Wedding Bells Have Rung

So it's finally over. The year (and 2 weeks) of planning, the deposits, the interviews with vendors, the research, the stress.... it's all done with! We got married this past Saturday and it went really well.

Sure it rained a bit, but we were able to work with it. And it stopped during the ceremony, so we were still able to do some pictures outdoors and enjoy the outdoor scenery. Having done wedding planning for others, and knowing what goes into planning and executing a wedding, I had enlisted the help of a wedding planner friend of mine, who also was a guest, so she was able to get a volunteer looking for some experience to help us out. Man was I glad they were there! Truly, if you're planning on getting married, even a small ceremony with just 80 guests (that's what we had) do yourself a favour and hire a planner! They're worth the money just for your sanity.

Both Brandon and I were super relaxed on our day. Neither of us had an idea of a "dream wedding", so whatever happened was fine by us. Sure there were components we cared about, but when it came down to things like last minute ceremony change to indoors and rearranging the processional order and a few songs getting bumped... it was all ok by us. The one thing I did care about, were the pictures. Those are the lasting visual memories. And our photographer was terrible! They showed up an hour and a half late, they forgot their flash, the batteries on their cameras died and they didn't have spares, they missed important parts of the wedding, they didn't help pose anyone, didn't take any charge, didn't bring the list of poses/shots we had sent them weeks in advance so had no idea what pictures we wanted... I mean just incredibly awful! My sister in law was very helpful and stepped in to take some pictures- which have turned out great! When I saw the ones she took I cried because I am so grateful we have some wonderful pictures that captured the day in an amazing day!!! So if you need a great photographer- I know one. And if you need a terrible one- I know one of those too!
So I can honestly say, that was the only thing that I was getting panicked about. Oh, and the fact that only half the groomsmen were at the venue half an hour after they all should have been there. But it all worked out and we recovered.

Although we've never been ones for mushy, super sentimental affairs, we both really enjoyed our day. It turned out to be a great party with some amazing friends and family. Some of Brandon's relatives from Newfoundland & Alberta flew in- so it was great to put faces to names. Our bridal party was excellent, helped us out greatly throughout the day and really helped us have a great time. Our good friend, Tyson, was a groomsman and our MC and put together some great games/activities, which was even a surprise to us!

So now that the event is over, I feel like I should all sorts of free time. And yet somehow I don't. Oh well :)

Cooking shows make me feel inadequate

During my regular work day, I often work with one guy who loves the Food Network channel... and really who doesn't? It's wonderful. It teaches you all sorts of things like, how to cook, bake and how to not clean up your own dishes after doing all that cooking/baking. That last part I am especially good at. 

When I watch the cooking shows, or often times, eating shows, I get incredibly hungry. And then I really start to watch. You know, like intensely involved in the show. My mouth begins to water, eyes start to burn from my lack of blinking, the gurgling in my belly gets louder (and slightly more embarrassing). I watch these TV chefs dicing, slicing and dashing their way through some "super easy 15 minute braised brisket" recipe. I'm intrigued; 15 minutes, super easy? These sound like key words I am always looking for when cooking. But then I start truly watching, refer to the salivating scenario above. That "super easy" recipe includes ingredients I rarely see in the grocery store (or maybe I'm just not looking for them?). Things like, Gorgonzola cheese, sumac spice and some rare but specific breed of cattle brisket only raised in Northern Australia. Yes, absolutely- that does sound incredibly easy. But I keep watching... 

And as I continue watching, I notice how this seemingly easy recipe the chefs are cooking, really probably could be adapted to be done right in my own kitchen. But I don't have time for that! Rubbing the meat ahead of time with the spices and marinade, lightly buttering the pan, peeling the potatoes and lightly seasoning the veggies.... this all takes a lot of time. Time I often don't have. I'm not saying I don't enjoy doing this when I can. But on an average day these recipes just won't work for me. Thus, I feel inadequate about my (soon to be) wifely "duties".

*DING* 

Oh excuse me, that's my gourmet Kraft Dinner 

We Have Returned

Well, we have returned from Disney in one piece. I'd like to say we're rested, but there's so much to do there you never really do rest. However, it was super nice to get away from everyday worries and work. Oh, so nice to not have to go into work everyday. 

They often say after going on vacation the constant time together can cause some frustrations and loss of patience for your significant other (or even a friend). And although we had our occassional disagreement about how many pictures I was taking, or what to purchase, we didn't really fight. And at the end of it, I was sad I wasn't going to see him all day-everyday as I had for the past 10 days. So I guess, we can continue with our plans to get married :)

Speaking of which, man that's approaching fast! Only a month and 4 days and there are still so many things to get done and figure out. Brandon still doesn't have his outfit (eep!) I'm trying to not stress out too much, but it's inevitable. Isn't that what weddings are for? Disagreements, difficult guests, drama and stress? Or at least that seems to be what they have become to the modern day society. Ours should be fun once we get there- casual and "working class", as Brandon likes to refer to it. I have to admit, while a traditional wedding was definitely not what I had wanted, I'm beginning to get excited for the day and enjoying the fruits of my labour. Or you know- my hard work. It'll be nice to see it all come together after planning for the past year. But this is where I can't imagine how someone who spends the average $20,000+ on their one day feels after the event? Sure it's exciting and wonderful that you are married, but then you realize that you have actually spent $20,000 in one day. When can you say that again? Perhaps buying a home, and that'd be about it. If you spoke to someone and asked them if they would ever spend $20,000+ on a party, I imagine most people would look at you as though you have 2 heads and tell you they wouldn't dream of it. But when you ask the same and refer to the party as a wedding, they're on board. I just can't fathom. Resulting in my low budget wedding :)

So, over the next month I will be working away at perfecting my wedding, keeping all the ducks in a row, and finalizing decisions that need to be made. It's going to be a crazy ride.

Disney Bound

Brandon and I, along with fifteen of my family members, are headed out for a much needed vacation to none other than, Disney World! This will be Brandon's first time...he's a Disney virgin. We're super excited to get away from our jobs, life responsibilities and just enjoy some time together, and of course, with my family. It's kind of like a pre-honeymoon (since the wedding is only a month and 20 days away) except, minus all the romance and alone time. Either way, it'll be great I'm sure.

We'll be sure to fill you in on all the fun, sun, rides, potential sickness from said rides and yummy yummy food!

This will be our first official trip together. We've done many road trips and overnight adventures, but this will be our first plane ride, customs check and lengthy time away from our regular lives. And I can't wait to take a ton of pictures and enjoy our time. Although Brandon is more concerned with ensuring there is a gym available :)

So have fun at home, wherever that is for you, and I'll be back with lots of updates on all the fun we had!

Au Revoir!

Toronto Wildlife Are Fearless

On my walk to work everyday I see wildlife. Well, I use that term loosely because when I think of wildlife (from my time spent on farms, in the country and even in the ravine of my hometown) I think of coyotes, deer etc.. This wildlife consists of pigeons and squirrels mostly.

But I have started to realize, these animals are fearless! Just like all the other residents walking the streets, they don't move over for anyone! I think I played an unknowing game of chicken with a pigeon the other day. He totally won. Because I was afraid of what he could do to me if I didn't move. Have you seen those beaks? Those talons?! My side satchel and ballerina flats are no match to him.

The pigeons shuffle about the sidewalk and the squirrels rise up on their hind legs watching intently as people pass by.  Come to think of it, maybe they're just lazy?

Modern Day Issues

Nowadays we have new struggles and they can be even more dire than B.T. (before technology). The biggest, and quite possibly the scariest, yet easiest mistake to make, is the accidental email or text. 

Let me explain. 


You're super pissed off with your friend and you heed your mother's advice and decide to write her a note. Except previously our parent's would have actually written the note. You know, with a pen and paper.
If you're young enough you'll know these items as ones you see in the movies, when they do a flashback. Or perhaps you've used a pen when signing a cheque.... nah you probably don't do that either.

Anyhow, instead of writing this note of frustration, you type it. Hitting each key with such force and conviction hoping your emotion is seeping through the screen. Except just like when our parens did such things, you never actually plan to send it. You're just writing it to make yourself feel better. You finish up, and just as you begin to feel better about the situaion, it happens. You hit the send button. All it took was one slight miss with a keystroke and it was done. Letter sent. A letter you never intended that friend to see, where you talk about her ugly dog and stupid neighbourhood, maybe her disfunctional family. Saying all the things you've ever thought, but would never dare say to her, or even out loud for that matter.

This particular situation hasn't happened to me, but I have sent some emails and texts too soon, or to the wrong person. One of my worst offences was when an old boss of mine called in sick...for the kagillionith (that's a number, right?) time. Fed up with the lack of leadership and sense of responsibility, I decided to text Jeff (my co-manager) about the surprise I felt inside when I received her phone call. However, you see, Jeff's name was directly above Jen's... aka my boss. And so as I typed out my message, "Surprise! she's sick again!" and then sent it, I was feeling grand about my snide remark that was likely to give Jeff a bit of a chuckle. So imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from Jen shortly following the sending of the message. 

"Oh hey Jen- what's going on?
Is that some kid of joke, Shannon?
I'm confused- joke? huh?
Shannon, the text message you sent me."

OH SHIT! 

I quickly check my phone and YUP, I sure did send that bitchy text to Jen instead of Jeff. Trying to come up with any sort of excuse was a failed attempt, because I wasn't prepared. Not that I would pride myself on lying, but really how do you manage your way out of that one? The answer is, you don't. You try to save face as much as possible and realize that your boss may have some trust issues with you in the future, and it's probably for the best if you move onto another job in the near future. Yes, that's exactly what I did. Not just because of that situation, but I wouldnt lie to you and tell you it didn't have some bearing on the decision. 

So, while we think we can all hide behind our computer and phone screens, just make sure you can back up any comments you may want to make. And as a smart individual always warned me, never print, type or write anything you don't want to see in tomorrow's newspaper headlines. Because you never know who could see it and decide to pass it along. Oh and youngins', a newspaper is this large printed thin paper that you read the news off of. You know, prior to the computer screen. 

And now I'm back- from outer space

Sup everyone?

Where have you been? I've missed you! Sorry for the extended absence, between planning the wedding, moving and getting our lives settled I've been crazy busy. Excuses aside, I was inspired and requested by someone to continue on with this blog. 

So what have you been up to? 

We've got our wedding all planned and ready to go for June. So you know, that's fun. And since this post where we had thought we made a decision to move to Fort Erie, well plans changed. Kinda drastically. We realized at this point we aren't financially prepared to be taking on a mortgage. Nor did we want to be that far away from our friends and family. And when we really sat down to discuss it, we wanted to be in Toronto. But downtown, none of this uptown business. Right in the thick of it. So we found a place in a great area where we are close to all shops and restaurants and most importantly, the subway is mere moments away. I's wonderfully convenient. So we're selling the car and doing the transit shuffle. I'm loving it! (sung to the tune of McDonald's similarly plagiarized jingle)

I've been here, with Hudson (whatup Hudson!), for about a month now and thriving. Working at a new store location, and currently working on getting my business up and running I'm thoroughly enjoying my new place. Not just the surroundings, but I'm really happy with the unit. Technically its a basement apartment, but it really doesnt feel much like a basement at all. 

Brandon is currently waiting for his work to transfer him to a store nearby, so he goes back and forth between our place in Toronto and his parrents'. It sucks and the nights can be lonely sometimes, but I know its only short term. It better only be short term. 'Cause I didn't sign up to be living alone. Get your butt down here, Brandon! 

Other than that, not much is new in our usual rockstar-inspired lives. We have a family vacation planned for the beginning of May- headed to Florida for some fun and sun. So we're looking forward to that and then it's basically just a month until the wedding. Things are flying by fast, but we have our seatbelts securely fastened and we're ready!

I'm hoping I can get back into the swing of writing posts on here, because I missed it- I missed y'all. (all 15 of you that read this, anyway) So stay tuned for some fun stories, Toronto living hijinxs and some rants about all these people downtown. You know I'm bound to run into some crazy people! :)

Overextended Holiday Decor

It's February everyone! Why are there still people in the neighbourhoods who continue to display their Christmas/holiday decor? Lights, wreaths, ribbons, window decals, poinsettias.... The list goes on. Don't think you're fooling anyone just because you're curtains are partially closed. Or that because your house isn't the first seen on the street. We all see how lazy you are to not have taken down your decorations.

Soon we'll be onto a new "holiday"- Valentine's Day. Are you going to tell me your red Christmas lights are for Valentine's Day? If so, I know you're lying. Don't try to pull that one over on me.

So a note to all you people who keep yourChristmas lights up all year- it doesn't just fit into your home and become invisible. I know you'd like to think it does.

So please, people of the surrounding neighbourhoods, take down your Christmas decorations both inside and out and move on to the new year with other great holidays.

Parenting Advice for Kim & Kanye

If you haven't heard the news about Kanye and Kim, then their celebrity spotlight stint didn't work very well for them. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are pregnant. Well, technically it's Kim who's preggers, but he's (supposedly) the father.

            The results are in...and Kanye, you.... ARE the father!

We feel the same way Kanye.

In an effort to try and help a brotha' out (I'm honing in on my black side here), I thought I'd write down some tips to both Kanye and Kim about what they should and shouldn't teach their baby. Based on previous escapades, of course.

We know you're crazy Kim

• You may up your street cred, but not your fan following, when you upstage someone and steal a microphone when they're accepting an award. Apologies that follow may be seen as forced celebrity manager "parenting".
• Creating a show with all your family could make you famous...for simply doing nothing. However, as you gain popularity you also lose respect. 
• Thinking you're great, and actually being great are very different. Make sure you choose the right option.
• Sex tapes are never a good idea! But they do make your name a common one in the household.
• People will laugh at you if you dare to compare Coldplay to The Beatles, stating Coldplay is just as good, or better, than The Beatles.  
• Defaulting to a fashion "career" is only a good idea if you've gained all those sheep fans
• Twitter can emphasize just how stupid you are- so be careful.
• Don't get married (for the 2nd time) for it only to last 72 days. Because then you meet your baby-daddy and things get messy. It has publicity stunt failure written all over it!
• K's are a popular letter in our families- get used to it
• If you become famous, don't lie about things like your sister's paternity or tweets you've sent... Or just anything in general. 
• Don't be friends with other airhead heiresses
• You can sing about it, but just know...not everyone is a gold digger.
• Lots of perfume lines won't make you seem more upscale...you'll just smell really strongly
• Sometimes it's best to keep your mouth shut... In all aspects.

"Do you think they know how ridiculous we really are?"

A Doctor Office Adventure

What do you do while in the doctors office?
   
    I'll tell you what I do. I check the waxy paper on the "table" you sit on. Firstly, has no one informed doctors all our lives we've been told not to sit or lay on tables? Because that's confusing as shit as a kid. But you've got to check that paper to make sure the last person didn't soil it at all. I don't necessarily mean bodily fluid soil, I just mean in general. After I've decided it's safe to park my keister on the table, I scan the room. Have they put up any new medically informing posters since last I was here? I pretend to read them and retain the information, but I know I've read this one about being see through and detecting Colon cancer before and yet everytime I think to myself "you're right it would be much easier to spot it!", as if it's new information to me.

       The medical information posters are much the same as the medical tv commercials. They showcase someone being very upset or sick, they truly pick the worst actors for these things, cause I don't believe it. Then they give you a diagram of the affected area with some strong visual to show you it hurts. Like this poster of shingles. Check out those other two just standing there holding hands while that other guy is obviously in some kind of pain. That just seems mean. Hell, I'm one of the first to laugh when someone falls but if they were all hunched over like that I'd be like "dude you ok? Cause if so you'd better stand your ass up and get that vine of spikes out of your back"
   
    Once I feel like I'm fully educated, I gander over to the jar of cotton balls. Why are they even in here? Have you ever, during your appointment, used a cotton ball? My guess is no, because they're mostly only used for taking blood after they poke you, which they don't do in the actual doctor office. My thoughts quickly jump to Will Ferrel in Elf, which makes me giggle...and cringe. Because I hate the feel and sound of cotton balls. It's just plain terrible.

   
    How about those tongue depressors? Those things are lots of fun, aren't they? Like giant popsicle sticks. I always think about licking all of them and putting them back into the jar, spreading my germs to all those unsuspecting patients. And to be fair, you can't consider me the evil one about that, because Jerry Seinfeld has forever engrained that idea into my head. Just as I'm about to reach for the tongue depressors, the doctor walks in. I give a look like this. :O Like a dog caught getting into the garbage.
   
    Does that sound anything like your visit to the doctor?

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

Beyond this post where I announced our engagement, and this post where I talked about going to Fort York for a tour as a potential wedding venue, I haven't spoken much about our wedding. And don't let that fool you into thinking we haven't been making progress. We are well enveloped in the planning process. And thankfully neither Brandon nor I have any interest in the big, fancy, stress-filled wedding, so it hasn't been as terrible as it could be. In fact, we're just about complete with all the planning.

Our wedding is going to have a vintage flair on the cheap. We didn't want to spend the average $25,000 on a one day event. Instead, we set our budget at $5,000-$6,000 and so far we're keeping right within it. Everyone says it can't be done, but I know it can be. So here we go!

Venue: picked & booked- our venue is an old farm house turned into an event venue, so it has the charm we want, with some indoor and outdoor space. We plan to get married outdoors, weather permitting of course, and host the reception indoors.  This venue already includes tables and chairs, a full service kitchen.  $500

Food: this was one of the biggest debates between us and family- we planned on renting our own BBQ's and having people we know BBQ a meal. It's now going to be a buffet style meal, still well within our budget. So all turned out well. $1650

Alcohol/Beverages: Juice, coffee and tea come included with our meal, but not everyone wants juice, coffee or tea. OK, not many people over 19 want those beverages, so of course we will have a bar. We've decided to give everyone 4 drink tickets (good for $4 drinks) and any further drinks are at their costs. $1600

DJ: thankfully a family friend knew a great DJ, whom we've seen "in action", so not only did we get a great rate, but also a great DJ $400

Dress & Accessories: the dress is picked and ordered. I can't say too much about it here because Brandon could check in and I'm apparently supposed to keep it a secret from him. But I can tell you it's short, has pockets, and a sweetheart neckline. I also got some great vintage shoes (damn you sales woman!), a bird cage veil and I had previously picked up some pearls for a great deal. $500

Cake: Brandon's sister has been known to make some great cakes for various anniversary & birthday parties along with a wedding. So, it just makes sense to have her construct one for us. While the design is still to be determined, we have decided it will be delicious. $0

Invitations: These have been designed by us, and executed by a friend of mine. We're just about done with the design, and we will be buying the materials from a local craft store to print ourselves. $50

Brandon's Attire: Simple and easy, he'll be wearing dress pants, a dress shirt and a paperboy hat he already owns, as seen in this picture. $100-150 still to be purchased

Rentals: We will need plates and serving dishes, some warmers for food and some chairs for the ceremony. This has still yet to be sourced concretely, however we're seeing a range of about $150-250

Rings: Still to be picked, we already know the jeweler we will use as it's a family contact who also did my engagement ring for a great price. We don't want to spend a lot of money here, so we're throwing around the $200-$300 range.

So there ya have it folks, the majority of the planning is complete. The above brings the current total to $5,400 so we are right where we want to be. With some room for incidentals or splurging we may not have accounted for.

Wood Paneling, Brick Backsplash and Overly Decorated Homes

Where has the time gone?  Let me apologize to the 4 readers I have for the recent absence. Things have been busy with Brandon and I.

We have begun the house hunting process. We took a trip out to the Niagara region last week and toured around eight homes, ranging from total gut jobs to nearly done homes. We both had a favourite, until we found out a subdivision is being built right next door to it- which we are trying to get away from, not to mention the mess and noise that will go along with all that construction in the next 5-10 years. So, although the house is wonderful and ideal, it just wouldn't be the right location for us.

The first home we saw was 600 sq ft on half an acre of land, with a barn in the back. Yes... 600 sq ft. But we figured since it needed work (described in the listing), we could perhaps put an addition on and make it wonderful. Unfortunately the listing failed to mention the holes in the roof, the slanted floors and also the family of feral cats living in the barn. We decided the cats could stay.

The second was a very tiny, old farm house. OK, so it was bigger than the first, and finished and fairly liveable, but it really only had one bedroom...and then a very small room that would be better suited to a closet.

The third also needed a lot of work, but again was more like a fun house with the slanted floors and roof, the many different rooms with no definition as to what they were because some lacked doors where you thought it may be a bedroom, while others had doors where you may have guessed it was a living room. The land was amazing on this one, but just too much work for us to take on at this point.

(we didn't take pictures of those homes, mostly because we knew we wouldn't be getting into that much work)

Then we got into what I would say are more liveable homes. As in you could live in them while completing renos or upgrades. The yellow home we saw first was nice, decent yard (not like the ones we had seen, but still a good yard for Sarah & Hudson) and it had amazing wooden beams in the ceiling.

We love wooden beams and vaulted ceilings, and never considered a home in our price range to have such a feature. But this home was great. Except.... it didn't have a big enough Man Room space. Yes that's correct folks. We must have a space for all of Brandon's....toys collectibles. You remember them, right? If not, feel free to check out what I'm referring to here, here and here (and I'm sure many other areas within this blog!)

We moved on down the neighbourhood and saw one that had some great bones and space, with absolutely the best land space we ended up seeing all day.

This one was 1.25 acres of flat, wooded with some cleared land and had a decent sized fenced off area right off the kitchen so if we quickly had to let Hudson & Sarah outside they were contained, but if we wanted to let them run they had 1.25 acres. Another plus of the fenced in area, Brandon pointed out, was that we wouldn't have to wrangle poop. All poop would be contained within an area. Leave it to him to find those small positives in a situation :)  This home had a great Man Room area right off the kitchen and even had wood paneling. Oh, what's that? You don't like wood paneling? It's dark and out of date and everyone else in the world is trying to get rid of it and paint over it?  Yup- me too! But Brandon? No way! He loves it! That and brick backsplash in the kitchen. What?! Ewww! The things you learn about a person...  This one was probably higher in the running for a good part of the day, but Brandon really hated the car port and how it made the front of the house look. Even though it would be a simple fix to put in a garage and new front door, he wasn't so sure he liked the idea of it. So, goodbye to fantastic land. We moved on.

We saw a smaller cute home next, with a metal star on the front of it that we would surely be removing in fear of some people mistaking us as swingers. But as welcoming as we felt the major dip in the floor was, it just didn't make the cut.

Next came the amazing home, we both really liked.

We walked in and felt like we'd found it. It was 100% open, had a great Man Room, huge kitchen, vaulted ceilings, a basement for storage (the others up until this point, had no basement) and a great piece of land, which opened up nicely to a great 6 acres of wooded land. Actually, we even saw 2 deer frolicking through the woods while we were there. Unfortunately, that 6 acre parcel of land is the land that will be developed into 80 townhomes. Sigh. BIG sigh.

We moved on, feeling a bit defeated, to the only 2 storey home we saw. I'm not a big fan of 2 storeys, but Brandon really liked this place.

It was nice, and of course I was comparing it to the previous home I had basically already sold myself on, but it was mainly the land that blew it for me. The home had lots of wooden beams, much more rustic, with a great wood burning fireplace. It was fairly open concept, and double the size of the others we had seen. But let me tell you, the people/person who live(s) in this house LOVES Christmas! I love holidays- and love decorating my home for any holiday. But this was extreme.

My biggest issue with the 2 storey was the steep, open stairway that would be tricky for Hudson to navigate. As Brandon mentioned, the dog will only be around for so long and we obviously can't pick a house based on him and his physical abilities, but I just wasn't overly excited about the stairway myself. The upstairs had 3 bedrooms and a Man Room- which could also be a bedroom. The backyard had an above ground pool (we aren't swimmers, so this was a deterrent for us not a plus), a garage that was placed in the middle of the land and was very narrow at only 34' wide. Which is a typical width for a suburban home...exactly what we're trying to stay away from.

We felt like it was a pretty good day, and gave us an opportunity to see the things that are actually important to us and what features we can expect within our price range. I would consider us fairly simple first time buyers, because our expectations are low, we're willing to do work and renos and we're open to location. Our real estate agent may say otherwise, but being open to lots of different kinds of homes means we can see all sorts and find something that just feels right.

Movember

OK, let's talk about it. The elephant in the room- Movember.We've all seen those beards (or clean-shaven faces) turn into moustaches on the men's faces (possibly some of the women's too... just taking a month off from waxing?) And let's be honest, most men don't improve their appearance with a moustache. This isn't 1976. And those women who claim to love Movember...who are you trying to impress? Seriously, it's got to be someone...
I think we can all agree, the idea of raising awareness and money for men's cancers is fantastic, but do we really need to don lip sweaters? Many people aren't aware of all the different moustaches that exist... let me help you with this website which is a really good example of types of moustaches, and what men think they look like, versus what they actually look like.

Last year Brandon didn't participate in the terribly unfortunate "holiday" of Movember because he was involved in job interviews. This year he's got a job...and a moustache. It didn't start as a moustache however. At first it was a beard. And what a beard it was!

Thanksgiving, but could also pass for Brandon's whaling application

Halloween- he was a lumber jack, because it's the only thing that made sense

Do you see that thing? It took over his face. So, close to the end of October, he decided to shave the beard (breaking a Mo' Bro rule) into a moustache. And in typical Brandon fashion it had to make a statement.

This picture is a bit blurry but the only evidence I have of his handlebar moustache

This was no ordinary moustache folks! This was a full-on horseshoe moustache! Reaching all the way down to the sides of his chin. Does it remind you of anyone? (besides his dad?)

 You may have gone with Hulk Hogan...

Or possibly even John Travolta...?

But as soon as I saw it, I knew what Brandon was going for...

The Lorax!!

Right, Brandon? ... Brandon? Hmmmm, seems not.

That horsehoe only lasted a couple of weeks though before shit got serious! And by serious, I just mean into a regular kind of moustache. This is where we're at now.

This also happens to be Brandon's "I've got a moustache" expression. Fitting.

Movember has become a wide-spread event, perhaps even bordering on being added into the dictionary like other slang/made-up words have been known to do? It's obvious I can't fight it. My revolution I organized died out years ago, so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em right?

Waldo was inspired to don a moustache for at least a day or so in November, to show his support. And if you don't have a tattoo to draw on, why not give this a shot?

So there you have it folks, the story of Brandon's Movember support and alternatives for those who don't want to, or can't, grow a moustache. Don't say I've never been helpful.

Turns Out Rap Isn't bad

I listen to all sorts of music, and I've got some guilty pleasures I don't care to admit to. But rap hasn't ever really been one of the top genres of music I've tuned into.


That is until Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake did some compilations....

Click to Watch

And now I realize I like lots of rap. Especially of the Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake variety!

Halloween on the Cheap

If you know me personally you know I'm cheap frugal. I hate spending my hard earned money on items that will only be used once (which is also very wasteful), or I just don't feel are worth my money. But that doesn't mean I don't like to have fun!

So, for my work's Halloween event I wanted to make sure I showed them how resourceful I can be with materials I already had, while still showing my sense of humour. It's unfortunate no one really got it. But I digress. Below is how I made my costume:

Firstly, I grabbed my home design magazines I had already been through (to rip out the pages I was inspired by) and found IKEA ads that had thicker paper. Took those pages out of the magazine and grabbed the toilet paper holder from the bathroom to trace a circle.

After 3 circles had been traced on the (almost) cardstock ad paper, I cut them out.

I then traced those circles onto my coloured papers-green, yellow & red. The papers I used for the colours came from our wrapping stash, using green shiny wrapping paper, and tissue paper and cellophane for the red. In the end I had something that looked like this:

I assume you now see it's a traffic light of sorts. But this wasn't good enough for me. So I purchased a dollar store, LED battery operated push on/off light (generally used for closets etc) and using medical tape adhered it to the top of my chest, taping the red tissue paper & cellophane on top of the light. I then taped the other two coloured circles (which I had earlier glued to the thick ad paper) onto my black outfit in their proper order. Knowing I needed to better identify myself a bit, I taped a street sign replica with the word "DISTRICT" down my leg.

Do you get it yet? My red light was lit up using the small light I bought for $1, and I had a street sign "DISTRICT" down my leg. Red-light district! No one really understood it at work, thus I didn't win the contest. But I had fun anyway.

It's hard to tell but my red light is lit up

Hope you all had a great Halloween!