In the Brides Eyes....

My name is Krysta Simoes, formerly Pouliot. I am the lucky lady who married the man of her dreams only two days ago. Right now I should be packing, and planning and getting exceptionally excited for my and my wonderful new husband Andy’s Honeymoon to the Mayan Riviera. Instead, all I can think about is how to thank the one exceptional woman who has given new meaning to my wedding. I sit and think of the proper words to send to her so that she can know exactly how I am feeling; alternatively I continue to send small messages that could have been written by a ten year old. I am giddy, nostalgic, overjoyed and most of all thankful.  A floodgate of emotions opens up each time I look through the album that started with just one photograph. From the moment I saw the first picture of my wedding the butterflies have yet to leave my stomach.  How incredibly wonderful that I get to relive each and every moment of the best day of my life every time I sign into Facebook, with a new photograph posted each time.  Most brides sit anxiously waiting for the day when the photographer calls them and says their pictures are ready; how did I get so lucky?

            Let me start from the beginning.  I became the happiest girl in the world on September 7^th, 2010 when my, then, boyfriend got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. Coincidentally, we were having professional photos and video done while this was happening. The video came back and took my breath away. I watched it over fifty times and could not wait to have the memory of our wedding captured.  After some conflict and personality differences, this company decided that we should look elsewhere for photography.  I was heartbroken and did not care if someone brought a Canon point and shoot to have “evidence” of our day.  Photography became last on my priority list and I eagerly started booking other components to our day.  My mom sat down with me and showed me photographs of other weddings and tried to get me excited.  I brushed her off and said “yeah I’m glad you like it, but it isn’t for me”.  My mom decided that if I couldn’t get interested in photography, then she would have the fun on her own.  This is when she contacted Wendy Lewicky, of Wendy Alana Photography.  The two of them decided that all of us should meet and have coffee.  Wendy brought along her portfolio of different photo-shoots, and showed examples of her creativity. She quickly told me that she was not ready to shoot a wedding on her own and that she did not want to be solely responsible for the memories of someone’s special day. 

Wendy and I related on more than one level.  I felt like she was someone who should have been my friend many years ago.  We had coffee, we had wine, we laughed and we cried.  This woman was more than someone on the other end of the phone, more than a reply to an e-mail. She was real.  She had her own stories to share. She had her own joys, her own pain and a colourful life of her own.  I was excited again.  I had to have her.  So I booked another photographer to shoot with, and Wendy was excited that she would be able to share her style through candid shots.

My day finally came on August 26^th, 2011. Wendy showed up promptly just before 9:30am and was eager to start shooting. Wendy handled herself with elegance and professionalism.  She seemed as if she had been in wedding photography for decades.  Her excitement with each picture taken got me going. It didn’t feel like “my” day until the moment she showed me the first picture.  I was now the beautiful bride that everyone always talks about.   My one ambition for the day was to honour my sister Shannon, my best friend, who I tragically lost to cancer in 2002.  I wanted my sister in every memory.   Wendy gave me that gift.  She recognized the importance of this, and without hesitation she incorporated Shannon more than I ever dreamed possible.   I wrote in my speech “And now I have to stand up here without the one person that I could have guaranteed would be getting me through this day”. Thinking back now, there was no part of my day that I had to go through without Shannon right with me; Wendy ensured this.  So from the bottom of my heart, Wendy, thank you.  You have given me a gift greater than you can ever understand.

Our day ran smoother than I could have ever asked for.  Our photographers worked in unison to sum up every moment of our day.  Now that the wedding is finished, I should be left with a feeling of sadness, for everything we had planned and had been excited for was over. Instead, my husband and I are in awe; our recollections of our beautiful wedding are encapsulated forever in a time machine.  We could not be happier and we owe so much more than a thank you to the girl who made our wedding forever.

Much Love,

Krysta
xoxo

Have a look at Wendy's site so you can see what I see in her.  Continue with the phenominal art Wendy, and thank you once again.

http://www.wendyalanaphotography.com/

The Simple and the Complex of Texting

What ever happened to the good old telephone? I know personally that I feel awkward picking up a telephone and calling my best friend. How on earth can this be? We have grown up in a society that text over 100 TIMES A DAY! I'm not saying this is a bad thing, I am simply saying there is more to it than just a text. So now that texting has become the number one form of communication, perhaps we should all take a look at what we send and come up with some texting etiquette for ourselves.

1. Say things in text nicer than when you would say it in person. Not having the expression in someone's voice can lead to people being offended or hurt by what you have said. On the other hand, try not to add a voice to a text, it is just that- words.

2. Always check to make sure you are sending the text to the right person. This has led to some pretty uncomfortable situations for me. Perhaps don't use last names in your phone directory. Sending a text message to your boyfriends mom about anything remotely intimate is just wrong.

3. Do not text while drinking. Phones should have a breathalyzer attached to them. Some of the worst, most confrontational, offensive, hurtful text messages have come out after I have had a couple drinks. Turn your phone off. Nobody wants to received a rude text with horrid spelling at 3am.

"Just thohagt u slud know ut not wecomle at my ranty" 

Yeah ok drunky, go have another one and call me in the morning.

4. Say what you mean, do not try to beat around the bush. I am the worst for this. I will send two words so that someone will have to read into my text and interpret what I might be saying. Maybe I want them to be uncomfortable for 10 minutes until I send the next one, but I know its wrong.

Help me create a texting etiquette. We all know this is never going to change. Let's use texting to our benefit, its a simple way to let someone know you are thinking about them. We can even send texts into the future. What do I mean? 

This is the text I had sitting on my phone when I woke up this morning, with my fiance sleeping beside me:

"Hey beautiful, good morning. Just wanted you to wake up with a smile on your face. I love you"

I do not think it's possible for me to have a bad day today :-)

A New Me....lets start with the problems

You know, some of the good part of blog theory was that blogs would be like diaries that the world could read. They would be spontaneous, whatever pops into your mind, just as a diary would be.

I like the idea that I can say whatever I want, it kind of thrills me. No one can stop me, and I quite possibly won't offend anyone.
So I suppose I should give my reason for wanting to blog. I feel like there is no me time anymore. I am a 24 year old who works full time, 12 hour shifts in the ER, I own a home that I probably couldn't afford but bought anyway, getting married six months today and planning like crazy.

First issue- the house!!
So when I began looking for a house I was looking in the 200,000 range. I thought that was still more than I should buy, but it was a good baseline. When I began looking for houses (and it had to be in Hamilton/Stoney Creek) I realized that I would never in my life live in some of those houses. Do people just not care what their house looks like? Are people really okay with selling houses that have a crack fully along the whole ceiling? Or what about that water dripping from the ceiling???? DO THEY THINK THAT IS OKAY!!! So anyhow, I found the perfect house (not exactly what many would call a starter home), and I went ahead and spent 262,000. Only a mere 62,000 more than I wanted right?? Simple as that. WRONG! Now I am a 24 year old drowning in bills that I can barely pay, putting my fiance through school, paying off a stupid-ass car loan (we will get to that later), and still trying to have fun (overrated right?).

Next issue- the Wedding
So here we are, February 26th 2011, a mere 6 months away from what everyone says will be the best day of my life. Well unfortunately what no one tells you is that before you get to the best day of your life, you also have to live the worst year of your life. Thanks for that everyone.
On September 6th 2010 I became the happiest girl in the world- for a week. My fiance Andy proposed to me during the most fantastic photo shoot of my life. I became a "soon-to-be-wife". I love that title- wife. It just has a ring to it. No pun intended.  So right off the bat we began planning, seemed like a piece of cake! I dont know why all those other brides were complaining, planning is simple. Everything just kept falling into place. But my best friend kept warning me- problems will arise, dont worry, you will get through it.  So the first thing I managed to book was photography. Andy and I decided to go with the photographer and videographer who did our engagement photos. The video they did was incredible, we absolutely wanted that same man to capture the best day of our life. Yes it was far more expensive than we ever dreamed of paying, but we kept telling ourselves it was an investment. We met again with the couple who was doing our photography to talk about all that we hoped for on our wedding day.  After some conversation and a couple beers later, some things were said that shouldnt have been said on their part. Andy and I felt like goofs. How could we go on with these people when we already werent happy. So like the well-spoken individual that I am, I sent an e-mail. In that email, out came every emotion I was feeling at that particular moment, whether it had anything to do with them or not. At the time it seemed well written and honest. Until I read it to my mother. And then to my fiance. Then I felt like it was far more harsh than I ever wanted to sound. Long story short, they dropped us like a sack of hot potatoes. Wedding problem #1. Oh well, I will overcome it, right?
Problems just kept flying at us faster than we could dodge them. Now it seems that Andy and I cannot get along to save our lives. I yell for every little thing. I TURNED INTO A MONSTER!!!!!! I took a step back and thought, did I always hate him this much?? How on earth can we get married when we can't even sleep in the same room?? So then one morning I asked very politely, can you please take the dog out while I do some laundry? Well, I finished my laundry, came upstairs and the dog was still in her crate. Any normal human being may have been mad....maybe even would have yelled. But me? No, not me, I say its over and Im moving out. I pack my things and go straight to my parents who live around the corner (keep posted, that issue will come later). Two days later I leave for Las Vegas. I had a wonderful time in Vegas with 8 of my girl friends. We shopped til we dropped and drank like fish. I even managed to win $500 playing poker. But my heart wasnt in this trip. I felt sick constantly wondering what I had done at home. How could I leave the one person who loves me more than anyone? My love and appreciation grew fast and strong in the four days that I was away. When I got home I went straight back to our house and we had two of the most wonderful days possible (bringing us to today). Maybe that is all it took, who knows, only time can tell. All that I know is that we ARE compatible, we are supposed to be together, and we will get married in six months. He is the love of my life. I could never live without him. We will sort through all of the wedding problems as a team, and we will be stronger for it.


So there you have it. And I did it, I wrote my first blog. Whether successful or unsuccessful, it is done. Honesty isn't so hard. I like typing to a blank screen, it is safe and it allows me to verbalize things without even opening my mouth. Ive addressed my issues, I promise we will be more positive next time around. Just thought you should get to know me a bit...