I arrived to Angela and Michael’s house in Milton to take photos of the guys getting ready and I was greeted by Mike and their dog at the front door, and then in the background; lots of laughter.  I immediately felt comfortable with all the guys and I was privy to some hilarious stories around the kitchen island while the guys had a couple drinks and got ready.  Once they were prepped, we took a couple photos and I went off to see Angela and her bridesmaids at Angela’s aunt’s house.

When I arrived (after my GPS wanted me to send me the wrong way down Trafalgar rd), I found a house packed full of family anxious to see the beautiful bride in her dress.  She was just about ready and anxious to get things going.  Michael and Angela had decided to see each other before the wedding and when he arrived, he waited at the bottom of the stairs for Angela to descend.  She did and he was thrilled to see her.  With the formalities over for the time being, we went outside and got our first feel for the cold.  It was not exactly pleasant, but we got everyone together for some family photos and then quickly back inside to warm up.  It wasn’t too long before we were on the long drive to Piper’s Heath Golf Club (alright, it was less than a kilometre).

The original plan was to take some photos of the wedding party before the ceremony, but there were already so many guests there and we didn’t want everyone to see Angela before the ceremony.  The ceremony itself was held outside under a tent.  In almost no time at all, Angela and Michael were Mr. and Mrs. Marchese and we made our way to the waiting golf carts to take us for photos.  One step outside and Angela turned around and came back in.  It is no easy task to go outside when it’s that cold in normal clothes, let alone a dress.  After a few minutes, she was convinced that going for photos would be a good idea despite the wind chill.  The girls put on a brave face and we went to the barn on the property for a few photos.  We quickly got through the pictures of the entire wedding party and sent them back to the clubhouse to have some liquid warmth.  Mike and Angela weren’t so lucky.  I kept them outside a bit longer, and then we went inside the barn.  The staff at the golf course were great, even bringing some hot coffee and snacks to the newlyweds to help keep them warm.  Even better was the warm car Tim (from Piper’s Heath) brought out to warm us up in.  I know my hands were nearly numb, so I can only imagine how cold Angela was feeling at this point.  We made one stop on the way back inside and got one of my favourite photos from the day.

Inside, the guests were having a great time and that continued well into the night.  The speeches were quite varied in the emotions they brought out of the guests, but I think the most memorable was from Angela’s mother.  I nearly cried as she spoke of Angela’s late father and how much he would have loved to be there, then we all joined in laughter from her stories.  The only speech that may have topped it would be Angela’s speech.  It had people in tears, tears of laughter.  I don’t know if she had anything written down, it felt off the cuff, but that was just perfect, I think it was about a 10 minute ab exercise for all the guests from all the laughing.

One thing Angela mentioned during her speech was how her and Michael spent their first date watching fireworks.  After her speech she gathered everyone on the patio under the guise of doing a big group photo.  I think a lot of people were not happy with me as they assumed I was dragging them outside into the cold for a photo.  With the help of the guys at Piper’s Heath, we counted down to the photo, and instead of me taking a photo, fireworks went off in the distance behind me.  I immediately dropped down off my 6 foot ladder and got some photos of Angela and Michael enjoying the show.  I absolutely love surprises, so I was happy to see a surprised Michael, simply amazed that his wife had pulled off such a stunt for him and their guests, it was fantastic.

I had a great time being part of Angela and Michael’s wedding, and I wish them all the best, I’m sure they will enjoy many years of happiness together.

Congratulations Angela and Michael!!!

Enjoy!!!

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Enjoy!!!

Congratulations Angela & Mike!

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Congratulations Kevin, Susan, and Connor, on the new addition to your family!!!  We’re all so happy for you :)

So without further adieu, my niece, Mackenzie:

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Just before boarding the plane, Ginger had an accident in her crate and I spent 30 minutes trying to clean and dry the thing in the bathroom, not an easy task with a 600 gram puppy to worry about.  I was glad the flight was delayed a bit, otherwise it would have been trouble.  As we got seated, we found that in our bank of 3 seats, there was only 1 other person, a guy about 20.  I asked him if it was alright if I had Ginger out of the crate, and he said he didn’t mind, so I took her out.  I was repeatedly reprimanded by the WestJet flight attendants for having her out, but I felt terrible with her in it, and so did she.  Each time I put her in the crate she tried to get out, so I unzipped it a little and reached in with my had to comfort her, one time she actually crawled up my arm and legs and into my lap.  She had only been with me for a few hours and she was scared to be sitting in a crate under the seat in front of me.  Each time I took her out, she was perfectly happy and quiet in my arms, but then I would get yelled at again and she would go back in.  I was so happy that the flight was only a couple hours and on the descent, with everyone in their seats, I made sure she had a cuddle.

When I got her to the house, I asked Robyn to come out to the car and meet Ginger while I went in to say hi to Cinnamon.  She was sooo excited to see me.  After a couple minutes, Robyn brought Ginger in and they got to meet each other for the first time.  Cinny was wagging her tail off in excitement for Ginger.  We couldn’t have been any happier with their first meeting.

In their first couple weeks together, we quickly learned that eating time was going to be a bit of trouble.  We had been leaving Cinnamon’s food on the floor and she would eat when she was hungry, but we had to be more disciplined with Ginger needing to eat twice a day and we needed to know how much she was eating.  Cinnamon is not very territorial, except when it comes to her kibble, she gets a bit snarky when anyone is near her food.  There was an incident in the first week or so whereby Ginger got too close to Cinnamon’s kibble and Cinny bit her in the ear.  The yelping from Ginger was not a sound I’ve ever heard, nor want to hear again, she was bleeding a little and scared of Cinnamon.  She eventually got over that fear (by eventually, I mean about an hour), but she’s remained weary of being near Cinnamon and her kibble.  We had Ginger eating on the counter at one point to make sure there were no scuffles between 3 year old Cinnamon and 3 month old Ginger.  They now eat right beside each other from separate bowls.

Cinnamon loves her bones and whenever Ginger takes one, Cinny likes to steal it back.  Luckily, Ginger will chew on just about any toy, or any thing for that matter.  She especially loves a bright green ring which we call the rollie.  She will chase the rollie all day if you let her, and she always brings it back for another toss.  She prances proudly when she gets it and sometimes does a lap around the living room furniture with it, we call it her victory lap.  That term has a lot of meaning when both Cinnamon and Ginger compete for the rollie tosses.  It’s cute to see their personalities come out.

When we decided to get Ginger, what we really hoped for was that Cinnamon and Ginger would be friends.  We hated leaving Cinnamon at home on her own while we went to work, it wasn’t fair for her to be alone.  The bond they have formed makes Robyn and I so happy, we love to see them playing with each other and it’s just so damn adorable when they cuddle up and sleep next to one another.

Cinny and Gingy are my two little loves, I love them dearly and even though they have their quirks, and Ginger likes to chew the bottom of the couch and Cinnamon gets defensive if anyone steps near her while she’s eating, I wouldn’t want any other dogs, they are an integral part of our family.  Being that they are between 4.5 and 5 lbs, they will forever be our puppies, their size makes them perma-puppies.

I’ve taken a lot of pictures over the last year, even though I have not uploaded any of Ginger yet, this is a look into her first year of life, and her first 9 months in the Hall family.

Enjoy!!!

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The first photo of Ginger, in my lap on the car ride home.  Cinnamon welcomes Ginger into the family with kisses and a wagging tail.Cinnamon’s favourite game is Chase, and Ginger got in on the action.The crate I had to fly Ginger in, sometimes she liked to go hide in it.The girls really want some people food, their puppy dog face is pretty damn good and they do get people food often.Ginger peering out from beneath the coffee table, keeping an eye on Cinnamon.I thought she wanted to give me a kiss, but she decided to try to crawl over my face instead.This is one of my favourites, Ginger rolled off the bed while playing with the Petsmart bandana (from a Cinnamon haircut).One of the few times they have been off their leash and allowed to run freely, being so small, they can easily escape most fences.Ginger’s Lion King moment, held up like Simba.No-one is saying Ginger liked being a Lobster for Halloween, but she’s cute nonetheless.Cinnamon likes me to hold the bone while she chews it, Ginger wanted to crawl on my back.Ginger, in need of a haircut, on the counter for some kibble.For Cinnamon’s birthday, we got them treats, Ginger enjoyed hers immensely. The first tooth Ginger lost.Ginger managed to get the warning labels off the dining room chairs, there’s no denying that she was guilty.My beautiful wife Robyn carrying Ginger down the stairs before Ginger could go on her own (it’s a steep long staircase, that would be scary).Ginger had a bath and shook herself off.We call this the tent.  The sun warms the puppies in behind the curtains.A portrait of Ginger on her first birthday.  They grow up so fast.The sisters on Ginger’s first birthday, my two little ones.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!!!

“May the roof above us never fall in, and we friends beneath it never fall out” – a great Irish saying.

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Prints for Sal, click here

Intact Insurance has a program which rewards speed skating organizations across Canada whenever one of our athletes reaches the podium.  They presented a cheque to the Northside Blades club for $1000 which brings the total donated to nearly $150,000 in the 3 years it’s been running.  Without programs like this from major Canadian companies, many athletes don’t get the chance to train and compete at an elite level.  But it’s not only the top level competitors that benefit, people young and old can learn speed skating and pick up the sport at a recreational level as well.

As a hockey player, I’ve always been curious to know what it’s like to skate in speed skates.  As the day came to an end on Saturday, I got the opportunity to put a pair of skates on and take a few laps of the Oval.  I was also lucky enough to get some pointers from one of the coaches, and while I didn’t get his name, I’m appreciative of his tips.  There were only a few of us on the ice, including Mathieu Giroux, so my first time on speed skates was with an Olympic Gold Medalist, not too bad eh?  I enjoyed my first time on speed skates and I think I’ll give them a try again when I have some more time.  If you’ve never tried, I suggest doing it, I think you’ll get a better appreciation of what our athletes are doing when competing.

Here are a few photos from the Intact Day on Skates:

Enjoy!!!

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Enjoy!!!

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Stay safe everyone, don’t go out on the roads if you don’t have to, but if you do have to, take your time, you’re much better off late than dead.

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I held a draw for a free engagement session and I received over 200 entries.  I drew a winner and oh wait, here’s a shot of my booth from the show, pretty good eh?

Oh right, the draw, well, I mentioned that there were over 200 entries, so in light of that, I decided to pull two names instead of one.

The first winner is………

Miranda Jones (round of applause)

The bonus winner, picked from the jar by my lovely wife is….

Tamara MacKenzie (bonus round of applause)

Thank you to all who entered!

Congratulations Miranda and Tamara!!!!!

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You’ll notice that I didn’t consider this post a ‘Best-of’ blog post, and there’s a good reason.  I find that the photos that resonate with me are not necessarily my best, but these are the ones I like the most.  I don’t really have any guidelines that make for my favourites, it’s a certain je ne c’est quoi.

I had so many great experiences in 2012, from Erin and Tony’s Engagement Session at Erin’s family Cottage on Georgian Bay in Ontario, to Jen and Brad’s Alexander Graham Bell Museum Wedding in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, it was a wonderful year and will be a challenge to top it in 2013.

I wish you all the best in 2013 wherever you may go and whatever you may do.

Enjoy!!!

www.DustinHallPhotography.ca