there and back again

we're back from b.c.! yup, after our last exams and papers, R and i headed out to B.C. for steve and angela's wedding (hence, my absence for the last few days). when we arrived, we entered the usual wedding whirlwind of activity - a bachelor party for steve, a christmas brunch (fantastic waffles, made by shawn), decorating, picking up tuxes and a wedding rehearsal, family photos, etc. etc. it was a fantastic wedding! we're so excited for them. the couple looked beautiful, the flower girls were the cutest i've ever seen, and that best man.... ow ow ow!!

they had a stand-up reception which was great because that meant that we could mingle with relatives that we hadn't seen in a long time. i love R's cousins. of course, that also meant that i was asked at least 2 dozen times about winnipeg weather and how freezing cold it is and how much snow we have. i was fine with that at first, but it started getting old. you know, it's -3 here today and perfectly clear with a bit of snow on the ground - and i'd take this over +8 and rainy with a moist cold that freezes your very bone marrow ANYDAY. but i didn't tell them that (well, i told a few people but they didn't believe me anyways). everywhere you go, there's garland and christmas lights and people passionately (ironically) singing carols like "i'm dreaming of a white christmas", yet it's raining outside... yes, well, i don't want to offend anyone, so i'll just leave it at this: i'm a true prairie girl.
and then i got to hang out with my sister from victoria (an ex-prairie girl who loves the rain. i guess it's all personal preference) and her boyfriend, which was quite last-minute, but oh, so good! we had a super great time hanging out with family. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

we got home in time for us to spend all of christmas eve and christmas morning together, just the 2 of us in our home, for the first time ever. it was divine.
we spent a night at my parents' place, and now we're home, trying to recuperate, relaxing, struggling with the family gathering or whatever is going on in the apartment downstairs, and trying to fight my second head cold since classes finished at the beginning of december. so... although everything has been all busy and fun and exciting, this christmas holiday we hope to find some much-needed rest and rejuvenation.