Girls just wanna have fun

In my life I have been blessed to have some of the best friends a girl can ask for! Some I am no longer in contact with, some I talk to occasionally, some I talk to on a regular basis, some I stalk on facebook and enjoy seeing what's going on in their lives, and some I get to hang out with more often.

Kirsten was able to come over last night and hang out with me. Her husband Paul is at Young Mens camp with Remy so we are living the bachelorette life together. We had SUCH a blast talking and making cards. There was constant laughing. We made some yummy yummy butter chicken, (Remy is going to be so mad because he has been trying to get me to try it forever) I have some leftovers so I am going to *try* to save them for him.

Kirsten with the cards she made. They turned out so cute! 

Since I am not able to show you the card I made because it's a card for my brother-in-laws wedding, I'll show you some cards I've made in the past (I'm terrible at taking pictures of the cards I make):

My Mom's birthday card.

For my dads birthday he wanted a framed picture of Remy and I. In order to get it to him on time I had to send it the next day do we didn't have time for a real picture.

I am so thankful for good friends. I miss Remy tons and I hope he is having a blast, but having my friends and family calling and checking up on me and even coming to hang out with me has made it not only easier but fun!

Cruisin Together

I just got back from my test and it was super duper stressful! Before I tell you about it I'll say I passed! We arrived at the office and I was super nervous. My tummy was in knots and  my heart racing so I breathed and tried to calm myself down. I was looking at the people behind the counter wondering which one was going to test me. Most of them looked relaxed and super nice. I was really excited that the majority looked so nice, I thought for sure my odds were good.

Nice one after one nice came and got the people around me. The old grumpy man with a scowl on his face was soon the only one left. Sure enough he came and said "Chelsea".  He was the one I saw and as soon as I saw him said I really hope I don't get him. I smiled and shook his hand and we made our way to the car. He said he would like me to get in the car and roll the window down. I asked if he would like me to do my pre-trip check first. He said "No, I would like you to do exactly what I said." Alright doing well!

As we pulled out he said "I will tell you every single turn you are going to make, if I don't say anything then keep going straight." Okay easy enough concept. We were driving along and he asked me to stay in the lane we were in, no problem. The lane turned into a turn lane so I very quickly thought...okay he told me he was going to tell me when we were going to turn and he didn't say anything but we are in a turn lane so I have to turn...while I was thinking this he said " Chelsea it's a turn lane you're going to have to turn. Get your thinking cap on! I am not your Mom I'm not going to tell you every little thing you have to do. This isn't practice this is a test. It's called a test for a reason."  Ummm...wow!

So we drove around for a bit and he asked me to do my parallel parking.  I left pretty confident about it so this part didn't worry me. I backed up and hit the curb I instantly thought, Oh crap! Then thought well I am just going to start again. I asked "is it okay if I just start over." "NO! We don't have time just fix it." I finished parking. As I pulled away he said, "You actually did a great job parallel parking."

We had me do all sort of maneuvers and driving and then brought us back into the ICBC parking lot. I was trying to hit the speed bumps where they were lowest because the truck is sooo big and you can feel every little bump. He then asked me to back up into a stall which I did the first time but being the perfectionist I am thought I could do better so I tried again, hit the curb, and then tried one last time.

He flipped out on me for driving in the middle of the "road" (parking lot). He asked me what I thinking to drive down the center of the road. I told him about the speed bumps and what I was thinking. He said "So you thought that would be a good reason to die." Um...I understand driving in the middle of the road normally would cause problems but at 20 kph in a parking lot...we probably weren't going to die.Then he freaked out about intersections. While I was driving I made sure to exaggerate my head motions for left and right but not as much for the center because I thought it would be obvious I would be looking in the center. Apparently it was not obvious. He spent a good while lecturing about that and how I might die. He did say I was a good driver, though. I was really surprised by that. Even though I passed with all his lecturing I was about to cry.

I am so glad my next test isn't for two more years! So in one months time I graduated, went to the temple, got sealed to Remy, and passed my driving test!  My good friend Kirsten is coming over tonight for some card making and some fun.

I'm a Maniac, Maniac

Food prep maniac that is. Before I found out I was gluten-intolerant (or celiac disease) I used to get sick all the time. Ever since I have been eating gluten-free I started to feel better. I felt better so I started to exercise and now that I am exercising more I want to eat better.

I have been learning more and more about food. Ways to prepare it, what's in it, and what I should be eating. Part of this is coming from just getting older and being in charge of what both Remy and I eat but also having to read SO many labels to see what's in stuff I am just more aware.

One thing I have recently learned is how quickly fruits and veggies lose their nutrition in the fridge. With it just being Remy and I we just don't eat things fast enough. So I've looked into freezing things at home. Not only will we not be wasting food, we will be saving money, and getting more nutrients.

I started with freezing:
Green beans

    My mad straw sucking skills.

Broccili

Cauliflower


I started by washing and cutting the veggies, then blanching them for 3-5 minutes depending on the veggie, once the timer goes off I stuck them in a bowl of ice water for the same amount of time. Then I put them in a freezer bag so that they can go... in the freezer. I don't have a vacuum sealer but I found a suggestion online of squeezing as much air out of the bag and then using a straw to get the rest out. Brilliant! *kind of* You really need to like what's in the bag because those odors go straight into your mouth AND sucking up all that air, a bit of a belch fest after *so lovely*.

We love salads here and I found this great idea of vacuum packing individual portions of lettuce so it's ready all the time. Again we don't have a vacuum sealer so I went on the hunt to find other options. Apparently if you cut you lettuce and put it in a bag with as much air out as possible and a paper towel it should last for a week or possibly more. If it lasts that long with getting eaten I'll let you know if it worked out, I don't have high hopes (yum!).

We are also a fan of baby carrots, until I read everything they put in those things to make them last. Yuck! So we've switched to buying carrots and peeling and cutting them at home.

I've also been hearing over and over and over how bad margarine is for you. BUT I like that I can spread it, you'd hear me say. Well I found another suggestion to mix olive oil and butter and just whip them together. So we've giving it a try as well.

Last, I promise, I started having green smoothies in the morning. They have a crap load of spinach, strawberries, blueberries, apples, and a touch of stevia. It actually isn't too bad I must say.  AND I switch from regular yogurt to greek yogurt, so yummy! OH and we love sweet potato fries at home and mashed cauliflower.

So there you have it, these are the changes I am making to the Chartier household to get us a little healthier. Anything you guys do are doing?

Bye Bye Love, Hello Lonliness!

Remy with his camping stuff.

Our house has been turned upside down the last couple of days. Remy is going on his first Young Men's Camp. Every year the youth of our church and their leaders go on a camp out to certify for thing like first aid and other camping related things.  The boys and girls go on separate camping trips. The boys will eat junk food, fart, get bug bites, sun burnt, no sleep, and do all manner of gross things which I am sure my husband will indulge in. I was able to go when I was in Young Womens and I met some amazing people and had so much fun, and we were far less gross I am sure.

This year Remy is one of the leaders for the trip. I am so excited for him. He really struggled with making the decision to go or not because some of the challenges he will face.  With some gentle encouragement from his loving wife and a good friend going as well he has decided to go. I think it will be such a great experience for him. So I'll say goodbye to my husband on Tuesday for four days and say a big hello to loneliness!

For one I have never been alone that long before. I have either lived at home with my family, lived with a roommate, or lived with my husband. Not only that but for five years now Remy and I have talked to each other in one way or another almost everyday. I won't be able to talk to him for four days. I am going to miss him so much.

I don't do well alone, so I have some awesome friends and fun plans that will hopefully keep me busy. My driving test is going to be while he is away and we are both a little sad about that. I am going to be a mess if I don't pass, the kind of mess that only someone you're sealed to should see because they have to love you...forever.

I know there are amazing service people and their families that struggle with having their spouse gone for a lot longer, they truly are people to admire. I am going to miss his handsome mug that's for sure but  like I said I have some fun plans.

He works hard for his money so I better treat him right...

Remy has recently finished his SECOND documentary. A little over a week ago we were able to go to the showing of it at the Port Theatre. It was such a neat experience. We got there about an hour early and I got to meet all the people that worked on the project as well. Someone from Shaw came to interview them, as well as Remy was interviewed by A channel AND a local radio station about the documentary.

Remy was being interviewed as they were escorting people from the lobby into the theater. I stayed behind to listen to Remy's interview but the seating police wouldn't hear of it. *Heaven forbid I'm not in my seat the exact second everyone else is* I was ushered to my seat *those ladies mean business!* and Remy joined me shortly.

After the introductions Remy introduced the documentary. We have been married 3 years now and there is something extremely valuable. There are certain times when I can just tell that Remy is about to pull whatever he is going to say out his armpit and I should either pay close attention or record it because he won't remember a single thing he says. I grabbed my camera as the microphone was being passed to him and discretely recorded his speech to introduce the documentary.



*Sorry the video is sideways I'm not sure how to fix that*

It was wonderful to see what he has been working on for the last few months. The documentary was really well received and they had an awesome turn out! After it was over we had a community discussion which I even stood up and spoke. I was so nervous and almost didn't but Remy encouraged me to because I could bring a very unique perspective to the discussion.

We then went into the lobby for coffee and tea (I laughed at this). People kept coming up to me and saying how proud I must be of Remy. I am. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished and worked for, he is an amazing man. People were stealing him left, right ,and center and I was so happy for him. On the programs there was a bio of each person that worked on the documentary and in Remy's one of the lines was "When not writing, he enjoys reading, music, video games and making his wife happy." 

I love this guy!

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom...

I'm finally doing it. I booked my road test. One week today and I will be sitting a car taking the test to get my license. I am so nervous and scared. There really haven't been enough life changing events happening in the last little while for my taste apparently.

When I was younger I had some pretty personal reasons for not driving. I didn't tell anyone what they were so no one really understood why I wouldn't want to drive. It was okay though I had it all figured out. I was just going to marry someone that would drive, consider problem solved.

I met, fell in love with, and married Remy. I was going to have to learn to drive. A couple of years ago I  told my mom why I never wanted to learn to drive. She has been super supportive, but a little while ago I decided it was time that I started to really get crackin'.

I've been practicing and reading my book to get myself ready. I am not excited nor do I think it's necessary but it certainly will be more convenient and handy. So here's to getting stressed over something that will make life more convenient.

They say when you marry in June....

You're a bride all your life, and the bridegroom who marries in June gets a sweetheart for a wife. - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

It's been a full two weeks since our special day and I figured I should probably write about it. It's going to be long and there aren't too many pictures at the moment but if you stay with my you're in for a treat because it was an amazing day.

PRELIMINARY
After my graduation on Friday we ran around getting last minute items finished. Checking 14 books out of the library and returning them within an hour to check out 14 more as well as decorating cakes, making the s'mores boxes, etc. It was pretty crazy. We went to the ferry terminal to pick my Dad up and then headed over to Montanans for my grad dinner. Yum! We came back to our place so Ashley and I could pack and then went down to the waterfront. It was such a nice relaxing walk and a great way to spend the night with my family. Ash and I got dropped off at the ferry and we were on our way to Vancouver.

My dear friend Andrea meet us and picked us up at the ferry so we could have a sleep over at her place. She has the most adorable new puppy at home and it was great to meet him and see her.After a visit with them I hopped in for a quick shower (I wasn't allowed to wash my hair for 2 days *gross!*) and within the 10 or so minutes everyone had gone to bed and Ashley was sleeping. I went to bed and a very very short 5 hours later....

THE DAY

I woke up to a very sweet wake up call "Chelsea it's your day!" Andrea had even bought Ashley and I gluten-free bagels for our breakfast. What a woman! We quickly made our way to the hair salon and I was so excited.  The woman that did my hair had quite the impressive background. She did her schooling in New York, has worked for fashion magazines and done high fashion things in Vancouver. She was the owner and even came in just for this appointment since the shop didn't even open for another hour. I thought FOR SURE she would do my hair exactly like I wanted.

Once my hair was finished Andrea looked at it and no response. Then Ashley looked at it and no response. I knew right then it wasn't what I wanted. They would have been over the moon if it was. She handed me the mirror and I looked at it. I was so disappointed. My hair was really important to me that's why I came over the night before to get it done and it was nothing like what I wanted. It was pretty but not what I had envisioned. I pulled myself together paid her and we were on our way. I vented my frustration on the way to the temple. It certainly was a beautiful hair-do but not what I wanted.

We got there with time to spare. Andrea mentioned that I might be the first bride in history to be on time. FOR REAL! We didn't see my mom, dad, or Remy anywhere so we parked and wait. AND waited and waited. After about 15 minutes (which is torture when you are waiting by the way) I went in and it went something like this:
"I'm Chelsea Chartier and I am here to be sealed at 11:30. I don't have my recommend, clothes, my mom, dad, or the groom. But I'm here."
They laughed. I only had to wait a few minutes more before the rest arrived. It was such a relief but not for long. My mom didn't have her temple recommend with her. You can't enter the temple without the recommend. At this point I just has to smile and think add it to the list. We waited while they tried calling people back in Michigan so she could enter. After awhile I went in to start getting changed otherwise we were going to miss our time slot. While I was changing they got it figured out and my mom was able to help me.

The ceremony was beautiful. I can't talk about it too much but it really was beautiful and I totally ugly cried. I kept thinking, all of these people are watching you at least cute cry. I couldn't help it though it was the full contorted face ugly cry. After our guests left the room the Sealer took us aside and gave us some advice. It was such a personal and special moment to have. We even ran into Esther which was so nice. We were allowed to go into the waiting room dressed in our temple clothes to visit with our family that wasn't able to be inside the temple with us.

After, we headed back to the change rooms to change into our PARTY clothes. I got my dress on and my mom helped my with my make up. I met Remy right outside the change room. He informed me that he didn't bring his suit jacket. Um...say what now? So our forever pictures are going to be without your suit. Just add it to the list. Then I saw the state of his tie. The couple that was helping us in the temple were so sweet and kind and the sister totally understood everything I was going through. The dear brother took the tie and went and ironed it for us and even retied it. I was ever so grateful.

We exited the temple holding hands and so happy. The pictures began right away and so did the rain. It was too rainy for a lot of the pictures I wanted to take but we were able to take some very beautiful ones. It was wonderful to have everyone there to share our day. Remy's Uncle Roy and Aunt Terri were so kind to come and take the photos for us. Aunt Terri was so sweet she would hold the umbrella over my head until right before the picture was taken and then remove it really quick.

After the picture extravaganza we were off to make the 3:10 ferry...on a Saturday...in June...without a reservation. Yup. We even got stuck in construction, and it that wasn't enough to stress a bride out on her wedding day, we got lost. I made everyone discuss plans B and C as we sat in the construction while minutes ticked on. In the end we made it and it was such a relief.

Almost everyone who had come to temple were traveling back on the same ferry. It was a lot of fun to sit and talk with everyone since I didn't get much of a chance earlier that day. I even painted my nails on the way. Blue nail polish while wearing my white dress, I was such a dare devil that day.

As soon as we got off the ferry it was back to work. We came back and got things together that needed to go to the Rendezvous and at that point I would have done just about ANYTHING for a nap. We got to the restaurant and set everything up and then Remy and I hid for our big entrance.

Our centerpieces were two books stacked on top of each other, a candle on top, with paper flowers scattered around. Did I mention that pretty much every part of our wedding was homemade...everything.

Our guest book table. The guest book was a tree and people put their finger print on it to make the leaves. It turned out awesome! We had a blue stamp pad and baby wipes to clean your fingers. The sign said "Please help us remember the day and LEAF your print on our tree."

Remy and I came in all ready for our entrance and then the music didn't work. We walked in and stood there. I believe my mind worked the fastest it has ever worked I went from horrified, to embarrassed, to acceptance, to mad, and then relief when my mom handed Remy the microphone and we just did it.We had never practiced without music but I don't think it went that bad. We had our just married sun glasses on and I had a white hoodie and Remy a black one and we rapped part of "I'm reading a book"- Julian Smith.

Since then my parents have had this song stuck in their head.

We had the usual things at weddings we ate amazing food *we called each table up by the author of the books in the centerpiece* we did speeches and Ian Perry shared with us a beautiful toast, we cut the cake, shared the cupcake story, had our first dance, and then danced the night away.

For the true party animals we had an after party of a bonfire and s'mores at the Slobodans. It was an amazing day and I couldn't believe how much fun I had. After three years of wedded-bliss Remy and I are now a forever family and the first day of it was one of the best of my life. Thank you everyone for helping to make it so amazing.

And if you are still with me 1 million friend points to you! More pictures to come these were just the ones I quickly got, ya know with all the free time I had that day.