Videos from the wedding

For those who can't wait for the DVD release, here are two of the videos from the 10-10-09 wedding reception.

First, the slideshow from before dessert. I'm really proud of how this turned out. Blow it up to full-screen and crank up the speakers.

Wedding Slideshow: Scott & Amanda 10-10-2009 from Scott Simpson on Vimeo.

Next, the video Amanda's sisters Ruth and Amy made for their speech:



I'm working on more video content for the DVD. Any guests who have pics or video from the wedding, send it on in, please! I've seen some of the photos people have posted on facebook and flickr, and they're fabulous!

For those who google instead of going directly

If you landed here, you're probably looking for scottandamanda.ca. Well, here's the second-fastest way of getting there: click this link for www.scottandamanda.ca!

Roof's on, holes dug, deadlines creep

Didn't take long for Bernie and his Coughlin crew to put the new roof on the place. A lot of noise and flying nails, and one instance of me catching one worker peeing on the side of the house, but otherwise, an incident-free installation. And, the sun came out later in the day.

The front and back yards continue to be a wonderland of life forms. The front lawn is a diverse blend of clover, creeping charlie, dandelions, little purple flowers, chinchbug-eaten lawn, and some grass in there too. Amanda's on a gardening tear, so we spent Saturday digging two circles in the front lawn to make homes for more plants. Within the dirt was a few hundred ants, several white grubs, possible chinchbugs, spiders, beetles, and stuff I'm probably blocking from memory because they were so creepy.

Birds love our place almost as much as we do. They've been coming by less in the rain -- which has lasted for what seems like weeks now -- but we've seen robins, blue jays, little black squawky birds, big black birds, at least one kind of woodpecker, and a hummingbird or two. Really cool stuff.

We're starting to crack down on getting-stuff-done on the wedding front. Small victories here and there, but I acknowledge that we may be behind in such areas as letting people know what they can do to help, and what their roles encompass. Ack! I'll be in touch soon, I hope!

The Ring

The Ring, originally uploaded by BigAssSuperBlog.

For those who've been curious, here's Amanda's engagement ring. Custom crafted by Fire Works Gallery in Halifax. Round brilliant ideal-cut Hearts & Arrows diamond in half-bezel setting, white gold.
I love the way it sparkles -- but I'm not fancy-pants photographer enough to be able to capture that detail.

Big Ass Superstar engaged to marry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (August 25, 2008)

"Vacation turns to engagement for Halifax blogger"

HALIFAX, NS -- BigAssSuperstar.com wishes to congratulate founder and editor Scott Simpson on his engagement to long-time girlfriend Amanda on 08-20-2008 in New York City.

Mr. Simpson crafted an intricate plot to propose to Amanda in front of the scrolling marquee outside Hershey's Times Square. After feeding her extensive misinformation leading her to believe a proposal might be coming atop Manhattan's famous Empire State Building, Scott led her to 48th and Broadway with the promise of a genuine American chocolate bar.

After exiting the store with chocolate, Amanda was caught off guard when Scott began recording a "video postcard," then handed his camcorder off to an apparent stranger. He pulled out a Canadian flag identical to one the couple had been given by soldiers on Paris' Champs-Elysees on the 60th anniversary of D-Day during their landmark European vacation.

"This flag represents the trips we've taken around the world," said Simpson to a confused Amanda. "And I look forward to taking many more trips around the sun together."

Scott directed Amanda's attention to the pixelboard marquee at the Hershey's store, which showed modified lyrics from a Cub song called New York City, for which Simpson was shooting his own BigAssSuperstar video:

"The streets are paved with diamonds and there's just so much to see;
But the best thing about New York City is ... Marry me?"

Turning around in surprise, she found Mr. Simpson on bended knee with a solitaire engagement ring. She said yes.

The couple emerged from their reverie to discover a second man photographing the unfolding events with a digital SLR. It was then revealed that the photographer and videographer were not strangers. They had been contacted through craigslist for the purpose of capturing the proposal.

Big Ass Superstar extends thanks to NYC photographer Mike Dote and his father for their help in making this event possible, Graeme Ross at Fire Works Gallery for custom-crafting a beautiful ring, Dunhill Cafe & Catering for cooking a tasty and economical breakfast, and family and friends for keeping the scheme under wraps until the big reveal.

The couple has not set a date for the wedding, although considering that the proposal happened on 08-20-2008, Mr. Simpson suggests 09-20-2009 or 09-09-2009 would be easiest to remember.

BigAssSuperstar.com is a Halifax-based blog featuring writing by Scott Simpson on a variety of topics including personal finance, fitness, fatness, technology and miscellany. Mr. Simpson can be contacted through the e-mail link on the blog. Amanda is perpetually available on the social networking web site Facebook.com.

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More video and photos will be available at a later date, pending repair of the BAS Stallion computer. Until then, enjoy a selection of Mike Dote's photos of the event.