Darlene's Parents

Although both of my parents were born in PEI, they moved to Toronto at a very young age.  Together, they built a new life in the "big city" - they even opened their own business in 1978, Ricks Used Appliances.  Despite the long hours they put into the business to make it a success, they still found the time to take me to choir practice, attend school plays, and bake muffins for bake sales.  They always put family ahead of everything else...

My parents recently retired and moved back to PEI .  Of course, there are times when I miss them, but then I remind myself that they are just a phone call away!!!  And don't fool yourself, my parents have been involved in ALL the wedding planning - my mom was here to help me choose my wedding dress, and we drove all over the GTA looking for flowers, invitations, shoes, and favours!!!  And I'll be going to PEI  so I can be there when my dad picks out his suit for the wedding (that should be fun!) and of course, so I can offer a second opinion on wedding shoes for mom!

My parents are, without a doubt, my best friends.  They taught me many important life lessons: from the best way to wash the car (HA!) to the importance of communication, from staying true to myself to working hard, from staying positive in bad times to never giving up faith.  I know that as Rob and I start our married life together, they will always be by our side to guide us in the right direction. I am extremely fortunate to have such great parents and I hope that I will always make them proud of their baby girl...

Rob’s Parents

My parents were both born in small towns in south Portugal.  Because they were born in a time when there was very little employment opportunities, both of their families had to make the difficult decision to leave the country.  While they both grew up on opposite sides of the planet, as fate would have it, they met by chance on their home soil.  They got married and moved to Canada.  They, like their parents, had to start over in a strange city with nothing except each other.  And now, because of all their hard work, their children and their future grandchildren, will have a better life.  While these sacrifices might have seemed like impossible decisions to make at the time, the benefits are well worth it.

My parent’s hard work and strong family tries were at the core of all their parenting.  While growing up, I did not always get everything I wanted, but my parents always gave me everything I needed.  And I am sure that wasn't easy - it is much easier to just buy your kids what they want than to tell them “no” and teach them a lesson.  It takes a strong, wise person to love you enough to say “no”.  More important than the new bikes, toys and shoes, the time my parents spent with me is what I remember and appreciate the most.  My mother would force me to finish my chores, homework and piano lessons before I could go out and play sports. At night, she would sit with me against my will and read with me, forcing me to re-read lines over and over till I found my errors and corrected them myself.  (I’m sure that this process took more out of her then it did me.)  In a day and age where people never have enough time my parents always had time for their children.   Between 6 a.m. hockey games in the winter and softball tournies every other week-end, my Pop’s never missed one.  While the majority of other fathers dropped off and picked up their sons, my Dad sat in the cold bleachers and watched the numerous skating drills week in and week out.  Parenting is a thankless job. 

Rob’s Grandmothers

Vovo Adelina

This is my Mom’s mom and like all grandparents, she loves her three grandchildren very much.  Vovo spends her winters in Canada to be with her family and spends her summers in Portuga; to take care of her crops.  I use the word “crops” since my grandmother does not have a regular-size back yard garden, no no… it’s more like a mini farm!  She has fruit trees of all sorts and sizes, vegetables vines, shrubs – pretty much anything that produces produce can be found in her back yard.  Even though Vovo is 83 that does not slow her down.  She is up with the sun and runs around all day, tending to everyone and everything.

Vovo Linda

My Dad’s mother enjoys the “finer” things in life.  She and my late grandfather would travel all over the world seeing new things and meeting new people.  Vovo has recently taken up painting (in fact, my parents are proudly displaying some of her art on their walls).  As well, Vovo is back to school at the ripe age of 80, where she is taking some classes in history and English.  She also loves her grandchildren very much and we all know how proud she is of us.