*shakey fist* ash cloud

last weekend i was supposed to go to london for four days - arrive friday, leave monday. instead, being cautious about the ash cloud, they closed heathrow between 1am and 7am on monday, which resulted in a lot of cancelled flights for that day.. (if no planes were able to come in, then there are obviously no planes to take us out!) i was rescheduled to fly out on thursday; earliest they could get me out *sigh* oh well, i'm home now.

is it sad all i could think during the extended portion of my trip was that i was losing 3 days towards getting wedding things done? ugh.

the biggest thing though.. got my wedding shoes! actually i bought two pairs. one to bedazzle, and one as a back-up in case i ruin the other pair. we'll see how it goes. i've already bought the crystals off ebay, so i just sit and wait with the trusty glue gun.

because i was stranded in london for a few extra days, my masi's daughter took pity on me and took wednesday off work. we wandered around london. going on the eye was ridiculously boring.. maybe the champagne pod would have been more interesting *hic*. i went a bit crazy in primark. had delicious dessert at a place i don't remember the name of. then 50% off drinks at on anon for happy hour :)

kind of glad she didn't bring a veil with her (she considered making it into a sort of bachelorette).. thanks sister from another mother!

silly sophisticated'ness

*sigh* busy, busy. we'll finish delivering all the invites over the next few weeks i hope!

my really good friends back home organized a weekend of sophisticated silliness! there was nothing raunchy all weekend, which i really appreciated:

	wild oat - fantastic vegetarian food. as you're walking towards this place, all you can smell is yumminess!
	hotel indigo - quaint boutique hotel with an awesome glass ceiling. we found the voyeur window from the room into the shower a little disturbing. thank goodness there were blinds!
	sir john a pub - home of the banana mothership connection! a "friendly" drink the bartender served on the house. banana liqueur, amaretto, orange juice, and one other type of alcohol i can't seem to remember.. tasted like banana medicine - yum :)
	canada science and technology museum - this was one of the fun field trip spots growing up! super cheap: $9/person entry. it's not very huge.. really, you're paying the $9 to walk through the crazy kitchen! it's totally worth the $9 for the silliness :)
	midway family fun park - so much silliness. cheesy'ness to the n'th degree :) this is the place you go to play games with tokens to win tickets; then redeem the tickets for prizes. we redeemed our 400+ tickets for four shutter shades shaped liked stars! class i tell you, real class :)
	beau's all natural brewing company - mmm.. beer. the beer's rather delicious! unfortunately our bottles did not travel well.. :S
	chateau laurier - BEST SURPRISE!! their standard rooms are the size of a suite. their beds are so comfortable. i could live there if i was rich enough.
	social restaurant and lounge - we tried a variety of martinis and cocktails here. some good, some super disgusting. at one point i left my drink full to the top, only to come back to it empty.. *raises eyebrow* the girls were obviously thirsty. :|
	elgin street diner - home of ottawa's yummiest poutine! one serving could feed a family.. they use mushroom gravy too, which is a definite bonus.
	cora's - my favourite place for breakfast. huge servings, fresh fruit, deliciously greasy and deliciously healthy options.
	le nordik spa en nature - the perfect ending to a great weekend! hot and cold baths. sauna. steam rooms. massage. hammock swings. serene environment. *sigh* i'll have to go with kiwi at some point.

this was definitely a MUCH NEEDED break from life! i owe these ladies big time :)