Saturday, July 26, 2008

Update

I was hoping to post today with a recap of the wedding but it doesn't seem appropriate given the circumstances so instead I will post that at a later date.

Please pray for the Friesen family, their daughter (18 years old) was killed in a car accident on Thursday night. I teach her little brother. This is a very difficult week here in Mennville as so many people have been touched by this beautiful, intelligent, and caring young woman.

I am heading to camp (BCBC) on Sunday to be staff for the week, they are very short staffed and I can go so I am. Pray for us out there this week. For many it won't be an easy week!

~S

Friday, July 11, 2008

The Dress

She is home! After a long period of waiting, some tears (okay many) and some alterations my dress has come home! Sheri and I went today to get her and I had so much showing my dad (who called me three times today about it, and was almost as excited as I was about getting her home) and figuring out jewlery tonight! I LOVE HER!

I know it is just a dress, I know that I will only wear it for one day but it is my wedding day after all! Maybe I am more attached to it because the dress was a battle right from the beginning. I haven't told the story here so if you haven't heard it all then here it goes (just for the record Dahlen and Chantal are now married so I am not spoiling anything here!):
Dahlen and Chantal got engaged the same weekend we did (hmmmm... the boys must have talked), and then happened to go dress shopping the same weekend as well. She went on Fiday, I on Saturday. At church on Sunday we were both excited to announce that we had found and purchased our dresses. That afternoon at the guys place we started telling each other about them; we started generally, "mine is strapless", "mine has a pick-up skirt", mine gathers over here", "mine has beading across the top", "mine is lace-up"... as the list went on we discovered that our dresses were extremley similar, to the point of being the EXACT SAME DRESS! Yup at two different stores, on two different days we bought the same dress... same colour (ivory), same size! At first we laughed, the boys teased us and made some wise cracks and off Dahlen and Chantal went. They shut the door, I started to cry. Now I can't explain the exact cry, but I can tell you that it was more like a sob, and maybe a touch too dramatic. I don't think Jay knew what to do or say. I quickley called my parents. Through sobs I told mom the problem, who then got my dad on the phone and they both didn't know what to say. It was already late-ish on Sunday so we couldn't do anything about it. I think I spent the rest of the evening on the phone crying with various people (Megan, Mom, Chantal, who called to see how I was doing, etc.). If you are a guy reading this post you won't understand, it is just a dress after all... but the biggest deal for me was that Jay would see Chantal in my dress before he would see me in it... I wanted there to be an element of surprise on the day! I decided to just get another dress, my dress shop was AMAZING and let me exchange the dress (they had already ordered it). The next weekend, with a fresh pair of eyes (thanks Sheri), I bought MY dress! I loved her even more than the first one and was happy with my decision to get another dress rather than stick with the "shared" dress. So the dress has been the bigest problem all through the planning process; I have even had nightmears about dress issues (not having her onJuly 19th and doing pictures and the ceremony in jeans). I am very happy to have her home now, hanging in the sewing room for another week.... maybe I will visit her a couple of times a day just to look! Having her home makes me so happy that I choose another dress!

So that was the excitment for the day... maybe even the week. One week from today I hope to be sleeping by now (I get to wake up at 3:30 am on my wedding day), but I wonder if I might just be a little too excited at this point to sleep.

Just for the record I am excited to wear my dress (what bride isn't), but I am more excited to get married to Jay. I love him a ton and for some reason he puts up with my stress related freak outs (yes mom and dad he now bares the brunt), my demands, and my craziness. Who knew that the set-up would turn into a marriage!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

The list is shrinking!

I spent a wonderful two days and one night (thanks Lindsey and Eric) up in Mennville this weekend. I left in such a whirlwind that I forgot stuff and had stuff I needed to do with Jay. So off I went. Jay and I had time to work on programs, talk about what we both needed to do, finished our last day at bootcamp, and I felt a little less stressed when I went home. I came home with most of what I needed so it was time well spent.
I crossed some more stuff off the list with mom today.
I think I am ready to just get this done! Time seems to be dragging just a bit and I really just want to be married! AHHHH only 13 days to go (and really today is almost over so that makes it almost 12!).

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Moving, planning, stressing

So I am officialy living in winnipeg now, my parents home is now my "home". It will only be for 18 days (17 more). It really is handy living in the city, I can shop, plan, create all in the comfort of air conditioning and without driving for 2 hours! My stuff got packed and thrown into Jay's (our) house. I am looking forward to organizing the place when I get back after the wedding. I moved so quickley that things are everywhere... unpacking should be interesting!

The wedding planning is coming along. There is stuff to do but not too much. It is a little difficult when Jay and I are living so far apart. I know it isn't crazy far but the whole planning process has been a team effort with LOTS of discussion so it is a little hard to adjust. I had my first dress fitting today. I hadn't seen her (that would be the dress) since Feb., I love her, I am so excited to have her home!

Stress... I know I just wrote that there is not a ton of stuff to do but at times it feels like I have a million things! It is worse at night, we start talking and I quickley become overwhelmed... by morning it doesn't look so bad. I think maybe I just need to stop thinking about the wedding after 8pm... that might help! Really I just need to make a game plan and figure it out! Ahhh it will all be over in 17 days!
~S