#best cake shop in calgary

[the-quotable-alberta-hansard]

December 7, 2021

Mr. Turton: ’Twas a few weeks before Christmas, and all through this House The NDP was stirring; they constantly groused, Their ideas long-failed at their leader’s behest, Visions of capitalism, in which they all detest.

But out of a pandemic came a great swagger. Alberta’s recovery plan was working, which made them much sadder. Jobs and investment were beginning to grow. The deficit plummeted, while revenues goed.

The job-creation tax cut was just a trick; It was more giving than good old Saint Nick. After the NDP’s reign our province was sad. Strong conservative policies made the people glad.

Now the economy reminds us of days gone by, When opportunities soared and oil prices were high. “But this boom is different,” the journalists crow. Our economy is diversified and continues to grow.

From technology to hydrogen, to film and TV, Alberta is as strong and resilient as a good Christmas tree. The NDP winced at all the trucks on our roads Driving to the patch and carrying loads.

Alberta is back. It’s everywhere, you see. Major projects are being announced from Zama to Calgary. Now we should all be cheering for this great land we call home, But the NDP are unhappy about everything, including this poem.

They yell and scream and misrepresent the truth; They’re about as useful as an old wisdom tooth. Their policies failed, and for that they were fired, And now they’re doubling down and asking to be rehired.

But they took no action when they had the chance, Except with Trudeau, a partner they love to dance. The COVID pandemic was a true setback. Now our province is leading the country and on the right track.

And as we continue to depart for a short Christmas break, To spend time with family, drink eggnog, and eat yummy cake, Remember to shop local when you’re out buying your gifts. Alberta has the best entrepreneurs in the world, and they may need a lift.

I look forward to 2022, when our province will soar to new heights. Until then, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

[hockeylvr59]

A Christmas Bride || Cale Makar

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: I mentioned a Christmas wedding..so here’s a Christmas wedding. Shoutout to everyone who helped with details like nicknames, the dress, and everything else and to those ladies who let me use their names for bridesmaids. See ‘tagged/037′ for inspiration post and first dance song. 

Warnings: I honestly don’t think there’s anything here I need to warn you about. 

Word Count: 6,914 (~250 of which is a reading attributed to its author as mentioned)

~~~~~~

Sitting in the passenger seat of the SUV your fiance was driving, you took in the city lights of Calgary as they slowly disappeared into the rearview mirror. It was three days before Christmas and the Avs had just defeated the Flames on the road. Cale’s parents had left you behind to wait for their son, declaring that they would see you at home soon. When Cale appeared from behind the locker room doors, he was all smiles. With his arms wrapped around you, he’d kissed you softly and then asked if you wanted to go for a drive with him. 

“Well, you’re kinda my ride so I guess so…” You’d teased, leaning against Cale’s side as he took your hand and guided you to where the second car his parents had driven was parked. You had no idea where you were going, but you trusted that Cale did and just relaxed, his hand in yours over the center console as he drove, Christmas carols playing on the radio. 

You’d been on the road for about an hour when you saw Cale glancing over at you. 

“Hey sweetheart, do you trust me?” He asked. You made a face because of course you did, but you were confused as to why he was asking. 

“You know I do…” You simply replied. It was only then that Cale released your hand for a moment, opening one of the many small compartments in the vehicle to pull out something which he dropped onto your lap. 

“Put this on for me?” He requested and when you picked up the item you realized it was a blindfold. 

“Cale?” You murmured, even more confused now as to what was going on. 

“Just trust me and put it on okay?” He insisted. “I promise it’ll all make sense soon and that nothing is going to happen to you.” And because you trusted Cale with everything, you complied, pulling the blindfold over your eyes before leaning against the door again. Moments later Cale reached for your hand and you sat in darkness with him rubbing patterns over your palm just softly singing to the carols playing. About eight songs later you felt the vehicle stop and Cale squeezed your hand in his. 

“Go ahead and unbuckle and sit up.” He instructed. “But don’t touch the blindfold. I promise we’re almost there.” He added. You followed his directions as the sound of his car door slammed shut and then a blast of cold air hit you as your door opened. “Alright, sweetheart...come here.” Cale breathed, offering a hand out to help you from the car and onto your feet. Two more car doors slammed before his hand was taking yours again. 

“Alright. Just come with me. I promise I won’t let you trip. Just a short walk and then I swear you can take the blindfold off.” You were beyond confused and anxious, but the feeling of his hand was soothing as he indeed started guiding your steps. It was a little more than a short walk, but that was only a minor point and after three doors, an elevator ride, and just a few minutes, you were finally stopping, Cale’s hand falling to your hip. 

“Can I take this off now?” You pleaded softly and Cale’s chuckle filled your ears before his fingers drifted up to pull it off of your face. 

“Yes, but just look at me.” He teased, his features appearing across your vision in the dim space. 

“Where are we...what the hell is going on Cale?” You inquired next and Cale ran his fingers across the back of his neck before handing you a wrapped box. 

“Open this...it will explain everything,” Cale promised, his hands cupping your cheeks to pull you in for a kiss that you melted into, your brain swimming. “But I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Stealing one more kiss, Cale moved back through the door that was behind him, as you called his name trying to understand. 

Left alone, you panicked and immediately reached for a light switch. When the lights turned on and you turned around you couldn’t help but gasp. In front of you, off to the left was a jacuzzi tub and a few more steps into the room revealed a king-size bed tucked behind a dividing wall to the right. 

Running your fingers through your hair you made your way over to the bed and plopped down. Remembering the box in your other hand that Cale said would explain everything, you looked at it, quickly pulling off the envelope attached to the top. Inside was a letter and you felt yourself holding your breath as you started to read Cale’s familiar handwriting.

Y/N,

I’m pretty sure it was on our first date that I learned just how much you love Christmastime. And it wasn’t long after that before your friends and family were telling me about how you’ve always dreamed of a Christmas wedding. Watching you light up this time of year is one of my favorite things about you. 

I know being with me isn’t always easy, I know what my career has caused you to give up, will cause you to give up in the future. Yet through it all, you’ve stayed right by my side. I can’t express to you how much that means to me. 

When I proposed, I promised to make all of your dreams come true if you’d just let me make you my wife. 

But since that day I’ve watched you struggle. I’ve seen the pressure of supporting me and taking care of our home weigh on you. I’ve seen the tears you cry when the media is critical of my play or when people who have no business in our personal life butt in on social media. And I’ve seen you struggle to pick a date, decide on a venue for our wedding. In order to make things easier on me, you’ve been trying to wrap your head around a summer wedding, even though we both know that’s not what you want. 

So...without me rambling too much...I know you have questions. Likely, where am I and what the hell is going on? 

Where are you? The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta. 

What the hell is going on? Open the box now. 

Tossing the wrapping paper to the floor, you opened the box, pulling out a cotton robe from the tissue paper. Turning it over, you held it up, the words ‘Mrs. Makar’ staring back at you in a forest green script. Under that, in a similar deep red script, was ‘12.23.20’, and suddenly swallowing was a lot harder. Picking the letter up again you continued reading, tears forming quickly and streaming down your cheeks. 

I took note of tonight’s game against Calgary on the road from the moment the schedule was released. And it stayed in the back of my mind until that night at Gabe’s where Mel and Courtney grilled you about wedding planning and you came home and cried yourself to sleep. 

Y/N...it absolutely killed me to know that planning our wedding, one of the happiest days of our lives, was making you so upset. If you’ll recall, the next morning I told you to take a break and that it would all work out. 

That morning, I called my mom and your mom on the way to the rink and told them that I wanted to make this particular dream of yours come true. With both our families on board and a very limited date window I started making some calls and with a name drop or five, some luck, and a LOT of hard work, here we are. 

I suppose I should briefly apologize for my slight manipulation of you with insisting you go dress shopping, come up with your half of the guest list, and taste cakes with me but I hope all of that will be quickly forgiven when you see the results of my efforts. 

I love you Y/N and all I’ve ever wanted was to see you happy because from that first day on UMASS’s campus that’s all you’ve ever made me. 

So relax. Everything is taken care of. You just sit back and enjoy. 

Anxious and extremely excited,

Your soon-to-be husband

P.S. Text your mom when you pull yourself together so she can bring you your bag. 

P.P.S. Shower tonight. Breakfast will be brought at 7:30 with your hair and makeup artists arriving around 8:15. 

Cale was truly the absolute best guy on the planet and it all still felt completely surreal. Just yesterday you were stressing over how you were going to get through Christmas with everyone asking about wedding plans and now..now tomorrow you were actually getting married. 

A quick text to your mom and she was there, wrapping her arms around you after setting your bag on the bed. You hadn’t expected to see her until Cale’s first road trip after the holidays when you had plans to fly home and have a belated Christmas with your family. 

“This is really happening?” You found yourself questioning, still unable to shake the shock you were feeling. 

“Yeah, baby girl.” Your mom assured you. “You found yourself a pretty incredible man who would literally give you the moon if you asked for it.” Once again you were blown away by the weight of Cale’s love and though your eyes still watered, your smile was quickly growing. 

After your mom caught you up to date with a few more details, ones Cale’s letter hadn’t provided, she bid you goodnight and told you that she would be back for breakfast in the morning, urging you to try and get some sleep. 

Keeping in mind Cale’s advice to shower tonight, you quickly but carefully ran through an extensive beauty routine in the shower. Since you were still too anxious to sleep, you only quickly dried your body before moving to the jacuzzi tub. Tucked into the warm water with jets soothing your muscles you texted Cale, unable to help yourself. 

You’re insane and incredible and I love you so much. Also...I can’t wait for you to see the dress. xoxo Your Bride. 

You weren’t expecting a response, so you set your phone aside and just tried to relax knowing that morning was already creeping up on you. Feeling your skin start to prune, you finally climbed out, dried off, and crawled into bed. Though your mind wouldn’t stop racing, you did eventually drift off. 

___

The sound of your alarm going off pulled you from sleep and it took you a moment to remember where you were. Suddenly it hit you that you were getting married today and wave after wave of nerves crashed over you. It was an excited nervous but one that almost left you feeling dizzy all the same. 

Pulling yourself out of bed, you threw on some sweats, just in time for a knock to sound at your door. Moving over to it, you saw that it was your mom and you let her in, hugging her again. 

“Did you get any sleep?” She inquired a warm but nervous smile on her face as well. 

“A little.” You replied. “My mind won’t stop racing though.” You admitted. 

“You’re worried about all of the details…” Your mom mused. “I’m sure Cale’s note already told you this but relax and just enjoy your wedding day baby, Cale has everything under control and he didn’t forget anything. I have never seen a man so detail-oriented regarding his wedding before.” She laughed and it made you giggle as you fell even more in love with him. 

Any further discussion of your nerves was interrupted by the door again and this time it was in fact breakfast. Within minutes of its arrival, your best friends and bridesmaids arrived and wrapped you up in so many hugs, their joy infectious. Catching up with them over breakfast made your heart flutter because it had been too long since you’d seen them. 

“We need to find us men like Cale.” Your college roommate, Rachel, mused a wistful look in her eyes. 

“Good luck with that. He’s kind of one of a kind.” You smiled. “But I mean I can introduce you to his teammates, I think you’d get along well with Andre.” You teased, sending her a wink. 

Breakfast had included mimosas, which was working wonders to take the edge off of your anxiety, causing you to be your usual open and bubbly self. As you finished breakfast your bridesmaids disappeared to grab their own robes to change into as well as to grab their dresses. While they were gone you slipped into your robe as well, your mom already starting to tear up at that sight alone. 

As your bridesmaids returned, dress bags in hand, the hairstylist and makeup artist arrived. They both got to work on your mom, and you turned to your bridesmaids a curious look on your face. 

“So...I know I didn’t pick these dresses. Do I at least get to see them?” You asked. Each of your bridesmaids zipped open the dress bags revealing different style dresses in the same dark forest green color. 

“Cale suggested the color to us and then told us to use our best judgment.” Your childhood best friend, Anne, explained. “We think he was right on point but what do you think?” 

“I think I’m going to have some pretty hot bridesmaids to set up with my hubby’s teammates.” You joked. “I don’t know anything really about this wedding but I’m sure they’ll be perfect.” You added, taking a deep breath to calm the next wave of nerves. 

For the next few hours, you bs’ed with your girls while each, in turn, got their hair and makeup done. At some point, a photographer and a videographer arrived popping in and out of the suite. Before long it was your turn to sit in the chair, and when a mirror was handed to you when they were done, you almost burst into tears at the woman staring back at you, hardly believing that it was yourself. 

“Wow…” You whispered, letting out a shaky breath. 

“Cale isn’t going to know what hit him.” Your best friend from your major, Moni, declared. 

“Yeah...you look smoking hot Y/N.” Rachel agreed. It felt like everything was a blur as you finished eating a quick snack before watching your bridesmaids slip into their dresses. When your mother returned, Cale’s mom was with her, both dressed and ready to go. 

“Oh, sweetheart....you look stunning.” Cale’s mom declared, pulling you into a hug. “He’s gonna lose it. He’s fully admitted he’s sure he’s going to cry.” She laughed. 

“Should we get you dressed?” Your mom inquired and with the photographer and videographer on standby, they helped you into your dress, settling the straps onto your shoulders before zipping you in. It fit like a glove and your friends all gasped, having not seen it before. 

“Y/N…” They murmured, each having tears form in their eyes. 

“You aren’t allowed to cry or I’ll cry.” You chastised, feeling yourself get emotional. This was the day you’d been waiting your entire life for and so many different emotions were swirling through you. Taking a sip of water, you tried to calm your racing heart as you carefully sat on the edge of one of the chairs in the room. Fanning yourself, you saw Laura grab two small boxes, handing them to you with a smile before she took the seat across from you. 

“Cale sent the top one, says it’s your something new and blue. The other is from me and it’s your something borrowed.” Laura explained. Your mom quickly came over with the necklace Cale had given you last Christmas, an eight-sided snowflake so that you would always have a piece of him, or at least his jersey number, with you. 

“Cale suggested this as your something old.” She declared, fastening it around your neck. Opening the box Cale had sent, you couldn’t help but laugh. Inside was a blue and maroon colorado avalanche garter. 

“Oh boy.” You breathed. “Yeah, I guess that works.” Your expression caused everyone else in the room to laugh as you shook your head, working the garter onto your leg. “If this is the only inclusion of the avs besides as guests, I suppose I should be happy.” You teased, dropping your dress back down to hide the garter. Finally, you took the box that Laura had brought and opened it to reveal a diamond tennis bracelet, worn with age. 

“That was my mother’s, she gave it to me when Cale was born, and I plan to give it to you someday.” She expressed. “But I think you should borrow it for today because it just feels right.” Leaning over, you wrapped her in a hug as you thanked her. 

“I hope you know how grateful I am for the man you birthed and raised.” You murmured, trying not to cry. “He is...he is everything I ever could have asked for and I know so much of that is because of you.” 

“Oh honey, you’ve taken the man I raised and made him an even better man. I am so grateful to be able to call you my daughter.” This moment with your mother-in-law was so special and you had to take another sip of water to pull yourself back together. “Now I’m gonna go check on my son because I think it’s time for your dad to come see you. We’ll see you downstairs.” Her words were full of excitement as you hugged her and she squeezed your hands before leaving the room, taking a load full of things belonging to your bridesmaids with her. 

Your grandmother made her way up to the room just before your dad and when she arrived she immediately started crying at how beautiful you look. By the time your dad knocked on the door, you were just trying to keep distracted so you wouldn’t start crying, telling stories about dates with Cale and how you knew he was the one almost right away. You hadn’t expected your dad to cry, but he did get a little emotional as he wrapped you in his arms. With all of these moments captured in photos and videos you knew you would certainly fully cry over them in the future. 

As the clock ticked closer to the ceremony time, you felt more nerves roll over you in waves, slowly becoming overwhelming. Looking at your mom and dad you let out a shaky sob. 

“I...I know Cale doesn’t want to see me before...but I...I need to at least hold his hand for a moment...please?” You requested, now noticing that your hands were shaking. You weren’t getting cold feet, that certainly wasn’t what you were feeling, it was all just so much emotion in such a short amount of time. 

Nodding, your mom reached for her phone and stepped into the hall. After a minute she returned and motioned for you to follow her, your bare feet padding down the hall until you reached an alcove. 

“Cale is on his way up.” She assured you, kissing your head before stepping away to give you some privacy. Nodding, you just focused your breathing until footsteps approached from the hall to your right. 

“Hey, sunshine, what’s up...you’re not getting cold feet on me are you?” The sound of Cale’s voice was music to your ears and you reached a hand out around the corner. 

“No...no cold feet.” You promised. “I just…” You started but paused feeling Cale’s hand lace in yours. “I...I needed this.” 

“Mom says I’m going to lose it when I see you.” Cale breathed. “I’m so excited to finally marry you.” His words in combination with the feeling of his hand around yours, soon had you feeling like yourself again, some of the overwhelming emotions lessening. 

“So I told Rachel I’d set her up with Burky.” You chatted, loving the sound of Cale’s laugh in reaction to your words. 

“I’m sure he’ll have no complaints about that,” Cale replied. “You okay now?” He whispered. “Or do you need a hug because I can just close my eyes.” He offered. 

“I will never turn down a hug from you.” You said smiling. “But I am better now…” You added. 

“Come here then. Quick hug and then scurry along because we’ve got a wedding to get to.” His voice was happy and light as he pulled you around the corner and into his arms, his eyes closed. The hug was quick but settled all of your remaining nerves and when you pulled away you stretched to press a kiss to his rosy cheeks. As you scurried down the hall you noticed the red splotch on his face and called back. 

“Take a rag to your cheek. I love you!” 

Letting yourself back into your room, you noticed that it was basically cleaned out of everything from getting ready. 

“Better?” Your mom asked though it was clearly visible on your face that you were. 

Nodding you moved to slip your heels on, ready to get the show on the road. Now that you had pushed back all of the excess emotions, you were bouncing in excitement and you couldn’t be told fast enough that it was time to head downstairs. When you got there, you were handed a bouquet of red roses and greenery. From the hallway outside the venue, you could hear music playing and you hugged your mom one more time, wiping at her tears before handing her off to Gabe who was escorting her to her seat.

“He’s gonna lose his mind when he sees you Y/N.” Gabe winked. “You look incredibly beautiful.” 

Cale’s mom was being escorted by Matt Calvert and once both mothers had been taken to their seats, it was time for your bridesmaids to make their way down the aisle. Left alone with just your dad you let out a deep breath. 

“Are you ready for this?” He questioned and you immediately nodded your head. 

“I’ve been ready since the moment I met him.” Wrapping your arm around your dad’s, you took one more steadying breath as the music changed. Then the doors opened again and for a split second your mind took in how beautiful the venue was before you turned and were facing a crowd of smiling faces, Cale all the way at the end. Pacing yourself, you walked toward him, his face the only thing you could really focus on. He was crying, just like he’d said he would, and you blinked back tears of your own. When your dad handed you off, you squeezed Cale’s hand, giggling softly when he murmured to the officiant that he needed a moment. 

Once Cale had pulled himself together, you proceeded, his hand now holding yours more firmly as he stared at you with nothing but affection and love. 

“Today we are gathered here to witness and bless the marriage of Y/N and Cale.” You were half-listening and couldn’t help but focus on Cale as he mouthed a ‘wow’  in your direction. 

“Who has the honor to present Y/N to be married?” Your father answered that he and your mother do and hearing his voice you glanced over at him with a reassuring smile. Moni reached over to take your bouquet from you and with two hands free, you held both of Cale’s, smiling up at him. 

“Now close friends and family tell me that this day was only a matter of time from the moment Y/N and Cale bumped into each other on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I’m told that right away both secretly expressed that it was the best first date they’d ever been on and that they could see this relationship being one that lasts.” You could remember your first date like it was yesterday and you remembered even then having never felt like you just clicked with someone the way you did with Cale. 

“Speaking with Cale I can see the amount of love and affection he holds for Y/N. I’m sure most of you are in the loop but Cale is the one that planned this entire thing in order to give Y/N the wedding she always dreamed of but was willing to give up to marry him. His teammates tell me the effort included a lot of time on the phone while on the road and even some missed team dinners.” Some chuckles went up in the crowd from the direction of Cale’s teammates and you smiled because you loved that rowdy bunch so much. 

“And though I haven’t gotten the privilege to speak with Y/N...I can see now in the way she looks at him that all of that love and affection is returned. And while I’m sure that there’s more that could be said about the two people standing in front of me I’m pretty sure they’d both like me to just get on with things.” The whole space filled with laughter and you nodded your head like ‘yeah kinda’ as you continued to smile over at Cale. 

“After speaking with Cale, I searched for a reading that seemed fitting of the relationship with Y/N that he described. In the end, I decided on “Blessing for a Marriage” by James Dillet Freeman.” Your officiant paused before launching into the reading. 

“May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding.

May you always need one another — not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete. The valley does not make the mountain less, but more.

And the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you. May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack.

May you entice one another, but not compel one another. May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another. May you succeed in all-important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces.

May you look for things to praise, often say, “I love you!” and take no notice of small faults. If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back.

May you enter into the mystery that is the awareness of one another’s presence — no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.

May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.”

By the end, the feeling of Cale’s fingers brushing patterns on your palm was all you could focus on. Lost in thought, you just watched him until he started speaking. 

“I love you, Y/N(Full). You are my best friend.” Hearing the sound of his voice, you realized that he was repeating after your officiant one sentence at a time. “Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you and to always hold you in the highest regard. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life.” As he finished, he squeezed your hand and you let out a deep breath. 

Repeating the same vows to Cale you laughed at using his full name ‘Cale Douglas Makar’ and then swallowed down the lump in your throat as you attempted not to cry as you continued. Once you’d shared your vows, your officiant asked for the rings and you watched as Cale’s brother handed them over. 

This time, they started with you and you took Cale’s left hand into yours sliding on his wedding band. 

“With this ring, I thee wed.” You stated confidently. Cale struggled just a bit to slide your ring on and you giggled as he spoke those six life-changing words as well. 

“Well...we’ve made it through the vows, you’ve exchanged rings, so I suppose there’s just one thing left to do.” You officiant declared, causing Cale’s teammates and friends to start hooting and hollering. “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Go ahead and kiss your bride.” Your officiant spoke over the cheers and as soon as he finished, Cale’s arms slipped around your waist and he leaned down to kiss you breathless. 

“It is my honor to present to you, Mr. & Mrs. Cale Makar.” Taking your flowers back you walked back down the aisle with Cale, leaning against his chest as he kissed you once you were back in the hall. 

“So this is what I could have seen earlier if I agreed to a first look huh?” He inquired, spinning you around so that he could take in all angles of the dress. 

“Mmhmm.” You agreed, your arm wrapped around his as you smiled up at him contentedly. “But I’m kind of glad you didn’t.” You admitted. 

“Me too.” He clarified. “But you’re so gorgeous.” He murmured, stealing one more kiss. 

While your guests hit the cocktail hour, you, Cale, your immediate families and the wedding party headed to have photos taken. Your jaw ached from smiling, but every time Cale looked at you, you couldn’t help but feel your smile grow. You were his wife. You were going to get to spend the rest of your life with him. 

Thankfully, as your stomach started to growl, the photographer announced that you were done with photos. You had to make a quick detour with Cale to sign the marriage certificate but after that, you returned to the same ballroom following your bridesmaids and groomsmen inside as once again all of your friends and family went nuts. You settled into your personal table with Cale and immediately reached for the glass of water, taking a long sip. As you waited for food to be brought out, you leaned into your husband’s side, your hand resting on his knee. 

“So how did I do?” He whispered in your ear and for the first time you took a true look around the venue. There was a Christmas tree on either end of the room in front of the large windows and every balcony was strung with lit greenery. The tables were draped with white, red, or green cloth and the centerpieces were either red roses or poinsettias. It was absolutely beautiful and screamed Christmas. 

“I’d say this is probably the equivalent of scoring a hattrick.” You replied, pressing a kiss to his jaw. Cale kissed your head in return and the two of you sat watching as your friends and family mingled as food started to come out of the kitchens. Sipping at your wine, you devoured the delicious food quickly, more hungry than you had realized. When your plate was empty you watched as Cale picked his up and used his fork to transfer his mashed potatoes to your plate. 

“I had a heavy breakfast and lunch.” He insisted between bites. “Go ahead I know you’re still hungry.” Nodding, you quickly finished off the additional food your husband had provided you before snuggling back into his side to digest. Now that they had noticed you were finished eating, Cale’s teammates, particularly Gabe and EJ, got obnoxious with the glass taps trying to get you to kiss. You complied the first half dozen times but then just rolled your eyes and glared, enjoying just being tucked into your husband’s side. 

After Cale’s brother gave a speech, your three bridesmaids tag-teamed one, and soon it was time for the first dance. Cale took your hand and led you onto the dance floor as Sam Smith’s version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas began to play. 

“Now you’re just outdoing yourself.” You whispered pecking Cale’s lips as he swayed you back and forth. This...this was everything you had ever dreamed of right here. “And I don’t think I’ve mentioned it but you look very very sexy today.” Almost immediately, Cale’s cheeks took on a deep flush and you giggled running your hands down his chest. “I love how easily I affect you.” You grinned, squealing softly as he dipped you as the song came to a close. 

“You’re a brat.” He mumbled, kissing you again gently before handing you off to your father for the father-daughter dance. Wrapped in your daddy’s arms he asked about you being happy and you couldn’t help it when your smile grew even wider. 

“I’m so so happy.” You assured him. “You know Cale has always been good to me, good for me.” He nodded, agreeing that he knew that but wanting to make sure you knew that you were always his little girl. As you turned slightly, you saw Gabe dancing with Linnea by their table and immediately your brain dashed to the idea of Cale dancing with your daughter someday. You were both young and not ready for kids just yet but sometime in the semi-distant future, you were certain he’d be an amazing dad. Kissing your dad’s cheek as the song ended, you watched Cale drag his mom onto the floor for their dance. While he danced, you stopped to hug your mom before making your way over to Gabe, Mel, and Linnea.  

Immediately Linnea reached for you and though Mel tried to discourage her, you eagerly reached for the toddler. 

“She’s fine Mel.” You insisted. “Thanks for sticking around in town to be here today.” You were sure this was only the first of many times that that phrase would leave your mouth in the next few hours. 

“Like we would have missed it. Cale has been talking about it non-stop for months. We all wanted to see what he was able to pull off.” Gabe smirked. 

“Eh, just his bride’s dream wedding..no big deal.” You declared grinning. 

“Plus now we can all chirp him for months for crying when he saw you,” Gabe added and immediately Mel smacked his head as the two of you in unison responded. 

“No, you will not, Gabriel Landeskog.” Gabe threw his hands up in defense and chuckled softly. The DJ announced that this next dance would start with just the wedding party, then family could join in and by the end everyone else and you bounced Linnea on your hip, looking to where Cale was already working to get Z’s daughter to dance with him. 

“I’m stealing your daughter, you can have her back at the end of this song.” You announced, cooing at Linnea who was enamored with you. Making your way onto the dance floor, you rocked Linnea around, making her laugh. Cale was doing the same with Sophie and when the two of you met up in the middle of the floor you smiled at each other, your shared look communicating the same thing. Someday.

The next few hours were a blur of mingling and dancing, though you certainly did more of the latter while Cale did the former. There were moments that stood out in your head though. First, you remembered how hard you laughed when you introduced Rachel to Andre and saw the expression on his face. You’d threatened him not to break her heart and while you weren’t certain it would be a long term thing, it certainly seemed like they would both at least have a good night tonight. 

Second, you remembered cutting the cake and the rush of heat that ran through you as you licked the icing off of Cale’s fingers as he fed you. You’d both been nice, neither smashing it into the other’s face like Cale’s teammates had been egging you to do all night. Then he’d held you as you shared a full piece making your way from table to table to talk to people that you hadn’t yet. You weren’t so worried about your immediate families, your grandma mentioning that Cale’s family had invited everyone to stay through Christmas to do one big family thing. But teammates, friends, you wanted to make sure you stopped and told each of them how much you appreciated them being here given that it was so close to the holiday. 

Finally, you remembered being pulled onto the dance floor by Matt Calvert. Not only had he and Courtney opened up their home to Cale, but they had also opened it to you, allowing you to spend time with him during a period where everything was changing so quickly that your relationship very easily could have cracked. In addition to that, Courtney had been a lifeline in helping you navigate your way through the life of a better half. 

“You know...when Cale first mentioned you, I had my reservations,” Matt admitted. “But then I met you and I immediately knew it wouldn’t be long before we were standing here. The two of you complement each other so well. I truly don’t think he could have found a better match.” Hugging him, you expressed silently how much those words meant to you. As you continued to dance, you watched Cale with Courtney, his cheeks flushed from alcohol and the day as a whole. To their right, Moni was dancing with Matt Nieto and you giggled to yourself as your eyes went wide. Over by the tables, Josty, who had caught the garter, was chatting up Anne, who had caught your bouquet, making her laugh probably by saying something completely ridiculous because he’d had quite a few drinks today. And though deep down you already knew it, today had proven one thing. You belonged in Cale’s world just as much as he belonged in yours. The two of you just blended seamlessly and it was probably one of the most important reasons as to why it just worked. 

Like your feet had tired hours ago, eventually, the rest of you started to tire as well and you tucked yourself into Cale’s side, leaning against him. 

“Should we make our rounds and say goodnight?” Cale whispered softly in your ear and when you nodded, he started to guide you around the room. Soon, you had said goodnight to pretty much everyone who was left and then Cale grabbed your shoes, walking you up to your suite. 

Popping the door open, Cale lifted you bridal style and carried you over the doorstep, setting you down gently on the bed. 

“Today was perfect, but I’m exhausted.” You breathed, already feeling like you just wanted to melt into the mattress. As much as you wanted to consummate your marriage you just weren’t sure you had the energy. Cale paced around the room for a few minutes and when you finally pulled yourself to sit up, you saw that he had changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and was walking toward you with a makeup wipe in his hand. 

“Let’s just get you ready for bed.” He proclaimed, gently wiping as much of the makeup off of you as he could so that washing your face would be easier. “We have all the time in the world.” He continued. “So let’s just get some sleep and then maybe we can take advantage of that jacuzzi in the morning since checkout isn’t until noon.” 

“I like the sound of that.” You murmured, sitting still as Cale worked to take down your hair so that you could actually sleep on it. When all of that was done he pulled you to your feet, helped you out of your dress, and then into one of his t-shirts. Pulling him close you kissed him, your lips melding together lazily. “I love you. Thanks for everything today.” Your words were muffled against his lips but Cale groaned softly at them all the same. 

“You deserve all of it. I can’t believe you’re my wife.” There was a glint in his eyes that you loved so much and you wrapped your arms around his waist. 

“Believe it buddy...because I fully expect you to make love to me after we get some sleep.” 

“Tomorrow...for the rest of our lives...whatever you want is all yours.” He agreed. 

“How about we start with some cuddles and go from there?” Tucked into Cale’s arms, you felt your body settle and start drifting off to sleep. 

Though you’d received a lot of Christmas presents in life, you were 100% sure that being married to Cale was forever going to be the best Christmas gift you could have ever received. 

[leavittsicecream-blog]

Welcome to LICS - Leavitt's Ice Cream Shop, your top choice for ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbets in Calgary, AB and the encompassing territory. We provide an assortment of flavors, including the classics like Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry or unique flavors like Cheesecake and Black Cherry. We have the ice cream and frozen yogurt that you crave. As a successful ice cream shop, we offer the most quality ice cream and client satisfaction in the Calgary area.

With over 35 years of experience, our ice creamery offers devotion, and passion for ice cream. Also, we can provide a creamy and delicious ice cream cake for your next special occasion or birthday. All you need to do is call or stop by to pick a flavor or a variety of flavors and we will ensure that your birthday ice cream cake is the best you'll ever have!

If it's hot out and you need something to cool down in the heat, stop by LICS - Leavitt's Ice Cream Shop for a delicious ice cream or a low-fat frozen yogurt that is sure to hit the spot!

https://www.calgaryicecream.ca/

[cheesecakecafe-blog1]

Brunch at Edmonton - Cheesecakecafe

Brunch at Edmonton! The Cheesecake Cafe is a local, Alberta-based restaurant. In Edmonton we are conveniently located on 170th Street and we have an exciting bistro dishes, cake bakery, treat, drink and brunch menus.

[cakeboutique]

Eggless cakes Calgary: Get cakes that are free from whatever you do not want!

At Cake Boutique, we focus on all the “free from” and healthy options. We have experience in baking the most delicious and fluffy eggless cakes for all the occasions in our eggless cakes Calgary section, which includes wedding cakes and other personalized cakes. We are renowned in Calgary for our mouthwatering, personalized cakes with fresh cream, icing and everything needed.

  There is always one thing, the absence of which makes all the occasions, especially birthdays incomplete and that is a cake. In fact, eating cakes do not need any occasion. Cakes are just so delicious that everyone devours them anywhere, anytime to satisfy both their taste buds and hunger. As the contemporary world needs, people often get indulged in their personal lives so much that they miss any special or family occasions happening any place else but with cake delivery service, they can be present at the location as well.

  No need to be cake-less just because you want an eggless cake

  At Cake Boutique, you will have more eggless cake choices to choose from as compared to offline or other cake stores. Ordering eggless cakes from us will be effortless. You can book the cake of your choice and just place the order. All this will come with our pledge of proper and feasibly free delivery at the address of the recipient.

  Safe and timely delivery of eggless cake Calgary

In order to make someone’s day special, the cake is the ultimate answer. Now that you have us, Cake Boutique, there is absolutely no need to go out, waste your time in search of eggless cake in Calgary, Alberta. It is all about coming to us, one place with ceaseless cake choices. The effort that you need to put in is only selecting the flavor of the cake, entering the delivery address and placing your cake order.

  Our timely delivery service will make your and your recipient’s day. Leave it up to us, the professionals to ensure on-time delivery. Getting the eggless cake in the first place will itself provide you with immense pleasure, which means you can concentrate on making other arrangements.

  Different types of eggless cakes Calgary

  For different occasions like birthdays, valentine’s day, father’s day, mother’s day, weddings, and much more, we have different types of eggless cakes available. The extensive choice of cakes consists of round, square, heart as well as other shapes that can also be sugar-free on request. At Cake Boutique, you can get your eggless cake customized as per your requirement and cake needs.

  Midnight surprises

  A huge benefit of getting eggless cakes in Calgary from Cake Boutique is that you will be able to cease the opportunity to send the cake to the recipient at midnight. Here, the clock strikes 12, there the doorbell rings. Isn’t that a nice surprise? You will be able to give them your wishes before anyone else, even if you cannot be physically present at the spot. This is one of the best ways to display how valuable they are to you. Such small gestures from you will make it a memorable moment for your special someone.

  Enjoy 100% professionalism and expertise

  One of the chief advantages of Cake Boutique is that we have professionals who know what they are exactly supposed to do to keep the clients happy. We prepare delicious cakes for you all the while ascertaining that they have the best quality, excellent appearance and are delivered safely on time. We maintain 100% professionalism in our services.

  Upside to our online eggless cakes delivery service

  It is surely a cumbersome process to locate the varieties of cakes, especially an eggless one from a nearby shop. You might come across ordinary cakes that consist of frosting blends. However, a wide range of cakes is very scarce to find when compared to our range of cakes.

  The major perk of buying or delivering cakes through us is that you can rejoice in the pulpy and soft sweet cakes with ease instead of preparing it right in your kitchen. We also help people in saving time especially when it comes to great events such as anniversaries and birthdays. Our timely delivery at your or the recipient’s doorstep will wipe out all the barriers and you can also please your guests with delicious and awesome cakes.

  Some of the fresh and top varieties of cakes that are frequently bought from us are:

     Black forest eggless cake

   Eggless pineapple cake

   Eggless butterscotch cake

   Two tier eggless strawberry cake

   Red velvet cheesecake.

At Cake Boutique, you have the right to determine the ingredients using which your cake should be baked. This means that if you do not like eggs then you can get an eggless cake from us. You can even give us your ingredient list so that we can eliminate the nuts or any other ingredients that you do not like or are allergic to.

  Our website contains a different section that is fully dedicated to eggless cakes available in Calgary. You can choose from our wide variety of cakes that belongs to several rate brackets. All you have to do is choose a cake of your choice, specify the address to which it has to be delivered, make the payment and place the order.

  In order to ensure that you get the cake that you want or you are confused about which cake to choose, you can consult with our specialist to determine the right type and kind of cake that will suit your cake ordering needs and requirements.

  The eggless cakes are especially needed for the grandparents, parents and for people who are vegetarians or vegans or who just do not like egg in their cakes, getting eggless cakes in offline mode means placing the order a day or more before but at Cake Boutique, you will not be made to wait because as stated we have a separate section, which means you can just select the flavor and style and we will freshly bake and deliver the cake.

More Information - Cake Boutique

[willow-and-wolf]

Snowy Elopement at Mount Engadine Lodge

Kananaskis Elopement Photographers

Aliya & Nadim

Snowy Elopement at Mount Engadine Lodge

Photographing this spontaneous snowy elopement at Mount Engadine Lodge was such a joy! Aliya and Nadim got in contact with us the week before their day with their last-minute plan to elope in the mountains. We were so excited to make it happen!

These two fun adventurous souls live in Toronto but grew up in Alberta and were home for the winter visiting family. After postponing many times they decided why not get married at home with their family and friends around to celebrate with them! A few days before they had a traditional ceremony in Aliya’s family backyard and then decided to celebrate with an adventure elopement day at Mount Engadine Lodge a few days later. They invited a few of their closest friends out and spent the afternoon making the most of the Spring weather in the mountains. We experienced snow, rain, sun, wind, you name it!

From Snow to Sun and an Incredible Sunset in the Mountains

We watched the wild weather blow through for their ceremony on the picturesque balcony overlooking the mountains. Their friends all took turns in saying a few words which celebrated the beautiful relationship they had built so far. After their ‘I do’s’ and ring exchanges we all wandered down the snowy path to take some fun portraits. The amazing staff at the lodge then built us an outdoor fire and we all toasted to the couple and enjoyed an incredible three course picnic lunch by The Kinetic. The sun came out for us and it was a beautiful afternoon filled with socially distanced laughter and delicious cake!

Their friends then made the drive back to Calgary and we hopped in our cars for a little road trip to get some sunset portraits. As the changing weather drifted through the valley we witnessed the most amazing light in the mountains. It’s always such a beautiful experience right after a storm when everything calms down. We feel so lucky to have created these memories for Aliya and Nadim and we hope you enjoy looking through the images from their intimate day.

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Vendors

Venue: Mount Engadine Lodge Officiant: Cole Hofstra Photographers: Willow and Wolf Aliya’s rings: Katie Boyle Shop Nadim’s ring: Leif Benner Goldsmith Nadim’s Suit: Elliot Falovitch Catering: The Kinetic YYC Cakes: Arin Heibert Cakes

  Want to know more about how to elope in Banff National Park?

Check out our other resources to help you start planning your elopement in Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise, Yoho and Jasper!

How to Plan an Elopement in 10 Easy Steps

How to Elope in Banff National Park – 5 Planning Tips

How to Choose the Best Elopement Location in the Canadian Rocky Mountains

Best Time of Year to Get Married in Banff National Park

How to Make an Elopement Day Timeline

Adventure Elopement Packing Guide

Learn More About the Steps to Book Your Banff Elopement Photographers

Snowy Elopement at Mount Engadine Lodge was originally published on Willow and Wolf Banff Elopement Photographers

[evstenroos]

The Valentine's Day Edit❤️

From the archive: February 3rd, 2021

GIFTS FOR YOUR VALENTINE: READY-MADE AND CUSTOMIZABLE OPTIONS THEY’LL LOVE

Diamond Heart Necklace, starting at $1,045

Nothing shows your love quite like a literal heart for her to wear around her neck. Made from your choice of 14K rose gold, yellow gold or white gold.

Diamond Initial Necklace, starting at $650

A truly classic piece that every woman has to own at some point in her life. Choose her own initial, or perhaps, the initial of someone important in her life.

Nameplate Necklace, starting at $250

Another timeless piece that anyone's sure to love, with up to 8 letters for a name or word of choice. Available in various fonts, different colours of gold, gold-plated or sterling silver.

Cursive Diamond Initial Necklace, starting at $460

If she prefers something a bit more feminine than the previous initial necklace shown, this might be the one for her. Available in 14K white gold, rose gold, yellow gold and sterling silver.

Family Birthstone Pendant, starting from $300

What could be more personal than a customized pendant with birthstones that she can hold close forever? Whether you wish to include her and your birthstones, or the entire family's, this is ultimate thoughtful gift.

Roman Numeral Date Collar Stay, starting at $285

This one is perfect for the man in your life! Available in sterling silver, gold and gold-plated to find one that best suits him and his style.

Please be advised that customizable jewellery, even though from our 'ready-made' collection, can take up to 2 weeks to complete in the specific metal/price-point, and/or with gems and diamonds, you desire.

Shop the full EVStenroos Jewellers Showcase HERE

OTHER THINGS WE LOVE: ELLINOR’S TOP PICKS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

For our sweet-tooth KAKES & KANVAS is the perfect to-go-to! 

Kalia is a delightful fellow local female entrepreneur that continues to spread delicious sweetness in form of cakes, cupcakes, chocolate bites, around Calgary. We've crossed paths at networking events, weddings and birthday celebrations and fallen in love with her baked goods and treats. Kalia's chocolate bombs were part of the recent 'bling'-care package giveaway we held on Instagram, and we're hooked! Because who can say no to a marshmallow chocolate bomb painted in gold, for their coffee!?

Looking for a meaningful gift for someone you love? Why not hire a professional lifestyle (and wedding) photographer to capture you and your person, your loved ones, your family, pets, on photo? Photographs are a beautiful gift that captures your love and energy, and something you can enjoy looking at forever, not just a moment, day or week. Book a photography session with the talented photographer and wonderful human being that is Christy D Swanberg as a unique gift alternative to jewellery, chocolates and flowers - although, we say: why not go for them all?! The photography sessions with Christy can be safely executed outdoors, on a distance.

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day -or 'Friendship Day' as it is called in Finland and Scandinavia, where Ellinor is from- flowers are always a good idea, no matter the day, or the occasion. Through our involvement in the wedding industry community in Calgary we've had the great fortune to work alongside Creative Edge flowers on several occasions. We're always impressed with their quality, creativity and service. If you sneak in your flower order now you can secure some gorgeous blooms to brighten your own, or someone else's day and week, ahead of Valentine's Day. Nothing adds warmth and some sunshine to a room like a beautiful bouquet of flowers, especially in the midst of this wintery cold-spell we're currently in!

And when you've had all your chocolates and special occasion meals that you desire, but wanting to feel better, stronger and healthier in your body, check out Tia of LiveFreeFitness for personal strength and fitness training and nutrition plans. We've been loving the online morning workouts from home, in place of in-person training, since June, and continuing to show up to them on Google Meet, until it's safe to return to the private fitness studio at the gym Tia trains her clients out of: Kings Fitness. (Ellinor's notes: I work out to help offset my immense love for good food and wine, but also to have something of a routine in the fluid work-schedule that is entrepreneurship, and blur of a timeline that is 2020/2021).

STAY TUNED...

Keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for some exciting announcements in regards to the launch of our brand new website! We can't wait to share what we've been working on - so much so, that to celebrate the official launch we will be giving away something extra special to one lucky winner. But you'll have to wait just a bit longer (such a tease)! Be sure to follow EVStenroos on our social channels so you don't miss out on this exciting opportunity coming soon.

[shrinkingwmn]

A cat in a booster seat.

A playboy bunny image made out of snow.

A lot of Tim Hortons.

A carnival in transport.

A couple stops at Peter’s Drive In.

A best friend’s wedding.

And of course…food. Lots and lots of yummy food.

Those are but a glimpse of what made up my little May vacation.

I drove one province over to attend, and take part in!, my best friend’s wedding. I say “I” but it was really “we” since I go nowhere without the cat. He spent his 13 hours in a booster seat designed for dogs (don’t tell him that!) because there is a serious lack of travel items designed for cats.

Silent protest – something he is very very good at!

Sidenote: if anybody has start up money and wants to invest, I have some great ideas for a range of products to make travelling with your cat easier, lol.

Back to the trip!

On the way there we saw pieces of a carnival being transported who knows where, a muffin disaster at a Tim Hortons in Golden BC, a Playboy Bunny logo made out of snow on a mountain, oh, and there were a couple escape attempts by the cat when silent protest was deemed too calm of a way to show his displeasure.

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I have been trying oh so hard for six months or so to not screw up so I would be able to fit in my bridesmaids dress and yay me, I fit! I did however get so caught up in the day I forgot to get a full length picture of me in the dress, sigh. So the best you’re gonna get is this selfie…

Gratuitous selfie.

I’m not going to share pics of the wedding, because well, that would be a lot of people to track down to ask if they are ok with their pics going on this blog and ain’t nobody got time for that! 😉 Rest assured, it was beautiful. It was an outdoor ceremony at a mansion, pictures were done on location and also in an area with a great city view as the background. The reception was in a hall that I and others helped decorate the day prior. I gotta say, my friend is quite the savvy shopper. She got the place looking exactly how she wanted without breaking the bank.

Instead of a wedding cake there were doughnuts from some fancy bakery. Brilliant idea if you ask me!

I didn’t actually get to eat my doughnut, *pout*, as a drunk groomsman took it out of my hand as I was about to take a bite and ate it. Ate my doughnut. The doughnut that belonged to a lady who’d be dieting for 6 months. I’m impressed I didn’t jump him like a crazed animal.

Instead I ate a slice of pizza, that was second dinner, and oh my god was it goooood! Handmade crust by the caterer that was hired, seriously best crust I’ve ever had. I ended up eating a couple bites from three different slices, which makes me sound like a jerk but it is actually that the servers were just too darn efficient.

See, I had a slice, took one bite, someone was all “you’ve got to come dance!”, so I put the pizza down (on a plate I mean), went and danced, and when I came back it was gone. So like any normal person I used this as an opportunity to try a different kind of pizza, grabbed a new slice, took a bite, and basically the same thing happened, except I think it was me that was all “I love this song, I must dance!”, and yeah, when I got back the rest of my slice was gone. Not to be thwarted I grabbed a third slice, ate the crust first (the crust is the best part and I’d not managed to eat any of it yet lol), had a couple bites of the part of the slice that had toppings, and then threw it out so I could go dance.

Have you figured out yet that I like to dance? 😉

I decided in total that equals to me eating one full slice, right?

I spent the day after the wedding wanting to die lol Hung over and sun stroked, my poor body was having none of it and I basically slept the day away on my parent’s couch. Aren’t I such a stellar example of being a grown-up! lol

Once I was feeling better things were pretty normal for one of my trips there. Visited with friends. Did some shopping. Chilled with the parents.

Granted, there was the day where a slice of cheesecake was both my breakfast and lunch which was pretty awesome…

From the Spinelli Italian Centre Shop. Go there. It’s worth it!

But ya know, other than cheesecake overload things were pretty normal.

The return trip was fairly uneventful. The cat and I finished our audio book, he didn’t seem at all surprised by the ending. 😉 We got a milkshake at Peter’s Drive In, which if you are ever in the vicinity of Calgary AB you must must must go to Peter’s.

Best. Milkshakes. Ever.

And no, I didn’t get a picture, I was too busy driving and drinking the milkshake to take one. 😛

We got home super late, I took care of essentials – like putting the milk and wine in the fridge and having a shower, then we crawled in to bed where we both slept the way only travel weary people and cats can. I woke up briefly around 10 am (we went to bed at 4am so no judging!), looked at the time, said “nope”, rolled back over and went back to sleep. The cat didn’t even bother to wake up, he just stayed asleep until I got up at 3pm. Neither of us care for the whole waking up part of our day, we are well matched like that lol 😛

We wake up under protest, daily.

There ya have it! Our little road trip sadly is over, but we have memories and pictures, and a little more body fat, to remind us of all the fun we had. We are both back to routine, me with my two jobs and dragon boat practices, he with all his cat chores. The only big thing that is a constant reminder of the trip is the suitcase I still haven’t put away but I’m determined to do that tomorrow!…says the woman who has been putting it off for 6 days…ah well, it’ll get done eventually! 🙂

The May Vacation A cat in a booster seat. A playboy bunny image made out of snow. A lot of Tim Hortons.

[girlboss-gollum]

Pie Junkie Review

The idea of opening a quaint little downtown pie shop with one’s best friend sounds like a cottage-core daydream, but for the owners of Pie Junkie, Nancy Goemans and Jo-Anne Caza, it’s their reality. Running a pie shop social-distancing style certainly hasn’t been a cake walk, but they’ve been continuing the lord’s work in offering their flaky, homey pies for take out and delivery.

Pie Junkie started five years ago and has now expanded into three branches in Calgary. They do their best to source local sustainable materials and also work with a nonprofit delivery service that supports adults with disabilities. Gluten-free pies can be ordered given 24 hour notice.

So how about the pies? They offers both sweet and savoury options, with seasonal changes. Summer saw a flurry of tart key limes, subtle florals and bright berries. With the fall season approaching, they’re easing into their autumn classics; apple, pumpkin, salted honey, and maple pecan- to name a few. The savoury pie menu stays static, but will include a few Thanksgiving/Christmas favourites. Standard pies go for $28 and mini ones for around $8. The size mini personal pies is a sufficient meal for one and a tasty snack if split between two. Though to be honest, after my first bite of the chicken pot pie, I was much less content to share.

The crusts at Pie Junkie take centre stage. They are golden and buttery and slightly moist on the insides. The crust on the mini apple pie had a braided edge and a doughy cut-out letter “A”, which evokes childhood rhymes of “patty cake”. The apple was slightly too tart and the stingy coat of caramel wasn’t doing it any favours. The salted honey mini pie was less of a gamble. It tasted like if a creme brûlée had a modest and rustic cousin. The blueberry pie was nice and predictable, though I’d argue that if you’re going to spend eight dollars on a pie, one should be up for a little more pizzazz. 

As for savoury pies, the butter chicken gets first prize. Think one’s favourite Indian takeout, replacing the garlic naan with a croissant, in the best way possible. Both the chicken pot pie and the steak mushroom pie, classics in and of themselves, had a strange crust situation. The very outer coat was jarring crunchy, to the point where one couldn’t hear their dinner guest over their own cacophonous crunches. It was not unlike a day old 7-Eleven taquito left under a heat lamp. The filling for the chicken pot pie could have done with more salt; the steak and mushroom could have done with less.

In these weird, disagreeable, socially distanced times, the atmosphere of each dining experience is perpetually different. Though the pies have the option of coming in warm, it’s advised to have a microwave on stand-by, as delivery does cool everything to flaccid room temperature. Cutlery and napkins are not included, if not asked, so do plan ahead.

It’s wonderfully heart-warming and wholesome to support locally owned shops. We can only hope that one day we can gather together, back at the pie bar on Mahogany street, and critique artisanal crust quality together. Until then.

[flowergallery]

Consider These Four Points When Choosing Your Bridal Bouquet

Are you getting married in a few months? If yes, the preparations would be in full swing. Choosing the right venue, deciding on the perfect menu, finding the caterer, choosing the right wedding cake, and so many things to choose and decide on. Although we don’t want to add anything to your list of preparation, there is one more thing you must think about carefully. And it is your bridal bouquet from the best florist Calgary! Yes, that’s right! A bridal bouquet is one of those things you will hold only once in your life. And you want that to be perfect. Now don’t panic! We have got certain points down in this article that will help you choose the right bridal bouquet for your wedding. ● Make sure to choose your wedding dress before you choose your bridal bouquet. This is important because then you can choose flowers that will match the style and color of your wedding dress. ● Try to make it personal. Choose flowers that have a significant meaning to your life. Like you can pick flowers that your fiancée gave you on your first date. ● It would be wise to choose flowers that are available in the season. Some flowers are not available in the season and might be expensive. Choosing in-season flowers will reduce your expense. ● Choose a flower bouquet that is comfortable to hold for the day. Remember you have to hold it for the whole day, so be careful before finalizing your choice. Now that you know the most important points for choosing a bridal bouquet, the next thing is to know about the finest flower delivery Calgary Alberta and Flower Gallery has got you covered. Flower Gallery is one of the finest flower shops in Calgary that offers the largest range of flowers and bouquet arrangements that will suit the occasion. Whether you are looking for a flower arrangement for your wedding, bridal bouquet, birthday, graduation ceremony, or other such happy occasions, this flower shop has got you covered. The shop has the finest team of florists who will be glad to make a flower arrangement based on your requirement. You can either visit their stand-in shop or online shop. So, place your order with Flower Gallery now. About Flower Gallery: Flower Gallery is a prominent flower shop that has the best team of florists in Calgary Alberta who will create beautiful flower arrangements. For more information, visit Flowergallery.ca Original Source: https://bit.ly/3mmwyTG

[cheesecakecafe-blog1]

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Some tips for baking the best cakes

The Cheesecake Cafe is the best cake shop with an eclectic and extensive menu, in-house bakery, bistro and full bar in Edmonton, Calgary & Medicine hat. The Cheese Cake Cafe is the best restaurant, bar & bakery shop in Edmonton, Calgary and Medicine Hat @

[youreghanamissme]

Carol Getting Married, Or Coming to America

8/14/17

My trip to America in a nutshell: Holly (the cat) hops onto my lap as I sit on the porcelain throne, scrolling through my Facebook news feed.

It's recommended that y'all put Calvin Harris' Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 in the background while reading forward. That album has been giving me life the past month and is somehow emblematic of this post.

Mona and I at Target. Initially, we tried the headbands on ironically, but then we kept wearing them around Target as we looked at stuff we didn’t need. When we got to the register, we bought them for their sentimental value. 

Adhering to the better judgment and insistence of a trusted friend, I took half an Imodium (anti-diarrheal pill) before my 14-hour journey from Tamale to Accra, and booooy was that rough but so, so necessary. I had been running (Ghana speak for recurrent diarrhea) for a week prior. Being a kitty-corner from a toilet/latrine was not just necessary; it was equal parts redemption and self-preservation. And while that plug kept my pride intact on the bus, it nearly made me want to commit seppuku. Accra was the same as usual: foreign to me (as a northerner), expensive, and awkward. Highlight of being in Accra two days before my flight: I got my (seven) cavities taken care of. Lowlight: half of those fillings chipped away or fell out entirely in America. Oh, Ghana.

My flight to Paris was an adventurous one. Without going into too many details, I sort of held up the flight. But only by no more than 5-10 minutes! And it wasn't really my fault!! The flight attendants blew the whole ordeal out of proportion, even going so far as talking smack about me—in my presence—in French. They probably needed to take half a chill pill. We got to our destination on time, and I don't regret what I did. Don't worry—it was neither illegal nor immoral.

Paris to San Francisco was one of my worst experiences to date. I felt restless. My body was tense, my neck was killing me, and I was in the thick of a four-seat row. It didn't help that European airline food is leagues better than what I had been eating lately, and I was losing the fight to reject free brie cheese, butter, and ice cream en route. Lactose intolerance, be damned!

My three week stay in America was split between San Jose and San Francisco, my parents' home and my sister's/BIL's house. I no longer had my apartment in Oakland, and while my friends and former flat-mate were more than willing to let me crash at their place, I felt a little weird about it. They had real jobs and some had real families, and I didn't want to loaf around on netflix all day in front of them... which is what I often did in San Jose. Hours and hours spent catching up to beloved shows and binging on ice cream, cake, chips (party size), and cookies. I gained about 7lbs by the time of the wedding, two days before my return to Ghana. Most of my SJ friends didn't live in the area anymore, and even if they had stayed to reside in the 4-0-8, we had drifted apart so that a lot of what we did together was reminisce. I spent as much of my free time as possible meeting up with old friends in Oakland and San Francisco. For those who have yet to revisit America, here's what's up:

Hawaiian poke bowls are now a thing

There are now many apps to have food delivered to you. Be the recluse you aspire to be!

Boba tea has expanded into the mainstream, something us Asian-Am's have known and drank for years

Kick-boxing-ballet is on the rise

Homelessness has increased significantly in the bay area

You can order your weed online and have it delivered to you via a phone app (in CA, at least)

Coming to America was... weird. It wasn't too much of a culture shock. Maybe because it takes a lot to faze me; maybe because I've gotten some pre-America exposure to department stores and grocery markets in Accra, but having set prices was oddly comforting. No more haggling over a couple Cedis and wondering if I got a fair price or an inflated foreigner price. And the American merchandising of consumer products? Alarming, alienating. I never realized how greatly consumerism and commercialism ruled Americana. Or how courtesy is a real form of currency.

I watched a YouTube video one day that convinced me I needed to go buy, or at least check out, some LUSH products because they were all natural and good for you and better for workers and the environment (1: covert advertising). I went to a LUSH store in San Francisco, and the people were all so nice and accommodating, if not a little too eager to have me sample something (2: everyone is kind of fake-nice in USA, but I know everyone is good people, especially retail workers. I've been there; I've done that). The store smelled divine; the products seemed truly high-quality. And then I looked at the prices. Holy Jesus, Mother of Mercy, and the ineffable Buddha. FUCK. Those prices were eye-gougingly high. But then it is America. And then I converted the costs into Ghana Cedis—something I had to intentionally prevent myself from doing as my vacation continued to preclude a moral quandry at every run to CVS—and I felt like an asshole. I then spent the next hour musing in the small shop to look for the cheapest thing to buy (3: because manners matter in America, and they were all SO nice. I didn't want to be one of those people who actually talked to the workers, stayed forever, and then left without buying anything. This is why I can never work in a book store, no matter how romantic and cool it seems... and how much I want a 10% employee discount). I left the store with a shampoo bar I could use but didn't really need. I won't reveal the cost, but rest assured that for the same price, I could have bought three shampoo bars on Amazon.

And that's another thing: Amazon! The paragon of consumerism in America! I am critical of it all, but I can't deny that I'm in it; they have me, my wallet, and my soul. Disregard my rants as I lather my tresses with my new sea salt LUSH shampoo bar. And you know what? It feels really fuckin' good, and it does voluminize my hair, I think...

Y'know, I feel like something of a celebrity in Ghana. I'm a foreigner and a novelty and most strangers want to be my friend. Why, the kids scream my name—“Deeshini! Deeshini! Deeeeeshini!!”—everywhere I go in the village. And while I didn't have the same A-lister power in America, a lot of people did want to meet me. I felt like the Queen-motherfucking-Bee in a teen movie. It sucked that I couldn't hang out with everyone since conflicting schedules and locale were an issue, but for the folks that I was able to see and spend some time with, I am so grateful and thankful. It meant more to me than I can articulate.

Since I've been gone, my friends got engaged/married, are making strides in the pursuit of their dream careers, and evolving into cooler versions of themselves (and they were already pretty dope creatures). I love all of that. We talked lives, marriages, politics, failed connections, social unrest, self-discovery, and all the minutiae over good beer and better food. That's mostly what I did: enjoy the best food (Thai food, Vietnamese che (desserts), sushi, smoked salmon, burritos, cream donuts, STRAWBERRIES and PEACHES and CHEESE #sighpies ...and PIE. All the pies, yespleasethankyoumuch) with high-quality company and drink my weight in liquor. I was reminded how lucky I was to not have to drink Club beer (aka Bud Light's even less impressive cousin) for another three weeks. Don't get me wrong—Club will do, but why drink Club when you can have a Rasputin? Or a quality IPA?

My sister and Nathan (BIL), bless their hearts, had a few crates of beer available at their wedding. I drank a few Anchor Steams to calm my nerves before my sister-of-the-bride speech. I wasn't drunk, but I got the hiccups anyway. The speech itself was worse than a train-wreck. It was a dumpster fire that somehow rolled down the street. I wish I could have also left the building and escape onto the streets of SF.

...Okay, no, I didn't. But I ended up ugly-crying/ bawling the whole way through... to the point where my sister AND our father told me, 30 seconds in, that I didn't have to finish what I had to say. I wanted to though; I'm no quitter! And especially not on a night that would be remembered for the rest of my sister's life!

Well, I tell you what, neither she nor the other 340-plus guests will forget the night I read my speech—something that should have been one minute but took three instead—through tears, frequent mucus snorting, and awkward pauses into a microphone. By the way, my mess was not only filmed on camera for future generations' sake, it was also live-broadcasted for all the guests on the mezzanine to see since they didn't have ground-floor views. So much for all that expensive make-up. It washed away in three minutes. I didn't think I'd cry. That's the problem. I should have known better. I'll cry at anything, even a drop of a hat if it happened in a way I deem poetic.

It wasn't something I shed a tear over, but seeing family was a huge joy of being back home. Carol's wedding became the impetus for the reunion of my paternal cousins. They hail from all over the world—Paris, Portland, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, LA, New York. It was pretty cool. Some cousins I had never met before, and for others, it had been at least a decade since we were in the same room. I knew it meant a lot to my dad that several of his siblings made it to the wedding. He hadn't seen some of them in almost two decades. I don't think I would ever want to let that happen with Carol. Reuniting with my maternal cousins was something that I was also fortunate to do. I'm lucky I had cousins to grow up with; I know that's not the case for a lot of people. A lot of them had moved northward, towards Sacramento, as the Bay Area became too expensive to live in. It had been such a long time since I sat down and talked to the few that were in my age range. And on top of that—the baby cousins were no longer babies! Now they were in high school and finishing college, and I wondered to myself where did the years go?

The rest of the wedding banquet was bomb-diggity. There was a photo booth with props. Music was on point (leave it to my BIL to play the theme song to COPS at his wedding). The in-laws are Chinese, so of course we had a Traditional Chinese Ten-Course Meal. Yumsville, population: Diana. I ate until I couldn't eat anymore. Best part was the cake. I even ate other people's uneaten and half-eaten slices left on their tables as they headed home. Want not, waste not—cream and all!

By the end of the night, I was walking barefoot as I could no longer walk in those four inch heels that prevented my dress from dragging more on the floor than it did. My mom has night blindness, and my dad has avoided driving on the freeway for the past 15 years. It was up to me to drive us all and a fellow bridesmaid back to San Jose that night. It was a little nerve-wracking as I had only driven once before while being back, but it all went fine. Maybe driving is one of those things you don't really forget, like riding a bike.

Most of my time in America was spent before the wedding. Really, the whole point was to make sure my ao dai (one of my bridesmaid's dresses; an ao dai is traditional Vietnamese garb for gals) fit. I came back as early as I could to have alterations made in case the measurements I gave my sis didn't work out. I also wanted to help out with pre-wedding prep. While we never did go to the tailor before the wedding due to laziness (it fit, thankfully), I was glad to assist with the flowers and some small tasks.

When I was preparing to leave for America, I just couldn't wait to return to Ghana. I had work to do; a life to get back to with a purpose, but by the end of my stay, I wish I had more time to spend with my parents. They look older, more tired. I'm still in the selfish phase of my life: the unsparing twenties where hedonism is the choice idea, responsibilities feel better suited for my 30's, and I have few qualms about being an ocean away from my ma and dad. Good news is that they're both more or less retired now. Better news is that our relationship, no matter how frigid or awkward, is improving. They spent most of my time in America running around getting the house ready for the wedding. We're not Christians, so the house was renovated and the backyard landscaped to be presentable for the ceremonies—the American one (an officiant... who happened to be my sis' bff and a fellow bridesmaid!) and the Vietnamese/Chinese one (tea ceremony... where the groom's side of the family comes into the house in a procession, dowry-like gifts in hand)—at home. I was humbled by the tea ceremony, with all its intricate formalities and greetings and ancestral acknowledgment. I wondered quietly to myself: “Wow. This is a lot of bowing and citation to this person and that person... and who is that guy? I don't even know who they're talking about, but everyone else seems to. Will any of us second-generation American kids know how to guide each other through another tea ceremony when everyone from the old country has passed?” I'm sure my cousins and I will manage, somehow, but it did make me hyper-aware of how disassociated I feel from my Vietnamese culture sometimes. Not quite American enough for America, and not Vietnamese enough for the Vietnamese... It's sometimes a kind of limbo being the child of immigrants. Just a thought.

I think when everything was all over and everyone could finally breath a sigh of relief, both my parents and I regretted not spending quality time together. I say so because my dad said it indirectly. It's unfortunate, and I understood. I was in the same boat: the only reason I was even back was because of the wedding! My parents... they're old school. They didn't grow up hearing their parents say “I love you.” A roof, plentiful food, and all necessities met (and a few gratuitous material pleasures here and there) meant love. I'm learning more and more about how they communicate all the time, and I'm learning more about their lives too. They didn't like talking about it when I was little. I think it's an immigrant/ refugee thing. I've heard similar situations amongst friends and family. But the older I get, I think the more comfortable they feel about detailing their lives and all the struggles within it. It's the same for myself too. I'm learning more about the way I express myself—feelings, thoughts, friendship, and all. And I'm trying harder to communicate with them. It's humbling to realize how we will always be discovering more facets of ourselves. I can't wait to know what I will know and feel how I will feel at 40. In the meantime, I need to call home more.

[max-cant-dream]

i should also sleep

1.Who was the last person you held hands with? zach-o

2. Are you outgoing or shy? I don’t know, shy I think

3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? MY GECKO 

4. Are you easy to get along with? Don’t tread

5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? and clean the puke up too

6. What kind of people are you attracted to? people who are open to any lifestyle, people who have weird schedules. 

7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? yes 

8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind? from the same gender? zach and murc

9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? nah

10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? e-lise

11. What does the most recent text that you sent say? “also I gave the awful din 2 bucks cuz I’m a whimp for small bands”

12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now? -folk punk by awful din   -lowlives by the dirty nil   -fuck shit up by ghost mice    -beach community by joyce manor     -believe by TUI

13. Do you like it when people play with your hair? yes pls

14. Do you believe in luck and miracles? I believe it can give you a mindset that helps

15. What good thing happened this summer? fuck man it’s been so long. Grad?

16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? absolutely

17. Do you think there is life on other planets? for sure

18. Do you still talk to your first crush? sometimes. preschool was rough.

19. Do you like bubble baths?  hell no

20. Do you like your neighbours? mostly

21. What are you bad habits? rushing and overreacting

22. Where would you like to travel? everywhere but like Europe, Australia, and central Africa, and maybe a US roadtrip.

23. Do you have trust issues? do I?

24. Favorite part of your daily routine? cereal 

25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with? my back or legs

26. What do you do when you wake up? take 50 years to turn off my alarm

27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? idk

28. Who are you most comfortable around? elyse

29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? lol 

30. Do you ever want to get married? don’t knoe

31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail? not even close

32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? john cena and john cener 

33. Spell your name with your chin. cvweoler

34. Do you play sports? What sports? snowboard, skateboard, hockey(?), tennis

35. Would you rather live without TV or music? tv 

36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? yeah

37. What do you say during awkward silences? you’re supposed to say something?

38. Describe your dream girl/guy? Will destroy me in the pit and then help me back up

39. What are your favorite stores to shop in? The source, sloth?

40. What do you want to do after high school? Already out, I wanna chill and go to shows.

41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? Most people

42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean? I’m probably thinking

43. Do you smile at strangers? yeah

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean? space

45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? My alarm out of reach

46. What are you paranoid about? The world hates me right

47. Have you ever been high? yeah

48. Have you ever been drunk? yeah

49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? no

50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore? Red and black

51. Ever wished you were someone else? probably

52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? My fucking LISP

53. Favourite makeup brand? nadda

54. Favourite store? Sloth

55. Favourite blog? stonequake (stole this from her)

56. Favourite colour? purple

57. Favourite food? poutine?

58. Last thing you ate? old cake

59. First thing you ate this morning? cereal

60. Ever won a competition? For what? nope

61. Been suspended/expelled? For what? nope

62. Been arrested? For what? no but sidenote go call a peace officer a shithead today

63. Ever been in love? without a doubt I am

64. Tell us the story of your first kiss? preschool, got heated under the train in the red room. 

65. Are you hungry right now? I always am

66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends? People do that?

67. Facebook or Twitter? no thanks

68. Twitter or Tumblr? tumblr

69. Are you watching tv right now? no

70. Names of your best friends? I love all my friends

71. Craving something? chocolate

72. What colour are your towels? purple and black

72. How many pillows do you sleep with? 4

73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? yeah

74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have? 3

75. Favourite animal? wolf probably

76. What colour is your underwear? red

77. Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate

78. Favourite ice cream flavour? cheesecake

79. What colour shirt are you wearing? grey

80. What colour pants? black

81. Favourite tv show? lie to me 

82. Favourite movie? idk 

83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2? 1

84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street? 21 jump street

85. Favourite character from Mean Girls? The lil quiet one

86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo? seagulls

87. First person you talked to today? elyse

88. Last person you talked to today? also elyse

89. Name a person you hate? one guy at bt

90. Name a person you love? ez

91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now? yeah

92. In a fight with someone? no

93. How many sweatpants do you have? 1

94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have? 600000

95. Last movie you watched? zootopia lol

96. Favourite actress? idk

97. Favourite actor? ^

98. Do you tan a lot? a bit

99. Have any pets? soon :)

100. How are you feeling? happy

101. Do you type fast? no

102. Do you regret anything from your past? it’s not like I can change it

103. Can you spell well? w-e-l-l

104. Do you miss anyone from your past? yeah

105. Ever been to a bonfire party? and hosted

106. Ever broken someone’s heart? don’t know

107. Have you ever been on a horse? never will be

108. What should you be doing? sleeping

109. Is something irritating you right now? no 

110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt? i think

111. Do you have trust issues? do you?

112. Who was the last person you cried in front of? elyse

113. What was your childhood nickname? didn’t have one

114. Have you ever been out of your province/state? yeah

115. Do you play the Wii? yeAH

116. Are you listening to music right now? no

117. Do you like chicken noodle soup? yes

118. Do you like Chinese food? yeah

119. Favourite book? civilization and its discontents

120. Are you afraid of the dark? no I embrace

121. Are you mean? I’m an asshole not a douchebag

122. Is cheating ever okay? Depends on the situation but not with intention

123. Can you keep white shoes clean? No shoes are safe

124. Do you believe in love at first sight? a bit

125. Do you believe in true love? for sure

126. Are you currently bored? yep

127. What makes you happy? going to shows, my friends and gf, skateboarding, editing, waking up early

128. Would you change your name? nah

129. What your zodiac sign? the fish one lol who cares

130. Do you like subway? fuckin yes

131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? chill them out

132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? zach

133. Favourite lyrics right now? “When I’ve had all that i could stand please burn this body down to ash. Take me to the gulf of mexico, open the lid and let me go”

134. Can you count to one million? what a waste

135. Dumbest lie you ever told? I played for the Calgary Flames in kindergarten 

136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed? closed

137. How tall are you? 5′10

138. Curly or Straight hair? straight

139. Brunette or Blonde? yes

140. Summer or Winter? summer i think

141. Night or Day? night

142. Favourite month? may

143. Are you a vegetarian? lol no

144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?

145. Tea or Coffee?

146. Was today a good day?

147. Mars or Snickers?

148. What’s your favourite quote? 

149. Do you believe in ghosts?

150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line? “Arnett quized the prisoners on the rules.”

[lovepsychicpoetrystudent-blog]

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[teoriconcapital]

Millennials are cutting costs to make ends meet — even on the happiest day of their lives

Christina Halloway and her fiancé are getting married in September and she has had to cut down a few costs, such as her bridal gown, guest list and a planner, to make the wedding work with their finances. The millennial restaurant manager in Waterloo, Ont., said it took her two years to pay down her debt and finally pick a wedding date. “We got engaged during the holidays, 2018,” she said. “I didn’t want to get married in debt because I owed quite a big number on my line of credit. Honestly, my parents have chipped in a lot.” Millennials are increasingly skimping on wedding costs, including eloping to pop-up chapels instead of hosting big weddings in grand venues. This has a lot to do with their values and even more to do with economics: rising living expenses and student loans, as well as income that just isn’t keeping pace. A 25-34 year old in Ontario makes an average of $43,700 per year, according to Statistics Canada. But last year it cost an average of $2,209 per month, or $26,508 per year, to rent a one-bedroom condo in Toronto. Prefer to buy? It takes approximately $800,000 to buy a home in the city, according to the Toronto Real Estate Board. And millennials have student debts to pay off as well. Those who left school last year had an average debt of $14,311, according to a study by Hoyes, Michalos & Associates Inc., insolvency trustees based in Kitchener, Ont. And since Statistics Canada reports undergraduate tuition went up by 3.3 per cent and graduate tuition by 2.4 per cent from the last academic year, millennials’ debts are only going to rise. As a result, millennials have to cut corners wherever they can, including on their weddings. Here are six ways they are reducing costs on the so-called best day of their lives. Saving for a home or vacation instead of a wedding “Millennials are much more interested in spending their money on life goals such as owning a home and developing their careers,” said Lynzie Kent, founder of Love by Lynzie Events & Design and The Pop-Up Chapel Co. in Toronto. “They either want to spend a lot of money on their honeymoon, or they want to spend a lot of money on their house. Their values don’t align with spending $30,000 to $100,000 on a wedding,” she said. “This year alone, we will marry 100 couples in our pop-up chapel. That’s where the trend is shifting.” They either want to spend a lot of money on their honeymoon, or they want to spend a lot of money on their house Lynzie Kent Some couples are even staying home. Torontonians Kyle Marshall and Tara Black got engaged last year and are tying the knot in April at her parents’ house. “We are using what we get for the wedding to contribute to our honeymoon in Montreal,” said Marshall, a full-time student. Evelyn Clark, a Calgary-based director, lead planner and designer at Evelyn Clark Weddings, also said millennials prefer to save their money for a house, “or fun trips abroad, travelling to Europe or Asia instead.” Quality over quantity Millennials who pay for their own weddings prefer smaller guest lists and don’t like grand venues. On average, wedding venues charge $100 per head, so, naturally, smaller events cost less. “(We have) a small guest list. Two people, maybe four for me, and maybe five for Tara,” Marshall said. He’s letting Tara deal with the finances. “I trust her, so I just let her do her thing.” “With our clients, there’s a lot more emphasis on creating an incredible party and a day where everyone feels considered and has a fun time. Less emphasis is placed on outdated traditions or spending money on something they don’t feel like it’s worth it,” Kent said. “They’re more interested in creating a memorable experience.” Those using their parents’ bank accounts spend a little more. “Our clients are more in the luxury market. Our average is around the $65,000 area,” Clark said. “My millennial clients are actually having their weddings paid for by their parents so they don’t cut down as much.” Untraditional wedding attire High-end boutiques sell veils for about $250, but custom do-it-yourself veils can cost $25 or less, according to wedding blogs. “Not a lot of our brides wear traditional veils anymore,” Kent said. “What’s trendy right now are flower crowns, jewelled crowns. There’s just a new bohemian look.” Buying pre-owned gowns and sharing gowns are also becoming the new norms. “I am seeing a shift towards sustainability in the wedding industry across the board in the wedding industry including fashion,” Kent said. For example, Halloway borrowed her mother’s wedding dress and saved almost $1,500, the industry average. “Her dress is vintage, but I did revamp it to my liking, which cost me less than half of my budget.” Marshall, meanwhile, said he won’t be wearing a tuxedo to his big day. “Pants and shoes I already have, and I’m going to go shopping for a shirt,” he said. “The most expensive (cost) might be the dress or cake. The least expensive will be the shirt I buy for the day.” An article in MoneyWise said 68 per cent of brides today do not partake in the garter toss tradition as they find it distasteful. It also saves them as much as $125. Food over limos Millennials tend to choose wedding cake alternatives such as cake pops, cupcakes and doughnuts. “A lot of our couples don’t even bother with the cake. They do an alternative to a cake,” Kent said.

Many millennials are choosing cupcakes over the expensive wedding cake. Allen McInnis/The Gazette files On average, wedding cakes cost $450 while cupcakes cost around $2 each. Since millennials are inviting fewer guests than ever before, they are spending less on wedding desserts and booze as well. Kent said that when deciding between premium alcohol and a limo, millennials would choose the former. “Invitations and often cake are less of a priority when it comes to budget allocation,” Clark said. Marshall and Black are paying for cake and decorations, “but if I know her dad, he might offer to pay for some.” Diamonds aren’t forever Millennials are spending less on diamonds and more on precious stones. “I’ve definitely seen a shift towards bespoke rings. I’ve seen black diamonds. A bride came in the other day and she had an amethyst. I’ve seen turquoise in rings. My girlfriend just got engaged the other day; she has a blue sapphire,” Kent said. “People don’t just really see the value in spending that much in a ring. Also, a diamond can be a bit controversial as well.” The Economist reported that “young consumers increasingly shun the taint of conflict and exploitation” that are sometimes associated with diamond mining. Using planning apps Tech-savvy millennials are using free wedding planning apps such as TieTheKnot, iWedPlanner and Wedding Countdown to plan their big day. “We use an online planning software,” Kent said. “It’s almost like Slack, but for wedding planning.” Millennials are also opting for paperless invitations through Paperless Post and online honeymoon apps like HoneyFund. Clark said many couples skip the hard copy, or send an invitation, but have everyone RSVP via a wedding website. Financial Post • Email: ZaKhan@postmedia.com | Twitter: zebakn Read the full article

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Recently I was helping a non-profit redesign their website and made me appreciate the advice I got early on to avoid GoDaddy.This wasn’t a normal project for me. I focus on helping early-stage startups establish their growth strategy. But they do excellent work and the couple that runs it (both 80 years-old) are friends with my dad.What made GoDaddy such a royal pain to deal with?As an entrepreneur I know put it, GoDaddy is like the Walmart of web hosting. They dont care about the customer. They just want you to buy their product and get out.More specifically, here are some of my frustrations:Poor customer experience. The UX is terrible. And if you don’t know a lick about web hosting, it’s hard to know what services you actually need.Overpriced. The NPO was using their drag-and-drop website editor. The tool felt like it was from the 90’s. It was BEYOND painful, slow, and glitchy. I transferred them over to another tool at the same price and built a more user-friendly website.Ignorant support. Open up a live chat and feel the pain of talking to someone who seems even more clueless than you.Slow website performance. Slow speeds creates a poor experience for your customers. It also hurts your organic traffic (SEO) and conversions (CRO).Relentless (and borderline predatory) up-selling. This was the icing on top of the crap cake. They upsell you on services you don’t need, some of which are free (for example, SSL certificates). But if you aren’t technical or knowledgable, you’re more likely to fall into their trap.Much of the same could also be said of EIG hosts (BlueHost, HostGator, HostMonster, etc) and 1 & 1 (now Ionos).One founder I know said he had no warnings about reaching his limits on his shared hosting account. As a result, his site got shut down for having too much traffic. He could only email because he did not pay for “priority support” and had to wait 24 to 48 hours to get site up and running again.This is one of the most overlooked dangers of entrepreneurship. Buying a cheap product or service can be more expensive in the long run.Do yourself a favor and do some research before committing to a hosting and domain provider.EDIT:Some of you have been asking for suggestions from me (comment+PM) and others. I’ll provide my suggestions below. And if you know a good provider, let everyone know in the comments below.For domains: Hover or Namecheap.Hover: .coms start at $12.99. Never had an issue with them. ​ In the end, a domain is a domain. As long as they have the TLD extention you want, you’re good to go.One thing to know is many of the providers I mentioned to avoid (GoDaddy, EIG, Ionos) will make it frustratingly difficult to get out of once you bought a domain through them. This may be fine while it works. But the moment you have a problem, you’re screwed. ​ Namecheap: .com domains start at $8.88.Overall, they’re a good choice. Their support is good, but I’ve had long wait times with their live chat a couple times. Their pricing is fair and honest, you won't see any surprise charges appearing on your account at the end of the year.I wouldn’t use them for hosting. While they’re low cost to start, when you add up all the costs, they’re a pricier choice. Especially when you consider the time cost.Also suggested in comments: Google Domains.For hosting: Heroku, Decibite, or Media Temple ​ Hosting is a complex topic. What’s best for you will depend on your technical ability, requirements, etc.Shared hosting is rarely the right option if you’re half-way serious about building a business. You’ll experience attrocious downtimes as companies often throttle your “unlimited” resources.Just please, avoid GoDaddy, EIG, or Ionos/1&1 at all costs.Heroku: If you plan on building and scaling web apps, Heroku is an excellent cloud platform. Heroku lets app developers spend 100% of their time on their application code, not managing servers, deployment, ongoing operations, or scaling.It’s easy to deploy, has a free plan for side projects, and a HUGE time-saver.Heroku also provides:Agile deployment for Ruby, Node.js, Clojure, Java, Python, Go and Scala.Run and scale any type of app.Total visibility across your entire app.Full Disclosure: I’m not a technical co-founder. Most of this was the value my past technical co-founder found when we built a startup together. I’ve heard a lot of excellent things about Digital Ocean as well, but have even less experience with them.Decibite: If you’re not technical or want to outsource this headache, Decibite is the way to go.Some reasons why I love Decibite:Personal relationship. They started as a small business in Calgary, and now serve many customers around the world. Even as they’ve grown, they still provide the same personalized service when they were a “mom-and-pop shop.”Almost like a business partner. You don’t get some random person helping you. The person knows you on a business level and knows the trouble you are experiencing. Then either assists you, or provides recommend resources.Phenomenal hosting speeds. One of my friend’s transferred to Decibite from BlueHost. His load time went from 2.5s to 1.81s.Not having to have to figure out the technical side of hosting. It’s like a car - I don’t need to know how everything works, I just need it to work.Responsive support. You get access to their tech team via email, live chat, and phone. It’s a very quick turn-around time on any issues.Even with their VPS, they’ll help you get everything set up and running so you don’t have to manage anything. In other words, you’ll get the resources of a VPS without needing the technical knowledge.If you’re more technical, the team also knows how to work with your tech-stack too.The only downside I’ve found is from time-to-time some of the typical automation isn’t there. So sometimes I may start with one host, then transfer everything over to Decibite once they’re up-and-running. But whenever I’ve had an issue, I email the techie and either walks me through it or does it for me.It’s like managed services at a fraction of the cost.Full Disclosure: Decibite is a client of mine, so no pressure to get faster hosting if you feel my review is excessively bias.Media Temple: Great premium service, but...Media Temple has a phenomenal support team. I cannot recall a problem they haven’t solved. Sometimes going above-and-beyond my expectations. Their UI is an amazing experience and loved almost everything about MT. Sites load fast and definitely superior to GoDaddy, EIG, and Ionos. And their prices are reasonable (though much higher than Decibite).Full Disclosure: My biggest sticking point is that they were acquired by GoDaddy in 2013. I started using their services before I found this out, which is why I’m somewhat conflicted. They’ve made it clear GoDaddy and MT are separate brands and do not plan to merge. And I’ve never had an issue feeling like this affects their services. It’s been six years since their acqusition, so it’s a good chance nothing will change. But if you’d rather not risk it, consider looking elsewhere.Other suggestions listed below:LiquidWebAWSHostGator (they are part of EIG, which I and other redditors do not recommend. However the user below found them helpful).Digital OceanSiteGroundAlso, there is /r/webhosting for other reviews.There are some who’ve found GoDaddy valuable for their experience, such as /u/meletonic and /u/ViperRT10Matt. If you want another take, you can read their comments below too.