The engagement party

The blog will be a bit late today for those who use it for breakfast entertainment. It was a busy day, and hey—we all want to see the pictures of the reason we flew out here. 

First—yeah—to Air Canada. They have reached a tentative deal, and the strike is averted. I was all checked in—at the back of the plane—row 57! Yep—it's a big plane. But no worries about it being canceled. 

Should I start with the evening and work back to the morning? Heck no -- you have to read about my day before the party!

Of course, I had to go for a walk, and I found myself near a beautiful cemetery. And yes, it was wet. It wasn't raining too hard at this point, but I had an umbrella. 

Walking up the road to the cemetary

In the cemetery, I found this beautiful area for the niches. How "fun" would that be to be remembered here. 

The pond for the niches

Those niches in the front are in the pond. I don't think we care so much where our remains are—it's all about those who will come and visit us! I'm technically a transient resident in this country, so I don't have a "home" cemetery! I'll figure that out when the time comes—or maybe I won't. 

Then, it was off to do some geocaching, and I found three of them. This area is absolutely beautiful, and you really don't feel like you are in the city at all. Dillon lives somewhere in this area, and they regularly have black bears visit them in their backyard!! Yikes—Little Bear must be supervised at all times!!! 

But why are you seeing a picture of this tree? Because there's a geocache container nearby.

The location of the first geocache

This is just a pedestrian crossing sign until it's also an excellent place to hide a geocache. 

A good hiding spot for a geocache

 

Some of them are so darn tiny!!! OK, I cheated. I didn't bother unrolling that little piece of paper and then attempting to fit it back in. I had it in my hand. Whether I signed it or not, I don't think anyone is going to check. 

The geocache container and the log

The last one was hidden in this tree. It was really starting to rain at this point—well, it was not a downpour, but as I tramped in the bushes, I got a bit wetter! 

The third geocache

I laughed as I walked through part of one of the university grounds. There were a bunch of shared cars in the parking lot. Yep, they all had roof racks on them—for skis or whatever. We are near ski country here!!!!

The shared cars

Then, it was off to the venue to help set up. I had not questioned M what exactly had to be done, and I have to say that I was expecting to help lay out a few things, but NO—when I arrived, Dillon drove up in the truck, and there were all the supplies in the back! The venue supplied the main tables and chairs, but she wanted some special things, including more intimate seating areas and drapes to hide one end of the hall. 

So, between her friend Yagana, myself, M, her half-brother Alex, and Dillon, we got that place pretty ship shape in a very short period of time. I must say that it warmed my heart to know that she and Dillon were prepared to do this work instead of hiring someone to do it for them. Does that mean my child is becoming responsible with money? I can only hope!! 

I had to stop at Canadian Tire on the way back to the hotel to get some fishing line so we could hang up one sign, but I managed just fine. I was back at the hotel with minutes to spare to have a shower and then back in the car to get to the venue to hang the sign and be ready for when the guests arrived. 

Oh, I gave Dillon his quilt. He laughed when I gave it to him because he said that made it official—he was now part of the family. I should have a better picture somewhere, but I literally threw it at him and said that it wasn't a good time, but that's OK—I really wanted him to get it on this trip. 

Dillon and his quilt

I cannot say enough how happy I am about M and Dillon. They ground each other so much, and I look forward to hearing about the crazy things they will do as a couple. 

And now for the party!! There were so many people who came! So many relatives came and on her side - they came from Halifax, New Brunswick, Alberta, Ontario (us), San Diego, and, of course, BC. It was exciting because I hadn't even met some of those relatives. They had friends from high school attend, as well as Dillon's family who are here. Even his Nana, who is 100, came. And she was amazing - such a wonderful lady to talk to. 

I had to take a picture of M's shoes, as they were super cute. They were a bit too high for me, but she loved them. I noticed at one point that she was in a pair of flat sandals!!!!!!

M's shoes

I loved her dress - it was beautiful, and the skirt was so cute!!!! This is Dillon and M as they listen to some of the speeches. Or should I say the toasts to them!! 

M and Dillon

I "cheated" and got up and spoke off the cuff. Why not? They needed to hear a few stories of M when she was a child—or at least to prepare Dillon for what was ahead! And everyone needed to know the story of the actual engagement in Hawaii!! And how we messed up and ran into M on the first day of our trip. It's a great story, and we can all laugh about it now!! Then? It wasn't so funny!

Hopefully, after all the hard work and the quilt, I've redeemed myself!!! No worries—all is good. 

And then they got up and spoke. There was a photographer there who took loads of pictures, so hopefully, we'll see some of them at some point. I'm certain we will, as my child loves photos and photo books—both of them do—so we'll have pictures!

Dillon and M

I got to visit with my aunt and cousin, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. And I need to book some vacation time when I'm not rushed to get back home! In a few hours, I'll be back at the airport to board a plane home, and I have an entire week of training and meetings coming up!!!! I WILL get through this marathon!!! 

I'm not sure how to express my happiness with M and Dillon. Like all couples, they will have their moments, their ups and downs. I feel they are a match made in heaven and that they'll have loads of fun as a couple!!! 

In case you are wondering why there was an engagement party since the actual engagement happened in Hawaii in March, the venue of the wedding (June 11, 2026) is small. There isn't room for many people, so this was an opportunity to celebrate with everyone. 

The only thing I'm not a fan of with these events is the music. I hate having to shout to be heard over the music!! But all is good, even though my throat feels raw this morning. 

So -- sorry for the delay. It's all good. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!