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. :-)

Of Weddings, Details and Stuff That Tends to Gag Guys

When I was younger, and there was no marriage in present sight, I used to spend hours planning all of the details for my wedding. I would think about it when I was weeding the garden. Washing the dishes. Folding laundry. Changing the baby's dirty diaper! Milking the cows.

Even though I knew from the first that marriage was down the road at some point, when I got involved with Jesse, I didn't even really think about the wedding. All I could concentrate on was my man and our relationship. But suddenly, one fine day, it hit me: we were going to have a wedding. That involved what? The more I thought about it, the more I felt overwhelmed with the prospect. So many details to think about! After I was sick, I hardly wanted a wedding at all. In fact, Jesse (among others) could quote me saying, "Let's just elope." Lol!

Thank God for good friends. Lindsey arrived on Thursday afternoon and the fun began immediately. First off, we made pasta and cream sauce for supper and Jesse came over to share it with us. We filled ourselves to contentment while watching "The Young Victoria" (which was mentioned previously in the post below) and an episode of "Due South" (which was not mentioned previously in the post below....), then had good conversation. These days, it seems that good conversation always turns to wedding plans. Lol! In this case, we decided that the fabric from the old wedding dress I wanted to use for my wedding dress was not conducive to the pattern I wanted. The pattern was not an option, so the dress went. I was sad but I had been coming to the realization slowly over the past few weeks (part of the reason I wanted to elope... haha!) (yes, I really, really wanted to use that dress...)...

Friday, we went into Regina and shopped until we dropped. Or almost. My favorite parts of the day happened after Michaels. I know, I know. Heresy. Especially from someone like me who usually can't be dragged out of the store for hours. The problem was that so many things were undecided and I didn't know what I needed or didn't need. Thankfully, Lindsey helped make a few decisions. Among my favorite purchases there were some small glassware which included a heart shaped and triangular shaped containers with corks. They weren't terribly expensive and we are planning on using them for... well, that will have to wait until I explain the after Michaels remark. ;-)

After Michaels.... :-) we went to The Bulk Barn. I had never even heard of one and I didn't even know what they carried. Lindsey and her mom and sister had shopped at one in Alberta, so she knew. We walked into the store and it was like heaven. I was feeling rather depressed when I first walked in. When we walked out, I was on top of the world. Hehe! Bins and bins and bins every bulk item you can think of. What we were interested in was the candy. Why would I, who isn't a typical candy person (hey! chocolate is *not* candy!) (well, some chocolate could be classified as candy but it should be banned from North America) like that detail? Because while searching through the internet for wedding ideas, I came across this lovely idea for the reception and fell in love with it:

There will be chocolate on my table as well as all of these wonderful colors and delightful vintageness. My husband-to-be loves the idea. I love the idea. I think there is a very good chance of it happening. ;-)

And now I can tell you what the small containers from Michaels will be used for: decorations on the tables. They will be filled with jelly beans. Believe me, they're absolutely adorable. :-)

Anyways, we walked out of the Bulk Barn with lots of candy. We only took a little of each. A little of 20+ varieties adds up. Haha! But I loved it. I mean, finally! I was able to get out of the cautious mode and throw myself into planning. Walmart was next. That was 2nd in line of things that happened beautifully. Candles. I left Walmart with some really nice candles. They're vanilla and cream colored and they smell really, really good. They also look like what I want them to.

Saturday, we traveled back into Regina and went to Fabricland. We had intended going the day before but they close earlier than we anticipated. Lindsey said they would feel her wrath someday. ;-) Actually, the next day after three+ hours of shopping, we both agreed as we were leaving the store that it was perhaps a good thing we had not been able to shop there the day before. It was pretty intense. And yet, I had not had that much fun in years. How can I explain the beauty of the greens we found? Yes, we got a lot of greens. It's my favorite color. :-) Lindsey's dress fabric is a lovely, lovely dark sage green. We found the fabric as soon as we walked through the door. It just leaped out at both of us and not only did I fall in love with it, so did Lindsey. Which is important because she has to wear it and I want her to feel beautiful and comfortable in it. :-) I mean, this fabric is my all time favorite shades of green. It's absolutely gorgeous. And Lindsey will look stunning in it. :-)

We also bought fabric for all of my sisters to have dresses... for the four oldest, a different shade of sage for skirts (cream blouses to be purchased for tops) (we also found a really nice pattern for the skirts... they're classy, yet cute... modern, yet vintage). For Cilla, Ruth and Sara, we couldn't find anything in the silks, satins and etc, etc, that leaped out at us. So, we went over into the cottons and found this really pretty print that is so pretty and cute. They will be little princesses. :-) My mom's outfit is still to be decided as well as my mil and sil, but we have time. :-)

I remember the exact moments the fabrics and patterns decided they were attending my wedding. Most became clarified when I saw them for the first time. But the fabric for my dress was a little different. I liked the shade of the satin when I saw it. But I have a hard time with satins. Usually, they're too heavy and stiff. I had never seen or felt a satin I really liked until I found that old wedding dress and fell in love with it. Then, I touched this really beautiful Cuddle Satin. That's what it's called! As soon as I felt it, I knew. It was so soft... not too shiny... it fell just right... in fact, it was perfect. It was what I had been looking for since I had first begun planning my wedding (about 20 years ago ;-)). And because I had no faith, I decided that there was not going to be a lace overlay there that would fit that perfect, perfect satin. Hehe. As it turns out, there was. It's just right. It's unique. It's beautiful. It's also perfect.

It was definitely a good day for fabric shopping. :-) Every little aspect I was concerned about with the sewing, the cost, the time has all been taken care of. Many thanks to good friends and a loving God who works in mysterious ways!

I hope this post hasn't been boring. This is all very fascinating to me and Jesse assures me that girls like talking about weddings, period. To the guys who are trying to get through this, my apologies. For I am now going to talk about chocolate.

After eating my supper tonight, I had Green and Black Caramel chocolate bar. I usually only eat a little at a time of those because they're so sweet and the chocolate sooo rich. But this evening, before I knew it, I had finished the entire bar! Lol! I was feeling quite pleased with myself beforehand, too. :-P Now I have a smashing headache... I never eat that much chocolate at once. Boy, did it ever taste good. Felt good too. Still feels good. Just headache. Caffeine and I are not the best of friends. Ahem.

Other points of interest from my weeks of silence:

 I am quite recovered from my illness though I am still taking vitamins and supplements. I feel so good. Every time someone asks me how I'm doing, I always feel like shouting, "WONDERFUL!!!" Hehe...

I am greatly enjoying my work at PharmaSave. Today, I worked most of the morning in the photo lab (which was very fun, once I got the hang of it), then spent the rest of the day dusting the Advil, Tylenol, etc. All those little boxes and bottles taken off the shelves... dusting/washing shelves... making sure I have all of the proper tags... checking expiration dates... all those boxes and bottles put back onto shelves. It's slow and tedious work but it's something I rather enjoy. I like cleaning. Rather, I like stepping back and seeing the results of my labors. I love that shining glow that emerges after you have cleaned.

Theatre is coming along well. I have been memorizing my lines and getting into character. Once again, I love, love, love working with the other people involved. Watching different aspects of people emerge as they become their character is amazing and often hilarious. One of the women in the cast took on a persona last Sunday that had us all in stitches. It was brilliant and very funny.

The orthodontist told me that April 7th would be the day my braces were coming off. I don't know if my bottom braces will be since my teeth are still not in place (they did some major adjusting... in fact, it was only a couple days ago they actually stopped hurting. They've never hurt for almost an entire month before... agh! I will be so glad to get them off!). As soon as my braces are off, Jesse's dad will take pictures of us and we'll be able to get to work on our wedding invitations. I'm really looking forward to those!

Today, on the way to work, I slipped on the ice and fell. I landed on my bad knee (of course), left hip, elbow and twisted my ankle. Then, at work, I accidentally smashed my thumb while working at the photolab. Yes, it was on accident. I hate smashing my thumbs. So painful. But I have survived with little swelling and no Advil. So far. I believe sleep may call for it. Add a headache to all of my aches and pains (incidentally, my big toe on my right foot hurts the worst right now and I don't recall doing anything to it) and it kind of makes sleep not an option.

Speaking of sleep, I really should shower and get to bed. Another day of work and teaching tomorrow. You know, in spite of all my complaining, I am so happy. I feel so incredibly blessed. Thank you, God. :-) I had a really good day.

Good night, everyone! Sweet dreams.