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 

mysteries and great joy

Today. Tuesday. May 31st, 2011. 25 years.

25 years of laughter, joy, sadness, struggling, growing. I sit here with my computer resting on my lap thinking, "It has been worth every moment."

I have learned some hard lessons in the past few years. The joy in my life was hard to find. So many times I just felt empty. There was one thing that I knew, however. I clung to it. I could find joy through it.

God loves me. God loves me. God loves me.

These past few months, I have realized some truths around that love.
1: God also uses joy and peace in our hearts to draw us closer to Him.
2: I don't have to be afraid that I'm going to have to pay for the joy with the equivalent of sadness.
3: Love is a mystery. I don't understand the way I feel about Jesse. I don't understand the way he feels about me. There is no explanation for us. It truly is a mystery and a gift from God.
4: In the same way, there is a mystery to God. Knowing this has helped with my search for peace. I am able to rest more content in Him than I have in years.

Yes. I am brimming with joy and thankfulness. Thank you, Lord. Thank you.
And thank you all, my dear friends and readers. May God also bless you this coming  year. :hugs:

Dreams & Wedding Plans

Once upon a time, there was a young lady who took me under her wing for an afternoon and let me see her room. In it was old books, old quilts, old sewing kits... I looked around in awe. Then, I saw it. Hanging there, against the wall was an old wedding dress. The ancient satin caught the light and glowed. As a typical girl, I almost stopped breathing in the presence of it's beauty. :-) It really was a priceless treasure; it had belonged to the girl's great-grandmother.

For years, I had dreams of what I wanted to be like when I was older. When I was young, my dreams consisted of having the same room the girl had but with one exception: I had not just one wedding dress but millions. Plus I would have a room full of candy and books and movies. And china dolls. (Let us not forget about the china dolls.) But gradually over time, I began to realize what was important and what wasn't. Strangely, as I grew (not much) taller, the earth rose up to meet me in my old age and I became practical. I packed my china doll away. I moved from home. I got a job. There is denim in my closet. I'm trying to stay away from candy.

But I do have an old wedding dress hanging in my closet to remind myself about the sugar and spice side of me. It hangs in my closet, light melting into the satin and looking beautiful. :sigh: I have no idea if I will every be able to make use of it but that is okay. Everyone needs something impractical in their lives. :-)

Part of the plans for my wedding consist of old bottles for putting flowers into. I have been planning on looking for them at yard sales for several weekends now but hadn't gotten the chance. Finally on Saturday, Jesse and I needed to go to Redvers anyways. They were having their town wide garage sale day and I was really looking forward to it. Due to rehearsal for the recital, we ended up not getting into Redvers until 3 or so. Which is apparently when most of the sales happened to shut down. We hit two in town that were just packing up and were able to snag some things that we needed (salt and pepper shaker set that we both liked, etc) but I wasn't finding any old bottles.

We were leaving Redvers when suddenly, about 2 miles out, there was a sign for a yard sale. It said "moving sale". As we were walking towards the garage, suddenly all I was seeing were old bottles and jars. Lots of them. Jesse looked at me and said, "We came to the right place." Lol. These people were antique collectors and had so much old glass, it was unbelievable. I told the lady what we were looking for and she was completely thrilled. We picked out several different bottles and dishes and she gave us a deal. We bought some stuff for $85. It wasn't the 5 cents a bottle kind of sale I'd been looking for but, hey... paying more  now means I can sell later. These bottles aren't cleaned yet. :-)

Anyways. As we were leaving, her husband came running over to the car and asked if we were the ones who had bought his milk bottles. He then asked if we would come to the shed and take a look at what else he had to sell because he thought we might be interested. We decided we could and he set an entire crate of these milk bottles in front of us. "Make me an offer," he said. Jesse and I looked at each other. Judging by what the man's wife had charged us for the few we'd gotten before, we thought around $200 for this crate and I simply didn't want to pay that kind of money! "Go ahead! Make me an offer. Don't be afraid to insult me," he said again. Jesse and I kind of stuttered a little bit. Hehe. :-D "Ok! Do you have a $10 bill in your pocket? Just give me $10 for the whole thing." I think our jaws just about hit the ground. Lol. We definitely had $10 and we now have enough bottles for the entire wedding. Wow.

It was an interesting inner struggle to watch, actually. The man was a salesman, wanting to get the biggest dollar for his product but he was also a kind hearted man. He asked what we wanted the bottles for and when we told him we wanted them for our wedding, he was so pleased. He gave us a butter churn, a couple of plastic crates, a wooden crate and a piece of petrified wood. *G*

When we went back to the car, the lady met us there and asked how much he'd charged us for everything. When we told her how much (a little gingerly, I assure you!) she gasped and looked... surprised and... delighted? I'm not sure. She wasn't displeased, for sure.... just very happy about her husband's generosity. She then insisted on giving us another tea cup for free. He kept urging her on by saying, "Ruth, they're getting married." "They are looking for antiques for their wedding." "They're getting married, Ruth!"

As we were getting ready to leave, she came running back to the car and handed us back the $10. "We decided we couldn't take it," she said. Jesse and I were rather overcome by their generosity. We were not anticipating it. What an answer to prayer. Each step we have taken in preparing for our wedding and new life together has been so amazing. So many things have been due to people's generosity.

Thank you. You know who you are.

But I am working today and I really need to get prepared for leaving. :-) My hair still isn't done and I need to get laundry in the wash. Plus, I need to put socks on. :-) :-) Ya'll have a great day wherever you happen to be. 

My Wish For You

May your heart be comforted today.

Jesse played his trumpet today at the Legion Ceremony. My thoughts and prayers were with the fallen and our Creator. Lord, remember our pain and suffering.

Someone lost their little child on May 25th. Lord, we thank you that he is no longer suffering but we ask healing for this family as they wait to join their child.

Let us rejoice this morning in the Love that God has for each of us. Let us not seek to find out His mysteries but rest in peace. 

[Random Side Note: I love Orange Italian Soda. I had my first one yesterday and I am already hopelessly addicted.]

The world was taken by surprise at the profoundness of the film The King's Speech (2010). King George VI of England was portrayed brilliantly by one of my favorite actors: Colin Firth. When he was announced as the Best Named Actor at The Oscars, I was cheering him on as loudly as the rest of the crowd. :-) Helena Bonham Carter was also amazing as the Queen Mother. She has played many roles which have thoroughly impressed me but none so much as her portrayal of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. I highly recommend this movie for several reasons. (Eventually, the review for The King's Speech will be up on Ponderings.)

Whether by purpose or no, as soon as the hype over The King's Speech was finished, the impending nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton caused brand new sensations across the globe. At first I was annoyed by it. As with Justin Beiber or whoever the latest and greatest is, I do not like adoration and millions of fans towards anyone. But my curiosity got the best of me. :-) I have been studying the royal family for years and I figured with history happening in my time, I should be keeping up on it.

What can I say? I have always respected Prince William because he is The People's Prince. He seeks ways to be more normal. This normality has helped him become a better man, more able to serve the people of Britain. 

And then, there's Kate. She is strong, charming, able. Her demeanor commands respect, yet bestows kindness and affection. I have come to respect these two and hope for better days. Perhaps Britain will be bettered by the happiness and stability of this couple. I have been praying for them as they step into the society. 

I loved so much about this wedding. Her dress was amazing. :-) 

May Long Weekend = Downpour

Please pray for my sister Ellie today as she is in surgery. She's had such a rough time the past couple of years... I really hope this solves the problem. No more sleeping with her arm tied down!

It's always exciting, preparing for your very first yard sale! Neither Jesse or I had ever hosted one before. Indeed, we'd never had enough stuff we wanted to rid our lives of to warrant a sale. But we sure do now. :-) Last Friday Jesse and I went through the entire house and decided which things we wanted and which things we did not. It was a huge job. The more nooks and crannies we discovered, the more stuff piled up. Friday was difficult. There were so many nice things in our house and so many nice things that we had gotten else where. Which to keep? To be honest, it was nice to have to choose. Lol! But on the other hand, there were moments when it was so difficult... We ended up hauling three dressers/vanities downstairs, hauling two outside for the sale and keeping one for the master bedroom. They are all antique and beautiful. Some are in better condition than others but they're all amazing! We also took a double bed from upstairs for the sale and brought a single bed upstairs. We're quite pleased with how nice our house looks now. :-)

So, as we were working Friday, Jesse mentioned off hand that this area never has good weather for the May Long Weekend. Sure enough, it alternated between pouring and drizzling all day Saturday. We had a few people in at the sale, but not as many as we would have liked. Over the course of three days (21st, 22nd and 23rd) we sold only a fraction of what we would have liked to. However, we did make a total of $142.70. :-) That we are thankful for!

Well, lesson time is coming right up so I should prepare myself. :-) 

Stopping The Cycle

The situation:
Co-worker comes to work with cold. She says she isn't sick enough to stay at home but just sick enough to feel sick.
My thought: I wish she would stay at home so other people don't get her cold.

A few days later:
I come down with a sore throat and running nose. I consider not going to work but decide to go in anyway.
My thoughts: I can't afford to stay home; I'm not sick enough to warrant it; everyone else has already gotten it.

How ironic that I judged my co-worker for the very same act I was to commit a few days later. The older I grow and the more I experience, I begin to realize the depth and width of Jesus. We all know the story of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. We all know how Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground as the group religious leaders waited impatiently for His reply. Can you imagine their disbelief as His words sunk into their minds?

"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

His words were so simple. Yet, they formed into something so powerful that in spite of themselves, those men were forced to lay down their stones and walk away.

The words of God are indeed amazing. They transform into thoughts, understanding and actions. Even if we live 100 years of this life, we would only comprehend a small amount of God's power and love. The rest remains a mystery that we will only understand when our minds are opened.

There is a scene in Doctor Who when Donna Noble becomes part Time Lord and the knowledge almost kills her. It was simply too much for her existence. I believe it is the same with God. We cannot understand everything while we are still human in a human existence. Come to think of it, there was a conversation between Moses and God in which God informs him that Moses cannot even catch a glimpse of God without dying. I would say that a non-human existence with God is going to be amazing. ;-)

One thing I have noticed since being involved with people from all walks of life is that people are very aware of God and Jesus. His words have lived down through the ages, echoing in the hearts and minds of His creations. I wonder how many acts of violence have been stopped? I wonder how many acts of love have been initiated?

Yesterday was "International Day Against Homophobia". I don't care what you believe about the homosexual lifestyle, these individuals are still people in need of love. But it isn't just homosexuals and lesbians who are shown hatred. There are many, many others who have taken their lives or simply lived in fear and grief because they feel unloved.

How can we be like Jesus? How can we stop the cycle of hatred? How can we lift the woman caught in the act of adultery out of the dirt of her life and give her a reason to embrace love?

Now I need to decide whether I'm going to work or not! :-) :-)