Introductions

It’s another edition of Wedding Wednesday errr… Thursday! When we left off we were in the room. It was freakin’ hot in there – FYI a room with TONS of west facing windows equals super warm by 6:30 in September.

My brother was our M.C. and he. was. awesome. Since we obviously know our wedding party better than he did, we worked together to come up with what I think we all agreed were awesome introductions. Without further adieu let’s go to the movies.

Guest post by proxy from Brother! (With a few minor and obvious edits from me – brother did not refer to the Boy as The Boy.  He does have a name. We use it sometimes – formal occasions mostly.)

As you all know Meaghan and The Boy have put a lot of work into making today’s festivities look effortless including a nice little website with lots of helpful information and links as well as some of the back story on the The Boy & Meaghan saga and an introduction to the wedding party. At first I thought great, that cuts my work as the MC at least in half. Then I found out that you people were actually reading it. Nothing is easy. So, instead of just regurgitating the website to you and because I don’t know about you but I’m horrible at putting names to faces I’ve put together a little presentation to help you get to know everyone at the head table and how they fit into the Meaghan & The Boy movieverse.

Andrew
I don’t know about time travel but I would not be surprised to learn that Andrew and The Boy have done more in or to a phone booth than just make a call. Plus, look at that hair, its almost like he stole it from Bill S. Preston Esq. himself.

Erin
From what I’ve heard Erin kicks ass and takes names, but under a tough exterior she just a sweet small town girl and supportive sister for The Boy and now Meaghan, but under that layer there’s another layer that just might kick your ass because she can. Between The Boy and Erin they have played on something like 197 different sports teams including varsity volleyball at western. I don’t know if anyone’s told Meaghan this yet but changing her
name will not make her good at sports or even make her coordinated enough to walk down the street without falling down.

Chris
As I’m assuming the only PHD physicist in the room Chris is the most likely to be able to explain to you why time travel is impossible. However, Chris is probably also the most likely one in the room to have his own secret lair complete with at least a dozen time machine prototypes and plans for world domination.

Kristyn
Meaghan and Kristyn have known each other for nearly half of their lives and their 10 year high school reunion is just around the corner. I know that they are both looking forward to not having to make up stories about their post-it note empires to impress the cool kids. Actually, knowing the two of them they are probably more likely to talk about the two of them living in a cult with their 7 husbands and 26 kids preparing for the coming of Zoltan.

Chris
Teacher’s college, Tiger Woods, volleyball, beer wall. On paper Chris and The Boy are practically Twins.

Kate
Kate kind of struck out in the roommate department in first year University but Meaghan managed to convince Kate that she really was cool and they lived together for the rest of their university days. Meaghan on the other hand hit the jackpot. Well at least by family standards. Sista’s roommate was convinced that she was going to hell and was constantly trying to save her soul and my roommate apparently thought he was in a prison movie and slept with a baseball bat for the first semester just in case. So the jackpot bar is pretty low but a win is a win.

Paul
The bromance between Paul and The Boy is the stuff of legends beginning from as early as the ninth grade. That’s about all that I can really tell you that’s appropriate for this evening’s festivities but if you get one of them cornered this evening you might ask them about one Halloween when they rode around in the trunk of a car.

Sista
As it turns out there aren’t a lot of movies about sisters that portray a positive relationship between the two but I did manage to find one that despite being about brothers describes Meaghan and Sista’s relationship quite nicely. Sista and Meaghan have been best friends pretty much since Sista got over the fact that Meaghan wasn’t a boy. Meaghan followed Sista to Alexander Mackenzie High School and Sista followed Meaghan to London and Western University, eventually living together in an apartment in Toronto until tragedy struck and Sista got a job in Guelph forcing them to separate both having to live with boys.

Meaghan and The Boy
Finally the reason we are all here tonight, The Boy & Meaghan. They aren’t much to look at but it is easy to see that each is meant for the other fitting together like two hunks of the same smelly multi-layered onion. Each of us here tonight has played some part in developing one of those layers which is why we are all here, to join in the celebration of Meaghan and The Boy’s union and to start asking them “so, are you pregnant yet?”

Thanks again Brother! You did an awesome job!

Quintessential Ontario Spring

I did it. I managed to take pictures to show how I spent my day. I got the idea from Heather over on Heather Drive. Of course then I fell off the planet and got side tracked by a baby that was waiting for me to finish a project before making an appearance – seriously it’s been so freakin’ hot I felt really badly for my little preggo mommy.

Alas, better late than never… I give you Saturday Spring in Ontario

Up at 8am to head off to the Farmers Market

Bought some rhubarb and a big ol’ basket of strawberries

And a little treat. Fresh bread.

Came home and started cooking up a storm

Well not a storm…. a PIE!

It smelled so yummy it got the Boy out of bed

We packed and made a few discoveries… the Boy requires no less than 6 pairs of shorts for an overnight trip.

I found an earring that has been missing since the day after we got married.  I thought it was gone forever. But when I picked up my bag to pack – I heard something fall on the floor. I looked down, and there it was. I don’t know how I didn’t lose it somewhere in the last 9 months since I use this bag all the time, but it seems someone was looking after it. The Boy was thrilled since he was sure it was him that lost it.

We made our way north – I know you didn’t think Ontario went further north than Newmarket, but it does. They call it Collingwood.

And one of my favourite mommies and I enjoyed a lovely beverage

After dinner and pie, we had a beverage and a chat before heading home.

Ontario Spring post complete – just in time for Ontario summer! I’m predicting BUSY and HOT!

A Tale of Two Cars

This is a tale of two cars. And two people.  And two thousand dollars.

It started two months ago. And it resulted in two weeks of no blogging.

Well, I can’t really blame it on the cars. But it didn’t help that’s for sure.

The boy and I are 11 months apart. That means we both get to renew our licenses at the same time each year. We both drive old cars and in Ontario old cars have to be emissions tested every 2 years. Our cars also happen to both be built in odd years so that means they get to be e-tested on the same years. All of this together means on even years we both have to make sure our cars are going to pass the e-test and then get the plates renewed. Money. Both cars cost us money and they aren’t even polite enough and to do it at different times of the year – you know spread out the love a little. Not our cars, all at once is apparently the family motto.

So two months ago we got both cars ready for their big tests. The Camry didn’t need much, an oil change and they changed a couple filters – done. The red car hasn’t had a muffler on it in about a year. It fell off – so the Boy put it in the trunk and washed his hands of the whole thing. That’s no way to pass a test – it needed a muffler and a Cadillac converter (I know it’s catalytic but the Boy likes to say for what it cost us it should turn our Buick into a Cadillac). The Boy’s mechanic friend said this was the last hurrah for the red car. Let’s put it this way – it has squishy parts. I don’t know much but I know there isn’t anything on the outside of the car that should be described as “squishy” or “crumbly” or “so rusted out I can put my hand through it”.

$750 later they both passed the e-test.

Then, two weeks ago I drove the red car to work and it made a grindy sound when I tried to start it. I tried again and it went on. I went to work. When I came home it did it again. I told the Boy. He said “what do you mean it made a grindy sound?” When my answer “it sounded grindy” didn’t appease him he went outside to hear for himself.

It died.

Dead.

Nothing.

Nothing but grindy sounds that is.

We called a tow-truck.

The tow-truck guy tried to boost it, he said that might at least get it to the repair shop that’s only 2km away. He took one look at the battery and said “you know you have to replace these every once and a while right?”

The Boy doesn’t believe in preventative maintenance on old cars. I would like the record to show that I said we needed to replace the battery when it started randomly not starting for me over a year ago. Just sayin’.

The boost didn’t work. We had it towed 2km to the shop.

$80.

Once we got it there they said they’d look at it first thing the next day. The Boy and I went home and I broached the topic.  How much are we going to put into this car? What are you willing to pay and when do we say – not worth it, and cut our losses?  Let’s just say the Boy and I had very different opinions on the matter.

A new battery, a new starter and $750 later the car is purring and the engine light that’s been on for at least 2 years is off.

I broached the topic again.  How much more are we going to put into this freakin’ car? I voted $0.  When I was adding up the costs I wasn’t even interested in putting gas money in the car.  Done would be an understatement.

This time the Boy agreed, we would start looking for a second car.  We would decide what kind of car we wanted, put the word out, look around and if we found something great – we’ll make the purchase, if the car dies again – we’ll be a little more prepared and don’t have to run scared to the mechanic.

I thought we were done.

But I’m now convinced the cars talk to each other.   One week later… the Camry battery light came on.  I called the Boy.

He thought I should be fine and told me to continue on my way to my meeting.

Then I got a text… “Don’t start the car until you call me”

Crap.

Long story short by the time I got the second car in a week to the lovely mechanic the dashboard looked like this:

If you’re thinking right now – that can’t be good, you would be right. Now imagine driving down the highway (since your husband told you to get home as quickly as possible and stay in the right lane just in case it dies – comforting right?!) as each of these lights come on one by one.

Heart palpitations. And a lot of talking to the car. If you’re picturing me stroking the steering wheel and saying out loud to the car “Come on little car. Just get to the mechanic.  I know you’re sad but I’m taking you to feel better.  Were you talking to the red car? Did you think we were going to replace you? We would never do that! You’re our favourite and we’re planning on your being with us for at least another 4 years. Come on little car. Almost there.”  I would wonder if you are either a. psychic or b. a creeper who has cameras installed in my car – because you would be 100% correct.

A new alternator, alternator belt, oil change and $560 later, both cars are now happy.

But $2000+ later… I am not.

The End.

Dollars and Sense

I know, I fell off the planet again. Sorry. But hey I’m back and ready to talk about everyone’s favourite topic – money! YEAH!

The Boy and I thought we were having a nice quiet nothing weekend. What did we do instead? Almost looked at buying a house. I know. This is crazy right?

We didn’t. Unfortunately the adorable little A-frame house we found online was already sold, on May 13th. Our Realtor (OMG we have a Realtor?!) informed us that it sold in 16 days for right around the asking price. Shoot. But for most of Saturday while the Boy was planning where Stevie the TV would go – I was having a mild panic attack.

What’s really curious about the Boy and I is that despite his OCD tendencies – I am the planner. The Boy is the one to always say “Meh, what happens will happen – why stress over it, or worry about it. We’re good people, good things will happen.” As a side note – this drives me crazy. What drives me even crazier is that my plans never go the way I think they will and his good things happen when you are good seems to pan out more often than not. Boys.

So needless to say, the let’s buy a house plan is NOT in the immediate, “let’s do that next weekend” plan. You’ll recall that we’re trying to find a different rental – that’s the plan, and live there for another 3ish years. Good plan. And then buy a house. Solid plan. The one issue with this plan – there is only 11% rental availability in our region’s housing stock (that’s very low) and 5 of those 11% are social housing (we definitely do not qualify – and it’s a 20 year wait list even if we did). So while I’m still holding on to the plan – the Boy has been looking at houses to buy. And then we almost went and looked at one. And I’ve never felt more grown-up in my life. Or more clueless.

Nonetheless, when we did the numbers and realized that while it’s not ideal it is possible for us to buy if the right thing comes up – it got us moving. We’ve booked an appointment at the bank to get pre-approved so that should the right thing come up – like the next-door neighbours of the house we found decide to sell – we’ll be ready. I like to think of it as Plan B.

HOWEVER, this is not actually what I was planning to write about today (of course). Today the plan was to write about that annoying time in a young couple’s life when you’re both working and you’re trying to save as much as you can so that should your housing plan not work out you can buy, or if it does work out you can get rid of some serious school debt. That time when you haven’t gone on a honeymoon – because the weekend at your sister’s house does not count, and you are making more than you ever have and the number in the savings account is increasing at a decent pace but you still feel poor. You know – that stage? I assume everyone goes through one? Yes?

That’s the stage I find myself in these days. I am there alone since the Boy once again does not stress about the plan and thinks we’re doing great (which we are) and feels we get to do everything we want to do (which we do), except for when things come up that cost more than our average week’s expenses – then we both agree – we’re poor and can’t afford it.

And it sucks.

But then I start to think about it.

About what my income is, what our combined income is, and the relatively little time that we have left to pick up and go, and spend money on completely selfish things.

And how few good friends I have and how I don’t mind that I don’t have that many – because I like to think I’m a good friend to those that I have.  And how those friends are really good to me too, and how they’ve spent money that they’d probably earmarked for something else on doing things for me without question, and how I loved them for it, and how awesome they are.

And how we haven’t bought a house yet. And how I like to really hold onto the hope that this time my perfect plan will work out just the way I want it to so I shouldn’t worry about it. And how we do have the money, and how August is a five pay-cheque month. And how we’re really not poor at all.

And how we can afford it.

And I tell the Boy all these things…. And in a move that surprised everyone, he agreed.

 

And then we thought about maybe buying a house and in all the hoopla and panic attack I turned to the Boy and said “if we do this does that mean I can’t do what I wanted to do?” and he said, “Of course you can. We’ll just figure it out. We’re good people and it will all work out.”

And I suddenly love his relaxed attitude.

And I think sometimes when you’re thinking about dollars and cents, you need to use not just your head but your heart too. And then it all makes sense. Dollars and sense.

And I love BFF Kate.

And I’m going to Vegas in September to celebrate her 30th birthday.

And it’s going to be awesome.

When do you know it’s time to throw the Plan out the window?

Any tips on Vegas?