Wedding Plans

[This morning, a FB friend sent me an invitation to the "Cow Appreciation Day" Event. A few minutes later, she sent me an invitation to the "An Old Fashioned Singing" Event. Then she sent me an invitation to the "I'm addicted to Facebook" Event.]

This morning I had a mild panic attack about how close the wedding is at hand. It seems like time moves irregularly. Some moments crawl by like a itsy-bitsy snail traveling up an icy covered hill -- one slime forward, two slimes back. Other moments I find myself on the back of a cheetah going down the same hill, 3 seconds to 1 and we are gathering speed ladies and gentlemen! Hang onto your hats!

I need to be more organized.

Planning for a wedding has been one of the most interesting things I have ever done. And it could easily turn into the most stressful. I don't want that to happen. One of my co-workers told me the other day, "You should enjoy this time in your life." I am trying to remember that. :-)

The best thing we have done was deciding that we did not want to spend a lot of money. That has really made me be creative in my planning. There are things that will require some spending but already people have been so very generous. The wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses were all purchased and paid for by others. (I will not say who but you know who you are!) The venue fee was waved. The food is potluck. The band is family and friends. The flowers are being grown by friends.  Many of the decorations I bought cheaply or am borrowing. Now I am trying to be creative in my spending on the rest of the wedding.

The photographer is something I am willing to spend money on. I think that preserving memories is something that is really important. He is scheduled and has a downpayment. This is something I need to save money for and make sure I am in contact with him.

The wedding bouquets. I decided to order them professionally. While I don't want anything terribly formal or classy, I do want flowers that aren't going to fade or fall off the bouquet during the big day. I need to visit the flower shop in Carlyle around August 10th and chat with the flower lady. :-) This is something that I need to save money for and make a mark on my calendar.

Since the strike is off and my wedding invitations have arrived (they are absolutely gorgeous!), I need to begin getting my addresses and lists and postage together. This is something I will spend money on now.

The candy table and the cheesecake -- money and time. August.

Accomodations for family and friends who are traveling in from out of town. Reservations. Phone calls.

Something else that we really need: a marriage commisioner. We still haven't found one yet. We have tried and nothing seems to work out. I am really praying that God will provide someone. There is a big list of Marriage Commisioners in Saskatchewan. I should read through that list more carefully and see what I find. Prayers for that and any thoughts are greatly appreciated. :-)

Camp begins on the 2nd. Michele and Will are moving to another town where they have built a lovely big house. I need to get all of my stuff out of there before I start to teaching. Ah! life. :-) And Jesse made gingerbead cookies yesterday. They are soooo good. And we bought a vacuum cleaner yesterday so I was able to vacuum!

I'm marrying a good guy. Life is great. A wedding is just a wedding. I would like it perfect but if it isn't, I'm not going to care. Because life continues on far past the "big day" and with Jesse in it... so beautiful. I'm just praying for wisdom.

Parental Disobedience -- Article

My friend Abigail reposted this on her Facebook... I read it and found myself so encouraged. Sometimes the path God puts us on is difficult and causes me a lot of discomfort. Haha. But in the end, it is all worth it. Every pain and joy. :-) I hope these words of wisdom will cause you to think and be inspired to follow what you know is right in your heart and soul, regardless of cost.

http://www.quiveringdaughters.com/2011/06/when-parental-obedience-brings.html

I am brace free. So glad! My bottom jaw hurts a lot though.

The other day, a lady asked for nail polish and without thinking, I asked, "Male or female?" 

I Love Flowers

Hello from a wet, chilly Saskatchewan. Did I ever mention that I wanted to live in Ireland? I won't have to now. I have already experienced it. Well, at least the weather part of it. (I don't think I have gotten the music and food part of it, though... so I guess I will still have to go visit.)

Yesterday, I washed all of the bottles for the wedding. I knew they were dirty but I didn't realize how dirty they were. Some of them had me almost gagging. I had to bite my lip and try to control my reflexes. I think some of the bottles had never been completely emptied. Yes, I mean 30 year old milk. I borrowed two big plastic tubs from my inlaws and soaked the bottles for a couple hours before I even attempted to wash them. Then, I took a rag and a wooden spoon to them... most of the bottles have narrow tops so I was not able to clean them without the handle of the wooden spoon. I think it took me over an hour to wash them all. When I was done, I rinsed half of them in hot water and soap. Then we made a dinner, sat in the living room and finished watching "Fullmetal Alchemist." It felt so good to get that job done. I had been dreading it.

Interesting thought: I love my job. I appreciate my co-workers. I have a really great boss! But on the days when I'm not working, I stay away from Pharmasave as much as I can. Not sure why since I really enjoy my job. Maybe because I go into work mode as soon as I step through the door. Lol.

My little sister Sara is growing up so big. She is talking quite proficiently now and likes to get people's attention. The other day when the family came down from Endeavour, she came running into the kitchen. She called, "Hannah!" while looking at me. I replied, "My name is Naomi." Her eyes went wide and very thoughtful. She pursed her lips for a moment, then said, "Never mind," and lit out for the livingroom. Lydia, Ellie and myself all laughed so hard. It was too cute. :-) 

 I want to wear flowers in my hair... these were just some ideas. I am still not sure if I'm going to wear a veil or not... 

This girl's hair is definitely my favorite flowers-in-hair look. Informal, natural but very beautiful.  I really like the style of photography as well!

This is nice but perhaps too much for me. The bangs..

["When we focus on changing circumstances rather than on the unchangable realities of God and His Truth, our emotions are prone to fluctuate wildly." --Nancy Leigh DeMoss] [Thanks for sharing this, Cheri. I really appreciated this!]

One of the reasons I haven't written a blog post sooner is because of the lack of inspiration. :P But I do love talking about wedding ideas. Aren't these bouquets beautiful? I like them all for different reasons. The one that has me inspired is the one to the far left in the collage. It has my colors in it and uses the flowers I had in mind. But I do love purple, even if I can't use it! So I am posting pictures of bouquets I like. 

Jesse and I watched "Nanny McPhee" the other evening. I found it to be an enjoyable experience. :) The story is a mixture of stories... kind of like a tough Mary Poppins and Julie Andrews. But I did love that as the children felt Nanny McPhee, so she looked. The more beautiful they thought of her, the more beautiful she became. There is something to be said about that lesson! 

Anyways. Work and everything calls. Busy life. Good life. :)

Beauty

1930's style... simple, natural... yet so very elegant.

Hard Steps -- Hard Thoughts

And the sun is shining! For the second day in a row! Yesterday, it shone all day and I was so happy. Finally some sunshine and warmth... add a little wind to that and you have the makings for a semi-wet July. That's rather than a sopping wet July. Which would be sad.

I had a funny moment yesterday at work when I mentioned the weather to an older lady and she answered so like Winnie-the-Pooh's Eeyore, “I wonder how long it will last. All we get is one good day, then the clouds come again.” :-)

Most of my waking moments are spent at work now that I'm here full-time. My boss was right that sometimes you're around your co-workers more than your family. Actually your co-workers become family! Lol. This morning I spent working on deodorant... dusting, checking tags and product, etc. It's a big job but it isn't as difficult as the medical aisle. That's why I always do the medical aisle first.

When I began work here, the floor manager told me that there was a lot of theft in the store. I wasn't sure what she meant by a lot but I have found out. It isn't like you find out something has been stolen every day but it's way more than once a week. I was a little shocked this morning when I discovered that three deodorants (empty spot; computer said we had three in stock) had walked out of the store. Until now, I have not checked every tag to see what is on the shelf and what we're supposed to have but I am beginning to think I should. It will be a big job and take a lot of time... however, I am beginning to think it will be worth it.

Yesterday, I was told to watch a young someone as they wandered through the store. Most of our theft comes from the young people... 12, 13 year old girls... it is disturbing to me. I wonder, “Who taught them?” When I stole from my parents as a young child, my conscience hurt me dreadfully until things were made right. But just as we are taught to be honest, we can be taught to be dishonest. Parents, friends, siblings...? Who is teaching them? Can't someone stop the cycle?

Again, this comes back to the aspect of judging and how do we react to this? How would Jesus act? He knew that Judas was a thief, yet He allowed Judas to carry around the purse. Why? What were His thoughts?

Eternal Labyrinth of Randomness

It has been a very busy couple of weeks for me. If you couldn't tell. :-) I'm actually typing this during my lunch break, inbetween bites of sandwich. It's a ham sandwich. Surprise, surprise. But it's actually on whole wheat bread, so it's not completely unhealthy. Besides, I like ham! ;-)

This morning, I got up, ate homemade ice-cream for breakfast (Yum!), came to work and spent the morning discovering and doing. Firstly, photo lab. I learned how to make a copy of pictures on a cd. I have burned cds before but not with this exact program. I was glad that Heather is still here to teach me... She's going to be leaving for maternity leave in three days since she's due in September. The rest of the morning was spent on the till and working on end bunks.

I can barely remember what all has happened since I last wrote. Lol. It seems like so much has happened. This past Sunday, my family came down for a visit and saw our house for the first time. It was good to see them again. Especially the kids. :-) Jesse discovered how awesome they are. He also discovered that wherever Sara is, there he should be also. She unloaded some of his books from the bookshelf several times. Hehe.

My folks brought all of my things down. Well. Most of my things. My sister Ellie kept all of my Agatha Christie books. I adore Agatha Christie. Unfortunately that adoration seems to run in the family. I have around 20 of her paperbacks and I would really like to see them on my shelf. Eventually. I can't fight Ellie for them until she's all healed up. Anyways. :-P All of my things are officially in our house... my dresser, desk, book shelf, hopechest, quilts, books, dishes, keepsakes, etc. Things that girls usually keep even though they have moved half a dozen times in the last five years. :-) [Sidenote: I just realized that five years ago, I was 20. I'm getting old!] I unpacked some of my dishes... finally using my Grandma's present to me on my 18^th birthday. They're so beautiful. Corelle really outdid themselves in designs that year. [Sidenote: which happened to be 7 years ago. Oh my.]

Whenever we moved long distances, I would calculate how many books I had and give away half my clothing so I could take them. I love my books. I am so excited that they're in our house. :-D :-D One of these days, Jesse says he will build more bookshelves so we can fill them with all of our volumes. I have a lot of classics and old books. And I have a lot of my favorites. Lord of the Rings, Alicia, Alone...

Back to Ellie: she's doing well though some days she is in pain. Your continued prayers for her are appreciated. It would be so wonderful if she had a full recovery and regained the use of her arm/shoulder. No more being afraid it's going to come out... She is still being crazy girl, though. That means that she is out doing fencing with Lydia and chasing calves. :-P Yes, there is a bit of begrudging respect in my voice. Lol.

Wedding plans are coming along. Jesse's sister and I hit upon a Dollar Store in Regina a weekend or two ago and found some really nice glass jars, etc. So, we bought a large amount of them for decorations and candy. I need a couple more big jars for the candy table and I think we'll be good there. What I'm mainly looking for now are old crocheted table cloths and wooden boxes. I am really excited about the antique looks we're going to have. This is going to be so much fun. :-)

Jesse and I have always done a lot of talking. I remember when he began coming around to Michele's to talk to me. I knew that he was interested in me but I didn't think there was a chance that he would agree with me or even have similar thoughts regarding a lot of matters spiritually. So, I would purposely bring up things that I believed and didn't think anyone else did. The interesting thing was that each matter I brought up, he had not only already thought out the issue but had arrived at the same conclusion as I had. It was both a blessing and a curse at the time (lol!) but over the months it has steadily evolved into a blessing only. I can bring up any subject I'm struggling with or am thinking about and he will give his opinion, encourage me to think about it and back off. I have never met anyone like him in my entire life.

The other day, I was really having issues with judging others. I still hold some hard things close to my heart and it is so difficult to let go. But as we were talking about this, my beloved said, “Negativity breeds negativity.” He went on to encourage me to act in love. Even if I could not reconcile myself to certain things (at this point, I have decided that when I am ready and God wants me to, I will be able to let go) then at least I can act in love towards these individuals.

His answer was so simple and so filled with wisdom that I haven't been able to forget what he said. I am really happy that I'm marrying this guy. :-)

So, my life is filled right now with work, house renovations, reorganizing our house, making pudding this evening, loving God and my man, learning about the joys and trials of co-workers, trying to write a blog post, eating skittles, ordering wedding invitations, getting a marriage commissioner lined up and generally enjoying life as much as I can (which is a lot). :-)

Forgive the random bold-ened words. I was feeling randomly bold today. :-)

I have been away from the 'net but I wanted to say 'hi'. :-) :-) May the coming week be full of joy. :-D

Quotes

You don't take a photograph, you make it. -- Ansel Adams

Nature is indifferent to the survival of the human species, including Americans. -- Adlai E. Stevenson

I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them. -- Pablo Picasso

I installed a sky light in my apartment.... the people who live above me are furious! -- Steven Wright

A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge. -- Thomas Carlyle

A journey is like a marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it. -- John Steinbeck

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. -- Mignon McLaughlin

He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees. -- Benjamin Franklin

I think it's naive to pray for world peace if we're not going to change the form in which we live. -- Godfrey Reggio

Don't try to make children grow up like you or they may do it. -- Russell Baker

Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see. -- Helen Keller

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. --Revelation 21:4