Pre-Wedding

How do I describe the last 2 months? I am certainly not a good enough writer to be able to describe all the wonderful little details of our wedding adventure... but for the sake of those that were not able to join us for our wonderful day and so that I may continue to write "Just to Claire-ify" I feel the NEED to catch you up.

So here we go...

The 3 weeks that I had in Canada before the wedding absolutely flew by! I was forever making lists. Sometimes the same list as the day before... just on another piece of paper! One of my sisters teased me about my compulsive list making when she was cleaning... she said, "I've piled all your lists together... I think there's about 17... and they all say the same thing!" It's true they likely did, and there likely were that many! But it's just how I do things!

My lists and I spent the first week and a half with my family and then Joe arrived and the craziness began. We had one week to get as much stuff done as possible before his family arrived. Joe was a trooper... even though he was totally exhausted from his travels he worked so hard and helped me get soooo much done in a very short amount of time.

Things were finally starting to settle (not fall) into place... The seating chart was almost done, the favours were finished, the program and song sheet were complete, my final dress alterations had been made, gifts were almost wrapped, etc, etc, etc...

Of course I was stressing out and crying more often than a person should about the tiniest little things, but things actually went pretty well considering the limited time that Joe and I had in the town we were getting married in. My family was so great too... everybody helped whenever and wherever they could.

People kept asking me if I was getting nervous and I would respond, "About getting married? Absolutely not... but about all the little details that I think I'm forgetting... YES!"

Joe's family arrived and I have to admit we were a little worried that our families wouldn't get along... I know it's sounds crazy, especially if any of you have met either of our families. But our worries were for nothing. They hit it off!

Two nights before the wedding we all had supper together at my parents' house. (My family of 9 plus significant others and children + Joe's family of 8 and the best man) The food was good and we had a great night... and then it got even better...

We had been trying to organize a time for Joe's family to go skating but nothing was working out until that night. In a short amount of time we found enough skates for everyone and headed to the arena. Joe's little sister made her first (and second) snowball! Most of Joe's family ended up with some sort of bruise the next day, but we had sooooo much fun! The evening ended with hot chocolate and laughter.

The day before the wedding seems like an absolute blur. But these are some of the highlights of what we did...

Girls:
Got our nails done
Went for lunch
Picked up wine glasses
Picked up my dress
I packed for our 3 day honeymoon... and I tried to pack for Australia

Guys:
Played Pool
Picked up tuxes (don't even get me started on all the things that went wrong with those!)

Rehearsal Dinner
Wedding Rehearsal
Put out favours at reception site (so many people helped it was great!)

There was also a lot of crying in the midst of it all that day... I'm a big suck.

I eventually went to sleep that night and thought that I would toss and turn all night and wake up with a giant zit and a big cold sore... but I didn't... I also didn't realize as I was falling to sleep that night that the next day was going to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.

And Now For Something Fun!

One of my favourite things to do is play games... brain games in particular. I love trivia, word games, brain teasers, puzzles... and the list could go on... I basically love anything that makes your brain work and is not just about luck.

My old roommate Sarah found this website with lots of brain games on it... check it out at your own risk because it's really addictive! www.lumosity.com

Joe and I have been playing a lot word games lately and I love it! They're easy to teach, simple to play and they work for a wide range of age groups. Mom used to play word games with us when we were kids... she would always win because she's crazy smart (and I'm not just sucking up... she is!).

Here are a couple of my favourites...
What you Need:
Paper
Writing utensil(s)
Something to Time with
A Dictionary (optional) it depends on how competitive you are!

Word Game #1 (Mom's game)
Pick a word... preferably a long word. Write it at the top of each player's page and start the timer (2 minutes or whatever you choose). Write down as many words as you can using the letters from the word. You cannot use the same letter twice and all words need to be at least 3 letters long. No proper nouns. Compare lists like in scattergories (if you both have the word it doesn't count toward your points) add up the number of words you get. Pick another word and start another round!

Word Game #2 (Borrowed from Lumosity.com)
Player 1 chooses 3 letters that can be used to start a word (ie. cra - crack, crab, etc) and writes it on the top of Player 2's page and starts the timer (2 minutes or whatever you choose) Player 2 writes as many words as possible beginning with those 3 letters in the alloted time. Then players switch roles.

Want to make it more difficult??... When trying to come up words players are limited to 5 words of each number amount (5 three letter words, 5 four letter words, etc) Any words beyond 5 of each are crossed out and do not count toward your total.

Have Fun!

Just to Claire-ify.

Time is Flying!

I realized a couple of days ago just how little time I have left before I leave to go back to Canada! AND how quickly the time that I have left is going to fly by! Here's the inside scoop on the next 13 days...

Today...
Dinner out with Joe and friends and "The Night of Nights" Footy Show
Tomorrow...
Joe's baby sister's First Holy Communion
Mon-Fri...
Pack my stuff for Canada and for the move to our new house (Oh! BTW we know where we're living... details in a future blog)
Sat 28...
Football in Jamestown and then off to Adelaide with Joe to speak at a youth minister's night-thing
Sun 29...
Joe's mum (mom) is hosting a "Kitchen Tea" (wedding shower) for me!
Mon 30...
Leave Port Broughton with everything packed for Canada... retreat prep meeting that night
Tues 31...
I'm helping with an all-girls retreat in Adelaide
Wed 1...
Hang out in Adelaide while Joe's at school... and DATE NIGHT (right Joe?)
Thurs 2...
Leave on a jet plane! Arrive in Canada in the evening (Canadian time)

And then even more fun begins when I get back to Canada! Can't wait! Just to Claire-ify it's 35 days until the wedding! woot! woot!

It's Been Too Long!

I'm back! It seems like forever since I last wrote a blog... it's been about 3 1/2 weeks actually! So much has happened since then... we've been very busy... I'm sorry it's been so long.

Well, here's a blog I wrote the week of July 26th.

Best Clo-Em Ever!
On Monday night Joe and I had the privilege of taking Miss Emma Fradd out for a farewell tea (dinner). Emma will be leaving on Thursday to travel to Canada to serve as a missionary with NET Ministries of Canada. Emma is a crazy-awesome musician and will be a part of a team/band called "Massive Worship", that is committed to "evangelization through music". They will lead retreats and music training sessions (among other things) across Canada. We are very proud of Emma and we know that she will do many great things over the next 10 months of service.

Side Note: Joe and I met while I was working for NET and he was serving as a missionary on a parish based team in Ottawa.

We had a great night! Our drive into Port Pirie was beautiful! I feel very blessed to have such beauty on my doorstep while we're living here... Every few minutes I would say to Joe, "Oh look! Isn't that pretty?!" The sun was setting and the sky appeared to be constantly transforming from one beautiful painting to another.

We picked Emma up at her house (a little later than planned... There was some miscommunication about where we were actually meant to pick her up... my bad!) and headed toward our destination. But it was closed. So... we started driving toward our alternate restaurant when Joe abruptly turned into an angled parking spot on the main street (FYI: driving down the main street of a town and pulling a u-turn to drive back the same way that you came is called, "Chucking a Main-y" around here) Joe had found us a wonderful Indian Restaurant... I LOVE INDIAN FOOD! It was a very small place that wasn't fancy at all... but as soon as you walked in and smelled that beautiful aroma you knew that the food was going to be great.

And it was! We are most definitely going back to that place!
Our meal was accompanied by story-telling and jokes... here's one for you (my mom told me this one): "What's the difference between Roast Beef and Pea Soup?"..."Anyone can roast beef" hahahahahaha!

But the night was not to end there! No! After a quick stop at Wooly's (Woolworth's: a grocery store) we went and planted ourselves in front of a fire at another restaurant/café with some wonderful coffees and played cards. After a bit of goofing off outside the restaurant our night concluded with a short time of prayer outside of the Port Pirie Cathedral.

Our wonderful night ended a little bittersweet, as we said goodbye to our dear Aussie friend.

Just to Claire-ify... We Love You Emma!

P.S. In June of this year Joe and I inherited the nick-name "Clo" thanks to our friend Sarah. And Emma has taken quite a liking to the name, hence this Blog title being Clo-Em.

P.P.S. Emma's service with NET Canada is a volunteer position and she is in need of people to financially support her and the work of NET. If you would like to support her you can check out NET's website for more information: www.netcanada.ca

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Rules Football

In 1857, Tom Wills, one of the founders of Australian Football, returned to Australia after schooling in England where he was football captain of Rugby School and a brilliant cricketer. Initially, he advocated the winter game of football as a way of keeping cricketers fit during off-season. (www.afl.com.au)

My soon-to-be-family and the town of Port Broughton, SA are crazy for Australian Rules Football... or footy as they call it. I'm willing to bet that about 98% of the boys/men in town have played or are currently playing footy.

Every Saturday during footy season, the entire family loads up and heads to wherever the games might be played that day. And check this out! It's a whole town event! And a family event! In the morning they start with the young ones and work their way up! so, let's say you have children who are 8, 14, 18, 24 and 27 (like my future family does) you don't have to divide yourself to get to all their games when they're all in different places... because they all happen in the same place! And the same goes for the girls Netball... the courts are always within walking distance of the football oval.

So, you may be thinking... "I have no clue about Aussie Rules Football." Well, neither did I before I came here, but it's actually not that complicated.

This is what I found on Wikipedia... not the most reliable source, but I think they got it right...

The object of the game is to score by passing the ball between the goal posts, with the highest score being awarded for kicking the ball between the middle two posts. The team with the higher total score at the end of the match wins.

Players may use any part of their body to advance the ball. The primary methods are kicking, handballing and running with the ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled, for example players running with the ball must intermittently bounce or touch it on the ground. Throwing the ball is not allowed and players must not get caught holding the ball.

Unlike most similar sports, there is no offside rule, and players can roam the field freely. A distinctive feature of the game is the mark, where players anywhere on the field who catch a ball from a kick (with specific conditions), are awarded a free kick. Australian rules is a contact sport, in which players can tackle using their hands or use their whole body to obstruct opponents. Dangerous physical contact (such as a pushing an opponent in the back), interference when marking and deliberately slowing the play are discouraged with free kicks, distance penalties or suspension, depending on the seriousness of the infringement. Frequent physical contests, aerial marking or "speckies", fast movement of both players and the ball and high scoring are the game's main attributes.

It's pretty straight forward when you watch a game... or 5 as it usually is for me every Saturday.

Last Saturday was particularly great. Broughton/Mundoora played Jamestown/Peterborough...

Joe normally plays in the B Grade, but last week he was called up to play in the A Grade! (The A grade is basically the top players in the town... every week the roster can change depending on who is picked to play)

And... for the first time ever 3 Button Boys played in the A Grade together. Joe (27), Chris (24) and Tom (18).

Although the team lost it was great to see the boys play together.

Just to Claire-ify.

Oh, and P.S. Thanks everyone for the comments! I love reading what you think!

Cat-holic???

This week Joe is in Adelaide for a week-long class for Uni... so I'm here in Port Broughton with the rest of the Family.

Every Wednesday we walk to the church (which is about a 1 minute walk away) for Mass and Rosary. Tonight when we were leaving the house their cat "Tigger" decided to walk with us. The cat followed us all the way to the corner where it decided to stop for a good stretch on the road. Then the almost-12-year-old cat jumped up and ran to catch up as we rounded the next corner just before the church.

About 5 minutes after we entered the church, Tigger came in and eventually made his way up the aisle and into the sanctuary. Joe's little sister picked up the big ginger cat and carried him back outside.

But of course... the cat came back.

My 8 year-old-future-sister-in-law was in the sacristy preparing to altar serve at Mass, and chatting with Father when the cat made it's way back up into the sanctuary again so she was too busy to usher him back outside. So we just left him and figured that he would eventually get bored and leave.

But he didn't.

He sat quietly on the back pew for the entire Mass!

We didn't hear a peep from him until he let out a giant sneeze at the very end! And then when Mass was done he walked home with us!

My future in-laws had said that he's done it a couple of times before, but hasn't done it for years!

If you'll notice in this picture, he has a slight wound on his neck... I guess sometimes it does take rough times to make us turn to God!

Just to Claire-ify

Around the Twist

Growing up in Ontario we watch a lot of shows on TVO (It's one of those publicly funded TV stations) and one of them was "Around the Twist".

I didn't really think about it at the time but it's an Australian show, an award-winning children's show actually! AND... the other day I found out that Joe used to watch it when he was little. I think it's so weird that Joe and I were into the same things even as kids, but on the other side of the world.

I learned that the show was based on a book series written by Paul Jennings. Joe apparently loved his books as a kid and still has a bunch of them. And funny enough his little sister was reading one in school!

After a little research, I've learned that the show was primarily filmed at Split Point Lighthouse, at Aireys Inlet, Victoria (about 125km from Melbourne). It was produced at 4 different times with 3 different casts between 1989 and 2000. (In case you were interested)

The show was about these kids who lived with their dad in a lighthouse. They got into all kinds of mischief, most of which now seems pretty strange... There was a lot of super-natural sorta stuff, ghost, etc. It was also kinda rude now that I think of it... but as a kid I just found it hilarious!

BUT... the best part was the theme song. This version is a bit different, but if you're questioning whether you've seen the show or not, have a listen to the song... once you hear it you'll know if you had!!!

"Have you ever... ever felt like this..."



Just to Claire-ify.

Cutting Joe's Hair...

"No."
"NO!"
"I don't want to mess it up!"
"Seriously Joseph, I don't want to cut it because every time I look at you I'm going to think about how I messed up your hair!"

I've been watching my mom cut hair my entire life. I've even cut my own hair a few times... BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO CUT HIS!

I protested and protested! But some how he convinced me to do it...

I cut Joe's hair.

I was very strategic about every cut I made and every movement of the clippers. It took me likely longer than the average barber... but guess what???

It didn't turn out that bad! It actually looks pretty good!

When I'm at home in early September I'm going to ask my mom for some tips about cutting around the ears and trimming the back... so just to claire-ify... Joe was right... It wasn't as bad as I thought... I may even do it again!

BIG DAY!

I started working at one of the cafés in town today! I was pretty nervous this morning as I watched the clock tick by until the time came for me to leave the house. Everyone had gone to footy for the day so I was home by myself. Luckily, I signed onto skype and got to chat with my mom (mum) and sister for a while to calm my nerves.

But what was I nervous about?!?! It went great! Well, I think it did anyway. I was doing a bit of everything... dishes, taking orders, serving food AND MAKING COFFEES! I always thought it would be cool to be a barista... or at least to know about coffees like Mairin and Caitlyn! I've got so much to learn, but I think it's going to be fun.

Aussies definitely don't drink as much coffee as Canadians. In Canada there seems to be a coffee shop on every corner... sometimes even across the road from each other (seriously not kidding... check out how many coffee shops are in just this part of Ottawa!)

I guess one of the perks (haha) of my new job will be the coffee... I had the chance to try some different ones today so that I knew what I was serving... and my heart it still racing!

I'm headed back tonight to help with the tea time (supper time) rush at 6pm... hopefully it goes as well as it did today.

So now it's time to make soup again in preparation for tomorrow... maybe by the time I finish my heart will have gone back to it's normal rate!! BIG DAY... Just to Claire-ify.

FOOD.FAMILY.FOOTY

A while ago, Joe and I talked about who would be the "main cook" when we get married... and originally I said that I wanted to be. And that's still true, but Joe's a good cook too! So we'll just have to see how things turn out... maybe we'll share.

We both like to be in the kitchen... and if I may say so, I think we're both pretty good cooks too! Joe's more of a baker, which is fine with me! He's already laid claim on making all the birthday cakes! Go for it Joe!!

In the past week or so, Joe and I have been cooking a bit more... sometimes just for us, other times for the whole family. And so far - so good.

Most recently I made Nothing Soup and Cheese Scones... IN FACT, I've made the soup twice and the scones three times! AND it has been requested that I make them both again for Joe's brother's birthday on Sunday! So I guess they're pretty good.

So, I've decided to share the recipes. I can't take any of the credit... the soup recipe was from a dear family friend in Canada and the scones we found on the Internet... in any case, they're great. And REALLY GREAT together!

Nothing Soup
4 Cups of Water
4 Bouillon cubes (or 4 Tbsp of Chicken stock)
1 Large can of Tomatoes
4 Carrots - sliced
1 Large Onion - Diced
2-4 Ribs of Celery - Diced
2-3 Minced Garlic Cloves
Handful of Chopped Potatoes
salt and Pepper to taste (Be careful, it's very easy to put too much pepper!)

Combine all ingredients and gently boil for 30-45min.
ENJOY!

Cheese Scones
1 Cup of Self-raising Flour
1 Cup of Grated Cheese
2/3 Cup of Milk
Pinch of Salt

Combine all ingredients to make a sticky batter.
Spoon batter onto baking tray in small clumps.
Bake at 220 degrees for 15 minutes - Makes 10-12 Scones


Joe's younger sister and I have also been making some crafts... our latest have been cookbooks! I thought it would be kinda nice to make a book of all the recipes that I try while I'm here... all the good ones anyway.

Other updates??
I still haven't started working... Joe and I booked our flights for the wedding!!... It's now under 80 days until the big one!... We're off to an away day for footy tomorrow... AND the birthday party on Sunday will be my first real BIG family gathering!

Half Birthday

It's now officially my Half Birthday in Ontario and in South Australia at the same time!

'Half Birthday' you ask? YES! It's my Half Birthday. Today I am exactly 25.5 years old.

You see, my REAL birthday is 10 days after Christmas so it always seemed to get squished in with Christmas, New Years and back to school. So... my family celebrated my Half Birthday too! I also think it was a good excuse to have cake during haying season on the farm.

I know I shouldn't have complained... some people have their birthday much closer to Christmas than I do, but OH WELL, it's tradition now!

So... Happy Half Birthday to ME!

Canada Day!

Last week Joe's little sister was assembling a Canada puzzle that I brought for her. We were talking about the different provinces of Canada and what's unique about them. Then she asked what our national anthem was like... she asked, "Is it 'Oh Canada! You are so big!'?" I laughed and thought, well I guess it could pretty much say that! I then proceeded to listen to a few Arrogant Worms songs!

So far today, it has been a great Canada Day! This morning I woke up to the sound of my national anthem being played on Joe's iTouch as he walked into my room with a tray of food... He had made me breakfast in bed... pancakes, sausage, freshly made orange juice, tea and real maple syrup! His dad said that he's setting the bar rather high! He'll have to keep it up for years to come. Joe says he's up for it.

After breakfast I got dressed in my red and white and watched a few classic "Canadian heritage Moments" on YouTube... "Dr. Penfield I can smell burnt toast!"

The morning flew by and then we went and got some hot chips (french fries) to make Poutine for lunch! On the way back I FINALLY met the other Canadian girl in town. She's marrying a local boy as well, and since I was here in January one of the first things that people ask me has been, "Have you met (insert name here)?" So now I can finally say that I have met the other Canadian. And on Canada Day of all days!

After our make-shift poutine we walked down to one of the cafés in town where I am hoping to work. So far so good... they're going to call me next week and we'll give it a trial! I'm excited, but a little nervous.

So, I hope all you Canucks are having a wonderful Canada Day! Enjoy the fireworks at home... they're illegal here!

Just to Claire-ify.

Picking Oranges

Last Friday Joe and I had a wonderful day in Port Pirie. We had heaps (lots) of things to do that day but we also managed to have a great time.

One of the things we had to do was figure out my license... which as you saw from the last video, ended up being absolutely nothing! Attention Ontarians: If you have a valid temporary visa for Australia you can drive here NO PROBLEMS. In my video however I said that I would likely not drive any time soon... I was wrong. With such a busy house, I was the only one home to pick up Joe's little sister from school today... so I had to learn to drive on the other (not wrong) side of the road sooner than I thought. Joe and I dropped her at school this morning and then went for a little lesson... Just to Claire-ify, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I did quite well I think... no mishaps yet anyway.

So just less than an hour ago I ventured out on the left side of the road by myself and successfully picked up my future sister-in-law without harming anyone or breaking the law. (Praise God!)

We also had a chance while we were in Pirie on Friday to hang out with Miss Emma again... And I had the chance to pick oranges for the first time. This may not be a big deal to most Aussies, but to a girl from Ontario where I'm pretty sure it's impossible to grow oranges... it was a pretty big deal! Check out the video below... oh, and I ate an orange the next day and it was wonderful!



More adventures to come from our trip to Pirie... including a Canadian VS Australian grocery shopping experience! AND a story about my first footy day in Port Broughton

Just to Claire-ify.

The License

Earthquake?

This morning I woke up to discover (thanks to Facebook) that there was an earthquake at home yesterday.

This is the first time that something "big" has happened that I haven't been around for. My first reaction was disbelief, then "holy crap is everyone ok?" to asking how big it was. Then I automatically signed on to skype to see if my family just happened to be online. Sadly they weren't.

I checked out "CHEX" (our local news station) to see if they had anything about it... And they did. It actually made me laugh more than anything!

Side note:
In high school, my sister and I would stay up just to watch the 11pm news because it was so funny!

From what I watched it seems that the earthquake wasn't that big of a deal. It was much heavier in Ottawa and western Quebec than it was at home, but still... it's difficult being on the other side of the world when things like this happen.

This is something I am not looking forward to while I'm in Australia... I can't control anything that happens there, and if things happen that I can't control I can't be there right away!

Just to Claire-ify... NOTHING SCARY/IMPORTANT SHOULD HAPPEN WHILE I'M HERE! Ok?

Dutch Blitz

It's Wednesday. Joe is trying to focus on getting some school work done but I managed to distract him for a few minutes to play a game of Dutch Blitz. It's beautiful today, so we took our tea outside and played... I won the hand you'll see in the video below, but sadly Joe won the game... as usual.

If you've never played Dutch Blitz you should! It's a fast-paced card game with some elements of Solitaire, speed and skip-bo... we're a little addicted I think!

Just to Claire-ify.

Camels in Australia!!!!!

It's true! I'm currently reading this book called, "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson. It's a great book! I'm learning so much about Australia... I'm teaching Joe a little too!

Anyways, so yesterday I was having a relaxed Sunday afternoon reading when I jumped up and burst into the kitchen to inform my future mother-in-law that there are indeed camels in Australia! She smiled and said, "Yes, I know!" Seriously people... Did anyone else know about these camels?!?!?!

So, in the last day I've learned quite a bit about this bizarre fact... here's a little:

Thousands of camels were imported into Australia between 1840 and 1907 to open up the dry areas of central and western Australia. They were used for riding, and as draught and pack animals for exploration and construction of rail and telegraph lines. They were also used to supply goods to remote mines and settlements.

In the 1920s, there were an estimated 20,000 domesticated camels, but by 1930, with the arrival of rail and motor transport, they were no longer needed and many were released into the bush. They bred prolifically, spreading across arid and semi-arid areas of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia, and into parts of Queensland.

Feral camel numbers in Australia were estimated in 2004 at more than 500,000 with approximately half of them in Western Australia. Current estimates place the population at closer to one million, and a doubling time of about nine years is likely. (www.environment.gov.au)

This country constantly baffles me... Just to Claire-ify.

This is Winter...

The Land of Oz...

It wasn't a wizard or a twister that brought me to the land of Oz... it was Joe. In just over 2 years we will have met, fallen in love, dated and will be married! So I've come here to live with my love and have a wonderful adventure in the land of Oz...

After a long 26 hours of travel on my own I was greeted at the airport by some of Joe's family... I guess they'll be my family pretty soon! It was so nice to see familiar faces after being among strangers for so long.

After a couple of days of rest I was ready to begin my adventure...
First stop... PORT PIRIE!


During my excursion to Port Pirie yesterday, Emma and I visited Meg's books shop where we found an amazing book... "Diary of a Wombat" is a ridiculously simple book that made me laugh out loud! It also reminded me of Hannah, Meaghan and Jocelyn and my very first trip to Australia in July 2008. I never thought that less than two years later I would be moving here!

We had a great day in Pirie... Coffee, shopping, Mass and our own Praise and Worship Session! Oh, and I met the bishop! I recognized him right away! And then I realized why... Upon meeting I informed him that his face has been on my fridge for the last six months! (... Joe and his family had a picture taken with him at his younger brother's Confirmation...) I think I made a good impression! He was very nice.

So... I think I like this place. It's strange, I was just here in January but now I'm looking at everything in such a different light... This is going to be my home for a little while now! And Joe? Well, Joe will be my home forever! Well, the next hundred years or so anyway.

Just to Claire-ify!