gone - HammerHead went 2 and 5 on the weekend, with some tough losses, but we are now as ready as we will get for Nationals. I leave for Halifax (trip 2) on Wednesday, and it should be a lot of fun.

Francis and Jaclyn are married!

Wow, my baby brother is married, and I have a new sister. I have wanted a sister for a long time now, and I am happy to call Jaclyn my new sister. Geofford and I travelled to Halifax to meet up with my family (my parents, Damian, Uncle Lawrence, Aunt Betty, Aunt Hannah, Aunt Laura, Aunt Winnie, and Uncle Sammy) and to meet all of Jaclyn's family (her parents Jim and Cathy, and sister Jenna, and a multitude of aunts, uncles and cousins) to celebrate their wedding.

We arrived in Halifax mid-Thursday morning and waited around the airport to meet up with some other Ottawa arrivals so that we could be driven back to Halifax (the city - as the aiport is a far distance away) together. We hung out at the Gannons and met the family before going out to dinner with my parents and relatives at a chinese restaurant called ChinaTown. We were able to enjoy fish and lobster, which was very exciting...(as it turns out, this was the majority of the shellfish enjoyment for the trip). Thursday night we went out to a bar - can't remember the name to listen to Jaclyn's old band play. They were really good, but a little too loud for these old ears (but definitely not as loud as NIN - but since were up since 6am EST, it was pretty loud to our ears).

Friday morning, Geofford and I travelled to Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg with my relatives. Geoff had fun playing on the rocks - jumping from rock to rock in his sandals...and scaring me when he decided to try and go onto the coloured rocks (which were the ones that were wet from the waves...) Hopefully Geofford will post pictures soon from this part of the trip, as there were some incredible vistas from Peggy's Cove. After Peggy's cove, we travelled to Lunenburg, but didn't have the chance to see the BlueNose II, but did have some fabulous scallops and shrimp...(our second taste of seafood). We had to hurry back to Halifax in time to get ready for the rehearsal dinner/rehearsal/post-rehearsal get-together. We had a nice bbq before the rehearsal, which was a great opportunity to get to know the wedding party and Jaclyn's relatives. They were fantastic. It was a pretty early night because the boys (my dad, Geofford, and my two uncles) were getting up early (6:54am tee-time) to play golf.

Saturday morning - the day of the wedding - Geofford left the room around 5:45 to meet my dad and the uncles to leave for golf. I think I heard him leave the room, but I fell asleep soon afterwards. My mom and I had a hair appointment at the Head Shoppe (where the bridal party was getting their hair done), and I got my hair curled and my mom got her hair set and curled. It took Katie - my hair stylist - one hour to curl my hair, and due to the humidity and the persistent straightness of my hair, the curls definitely relaxed during the course of the day - to the point that one of the groomsmen he saw my hair before and after decorating the hair noticed the difference in curl. sigh...I know that I shouldn't get my hair curled for my wedding, but it was nice to have curly hair for a day - even if it meant having a ton of product in...

The wedding ceremony was beautiful - Jaclyn was a gorgeous bride and Francis was a handsome groom (I still can't believe he's married...he's my baby brother!). Father Gerard had a lovely homily - and it was very personal to them, which was nice. After that we went for pictures and then had dinner and danced the night away. It was a great night - except the fact that there was no a/c because it broke the night before, but fans were brought in, and we coped. There was a little bit of comotion at one point in the night, when the groomsmen ran onto the dance floor in their "uniforms" - which consisted of muscle shirts, red mesh ball caps, and shorts....to liven up the dance floor - and to get out of their tuxedos for a bit.

This morning was quite relaxing, after breakfast, Father Gerard said mass outside for those of us at Mount Saint Vincent University. There was a bit of a laugh about it because the mass today was as long as his homily yesterday during the wedding mass. After that Damian, Geofford and I ran some hills (there are a lot in Halifax) and threw the disc around. We then went back to the Gannon's for the post-wedding brunch/gift opening. One of the uncles made a fantastic haddock chowder and one of the aunts made a fantastic chili. One of the smart things that they did - which I will copy - or look into copying was that they rented all of the dishes for the brunch so there was no need to worry about washing. You just rinse and return...which is great because then we were able to spend a little more time talking, and there were less people in the kitchen.

We now have a bigger extended family - and Jaclyn's family has opened their hearts to us - they might even come watch Geofford, Damian and I play ultimate when we travel back to Halifax for Nationals in August - that would be fun to have some fans...

On the way back - as we really didn't have that much lobster, Geofford and I picked up a few lobsters from ClearWater Seafood to bring back to Ottawa to enjoy...It's probably a lot more expensive to buy it at the airport, but was it ever delicious.

People keep asking me how the wedding planning is going, and I think it's going pretty well. The only thing that I am a little worried about is the dress alterations, as the person that I was going to call - I seem to have the wrong phone number....eek! Other than that, I will really start worrying about all of the details after MixedUp and CUC Nationals...Ask me August 21st how planning is going :)

HammerHead is going to Nationals

and I am going with them on my second trip to Halifax for the summer. So I couldn't stay away from Ultimate for too long, so now I will be training with HammerHead and going to Nationals with them in Halifax. We came in 2nd at Ontario Regionals, so that was super exciting. Can't wait to go to Halifax for the 2nd time this summer. :)

Fixing up my New room

Geofford and I have spent our long weekend holed up in our new bedroom, making it fit for me to move in :) We have removed the carpet, and have started painting the room. Here are some shots of the before (after the carpet has been removed - Geofford didn't make pictures of the actual before). We will put up pictures as we complete more of the project. We have half painted the room, so that's been fun.

Check out the hardwood floor!

The far corner...

Other than fixing up the room, Geofford has been sick all weekend, so we haven't done a lot of other things - our Canada Day evening consisted of watching tv, and checking out the fireworks in ??? out the window. We weren't sure where the fireworks were coming from, but we could see them above the treeline, and they were pretty. On Sunday, we attended a BBQ hosted by my cousin Arnold and his wife Bibiana at my Uncle and Aunt's house in Chapel Hill. It was a nice bbq, but it was quite windy, so that made it difficult to chat sometimes because we would be interrupted with a gust of wind knocking the food off the table. It was fun though, many of Arnold's friends have kids and they are super cute. It's fun to play with them, but it's also fun giving them back to their parents when the misbehave :) Today, we painted for a bit, and then we met my friend Allan and his wife Betty for brunch at Stoneface Dolly's on Preston. My recommendation for future patrons - is to clarify what they mean by "double". I thought that I did clarify, and the waitress said two eggs, so I thought that meant two eggs on my sandwhich, but what it actually meant was two sandwhiches with an egg each. Fortunately Geofford was hungry so he got part of my meal as well.

Also, this whole wedding/marriage thing is starting to feel really real. We have received a few wedding gifts already, (Thanks to everyone!), so it looks like there is no turning back now :p We think that we have finally completed our registry. It has taken us about 5 trips to the Bay, but I finally think that we are done. Other than that - still have to finalize part of our guestlist (yes I know it's late but Geofford and I haven't had a chance to figure this one out - he keeps postponing, and I keep letting him, because other things come out), and we still need to figure out cake and flowers...sigh...the saga continues.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Kyra Kwok Mun Thompsett yesterday! She is my cousin Amy's daughter and she was born in Boston weighing 7 lbs, 10 oz. Mother and baby are doing fine, and Geoff (Thompsett) is still in shock, but very happy. I will post baby pictures when I get them.

It was also my birthday this week, and we celebrated my birthday, as well as many other things: Francis and my graduations, Amy's new baby, Father's day, and since my Uncle was over - grandFather's day. It was a great dinner with a great ice cream cake at the end.

Weekend at Cawaja/Owen Sound

So I am trying not to slow too much with my posts, so I am posting my next post now ;) ahead of my post a month.

Geofford and I travelled to Georgian Bay on Thursday morning in a Mazda6 that we rented (so we could try it out) for the journey. I was so excited to be in the car that I slept for the first 2.5 hours of the trip and missed the new route that Geofford decided to take. In hindsight based on his descriptions, I'm a little relieved that I was sleeping for that portion.

We made it to Georgian Bay safe and sound (and I didn't even have to drive) around one after making a couple stops - one being to purchase the 2Gb memory card for Geofford's engagement present. Thursday evening, we went down to Blair Lane with the rest of the Seaborns to celebrate Tim Seaborn's life. We had a great lobster and mussel dinner .

I promised myself that I would do some exercise on the trip, so I went out on a run Friday morning (11am is still morning), which was a little bit of a mistake because it was a warm day. I should have jumped in the water immediately after getting back from my run, but instead waited a while, and the water was cold, but bearable. My parents came to visit on Friday night, and it was nice to visit with them without all the hustle and bustle back home. Geofford was also happy because they brought with them his engagement present, and he was able to play with that for a little while. We had a great dinner at the Seaborn cottage. I really should do more exercise when I am at Georgian Bay so that I can eat more. :)

On Saturday, after a quick dip in the bay, Geofford and I travelled to Owen Sound for our friends' Laura and Mike's wedding. I didn't know that it was an outdoor wedding until we got there, which was quite unfortunate for Geofford as he was wearing a black suit. Oops...fortunately Geofford was able to take off his suit jacket so he didn't roast. There was also a slight breeze so that helped, a little. It was a beautiful ceremony right on the water, and the bride and groom were very happy. In hindsight, Geofford should have brough the 30D out, but I was able to get some nice pictures with my baby camera. The dinner/dance was in the community centre right next to the water, and it was very beautiful as well. At one point, the DJs had some problems playing the right mix of music because everyone was outside enjoying the sunset and the nice night. For those of you who wanted to see pictures of me in my dress, here you go:


Although we didn't make it back to Cawaja until just around noon, my parents took some pictures with the gang at the cottage. They had an overall great time, although my mother got a sunburn, which she hasn't had in a long, long time.

Geofford and I made it back to the beach in the afternoon and were able to take a nice dip in the water. The water felt warmer, but that could have just been an excuse for us to stay longer at the beach. We ended up leaving around 3:30, which was pretty good timing as it started to pour (when I was getting on hwy 11 - I couldn't see the car in front of me...) shortly after we got on the road. Overall it was a great trip, and I was really sad to give up the Mazda6. Oh well, I guess I will just have to work a little harder so that we can earn enough money to buy the car.

On another note, my 29th birthday passed quite nicely - Geofford gave me a Ipod nano, which was an amazing present. I am enjoying using it. It is so cute. Until next time...short wedding update: Thank you Shanna for helping me organize the hair - we now have appointments to get our hair done. Also, hopefully by the next time we post we will have ordered the flowers and the cake...only a few more months...until I am Mrs. Geofford Seaborn. (I am appending Seaborn to my name for those who are curious...).

Master Julie

So, I have been a bit of a slacker over the past few months at posting, but it wasn't for a lack of being busy. Geofford and I have visited his parents (actually just his mom as his dad was camping near Montebello) over the May long weekend. Although the weekend was really cold, it was a great weekend of well deserved rest. Geofford and I worked on making our wedding invitations, and we got to indulge ourselves at a fabulous restaurant. The Explorers Cafe in Midland. If you ever go to Midland, you have to try this restaurant out, it has great prices and the food is fantastic! I had the maple chipotle salmon, and it was the best salmon I've had in a while.

The last weekend in May, Geofford played in Layout for Life and I decided to go watch sans sunscreen with my hair in pigtails. Unfortunately for me, the sun was hiding overtop of the clouds and then made a huge appearance later on and fried my scalp. The team (HammerHead) went two for two over the day and seemed to be geling well. I'm not sure if I will be able to watch many more tournaments because I really want to play. We also visited with Rachel who was home for the weekend. I spent most of the weekend with her and ended up putting together the rest of the wedding invitations. They are now all done, and we just need a few more addresses before we can send them all out.

I have also attended my convocation on 06.06.06. I am now a Master. The six girls who graduated out of my class showed up at the ceremony and the two boys who are in Alberta didn't make it out. It was nice to see the girls (from L to R: Christina, Danica, Steph, me, Dana, and Sarah) though and have some closure to the year and a half that we spent together at school. So now we are Masters and have been granted all of the rights associated with that title. Scary...so now I'm thinking, should I persue the PhD?

Right now, I just want to finish the wedding planning, so if anyone has any ideas for cake or flowers, please let me know. 

Busy times

It's been a busy month, and the only time that I had internet access, I have been checking my email and answering emails regarding ultimate. It's been pretty busy organizing things for HammerHead (the OCUA Coed A team), and for the OCUA Youth program. My job at GoodLife has me working many hours as well, which really cuts into my free time. Fortunately, I have been able to book some time off to go visit Geofford's parents and relatives at Georgian Bay Victoria Day weekend.

One other bit of good news that I received earlier this month is that I passed my CSCS exams, so now I am a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Although I am not working in personal training, it is a great certification to have, and I will be able to use it when training the team, and helping with my sales.

The wedding planning is not progressing as well as I want, but that is probably a result of the fact that I do not have as much time as I hoped. Also, Geofford has been a big slacker - or busy with other things, so he hasn't gotten as many addresses as I had hoped. He has finally asked all of his groomsmen, so now the wedding party is complete. We just have to go to Moore's sometime to figure out which tuxedo the boys are going to wear. One minor snag is that we (I think he) has misplaced the receipt from Moore's, so we may not be able to get the great discount. Hopefully our friend, Dave will remember that he sold us the discounted package. The girls have all ordered their dresses and I am excited to see them all dressed up. We still have to order the flowers and the cake, but I have a good idea of what I want, so I guess now it is all about ordering that. I should get on that soon :) We also started our registry at the Bay, and it has taken 4 hours to do so far and we haven't gotten past the kitchen, nor are we done yet.

The ultimate season has begun and Geofford has gone to his first tournament without me :( It is going to be tough a summer if I don't get better and can't go to tournaments. It is definitely weird not being at the tournament and waiting to hear what happened. Hopefully this will get better throughout the summer and I won't feel too lefted out.

Tremblant

Geofford and I went to Tremblant on Sunday and had a fabulous time. The weather was great, the conditions were great (until the end of the day when we had to get to the bottom of the hill, which was crap). The only problem was that we were both exhausted, which really didn't help our snowboarding. I was tired because I just started a new job and am working many hours so that I can get trained up. Geofford was tired because he normally gets to sleep in on the weekends, but missed it when we decided to get up at 6:30 in the morning so that we can get to the hill early.

Overall, it was a good trip. It's too bad that our first trip together was so late in the season. I guess part of the problem can be attributed to Geofford being "injured" over the holidays (which was his excuse for not proposing on bended knee), the Tremblant lifties being on strike over the holidays, and this winter being very strange - warm and rainy. Next year I definitely want to make it to Tremblant more than 3 times (which is how many times i went) and more than just once with Geofford.

The wedding planning has come on hold since I was studying for my exam and now with my new job. It is also on hold because Geofford is a slacker. He had two wedding related tasks for the month of February/March, to ask his groomsmen and to finalize his side of the guestlist. It is now April 12th and neither task has been completed. Hopefully this will get done sooner because we have to go order the tuxedos and I would like to start getting the invitations ready to send out. So Geofford if you are reading this...get your stuff done! :)

I got a job!

I got a job at GoodLife Fitness as a Manager in Training. I am super excited about this opportunity. It will be very different than any other job that I have ever had before, but with this position I will have the opportunity to work directly with people in the fitness industry. I will also be working with Jaime Boss, so that should be tons of fun.

I also wrote my CSCS exam on Saturday and I feel pretty confident that I passed the second part, but I'm not sure how I did on the first part, so I'm just going to have to wait and see. It's out of my hands now, so now it's just time to wait.

I also overindulged at Kanda (an all you can eat sushi-place) while Geofford and I were in Montreal. I ate way too much sushi and other Japanese delicacies (but if you do ever go, have the Salmon Sashimi, it is by far the best dish there, with the Salmon California rolls in a distant second). I now know why Geofford and I instilled the 2:1 ratio when we have sushi. Otherwise I just get too sick.

5 more sleeps!

No, not for the wedding. I have that many days until I write my exam to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certification Commission. I feel mostly ready, I just have to review small recall facts, but I really feel that I am ready. As I was studying for this exam, I realized that this is the subject that I really am most interested in. I could definitely make a career out of training people and/or teams. With my Master's in Sports Administration, I would have the administrative side of things, and now with the credential, I will have the practical side of things. The only thing that I wouldn't use is my engineering degree, but I am sure I will find a way to tie that aspect in as well, sooner than later.

Geofford and I returned on Sunday from a (too) brief visit with his parents. We decided (quite ambitiously) to drive to their house on Georgian Bay after our marriage prep course on Thursday evening. Due to a few delays (i.e. Geoff wasn't packed yet...), we finally got on the road at about 10pm. I never realized that there is so much overnight traffic on the roads. We finally arrived at his parents place at around 4am. We had decided to do it this way so that we would be able to do somethings on Friday and not have to spend the day in the car. In the end, I think that it worked out well, because we did have a little more time at his parents house.

One of the reasons that we picked this particular weekend, was to attend a Vox Huronia concert. Vox Huronia is a Chamber Choir that is conducted by Roger Priddle, who is a good friend of Geofford's family. There are also a few familiar faces (to me) in the choir, so that makes it quite special. This is the second concert that we have attended together (or that I have attended). They performed a piece that was specially commissioned to the choir, and it was quite incredible. Listening to them sing is one thing, but to also be able to see their expressions when they sing is also quite fun. They really seem to enjoy themselves.

Geofford and I also stopped at the Cookstown outlet mall on our way home. He wanted to stop at the Nike outlet to look for cleats, and I just wanted to see what kind of wedding shoe selection they had. In the end, we went to the Nike store and there was a buy-one-get-one free sale, but unfortunately neither of us found anything that we really needed. We also looked at the Paderno store and fell in love with some of the cookware. We went to a few shoe stores, but neither of us found anything that we really needed. Finally we stopped at the Timex kiosk, and I bought a watch to replace the watch that I "lost" (but then found at the bottom of my ultimate bag...so now I have two!) and Geofford was browsing the watches. He found one that he liked, the Dress Ironman 54021, but didn't buy for some reason. He is now regretting his choice and wished that he bought the watch. So if anyone out there knows of a place in Ottawa that I can purchase this watch, please let us know!

Silk Brocade

Tracy and I ventured to Toronto this week to try and find Chinese Silk for a cheongsam for my wedding. While in Toronto, I was able to have dinner with Courtney and Jen who I haven't seen in ages, so that was great. It was awesome to be able to catch up, and as Courtney was saying, although we haven't seen each other in a while, it just seems like yesterday the last time we hung out. I also got to spend some time with Cindy as we crashed at her place for the night.

After speaking to some of my aunts, we were given directions to go to Chinatown - near Spadina and Dundas St. W. My Aunt Anita also told us that she got the material for her dress on Queen St W, near Spadina. My Aunt Margaret directed us to a place on Queen St W as well (unfortunately I didn't get a chance to read this email until after our shopping expedition).

At first we went the wrong direction down Queen St W (east of Spadina), which was just retail stores. At this point, I was getting a little discouraged because we had been walking around and have only seen ready-made dresses, and no fabric stores. As we were crossing the street, we were given a flyer to go to a textiles shop on Richmond St. This store was a promising, but it only had a small selection of chinese silk. I was ready to settle on a red fabric, but Tracy urged me to check out some other stores, since we didn't come all the way to Toronto to settle.

Well, we went back to Queen St W, and found the places that we were looking for. We started on the south side of the street, and practically every textile store that we entered had chinese silk (which is called silk brocade...something that I learned). I couldn't believe the amount of selection available. Finally, we went into Chu Shing Textiles (440 Queen Street West), and found that the silk brocade was on sale for $12/yard, which was about $6 cheaper than anywhere else that we had looked. It had all of the silk that I wanted to buy (I would provide more description, but Geofford is very traditional, and wants to know nothing about my wedding apparel). I was very happy about my purchases, and Ronald, the owner, was very helpful and knowledgable - who knew that you had to put lining in a dress? We were also able to find the chinese frogs (fancy buttons) and a tiara at Sussman's Bridal Supplies (420 Queen Street West). Overall, it was a very good shopping trip.

I can't believe that is exactly six months until my wedding date...I can't wait!

More new babies

More of my friends have had beautiful babies, and both babies and mothers are doing well. As both families reside in Waterloo, I haven't had the chance to meet the bundles of joy, although I have been able to see some pictures.

Erin and John Schmidt had a baby girl named Jessica. Here are some pictures of her.

Christina and Rob Wood had a baby boy named Liam (I think?) on March 6. Here are some pictures of him.

It's hard to believe that we are all growing up and starting families. Well, I am just growing up and getting married. Hopefully I will find a job soon, so that Geoff and I can think about starting a family...:)

It's official...

We have put our deposit down at the Congress Centre, so we will be having our reception at that venue. I am quite excited about my wedding, even though it is a long way away, which is very good, because there are so many details left to handle.

The major things that we have to still tackle are:
-flowers
-dj (which Geofford is in charge of because he is more interested in that)
-my chinese wedding dress
-tuxedos for the boys
-Geofford still has to ask his boys! (he's decided, but hasn't asked them yet)

Things are definitely coming along. Stephan and Lisa have also set the date for their wedding in Honolulu, which means that Geofford also is getting the chance to start planning the honeymoon.

To shake or not to shake?

I have been battling a cold for the past two weeks, and finally I am beginning to win. I can almost walk up the stairs without coughing up a storm, and I think I may try to go to the gym to do some light aerobic exercise to get my fitness regime back on track.

This cold that I have been fighting has been one of the worst in a little while. I have these coughing attacks that just come out that I can't control. These coughing attacks are especially bad in the evenings, which is quite unfortunate because that is when I participate in most of my activities: coaching, meetings, etc.

I was at church on Sunday evening, and I thought that I was doing quite well. I had taken some Dayquil (mircacle stuff...I was never a big believer in medecine, but this stuff really worked) in the morning to get me through the 2nd half of my Red Cross First Aid Course. I thought that I was actually getting better, which was true, but during mass I had to cough a lot. During mass, there is a part where you show a sign of peace and shake other people's hands. As I was coughing so much, I felt really shy to shake others' hands because I didn't want to get them sick. Yet, some people insisted and I felt very uncomfortable because I had declined shaking other people's hands. I think in the future, I am just going to not shake anyone's hands when I am sick so that I will not transmit any of my germs...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day!

In other news, Pat and Cathy have created their own blog to keep us up to date on their life out west. I have linked to it on my sidebar, but if you want to view it, you can do so here.

What kind of car are you?

So I found this on Jaclyn's blog...and decided to find out what kind of car I was, and I found out that:

I'm a Porsche 911!

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

This is actually pretty funny because Geofford and I have discussed cars and we decided that if we have the money I would get a Porsche Cayenne, since it is not a mini-van (which Geofford vehemently opposes) but we would be able to fit our family in it. I will be a very fashionable ultimate-mom when I finally grown up :)

Rough Week

It has been a rough week, but it is starting to look a little better, despite being sick, because the 20th Winter Olympics in Turin (or Torino if you are Italian) have started, and Canada has won its first medal, which turns out to be a Gold one. Congratulations to Jennifer Heil for winning Gold in women's moguls.

The week started out quite well, Geofford and I celebrated his friend Mehmet's Birthday on Saturday (even though his actual birthday was Sunday, but we all wanted to watch the superbowl...) at Stoneface Dolly's. The food was fantastic and it was fun to have a night out.

Geofford's cat, Cawaja, has been growing weaker since the New Year. She passed away Sunday morning at around 11am, which was very sad. Although I haven't known her as long as Geofford and his family, I definitely considered her my own pet as well. She will definitely be missed, I still find myself watching my step when walking around the house, in case I might step on her.

Sunday, I also found out that I got a short contract to work with the Weekend to End Breast Cancer. I helped the organization raise awareness of the event by distributing displays that contained the information for participants regarding the event. At first I wasn't sure if I could do it, going to different businesses and asking them to put the display up, but I knew that the cause was a good one, so I worked up my courage and did it. Overall, we had a pretty good response, but one of the people on the last day really discouraged me, which left a little bad memory of the experience. I was a little disappointed with this person's reaction, but it was just one person. This event really looks interesting, and if it wasn't a weekend of one of the six weddings that I have to go this year, I would have volunteered.

I guess looking back at the week, it wasn't all bad, but I'm just a little grumpy now because I have this cold which prevented me from attending ultimate last night. But, in the grand scheme of things, it is just one night, and compared to what others have to go through, that's not so bad.

In wedding news, Geofford and I have picked the venue for the reception, we have decided to go with the Congress Centre, although I still have to confirm with them. The wedding details are starting to come together, so that's good.

Bye Bye Rooster, Welcome Dog!

Happy Chinese New Year! Yesterday was the first day of the year of the Dog, and we bid farewell to the year of the Rooster, which I debate can also be called the year of the Chicken, since Rooster's are just male chickens, and in Chinese there is no distinction between male chickens and female chickens, so why don't we English-speaking chinese new year celebrators use the generic term for the animal. But I guess this is all besides the point. Last night we had a fabulous dinner chez at home with many wonderful guests, with lots of amazing food. I am still full today, and have made my chinese new year resolution that I will not feast so opulently again until Easter, which is April 16th. This holiday season has been a very festive one, but it is time to get back to reality so that I will look good in my wedding pictures.

On the wedding planning front, Geofford and I have accomplished quite a bit. We have booked the church (the show, as Geofford calls it, is at 1pm at Good Shepherd Parish), we have put a desposit on the tuxedos for the guys, which will be getting at Moores, we have decided on a photographer - Dan Benoit - one of the Santa photographers that I worked with, I have bought my wedding dress from the Cedar Closet, I have picked the bridesmaids dresses, but we have not picked a venue for the dinner/dance. The Congress Centre is the frontrunner because it is in a central location, it is right next to the canal, it is attached to a hotel, it is located near a bunch of hotels, and will do most of the work, which means we really will be able to relax the night of our wedding, which is very appealing to me right now. Once we have booked the venue, then most of the major wedding planning, besides the guest list, will be complete, which means that I will just have fun with the details :)

I passed!

I just found out today that I have passed all of my courses, which means that I can graduate with a Master's in Arts - Human Kinetics. Yay!

I have been quite the slacker in posting lately, but I am blaming that on being sick...which isn't really a good excuse, but it's all that I have.

Here are some things that have happened in the past couple weeks:

- Francis (my brother) proposed on Christmas Eve to his girlfriend, Jaclyn Gannon, who is now his fiance, and they have set a date for July 29, 2006 (which is also the anniversary of my father's birthday)
- Geofford and I set a date for a wedding, so we will officially be husband and wife on September 16, 2006.
- Stephan proposed to Lisa and they will be getting married sometime in December 2006 potentially in Hawaii (and Geofford and I will use that trip for our honeymoon)
- My cousin Arnold married Bibiana Yau on January 7, 2006 and Geofford and my family went to enjoy the festivities. We are going to use all of the weddings that we attended to help us plan our wedding.
- It looks like the Westin is booked on September 16, 2006, so this means that we will not be able to have a chinese banquet for our dinner unless we have it in a chinese restaurant, which I don't really want.
- I have picked my bridesmaids, and there will be five: Tracy Fung, Lisa Reynolds, Kathy-Sarah Focsaneanu, Shanna Hunt, and Rachel Desrochers

Finally, Geofford and I will be attending the Bridal Fair this weekend to hopefully find a venue for the reception, plus flesh out some other details. I'll post up more details as I figure them out.