Ciao Bello at Papa Joes

On Saturday April 25th, PEI Burger Love attempted to break the world record to sell the most freshly cooked burgers in 24 hours. Haig and I debated going, but after spending the day in Nova Scotia and mostly in a car, we looked forward to getting out together in the evening. We picked up our car at my parents house and made our way downtown. We were not really sure where we would go, but I quickly suggested Papa Joes because I remembered it looking appealing. 

Haig goes for the big crazy burgers. I am more simplistic and comfortable with my choices. This burger seemed like a good compromise. We enjoyed our little late night date together. I love going out with Haig. He is the best date ever.   

Papa Joes

CIAO BELLO

"Say Hello to this Beauty & Kiss your Hunger Goodbye."

7 oz. Island Beef

Crispy Fried Onions

2 Year aged White Cheddar

Goat Cheese

Bacon

Sundried & Roma Tomato Chutnet

Housemade Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressed Baby Arugula

toasted Onion Poppy Sead Bun

garnished with a Spicy Pickled Red Onion, Candied Bacon, Gerkin & Dried Roma Tomato

I would love to say Hello to this Burger again. I didn't want to say goodbye. 

Day Trip

I am so happy that Haig and I had the opportunity to go to the Halifax Temple this weekend. We were able to go over with my parents. Haig did the driving because he is such a good man. We were able to be in the Lord's holy house for the first time since we were sealed and married there for time and all eternity in February. The blessings of the temple are so wonderful when we strive to keep the covenants that we have made there. I am so grateful that I could go with my husband and with my parents. I felt peace, joy and happiness during this visit. A couple of sisters from Charlottetown also came and it was so nice to see them in the Temple as well.  

After the temple, we were able to go home to have some lunch with our family. I have missed them so much. They are all well and happy. It was so great to see them, and we will be seeing them soon and for longer periods of time. Lunch was great and then we made a quick trip to the mall to buy some soaps from Bath and Body Works. We did a little more shopping but I started to get a terrible headache and it was starting to get late in the day. 

On the way home, we stopped at Masstown Market. I have never been before, but my parents usually stop there on their way home from Halifax and other members of the church in Charlottetown like to stop there on the way home from the temple too. It is a cute little stop with great local produce, snacks and lunches. I will be stopping there more often!

we love this month

done!

Last night, I completed my undergraduate degree by writing my one and only exam for this semester which was for my Introduction to Social Work course. The exam took me about 40 minutes which makes the experience so much better. I went into the exam feeling pretty calm, excited and thrilled to be finishing my degree. I am still very unsure of what will come next and where I would like to see myself working in the future. I am unsure of how to apply my degree into my desired field of work, but I am not in a rush. I have full-time work now and some other opportunities on the horizon, so for now I am happy to be finished my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Prince Edward Island!

sunday: our one day

Sunday has been such a wonderful day in the week for us. We have both grown up in homes where we keep Sunday a holy day and participate in activities that are wholesome and uplifting to go along with our worship at our church meeting in the morning to early afternoon.

This Sunday was really great because first of all, we love going to church. We still like to sit with my family, and I don't think that will change anytime soon, but sometimes Kayla gets a little too giddy after not seeing me for so long so it's hard not to talk to her about things that are going on and then we get a little too distracted. It is so nice to sit in between my two best friends though and sing hymns, listen to talks and receive promptings and revelations. Haig teaches the youth Sunday school class and then goes to Priesthood and I go to my Sunday school class and Relief Society. We like to sneak hugs and kisses in the hallway and I am sure there are some people who are sick of seeing it  now, that's too bad for them.

We had some exciting things happen this Sunday that made us pretty happy. One thing was we found out our little sister Rachel is officially engaged. I left Relief Society to FaceTime her because I was just so excited to see her face. It is very wonderful to be a newly engaged woman! I should know because I still feel like it was just yesterday that Haig proposed! We are both very happy and excited for Rachel and what is in store for her and her fiancee.

We went to a potluck in the afternoon for some friends who were visiting. It was also nice to visit with members that we are close to in the ward and build friendships in the gospel. After that, we went to my house for some more food (we were so full by the time we got home), and also to spend some time with the sister missionaries. We talked about how we can be everyday missionaries and how we may find ourselves in unlikely circumstances to share the gospel.

We really do love Sundays. We love the gospel. We know it is true. We love spending time with our friends and family and we love keeping the Sabbath Day Holy.

last day of classes

Today, I had my last two classes at the University of Prince Edward Island.

I think it is a little crazy to see how fast time went by. I don't really know how else to put it, but it sounds like a cliche. I really do feel like I was just started my degree yesterday. There was a lot of fun times, and a lot of difficult times too. I had many friends to help me out along the way and I also was able to meet so many new and great people in my classes.

I wouldn't change anything. Even though I am still not in my ideal job or profession, I loved having the flexibility that my degree in Sociology offered me. I was able to take a wide range of courses, including business and leadership courses. I would say one thing I really learned during university was good time management skills. I always had my work done on time and I take a lot of pride in that. I would say the other thing I learned would be to splurge on a good back pack at the beginning of your degree. I did, and I won't ever regret that!  

Peace out UPEI, it's been a blast. 

I looked cute on Sunday

I was pretty impressed with my church outfit this week. I quickly put it together because Haig had already left for choir and he was going to come back and get me as soon as it was over, so I had to be ready! I have not worn this shirt in quite some time, but I felt like I had nothing to wear with it. This skirt has been in my closet for ages, it still had the tags on it. I don't know why I have never worn it before. It was super comfy and I felt fun and cute all morning long. It sure felt like spring with this vibrant outfit on!

One of my favorite purchases from the weekend was scrapbook paper from Michaels. I will use it to decorate for our wedding reception that is coming up very soon. Starting work this week will also make time fly by even faster!

Dubtastic at Olde Dublin Pub

On Friday night, Haig and I had what might be our first dinner date since he got home from serving his mission! Crazy right. The months have just flown by and with a move and marriage, we just haven't had time to go to a nice restaurant and have a meal together. 

But then, April came along and it was time to treat ourselves to a night out together and partake in something that we love; burger love. April is such a glorious month on Prince Edward Island, when thousands of Islanders devour ounces upon ounces of wonderful local Island beef and support our farmers and restaurants. After a tricky debate, we decided that we would go to the Dublin. 

I love the Dublin restaurant. Haig has never been and he liked the atmosphere too, especially watching some golf on the big screen. It was like our waitress read our minds when she asked if we were there for the burger (although I am sure we are not the only ones she could read). April becomes such a lovely month full of burger lovers coming together.  

Olde Dublin Pub 

DUBTASTIC

"THIS BURGER'S A SURE THING! NO 'DUB' ABOUT IT"

7 oz. Island Beef

Candied Maple Bacon

Caramelized Onions with Jalapenos

Chili Gouda

ODP Spinach Dip

Romaine Lettuce

Hickory Sticks 

Toasted Cheese Kaiser with Garlic Butter

Deep Fried Risotto Ball & Cherry Tomato Slice

Don't forget to vote for your favorite burger and leave a comment. 

I gave the Dubtastic  a 9/10. It was so cheesy that I want to write it a love song.

our week

Since I started blogging a little more regularly, I have also been more interested in taking pictures of the things I do while I am at home, or at school, running errands or getting ready for work. I think I did pretty good this week. I did some more baking earlier this week. These snickerdoodle muffins were amazing. The great thing about these muffins was that I didn't want to put them in the freezer, so we had to eat them all within about a day. Talk about a sugar rush. 

On our Easter Monday while we were both home, we had a little extra time to make a special dinner. Haig ended up having a nap in the afternoon, so I got to play chef and I made us some waffles and bacon. Our waffle iron is a little sad, but it works and it was only $12. Every waffle was a different shape. They were amazing. We also used strawberries frozen from this past summer. They still taste delicious, but I am craving strawberry season like crazy.

In between heading to campus for my last couple of classes, I have also been hunting for reception decorations and job hunting! I went to value village this week and found two more frames that I really like. I will be using the frames for our wedding pictures. We have a lot of pictures as decorations for the reception, but everyone who knows me knows that I love taking pictures, so it really isn't a surprise. My job hunt was actually crazy this week. I had a job offer from an interview I had a little over a week ago. I had another interview the day after that for a totally different position After going to the interview and hearing some things about this position, I didn't know what to do! On Thursday I accepted the first position that was offered to me. Shortly after I got a call from the organization I currently work for and they offered me a permanent position! So, I took that!  It was a very stressful 24 hours, but I was really grateful for the opportunities that I had been given and having Haig and the spirit with me to guide my decision.

One night Haig and I went up to the church to go to a meeting. When we got there, we found out the meeting was cancelled. We were a little disappointed that we didn't know, but Haig played the piano for a little bit and I found a lot of comfort of being at the chapel and hearing him play and learn some of his favorite hymns. 

Now, the end of the week is upon us. I just finished up some baking. I made our favorite skinny double chocolate muffins and I tried a new cookie recipe. Both are amazing. The table is also covered with some reception projects I want to start working on [anyone want to help?] and also some of Haig's mission stuff that needs to be organized.

It has been a really great week. Now, will I spoil our dinner if I have one more cookie....?

value village wedding dress: part 3

I wanted to get started on the alterations right away, so I began to search for a seamstress in Charlottetown. I didn't have much luck searching the phone book, kijiji and facebook pages. It really sucked. I didn't know what was going to happen if I couldn't get the dress altered. Then, I remember that when I tried on a dress at the wedding place just a couple weeks before, the bridal consultant mentioned that they would have a new seamstress starting soon. So, I called the wedding place and asked if the seamstress would do alterations on a dress that wasn't purchased from there. I was pretty happy and relieved when they said yes. Or I suppose Niki said yes.

I first met with Niki in early November and she started to work on the dress. She was just as surprised as I was with the dress and with the price. Niki is a wonderful and interesting girl. She has a science degree in textiles, like how cool is that. She is kind and she was so nice to work with. I won't go into the details of every appointment, but she altered my dress a lot in the beginning so that it would actually fit me. One time, she had just altered the lace and I had to try it on. Good thing I was wearing a white tank top that day that I pulled down right over my bottom (and nude colored underwear) or else I would have felt pretty awkward! She was totally cool from start to finish. When we needed to add just a little more underlay sleeve in the shoulder she did it with no questions asked. I think we made such a good team because I had ideas about what I wanted, but she also had a vision of how the dress should be transformed for me and it came together so beautifully.

I love what Niki did to my dress. She is so talented....she did all of it by hand!  I will always be greatful for her work.

My mom came with me to most of the appointments, but one time Kayla, Casey and Jocelyn came with me and on my last appointment my Aunt Karen joined mom and I. My Aunt Karen was pretty happy about the dress, but sad that her little niece wasn't going to be so little anymore. She also insisted on buying me a veil. I was not planning on wearing one, but I had dreamed of wearing one. Niki helped us pick out the perfect one for the dress.

myself and Niki on my last fitting

on my wedding day, February 21st 2015

Also, I love my mother so much for paying for the alterations. I will carry on the tradition of paying for my own daughter's wedding dress someday...

value village wedding dress: part 2

When I got home, I did the cheesiest thing any blogger would have done and I recorded my first "vlog". I was pretty excited about the dress and this video describes it best. There are also a couple of things I forgot to talk about in part 1, and our wedding date also changed to February 21st because we just love each other so much we wanted to get married sooner (and it worked out better with my winter break schedule) !

I just love my excitement in this video. I laugh at myself watching it because it was a pretty priceless moment (okay, not exactly priceless but $11.39, who can argue with that?)

value village wedding dress: part 1

I think when it comes to thrift shopping I might have a six sense. I have a feeling that I should visit a thrift store because I know there is something there for me.

Last fall when Haig got home from his mission and we started talking about getting married, one of the first things on my mind was a dress. My dress would need to be modest and have sleeves on it that covered my shoulders. I was very worried about what I was going to do. My mom and I went to a couple of bridal stores right away and looked at some dresses, but of course anything I looked at was going to have to be modified to cover me. I was a little upset but I remained hopeful. By thanksgiving, I had decided that Haig's mother would make my wedding dress and also another special dress for me to wear inside the temple for our marriage ceremony and sealing. We picked out material and patterns for the temple dress because I would need that for my first time going to the temple in December. I knew that eventually we would pick out material for a wedding dress and some how I would find the vintage lace that I had been looking for.

Later on in October, I felt like I needed to go to Value Village to have a look around. It was pretty close to Halloween, and I really wasn't in the mood to go in, but I told myself that I would just avoid the Halloween section. I started to look at some house stuff first, but I was quickly distracted by the thought of going to look at dresses. I started at the end of the aisle with the formal and wedding dresses. Of course, most of them look like they are from the early 90's but I hoped I would find something I liked. There was no luck in the section so I started to walk up the dress aisle to get to the smaller section to look at some more casual dresses. On my walk up I saw something.

It was a beautiful lace wedding dress. I was floored. I had not walked too far, I was in the large section, I moved some of the other dresses out of the way so I could get a better look. It had long lace sleeves and a scoop neckline with beading, sequins and a beautiful scallop bottom. I followed my first instinct and looked around to make sure no one saw how dumb founded I probably looked in that moment. I inspected the dress some more (and also realized that it was probably on the floor for Halloween purposes and accidently got put back in the dress section... ), and then I laid it in the little red push cart. I walked to the dressing room, and I will admit I was a little embarrassed. A girl was working at the dressing room just ignored the fact that I had a wedding dress (again, probably thought it was going to be a Halloween costume), and showed me a room to go into. I was still pretty nervous that someone was going to see my feet and notice that I was trying on a wedding dress, but I did what I had to do.

Once I had the dress on, I was again shocked. It was too big of course, but the dress was gorgeous so I didn't even care. I kept looking at the dress more and more to see if anything was wrong with it. The only thing I could find was some discolor on the neckline in the back, but other than that it was a vintage lace wedding dress. I was amazed that there was no tag on the dress which indicated to me that it was home made. I fell more in love with it at this realization.

Last but not least, I nearly cried when I read the price tag.
The dress was $9.99.

I knew I was going to buy the dress at this point and I was not in the mood to walk around the store with it, so I quickly got dressed and took the dress up to the cash. The cashier's reaction was similar to the girl at the dressing room. At that time of year she was not so shocked to see someone buying an old wedding dress, until I said the words "this is going to be my wedding dress", then she kind of looked at me like I had three heads and we stopped talking. She put the transaction through and I thanked her and made my way out of the store.

I sent the first text to Haig, and then my mom, sister and Casey. While I was driving home I was in shock that I had just bought my wedding dress for $11.39 (taxes). Obviously there was work to be done, but I was none the less excited about the purchase. I tried it on again as soon as I got home.

wife life

As a wife, and home maker I might add, I have currently been liking doing the following things:

baking: Haig's parents got us a Kitchen Aid mixer for our wedding, and it has been put to good use to far! My go-to has really been muffins. I think I have made them about once every week or so since I moved in. My mom's brownie recipe has been one of our favorites too. It is so quick and easy to make in the mixer, and then all I have to do is get it in the pan and into the oven. Eating them is quick and easy too. They are just so delicious, and really great with some chocolate sauce and whip cream!

washing the dishes: mostly because there is less dishes than there has ever been at either of our houses. Sometimes after making a big meal, or an afternoon of baking, I don't like doing them as much. Haig's hands have been dry lately too with the temperatures changing and washing his hands so much at work, so I do like to do them as often as I can, but sometimes he will do them for us too. We make a really great team.

doing school work: whatever school work I do have that is.... With all of the snow days, school has certainly become a pain because sometimes I hardly had any work to do. I am a very organized person however, and in most cases I made some work for myself so I could review material, especially for my stats class! I have three classes left for my undergraduate degree. I am in a little bit of shock about that, so we will leave that topic for now, maybe I'll talk about it some other time...

waking up next to Haig: yeah, it's pretty much just like THE BEST THING EVER.

Pinterest: Okay, so obviously I still love Pinterest, but for SO many more things now that my wedding day is over. Gone are the days of pinning ideas for a dress, hair, make-up, a veil and cute wedding photograhy (although I want to take so many more pictures!). But I do enjoy pinterest so much more now for searching for new recipes (*muffins forever*), ideas for organizing and other pretty little things.

dinner planning: I have been awesome at this. You can ask my husband. I have had a meal planned almost every night since I have moved in. We have had some really yummy dinners. Haig and I both take turns cooking, but it really depends on the meal. I like to make more of the slow cooker and casserole type meals and Haig cooks more of the meat for our other meals. Again, we make a pretty good team and I think we have both put on a couple pounds since we started living together. Luckily, we have a number of ways we can burn those calories...

Obviously, we like to go for walks!
What did you think I was going to say?

Because He Lives

This Easter weekend has been great so far. I am currently waiting for the next session of General Conference to start, that I will watch from home because Haig is getting some rest for his shift over night. It has been so great to hear from the leaders of our church this weekend, and especially on his Easter Sabbath morning. Before the first session of conference this morning, we went to my house for a delicious Easter lunch. Mom worked so hard on all of the dishes and it was well worth it for all of us. She is the best. We all love her so much.

Love.

Our Saviour Jesus Christ died for our sins, because he loves us. He lives, and loves us too. Because of him, we can change for the better and live with God again. Because He lives, we can experience true joy, peace, and comfort. He is here for us, during the good, the bad, the in-between. He lives today.

Because of Him, I can be with this man for time and all Eternity!