"We have to be able to criticise what we love, to say what we have to say 'cause if your not trying to make something better, than as far as I can tell, you are just in the way."

Ani Difranco

This is the land that was purchased for the kids to build on~so beautiful!



Hopefully the boys will get to work on a cottage sometime soon. Ryan and Jason have already talked about plans to build! YEAH!

Cottage

We have to talk about my most favorite place in the whole world…my family cottage!

Simcoe Island is located in South East Ont., central Canada. It is one of the Thousand Islands, at the head of Lake Ontario, near the entrance to the St. Lawrence River, opposite Kingston, and just West of Wolfe Island. Simcoe Island is 4 mi/6 km long, 1 mi/2 km wide.

My family along with my mom’s sister’s family and brother’s family purchased the cottage in 1999. The cottage has come such a long way since our families have owned it, from a new roof, new siding, and a gorgeous dock to tons of inside makeovers. It is the most beautiful, relaxing place that I have ever been to. From my parents house in Rochester, NY, it takes about 2 ½ hours to get to Simcoe Island. The drive isn’t too bad and if you don’t have to wait for the Cape Vincent Ferry, you can be on Simcoe Island in no time at all. A couple of years ago my parents purchased land at the opposite end of the Island from our cottage. This is where the kid’s cottage will be built, hopefully sometime in the near future!

How many times do we have to try to take a nice picture? Either Ryans eyes are closed or I don't like the way that I look. My mom tried hard to take a nice picture, but we just couldn't stop laughing!

Always something to do! I have been begging for a tall, long table to go in our family room near the front door. I came home from work the other night to find the most perfect table sitting in the back room. The finishing touches still need to be done, but just like the entertainment center…it will be in the house soon! p.s. he said that he made it just for me, because he loves me!

For those of you who did not have the pleasure of seeing our house when we first moved in... Consider yourselves lucky! Here are a couple of pictures of the kitchen that we started out with.

After some hard work from my amazing husband, we now have a beautiful brand new kitchen!

Ryan has been busy building as usual; his new project is an entertainment center for the family room. He started about 4 days ago and has been working from dust till dawn. Starting with just a sketch that he drew, he has made a beautiful entertainment center. Hopefully it will be completed and in the family room in the next day or two!

We’re married! We had a wonderful wedding on July 1, 2005 in Rochester NY. The ceremony took place at Saint Louis church in Pittsford, with the reception being held at the Genesee Valley Club in Rochester. We had a blast and hope that everyone who attended did as well. Swing Shift played the night away as everyone danced their hearts out, including my 93 year old grandmother. Cocktails and horderves were served as well as having different carving stations. (It was so nice not to have a sit down dinner.) We are not very formal people, so we just wanted to get the party started! We have yet to go on a honeymoon, but hope to plan one sometime soon. We spent the couple weeks following our wedding at the family cottage on Simcoe Island. Sun, family and fun, what more can you ask for? We had a blast! Thank you to everyone who made our day so special!