Diary of a Bridezilla - Part 1

I am really against putting too much personal information on a public forum, like a blog.  I also don't want my blog to become a dumping ground for all things 'wedding'.  It's just not cool to become so self absorbed, and honestly, who really wants to read about every little detail of my wedding planning?  (I sure don't)  So I have been actively avoiding writing about anything wedding-related.

However, when all of one's 'down-time' is filled with booking halls, finding caterers, and DJs, and photographers, filling gift registries, designing invitations, digging up addresses of long lost relatives, and avoiding questions about dresses and colours and bridesmaids....  There really isn't a whole lot of time left in the day to come up with anything else to blog about.

So I'll just apologize now.  If it's any consolation, it'll be all over in four short months.

Personally, I'm very excited for the wedding to be over!  I do look forward to marriage.  I am quite delighted to spend the rest of my days with a man whom I love and enjoy being with.  But if you know me at all, you'll also know that I hate being the centre of attention and, as of yet, do not see the joy in standing in front of 200 people while blubbering 'I do'.

'Happiest Day of my Life' my a$$!  More like 'most anxiety-filled and stressful day of my life'!

I do however believe that wedding vows are important and should be carried out in a public forum.  It's really a task that must be followed through to the end, a charge, a rite of passage.  As a priestly aquaintence of mine wrote just recently:

Marriage is a public ceremony.   The commitment spouses make is not just to one another – but to the Church and to the state.    Marriage is called a “sacrament of service,” since it benefits not only the couples themselves, but the Church and society.   Married couples bring children into the world – future members of the community and the Church.   They raise them to be good citizens and good Christians.  ...The celebration of marriage should never be a private celebration, but “open to the public,” since the commitment made is to serve the public.   For this reason, marriage is celebrated in a public place: the church.

 A little heavy on the Catholisim maybe, but, marriage is an institution and to enter the institution you must go through all the steps (whether you like them or not!).  And as my husband-to-be so gently puts it: 'Suck it up buttercup, it's only for one day.'

I do feel much better about the whole thing now that
-the date is set
-the location is secure
-the officient is available
-the reception hall is booked
-the DJ is booked
-the photographer is booked
-the caterer is booked
-the bar & alcohol are looked after
-invitations are almost ready to be printed
-the guest list is ready for final edits
-a gift registry has been started
-etc, etc, etc

It's been a busy 3 weeks.
 

uh...

I'm at a loss for blog material.

I mean, how can I possibly top that last post?!
I don't think it's possible.

Foiled

Chocolate bars are one of my most favourite things in life.  And puppies.  Don't forget the puppies.  Oh, if the world were full of chocolate bars and puppies, it would be a soft and delicious place!

Anyway...

You know how a Caramilk bar has that very fine layer of gold coloured foil with a thin paper backing?  A patient person can easily peel the two layers apart.  I am one of those patient people and often find myself doing fidgety things like this.

If you know me well, you'll also know that I get a kick out of teasing people, which is what I was doing the day that I was practising my foil peeling.  I carefully peeled back the foil from the paper - ever so gently so that it wouldn't rip.  I then cut my foil prize into three pieces and skillfully rolled each piece into a fine wire.  The wires, I intricately braided together to form a delicate band, which I then shaped into a ring.  I was well aware of the teasing my BF was getting from his family about getting married, and thought that it was high time to do some well placed teasing of my own.  Crafting my little ring in plain view of my BF, I made sure to have an audience so that my skills wouldn't go to waste.  Did I mention that we were sitting at his parents' kitchen table?  I was well pleased with the outcome of the ring, and the effects it had on my BF.  I really am a jerk, aren't I?!  Hahaha

This was months and months and months ago now, and it has become just another one of those things that we do.  I have amassed quite an assortment of rings made of chocolate bar and candy wrapper foil, (sadly, more than a few of them have met their demise in the big round filing bin), so it came as no surprise to see Dave forming a new ring with the blue foil of a Mentos wrapper the other night.



He quickly twirled the foil together.  Showing me a sorry looking blob of blue and silver that you couldn't pass off as a ring to a blind man, he said to me, 'you like?'  Giving him a disproving look as I glanced over from the tv, I replied 'Davey....  It's not even round.  I love you, but if you're going to give me a ring, you've gotta do better than that.'  Dave grumbled something about not having a long enough piece of foil, and went back to work; I continued watching tv.

 A few minutes later he showed me the much improved ring.  'How about now?', he asked.
'Much better.'
'Well, hold out your hand then.' And I did; humouring him, because I really just wanted to keep watching the show that was on.
'What finger does it go on again?'
'Davey', I said, 'if you don't know the answer to that by now-'
'I know, I know!  Just joking with ya, geez... don't think I know what finger it goes on....'

I can't say that the show I was watching was even any good, but, once again, I wasn't really paying attention to Dave when he put the ring on my finger and asked, 'Amy, will you marry me?'

Quickly glancing at him to give him 'the look', (we've been over this quite a few times - obviously I'd say yes when he finally asked me for real), I saw there on my finger, not the blue ring made of foil as I expected, but the metallic glint of gold and a shimmer of diamonds.

The real thing.

THE REAL THING!

I had no idea where it came from, but there it was.  And there he was, smiling at me, waiting for a response.  My heart leapt out of my chest, and I believe my reply was something like, 'I'm so confused.  What just happened?!',  as I sat there with my jaw on the ground.  It was something that I knew I should be expecting to happen, but obviously I wasn't very prepared!

I won't keep you in suspense any longer, I did say yes to him.  'Yes' and 'I love you' were about the only words I could think of at the time.  And then we sat there on the couch grinning like fools for the rest of the night.

Unbelievable.

So there you go.  I no longer have a BF, but a fiance.

AHH!!

ps.  Dave says that his part is done now; the rest is up to me.  We'll see about that.  :P

Dawn of the Treadmill Runner

So I've been testing a new diet over the past year or so.

You know how Asians typically have longer lifespans than the rest of us, and most people attribute it to their diet?

Yeah, well, I've been eating Chinese food once or twice a week for the past year, and let me tell you, it does NOT work!

Worst. Diet. Ever.

I'm also lazy.  Exceptionally lazy.  I lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle; I mean, I sit in front of a computer all day at work, and then sit in front of a tv all evening after work.  I'm pretty sure that my grade 11 gym class was about the last time I actually did anything remotely active.  (I may be exaggerating, but you get the point.)

So, I did what I imagine most of the female population did around the annual resolution-making time, I promised myself that I'd be more active.  I then strapped on my boots and went for a walk, and it felt really good!

The next day, I went again.  It was pitch black outside, and my bf wasn't too very impressed.  He didn't think it was very safe.  But I had my cellphone and a flashlight, so off I went.

The next day, the temperature dropped to -25; it felt like hell had actually frozen over, and there was no way I was going outside in that!  Back to the couch.

The next day, I realized that I had already walked all the streets in my little village at least twice, and there was nowhere new and exciting to explore.  Where's the fun in that??  Back to the couch.

The next day,... ah, who am I kidding?  There was no 'next day'!  It's so much easier just to stay inside when it's cold and dark outside.

But Health Canada had just released their new fitness guidelines, and they were mocking me.  Adults are supposed to get 150 minutes of moderate (break a sweat sort of thing) exercise a week.  And apparently building your thumb dexterity on a video game controller just isn't enough!  Who knew?  So, with new resolve for more activity, I went in search of something exercise-y.

That's when I found out that treadmills come on sale but once a year, and 'now' was when it happens. 

I'm pretty opposed to gimmicky exercise equipment - the stuff that has you bent into all sorts of awkward poses, doing things with your body that a body just isn't meant to do; the stuff that they advertise on tv with the hulk-like guys with the rippling abs (that they got simply from using this machine for 30 minutes a day!  [and steroids]).  They're awkward.  They're boring.  And they don't work.

But a treadmill; that's like walking. 
I like walking! 
And it can be done in front of a TV! 
I like TV! 
AND, it's on sale! 
SOLD!

With jests of 'that's going to be a really expensive clothes hanger!' ringing in my ear, I made a purchase.  That's when I found out that my mom had just bought one too!  Great minds think alike, eh?

So here I am, a new treadmill owner.  And if the thoughts of being active and healthy and fit don't motivate me to use it, the amount of cash I paid for it certainly will!

I'll let you know how it goes.