IMPORTANT PRESS RELEASE

RING EXCHANGED AT “WONDERS OF WINTER” IN WATERLOO PARK

Ontario Man to Wed Island Girl – She Said Yes!


Waterloo, ON — Dec. 24, 2007 — Christmas came a few hours early for Ellen R. Graf this year. Dan J. Martin of Elmira, Ontario presented a sparkling diamond ring to Ms. Graf (formerly of Nanaimo, BC) while on a snowy Christmas Eve walk to admire the Christmas light sculptures in Waterloo Park. While the Bride-to-be looked on agog (slightly resembling a fish out of water) the Groom-to-be knelt and pulled out a ring box and asked her to marry him. Although Ms. Graf had stopped breathing temporarily, his repeated asking prompted a response of “uhuh, yes, mmhmm, yes” accompanied by strong nodding of the head. She is currently being treated for shock. Mr. Martin is being treated for compulsive grinning.

Friends and family are thrilled for the couple and have offered their heartfelt blessing. Said the Father of the Bride, “At last!” The Bride’s mother advised “You make a great couple (keep him, he does dishes!)”. Other reactions have included “Yahoo”, “YAY!” and high pitched loud squealing noises. Ms. Graf and Mr. Martin are sincerely grateful for the prayers that have been offered on their behalf, and are so honored to have friends and family who have encouraged and loved them while their relationship has developed.

While a date has not yet been set, the couple will be married in the New Year. When asked about the date, the groom advised “Sooner than later!” After the wedding, they will reside in Waterloo, Ontario. The bride’s process of ‘clutter reduction’ has already begun so that her husband-to-be might have at least one shelf in the closet to call his own.

Mr. Martin hails from Ontario, while Ms. Graf was raised on Vancouver Island, BC. They realize that this is a cross-cultural relationship and have enjoyed learning about each other’s respective backgrounds – especially the foods.

Both the bride and groom are available for interview (they’re regaining their coherency by the day) and the ring is available for viewing. Photos available upon request.

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Un-Fortune Cookies

Okay - I confess. I love fortune cookies.

I can't eat them, but I can't wait to break open the crispy little creatures and see what they're going to tell me. But really, the fortunes are dumb, aren't they?

Today's fortunes:

"We would often be sorry if our wishes came true."

"It is quality rather than quantity that matters. Do a good job."

I feel ripped off! Those aren't fortunes at all! Grrr... Wings 'unfortune' cookies! Who thinks of these things?!

According to Wikipedia: The Fortune Cookie is a crisp cookie made from flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk which is baked around a fortune, a piece of paper with words of faux wisdom or vague prophecy. ... Despite conventional wisdom, the cookies were invented in California.

Ahhh... they're from California. No wonder they're bizarre and don't make too much sense! :)

My Own Personal Ice-Capade

This weekend will go down in Danellen (our celebrity nickname) history. After finishing up a bunch of Christmas shopping and enjoying a wonderful meal at Milestones, Dan had the fabulous idea to go skating in the outdoor rink at Nathan Phillips Square in Downtown Toronto, which was really fun. My skates were sharp, my spirits bright, and we were bundled up like Ralphie in A Christmas Story.

It was kind of like the movie Serendipity, but not quite.

So, it's been a few years since I've skated, and it wasn't the best conditions to practice on for the first time again. There were hundreds of people on the ice, and it was totally chopped up.

Although I had a fairly tenuous start, I was doing good, but getting tired. And, I guess I wasn't picking up my feet enough because I was getting lazy and my pick caught, and I did a HUGE belly flop on the ice. No normal falling for me. None of the falling on your butt, side, etc. I fel directly on my stomach and arms. Flat. On. My. Face. I slid a little ways, and was absolutely covered in snow when I stood up.

Dan was in so much shock, and I was in shock (and I knocked the wind out of myself) but all I could do was laugh hysterically. I could hardly skate back to the bench because I was laughing so hard. I bruised a rib, my shoulder is hurt, and I'm still laughing (although it hurts because of my rib). Seriously, I'm still aching all over.

Poor Dan, planning a romantic winter evening and I'm just... typical Ellen. I think I get it from Grandma Ellen. She had a rather miserable track record of broken arms and legs from roller skating and water skiing.

Fortunately, I also got her sense of humor, which came in handy when we got back to the car and realized I had forgotten to take the tag off of the top of my toque and had worn it all over Toronto that night. Sigh. Some things never change.