•1st Wedding Anniversary!/Year in Review•

This past weekend Chris and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary!
WOW! How fast did that year go?!  We celebrated on and off all weekend long with Star Wars in Concert (our second time seeing it…STILL AMAZING!) on Saturday night, and dinner & a movie on Sunday night.  It was so much fun, and I loved the low-key-ness of it!

In light of my one year of epic awesomeness I thought I’d give you a rundown of my year of marriage.

Here’s a photo-enduced list of everything awesome that has happened this past year!

Starting with the obvious:

1. Chris Hobin & Lori Mannell Get Hitched!
It obviously all starts here. What an amazing day! So many friends and family came from all across Canada and the US to spend our day with us! We’re so very lucky to know and love people like all of you!  We did hit our speed bumps that day mind you, but aside from rude people and torrential downpour we made it through!

Got Married! July 25th 2009!

2. Chris & Lori HOBIN go Honeymoonin’
We spent an amazing week in Wasaga Beach, soakin’ up some sun and hangin’ out with our pup Leia.  YES! We brought our dog with us! Why the hell not! ❤

Honeymoonin'

3. Bought our First Home!
The day after we got home from our Honeymoon we grabbed our shit out of our 2 bedroom apartment in downtown Burlington and  headed for the East End!  Right off of Burloak Drive, we settled into our little Dream Home.  Over the past year we’ve painted, we’ve decorated and we’ve torn apart the front & backyard to transform it into AWESOME!

Backyard-Before.

Backyard-After!!

4. Chris cuts his hair off!!
Chris wakes up on the morning of his birthday, February 20th, and decides he no longer wants long hair. (his hair was almost to his butt!).  We make an appointment, chop it off and surprise the SHIT out of everyone who came to his birthday dinner!  He looks more handsome than ever ❤

Hobin-long hair

Hobin-haircut!!

5. Increased our little family by ONE!…we bought Artoo 🙂
Leia told me that she was a lonely little pup and that she desperately wanted a little brother.  Specifically a boston terrier brother…ok, ok! That’s at least what I told Chris after making a super sad pouty face.  After whining for weeks he finally caved and let me…err, i mean Leia get her little boston terrier.  We named him Artoo, after the most amazing character to ever grace a movie screen.

Artoo!

6. The Hobins celebrate one year of awesome!
As I mentioned before we spent the weekend overloading on Star Wars, beer, wine & our first 3D movie, Despicable Me! (it was insanely cute and funny by the way!).  I am so, so grateful for everything that we have…we worked damn hard for it all!  I love my husband so very, very much & I know how lucky I am to have him.

6 years ago when Chris and I first started dating we were out to dinner with a bunch of friends. He didn’t have any cash and wanted a beer…nervously he asked me to buy him one and of course I did! (even though I was only 18…don’t ask how I managed it! I guess I looked older lol).  In return Dear Christopher said he’d buy me a Bucket ‘o’ Beer (East Side Mario’s offered it).  Well…he never did.  And for 6 years I’ve been hilariously holding it over his head.  SO for our Anniversary dinner he sought out the only place around us that still offers these Buckets and took me there to surprise me with my long waited Bucket ‘o’ Beer.  It tasted more delicious than any beer I’ve ever tasted before.  Sweet Redemption! Followed by a couple glasses of red wine and I was well on my way!

Bucket 'o' Beer!

Wine!

Star Wars in Concert-R2D2!

Star Wars in Concert-Obiwan! ❤

Star Wars in Concert-Leia!

This past year has been the best year of my life!  Made even better with the help of our family and friends! …you know who you are! We love you all very much!

Here’s to many more awesome years to come! This is only the beginning baby! ❤

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•Kilts, Poems, Namesakes & Important Dates• ~a closer look into our wedding~

Those 4 things, as little as they may seem, have more meaning to me than anything else in the world.  I rose out of bed this morning at 7am with those 4 words imbedded in my brain, and I knew I had to write them down (apparently that’s a quality both my brother and I share).

Our wedding wasn’t just a celebration of our love for each other, but a celebration of family, of coming together as one, and of a deeper connection than anyone else could understand.

•Kilts•

My Poppa, Peter Roy, immigrated to Canada from Scotland when he was only 17 years old.

Poppa has influenced my life in many ways, but the one thing that always sticks out in my mind was the way he dressed.  Normally in black sweats and a white sweater, or black slacks and a white shirt….but what I always loved the most about his wardrobe was his Kilt. Poppa didn’t own a suit…if any formal function occurred he always wore his Kilt.  It made him look so surreal…no one I knew as a kid wore a Kilt. It was SO cool! ….and common, he looked totally badass!

Poppa stood tall and proud when he wore his Kilt, and he made me proud too.

Poppa passed away in September of 2004.  His death was, and still is the hardest thing I’ve had to overcome.  It’s been 5 years, and I’m still trying to come to terms with it…it still breaks my heart.

The fact that Chris wore my Poppa red Robertson Kilt on our wedding day meant more to my and my family than you could possibly understand.  My Scottish heritage is very important to me because of my Poppa, and because of how tall and proud he stood when wearing his Kilt.

Seeing Chris in that Kilt made me more proud than I have ever been before.
…and I know Poppa would have been proud of him too.

•Poems•

On top of being damn good lookin’ in a kilt, Poppa was also a great writer of poetry.  A great fan of Robert Burns, Poppa wrote poems for every occasion.  I don’t think my Nana ever once received a card from my Poppa.  He always wrote her poems instead.

I love reading Poppa’s poems.  They are beautiful, funny, heartfelt and insightful.  I’ve learned a lot about my family, most importantly about my Poppa, by reading his poetry.

When I was born my Poppa wrote poems for me.  One of which my Uncle Neil read at my wedding reception….if you were there, you know the one.  That poem always has, and always will make me feel so important.  I read it any chance I get…although every time I do, I bawl my eyes out.

Unfortunately as time went on Poppa was in and out of hospitals more frequently, and he wrote less and less.  During one of his hospital stays (when I was just a kid) I decided to write him a poem…in hopes of coaxing him out of the hospital bed and into his own at home.  Home didn’t seem as scary.

I can’t remember all of the verses, but I do remember this…somewhere in that poem I wrote that I wanted him to be there on my wedding day…watching me walk down the aisle (I think at a church just by the bay…or something equally silly. lol I was just a wee one! I needed a rhyming word for ‘day’)…  Even though I was just a kid, I meant what I said….not the church by the bay part, but the being there on my wedding day part.  I knew then that he was slipping away from us, and I was horrified to think that he might not be there on my big day.

Poppa may have passed away 5 years ago, but I know he was there with us on Saturday.

I know he was.

•Namesakes•

Lawrence Mannell is my Grandfather.  Most affectionately known as Laurie.

I, obviously, was named after him.

My dad was the youngest of 5 children for Grammy & Grandpa. By the time I was born, Grandpa was already into his 70’s.  He was much quieter than Poppa (but then again, who isn’t!?), and he kept to himself alot more….but Grandpa was always there.  Behind a newspaper, watching his Soap Operas (loud enough for the neighbourhood to hear lol) or helping us finish our Light Brite.

I always remember Grandpa being the strong, quiet (but definitely not silent) type…but hot damn! If you got his talking politics or trains that man would talk your ears off!

Grandpa was a man of strong conviction, and he stood up for what he believed was right…right for his family, right for his city, right for himself.

Grandpa passed away December 26, 2008.  He would have turned 94 years old that coming March.

The name Laurie [Lori] comes with great power & significance to me.
I am overly proud and honoured to be named after my Grandfather.
I can only hope to be even half the person he was.

•Important Dates•

On July 25, 1939 my Grammy & Grandpa were saying their vows to each other.

On July 25, 2009 Chris & I were saying our vows to each other.

It would have been Grammy & Grandpa’s 70th wedding anniversary.

We didn’t plan to have our wedding on the same day….Our anniversary was July 22, we simply picked the closest saturday to that date.  It was my dad who reminded me when I told him.

Grammy & Grandpa were only a year or so younger than we are now, when they got married. 70 Years!  Most marriages nowadays are lucky to last 1 year.

Grammy (91 years young) got up to speak at our wedding reception, and her words of wisdom for lasting 70 years were something like this: “Never stop talking to each other….even if you have to talk loudly.”

Hopefully Chris & I can do Grammy & Grandpa proud.

We’re now at a condo in Wasaga Beach for our honeymoon…we planned to come here because a friend of the family offered us this condo as a wedding gift.  When we told Grammy that this was our honeymoon plan she told us that after her wedding, her and Grandpa got on a bus and drove to Wasaga Beach for their honeymoon.

Until that moment I had never known their honeymoon destination….now all I know is that with a start to our wedding that matches Grammy & Grandpa’s, Chris and I are bound for success.  If it worked for them, it surely must work for us too! lol

Before we left on our journey up north Grammy gave my dad some of my Grandfather’s ashes to give to us.  She asked if we could please scatter them into Georgian Bay, so that Grandpa could share our honeymoon with us, and forever remember his own.  I have never been more honoured.

Here’s to 3 of the most important men in my life, My Poppa, my Grandpa & my Husband!
Because of you 3 I am a better person, and I love you all very, very much.

Poppa & Grandpa ❤

Chris & I ❤

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•4 More Days!•

Only four more days left until Chris and I get married.

I’m totally and completely full of butterflies.

I found this old photo of Chris and I from back in 2002-2003 I think.

❤

It feels like we’ve been together forever, but alas, it’s only been 5 years 😛 (as of tomorrow!)
Which is still a milestone for most people.

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•Ten Days•

Today is July 15, 2009….and that means that there is only 10 more days until I am Mrs. Christopher Hobin!  ….weird. lol 🙂

We’ve got our wedding rings….we’ve written our vows…our dresses, suits & ties are all ready to go!  My mom put the girls bouquets, the boys boutonnieres & my big bouquet all together! (we’re using silk flowers due to Chelsea being allergic to life lol, and because I want to keep mine forever!).

I only have one more week of work until i’m off for 2 weeks! THAAANK GOD! I couldn’t be more excited! lol Don’t get me wrong!…I’m SO STOKED for the wedding and honeymoon….but I am ecstatic for time off work!!!! hahaha

I’ve been addicted to the 14 day weather trend since July 25th showed up on it lol
I KNOW the weather can change but i’m SO paranoid that it’s going to rain…i don’t reeeeally care…we DO have a backup plan incase it rains, but it’s just going to be so much easier if it doesn’t.

July 25th! Cloudy, but no rain!?

We’ve also bought our guestbook…aaaand my mom bought Chris something for the honeymoon…it’s lingerie….for me…for Chris… LOL my mom is rediculous.

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•Update of the Century•

It’s been far too long since I’ve written here.  Alot has happened in the past month or so!

Leia is still growing! Getting bigger and bigger every day me thinks. lol
She’s not as big as we thought she’d be…even the vet was surprised the last time we had her in.
Originally they estimated she’d get to be about 50-60lbs. She’s 5 months old now and only 25lbs!  Our vet said she’ll probably get to about 40lbs…45 MAYBE.  YAY small doggie! lol

My sister has a puppy only a couple of days older than Leia, and she’s already 10lbs heavier than her! 

Leia is extraordinarily smart, and full of beans! She loves to run and jump and play and jump and run and play and chase and jump and run hahaha but she knows when its time to chill out and take a nap lol
Her only ‘working issue’ is our walks.  Sometimes she’s absolutely PERFECT!…aaand other times she just pulls and pulls. its very frustrating.  We’ve tried using the Halti, and she absolutely despises it.  She’ll wear it for a couple of minutes, but the second she pulls (or tries to pull) she freaks out and wiggles out of the damn thing. Then we KNOW we’re out for a terrible walk.  She’ll continue to pull and jerk and run and wiggle until we get her upstairs.    We’ve found its easier to just train her without it.  Occasionally we have a bad walk…but its still not as bad as attempting the Halti.

Wedding plans are coming along EXTREMELY well!  We have our reception all taken care of!  Dad has the chairs, archway, aisle runners and linens on order!  I HAVE MY DRESS!!! and all my girls have their dresses too!!  we all look SO amazing!…but me especially! CUZ IT’S MY WEDDING! hahaha  everything, and everyONE looks so good!

I designed my own wedding invites, and am printing them this weekend! Which means i have ALOT of invites to address this weekend! lol  I’m actually taking monday off of work…i need time to find envelopes, address everything, find a bridal tailor, and get my SHOES so i can actually have my dress altered properly!

Chelsea and i are meeting with a florist soon too! We’re going very simple with the flowers. I’m thinking bright & dark red gerbera’s with some baby’s breath…maybe some red roses?  all wrapped in tartan ribbon! (to match my man’s kilt!..and our boys’ ties! eee!!!)

 

ON TOP of all this exciting, fun puppy & wedding stuff, my birthday just past by!  April 19th, i turned 23. lol exciting, i know.  My birthdays have THE worst karma EVER. i don’t remember the last time I had a good birthday, let alone an AMAZING one!  But my dear Christopher went out of his way to make sure this year kicked SERIOUS ass! AND IT DID!!!

He surprised me with a trip to Medieval Times!! I’ve NEVER been before and I’ve wanted to go for sooooo long!! It was SUCH an amazing time! I haven’t had that much fun in a long while 🙂  My brother and his girlfriend Jess came too…it was just so cool! 

Speaking of surprises!!! I got my hair done on my birthday and my hairdresser gave me BANGS! it’s sooo weird but i friggen LOVE IT! I’ve never had bangs before, so i feel like a little kid lol  its awesome though 🙂

AND BANGS!!!

 

...still getting used to them lol

I think that’s about it folks!  I’ll try to update more often, so i don’t have to bombard you with these HUGE posts!….which i doubt anyone will read anyway hahaha

Cheers!!
xoxoxo

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You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? ~March 6th~

You know what really grinds my gears?
People who don’t understand growing up and having expenses.
I moved out with Chris when I was 18 years old…and not only did I move out, I moved to Manitoba.

I learned from an early age that saving money is super important (not that I’ve always saved lol) and paying bills is even MORE important.  I’ve had great jobs and have always put my best foot forward.  I want to do better and work harder so that one day I can provide for my family.

On that note, I am not rich, nor do I have a family thats rich that will support me my whole life (not that i agree with that anyways….).  I pay my own bills…i pay my own rent…I am also putting out alot of my own money for my stag n doe, wedding and reception.

I truely don’t think people understand the time and money that goes in to planning a wedding. It’s blowing my mind, the amount of people coming to me saying “I’m invited to your wedding right?!” or “I can’t wait to get an invite!” or “I better be invited!”  …say it any way you want…if you have to ask you’re probably not invited.  We have to pay for each chair and each meal for ever person that we invite.  My family alone will take up about 50 seats.  Add Chris’ family too, that’s another 10 or so seats….plus only our closest friends and our guest list is now over 75 people!  Our backup wedding ceremony location (we’re being married outdoors, but it comes with a backup indoor space just in case) only holds 72 people at the most.   I know thats not alot of people….but when you’ve got very limited money to begin with, that’s ALOT of money to spend just so people can watch a 20 minute ceremony…

I’m have absolutely no issue with spending my money on this….that’s not what I’m upset about…its the people I barely know…the people I barely ever talk to, who all just ASSUME they’re invited to MY wedding!  It’s my wedding! not a 2001 YMCA Punk Show reunion!

If you ask me if you’re invited, and I say no….don’t take offence.  Don’t get upset. and don’t make ME feel bad about saying no.  I’m CHOOSING to have a small intimate wedding. I’m choosing to only invite my family and my closest of friends.  Even if i wanted to have a huge wedding and invite everyone i know i could never afford it!

Luckily for me, we’re having a small reception in a place that opens to the public in the evening.
Invites will be sent out to people inviting them to the after reception for drinks and celebration.
I still don’t want a million people showing up, but at least it lets me invite some more people to celebrate with us without having to pay any extra!

I’m not being cheap. I’m being smart.

I’d much rather save my money to buy a house….rather than spend it all on one big party.

My wedding means everything in the world to me! But living together in our very own house, a house that we can raise a family in, means more to me than anything else.  I’d give up my whole wedding for a simple city hall “ceremony” if it came down to it.  I don’t care about the people and the party. I just want to be with the love of my life, for the rest of my life.

and if you want to be mad/upset with me for not being invited (or whatever) then go right ahead….that’s probably why you weren’t invited in the first place. 

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For those of my friends and family who are reading this, i send my sincerest apologies if i came off harsh.  You know who you are, and you KNOW you’re invited to my big day!  I’m so excited to have all of my loved ones gathered with us to celebrate our marriage!

And for my close friends who don’t get an invite, i apologize as well.  You are the people that I want to invite more than anything, but due to money we are unable to invite you all.  You WILL be receiving an after-dinner-drinks-&-fun invite though!  We still want you to come and help us celebrate! …we’re just too poor to afford your chairs and dinners hahahaha….but seriously. we love you. please don’t hate us 🙂

Lori is just a stressed, frustrated bride-to-be lol

 

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and that, my friends, is what Grinds My Gears…this week 🙂

Next week on You Know What Really Grinds My Gears:

people who care that I stole the name from Family Guy…its too awesome to not use ❤

AND! People who don’t pick up their dogs poop. sure it’s disgusting, but so is leaving it there for other dogs/people to step in! ew!

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