So this is Christmas

The Christmas day has come to a close. Guests have gone home, leftovers from lunch have been eaten for dinner (not that there's much difference in time between the two) and the remainder put in the fridge for tomorrow. Presents were opened, paper strewn throughout the room, and mostly put aside, to be used another day. Now that the celebrations have died down, the meaning of Christmas has been placed aside for another 12 months.

With the amount of preparation and planning, present buying & wrapping, cooking, cleaning, baking and organising that goes into arranging a single day of celebration we are all relieved that it is over once again, and everything can go back to 'normal'.

It bring to mind the theme of Ps Dave's sermon on Christmas Eve, and a script of which he wrote and the children acted out wonderfully. Who needs Christmas?

Who wants to bother with the organising? Who wants to bother buying presents, wrapping and hoping that they'll be appreciated? Who wants to bother catching up with family, people we see once a year out of a feeling of obligation? Who wants to bother going to church, seeing the same story retold by small children year after year? Most people would want to boycott Christmas for those reasons alone - but they will be missing the point.

We all need Christmas. Without the birth of our Immanuel we would all fall short of God's expectations and no one would go to Heaven. Instead, we need to see the birth of our Saviour, Jesus, and the life he is about to lead in order that we are forgiven and know we will one day join Him with God the Father.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Isaiah 9:6

Cleaning

Well, only 3.5 more days to go before I'm on holidays!! This week has flown by, and I like to think it's been productive.

I had a blast on Thursday night in particular. It was Fumo Blu's 10th birthday, and so there were free drinks from 7pm-9pm for those who were invited. Luckily Jesse works with one of the owners. I was only slightly hungover when I went to work on Friday. I felt a little worse for wear in the morning but after lunch I was perfectly fine.

Saturday Dad, Bradley and I picked up my new fridge and took it, my bookcases and TV cabinet to my unit. It's slowly coming together. After we put in the fridge and bookcases and Dad left I spent the next 3 and a bit hours setting up, sorting and cleaning. I filled 6 shelves with books, and found so many random ones lying around my room because I had no where to put them. I've got a big pile of things to throw out, and another pile to donate to the salvo's. Unfortunately they will sit there for a bit as with Christmas I won't be around to put the bins out. My next task is to find a dining room setting.

I also feel proud because I was an inspiration to one of my Facebook friends. She saw my post on Facebook and commented that after hearing of my success she was inspired to sort out her own room. Yay! Normally I'm the first one to procrastinate and de-motivate, so this is something new =)

Today (Sunday) I went to lunch with my family, to say goodbye to my cousin Jordan and his wife Amy as they left today for a 6 month trip backpacking around Europe. They've been planning it for a while, so it means they will miss our wedding, but I think they're going to try and organise an internet feed or something. But I wish them all the best, and can't wait to see pictures and hear all of their stories! It is such a wonderful journey for them to take early in their marriage.

This week is a short one - we finish on Thursday at 1pm and have a staff lunch before we say goodbye and best wishes until we see each other again on 10 January. I'm getting very excited as I want holidays.

I can't guarantee the timing of another post so I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Breaking the Habit

Friday night I took a step towards cleaning up my life and getting rid of time wasters and distractions. I deleted all of the time based applications from my Facebook account - meaning I do not have to log on each day/certain times. I have kept a couple random games apps for when I'm really bored, but I will try to play them as little as possible. I have since gone through and deleted all of the randoms I added to unlock features and enhance the game play of these applications.

I chose a good time to do so as this weekend I have not spent much time where I was even able to access my computer/internet. I had a ball Christmas shopping with Ali on Saturday, and then out to dinner to catch up with Gretel and other friends that night. (I can recommend the Balhannah Hotel - delicious food!) Sadly that night the Subway I had for lunch disagreed with me, and I was unable to go to a baptism Sunday morning. So after getting up nice and early to try and make a 9am service in McLaren Vale I went back to bed and got up again at 11am. I went out to lunch for the Commuserv Christmas party. I probably ate too much (but the food was yummy) and tonight I'm feeling much better.

My aim is to try and free myself from thinking about Facebook while I'm unable to access the computer, and not worry about feeding animals or crops or missions or any of it! I want to use the time to read or blog more or perhaps *gasp* write!

I felt accomplished when I came home tonight. I put together a clothes airer that I bought the other night from Ikea. All by myself! I felt proud, even if it's nothing major.

But I shall be off for now. 8.5 more days of work and I'm on holidays for 2 whole weeks!!!

New Years Resolutions

I don't think I've ever really gotten the concept of New Years Resolutions, but then again, I was never a real goal-setter. I think I set a resolution one year to publish my story. As the year progressed I realised that my story wasn't ready, nor could I afford the editing or self-publishing. Part-way through this year I decided to expand on a short story I wrote end of high school. I gave myself a 2 year deadline. I was dedicated for a couple weeks, and since then I have not found the motivation to turn my 10-page story 'summary' into a full length novel.

Perhaps that is my problem - my motivation. I think it shows through in my wedding planning too. I get a few things done, and then don't think about it for a month...which will probably end up for the worse. It just feels odd when people ask me how the wedding planning is going. Well, chose venues and booked for the reception, did that in June; chose, paid off and picked up my dress; chose bridesmaid dresses; decided on type of flowers; bought everything to make the invitations; decided on 'bonbonniere'; looking at quotes for car hire. What can I really say about it? I haven't really done a lot. I don't understand why people would stress so much about this? Or is it just me?

I think the only part of the wedding I just can't decide on is the honeymoon destination - and technically Jesse is supposed to be organising that.

But but to my original thought - perhaps I should make a resolution for next year - to be more motivated, and set goals, and actually follow through with them. How long do you think I'll last?

Hello Summer, where is my sunshine?

Well, it has been a while since I update this. As I write this, on a cold and rainy first day of summer, I can't believe how quickly this year has passed. I know it's such a cliché, but every year at this time I wonder where the months have disappeared to, and if I can join them. There are only 3 weeks tomorrow until we break up for the year at work, which is crazy to think about...but I can't wait for my holidays!

Having a look back on the month of November I can't say it wasn't eventful. Jesse and I have been looking at various places in which we could live. But now, with Rosie having to move back home (*sadface* due to work scheduling) we will be staying in my current unit until at least after our wedding (5 months yesterday!!).

Let's see...this month for wedding things I have started looking at and have gotten quite a few quotes for limos. And I've pretty much organised flowers (yay!). January will *hopefully* be productive for me. I will be taking my dress to the dress-maker for alterations, and *hopefully* making the invitations ready to be posted out in February. I'm also quite annoyed that I never heard back from the glass printing place. After our initial phone call where he said he would email me samples I got nothing. I emailed again and still have gotten no response. This was a while ago so I really need to follow up, but he said no rush, it takes about 6-8 weeks so I have plenty of time, but I want to order in Jan/Feb.

So I'm trying to think of what to buy for Christmas presents, especially for Jesse (anyone got any ideas???). Thanks to Ali I can cross my parents and brothers off my list, they're all sorted =)

Oh, and one other 'big' thing that happened this month - due to 'cost cutting' Dad has been offered a redundancy package from work, so he finished up at the bank yesterday after 32 years of service (that's right, Dad was only 17 when he started there!). So I caught up with him for lunch on Monday as he had an interview in town with a recruitment agency to help him find a new job. Until then, he is unemployed (I never thought I'd say that about my dad!)

Over and out for now!

End of the month update

Well, it is the last day of October...21 days since my last post...whoops! I have done a few exciting things this month, but I don't think my list of things to do before the wedding is getting any shorter.

BUT, I have picked up my wedding dress (yay!) and Jesse and I have pretty much got the guest list sorted. My current 'To Do's' are:

• invitations (decide on style and make) and
  
• find a place to live

Apparently the rental market in Adelaide is quite competitive in the area we're looking. So far, no luck on either of the place we've applied for. It's a little frustrating, I would like to know where I'll be living.

In terms of invitations, I think I've got an idea of sorts in my head, I just don't know how to express it and get it put together. And don't even get me started about colours! I. Don't. Know. Whoever thought planning a wedding was difficult. Well...to me it's not the planning that's difficult, it's just the whole finding ideas that I'm not good at.

But, on to other news, in the last month two of my friends have had babies. One, in fact, just on Friday night. Congrats to Nicole and Brent and Scott and Robyn on their beautiful baby boys...Lachlan must be a choice name, as that is what you have both named them!!

Edited to add: Rosie and I had a very productive day today, and we've sorted the design and materials for the invitations!! I just need envelopes, and to draw up the wording on my computer so I can print and make a trial!!!! YAY for progress =D

The joys of customer service part 2

On the flipside, there are also clients that I love to see; ones that I will gladly stop what I'm doing to assist them. I will mention a couple in particular. His name is Lucky (yes, for real, that's his name) and he's a painter. There's nothing in particular that stands out about him, except he is so incredibly friendly, and his books are immaculate. For a tradesman (I'm generalizing here) he is very neat and very well-spoken.

The other is John (a good Greek name, that one) and he is excavator. I don't know what I did, but one day he came in and dropped back his signed documents and paid his account in cash (also another good Greek thing to do). But then he handed me a $50, saying for my help. I've never actually been given a tip before, so I didn't know what to do, and tried to give it back to him several times. He told me not to tell anyone, but the first thing I did was tell my manager, who said it was perfectly OK to keep. The most amazing thing about that was the timing. I was flat broke that week, after all of my expenses. And so the $50 allowed me to put a full tank of petrol in my car.

I wish all of our clients were so pleasant to deal with, and as easy as Lucky and John. I'm sure I will have most stories at a later date.

The joys of customer service

We have 2 offices. One in Adelaide, and one in Perth. Our Perth office is pretty much just that - an office. My boss goes over for 3 days each fortnight to see clients, and all work is brought back to us in Adelaide. So naturally, all of our files and client documents are kept here also. There are very few clients who have an issue with this system, as my boss is always highly accessible and we are more than happy to help with any and all queries.

One of our Perth clients came to our Perth office this morning. We've had trouble with him before not getting back to us. I got a call from the Receptionist of the offices (there's a loan brokering company operating from the same lot of offices) saying Mr G had rocked up asking for his receipts. I was thoroughly confused as to what he was asking for, I knew we hadn't sent anything back to Perth awaiting collection for this particular client. After a little persistence we discovered he wanted his returns and info to take to another Accountant.

In the Accounting world before a client can officially change their new accountant has an obligation to ask the previous accountant whether there are any ethical or other obligations in taking on this new client. In the majority of cases there is no objection. But one thing that will be an objection is outstanding accounts. And our friend Mr G has an outstanding account. So not only can we not give his information to the new accountant, he has to pay us before we will do so.

He was not happy, but I don't care. And we don't care that he's leaving. He was a pain anyway.

Exciting times

I'm feeling quite happy tonight. I feel like I'm making progress with things.

Last weekend Mum and I went shopping for wedding shoes, as I had a voucher for David Jones leftover from last Christmas. And guess what, I found shoes!! They are very pretty. A bit higher than I'm used to, but I'll wear them in a bit around home, and I'll be fine =)

While we were in Rundle Mall Mum and I also went and looked in a few dress shops, sussing out what we could find in terms of Bridesmaid dresses, and we did!! I tried on the dress, which was a similar design to what I would have made, and it was perfect!! So during the week/this weekend Sarah, Rosie and Gretel all tried on and purchased the dress!!!!!!!!

✔ Shoes
✔ Bridesmaid Dresses

And today Jesse and I went and had a look at a couple townhouses close by (within about 100m) of his work for rent. The first one (a little expensive) didn't seem the extra cost, it was a bit small, but had a very nice double garage. The second one was wonderful, I had a good feeling when we walked in. It was only 1 car space, but the living area and kitchen were much more spacious feeling, and practical.

So we're sending in the application on Monday. It's available now, so it looks like I might be moving next weekend. Gah!!

But it's all very exciting.

Awesomeness

Awesomeness is the night I am having tonight.

Ali and I have burgers, bodka, lol whoops, vodka, lollies and movies!

This is the definition of awesomeness.

*sigh* back at work

Well, it's been well over a week since my holiday, and I'm a little disappointed in myself that I haven't yet made another post. But I've been wondering if I can even fit a week's worth of adventures into a blog post. I had an AMAZING time!! Even though I was sea sick for the first 2 days I managed to find tablets that worked and have a great time relaxing, joining in with some of the activities, and best of all, spend time on the islands.

We make 3 stops. Numea, New Caledonia. Lifou in the Loyalty Islands. And Vila, Vanuatu. We were only in Numea for 3 daylight hours, after which we decided it was a good idea to get back on the boat, the city got a bit ghetto.

Lifou was beautiful! We went swimming, had a massage, Jesse and Bron went snorkling, and I relaxed in the shade of the palm trees.

The day in Vila was the only day we had bad weather. It wasn't cold, but it rained. All day. Jesse, Bron and I did a little shopping in the markets my the port, then dropped our stuff back on the boat. Walking back into the quarantine area the air conditioning was freezing! I never thought I would hate airconditioning! After dropping our stuff off we went to our shore tour - we went snorkling. It was the first time I'd been snorkling, and it was such good fun!

For everything I did you should probably have at a look at my Facebook photo album, it's hard to try and put thoughts together.

The last two nights I've been inspired to write, and I've written (hand-written, mind you) about 6 pages towards my novel. I'm giving myself a 2 year deadling to try and finish it. (If you want a sneak peak/critique I can email you what I have so far.) Wish me luck!

Oh, and before I sign off for the night, shout out to Peter, who admitted to reading my blog. I'm glad I'm not just talking to myself!

Pre-holiday Blog

Well, seeing as it's been almost 2 weeks since I last posted I thought I should say something before I disappear to the soth-west Pacific this weekend!

Work last week was incredibly stressful for me. My workload fell behind, and obviously things were overlooked. And so my boss took away a couple of responsibilities from me. This week has been cruisy - am pretty much up to date with eveything, ready for my holiday.

Which brings me to last night. Jesse has had the most trying 2 weeks at work, and I am amazed at his ability to cope and deal with the stress. It was at 10.30 last night that we finally finished packing and got back to my place. After winding down it was after 11 when we fell asleep. His alarm went off at 4.20AM! He got up and had a shower, and I lay in bed, thinking I should probably get up...but it was cold! But I got myself up, pulled on something kind of acceptable to wear outside the house, and drove to the airport. I dropped him off in plenty of time (just after 5am) and drove home and went back to bed.

I then slept through my alarm (first time ever this has happened) but woke up when I heard Rosie get into the shower. Oh well. I got up, had breakfast, waited for the bathroom to be free, had a shower, dressed, brushed my teeth, vomited up breakfast, brushed my teeth, and went to work. I had the best run to work so I stopped by the cafe for coffee. And now I'm feeling a little better after keeping down my lunch, but I couldn't eat much of it.

On Saturday I get to do it all again - get up at 4.20am to get myself to the airport so I can fly to Brisbane and board the Pacific Dawn to the south Pacific islands. I can't wait!!!

Disconnected

I did have a thought about this, but it's now slipped my mind. Work has been stressful the last week, and yes, I did get rid of my original ulcer, but now I have another one...and it is waaay more painful (on the side of my tongue).

Went out to dinner last night for the Hills 18+ event...it was average. The reputation of the Stirling Hotel is overrated, and bad service + bad weather + power outage = average night. I won't be going back, that's for sure.

I feel like I haven't spent much time with Jesse lately. He was on call this weekend, and had a job booked on Saturday. So from 11am until just after 5pm we didn't see each other. Then that night we went out to dinner, which as I mentioned above, was average. Jesse was already in an anti-social mood, and so the whole experience didn't really improve the situation. We managed to survive the drive home, during which we encountered lightning, wind, lots of rain, and plenty of aquaplanes. Thank God Jesse was driving and not me.

Today Jesse and I had a brief look at a house in Bridgewater - not really suitable for us, and then he went with Joel to the Caravan and Camping show. And so in the last 2 days I don't feel like I've spent more than about 4 hours with Jesse. I may just be venting now, but one thing in the last 2 days that has been frustrating me is whenever I message Jesse asking a question, he doesn't respond. It takes a phone call to him to confirm with him that yes, he did get the message, and get an answer from him. Just a little annoying.

BUT! Enough venting. Two more weeks and I'll be on a cruise ship drinking cocktails and relaxing and enjoying myself with friends, I'm getting excited!

Stress

I made my mind up that I wouldn't let a month pass without posting another blog entry, and I'm only just about to make it! Not very much exciting has happened in the last month, really. The new financial year has begun, and work has now become quite busy. I realised this weekend that I am stressed. Friday night I was a bit tired, but I had a lovely dinner with Jade and Nathan and Jesse.

Yesterday was the celebration of Jack's 21st. In the morning I was psyched, really excited about everything...until about 4pm. I then lost all enthusiasm and energy. I made it through the party, a fake smile plastered on my face enough of the night until I could show really how exhausted I was.

This morning I realised that what I had originally thought to be sore from eating hot food, is an ulser on my tongue...which is a clear sign that I am stressed. Today I was lethargic and, to be honest, not the most pleasant person to be around...which wasn't so bad because there weren't many people around. I kept mostly to myself.

But tomorrow I am going back to work. My boss is away for 3 days. So I am hoping tomorrow to finish all the PAYG Payment Summaries & Workcover Recs, and then Tuesday and Wednesday I should be able to catch up on all the work I delayed from the last week. I want to have 3/4 of it done before my boss gets back on Thursday morning.

This is really quite a nothing post, but I guess it's an update on where I am at the moment.

21st Celebrations

Last night I celebrated my 21st birthday. My actual birthday isn't until Wednesday, but who has a party on a Wednesday night!

It was such an awesome night! It was fantastic to see everyone dressed up and enjoying themselves. Mum and Dad did a great job organising and cooking and running the show, I can't thank them enough! Sadly my costume did not come together as well as I'd hoped (my teeth didn't stay in) but I thought I looked amazing enough =P

The night went off without a hitch (that I was aware of). By midnight we left the hall and went back to Jesse's for the unofficial 'after party'. That too went well, despite a few drunken antics. I would like to thank Tristan for keeping an eye on things, and Joel and Collie for being the 'responsible' ones. I went to bed about 2am (relatively early in the scheme of things) but late enough to see Jesse stumble around, knock things over, minorly injure himself and basically make a fool of himself. I was not impressed, but relieved that this time I was not the one to care for him - it was my 21st, the focus was supposed to be on me, and yet he seemed to become the centre of all the attention.

Perhaps there are hints of jealousy in there, but perhaps moreso of frustration. It's like he doesn't learn from the last time he drank that much, to say no, and not to drink whatever Tristan hands to you. You chastise me for drinking too much and suffering the consequences, and yet you continue to do so.

Anyway, I need to go to sleep, I'm exhausted after last night/cleaning up today. Goodnight.

Milestones

This month of June 2010 for me has created a few milestones in my life. Jesse & my Engagement Party was held on Sunday the 6th, a wonderful chance for us to catch up and celebrate with our friends and family the commitment we are making.

On Friday Jesse and I went down to Mclaren Vale and had a look at a prospective Reception location, and we both love it. We sampled their food in the restaurant for lunch, and tasted their wines in the cellar, and it was delicious!! The venue is free on the date we are looking at, and we've made a tentative booking, deposit to be paid within 2 weeks if we want it.

Yesterday my bridesmaids and my Mum and I all went shopping to look for bridesmaid dresses. While we were at Jenny & Gerry's Bridal Centre I found a style of dress and colour that I liked on all 3 girls. We decided we would also look elsewhere, but while we were there we would look at wedding gowns as well. After waiting my turn to be served a very helpful and pleasant Lara took me and the gowns I had chosen into a dressing room to see how they looked. It was the third of five gowns that I tried on that caught attention. I felt so 'bride' wearing it. It was nothing like I had pictured myself wearing, but the style and the price fitted wonderfully. And so I've paid my deposit and will pay it off via lay-by over the next 4 months. As it was stock from the floor I got an extra bit of discount. But it will need a little altering, but nothing too major!! But I have my wedding gown =D (Oh, and if Jesse asks, I look like a pink meringue)

The next milestone this month for me falls on the very last day of June - my 21st birthday, where I will officially enter adulthood (despite that for all legal reasons I was an adult on my 18th birthday). My party is something that I'm looking forward to, I've had my costume organised for weeks now! Only a few people know what it looks like, a few more know what I am going as. The theme is supernatural.

Today Jesse and I sat down with his parents to try and work out how much everything for our wedding will cost. We showed them the package we are looking at, and how much they arrange and is included in the cost. We also broke down the rest of the costs we would need to look out for and they will discuss with my parents how it is being paid for. (I tried ringing them but they were not home at the time.)

Well, I think this is a long enough entry for now. I'm sure I will have more to say closer to my party/afterwards...if I am coherant enough to write.

Time to Think

In the past week or so work has been nice and quiet, which has given me time to catch up on things. It has also given me way too much time to sit at my desk, mindlessly continue with my task, ad think about things. For me, this never ends particularly well.

On Monday I went with Mum and Rosie and had a look at a myriad of wedding dresses to see what style suited me. And we found a style that suited me...and several dresses. Problem: price tag. I know I'm probably thinking naively but I was hoping to get my dress for < $1000. The dresses I looked at generally started around $1500-1600 up to one I tried on for $3890! (It looked absolutely stunning, by the way.)

I wouldn't have too many issues spending $1500 on a particular dress I tried on in Cinderella. Problem: my bank account. It is my day, and my dress, so quite rightfully I should be the one to pay for my dress...yet I am beginning to wonder how. Lately my money has gone towards my 21st, and my tax refund will go towards my cruise holiday in August. My car needs to be serviced this month, and rego is coming up in September. And yes, while I may have the money there, I don't want to completely wipe out my savings to nothing in the process. I will need a safety net when Jesse and I move in together for any items we discover we don't have.

So my problem is this: do I buy a cheaper evening gown in white to use as my wedding dress or do I somehow find this extra money to buy the dress from Cinderella? Will I regret it? (Do I overthink these things?!)

The aftermath

Well, what a day yesterday was! I was so tired last night, and for good reason. It was Jesse & my Engagement Party...and it was so very wonderful!

The day started out lazily - I didn't end up getting out of bed until about 9, maybe 9.30. Got to 10.30 church. Mum called me pretty much 3 minutes after the service finished and said the family was meeting up for lunch at the Loby pub. So Jesse and I rushed there (rang and got mum to order for us), and had eaten and left within an hour. Coincidentally, we ran into a few of Jesse's co-workers who had also chosen to come to lunch there.

Anyway, then Jesse and I went back to his place and I got together the playlist for the afternoon. I was feeling quite rushed at this time...it was now 1.30, 1 hour till start time. I arrived at the hall at 2, and was glad to see it was finished and clean and looking quite good. The heaters worked wonderfully too, given how cold it was outside...but the weather held out!

But when people started arriving and I relaxed and just started mingling and talking to everyone (I hope I spoke to everyone!) it was amazing! I can't thank everyone enough for coming along and supporting us.

By the end of the afternoon I was exhausted, and somewhat glad to see the end of the party. After packing up and managing to fit all of the gifts into the back of the best man's Corolla we went back to mum and dad's to open them. I was so overwhelmed by everyone's generosity, I had not expected anything like this. Jesse and I are beginning to wonder now what we will actually need before our wedding!

But now I am off to go dress shopping with Mum and one of my bridesmaids, then lunch with my Dad cos it's his birthday tomorrow. Then my passport application interview!

Thank you again for everyone for coming along and supporting us, it was a wonderful afternoon! I appreciate every single one of you. ♥

sorry for the wait

Well, it has been quite a time since I last posted. There has been a lot happen in the last month. Jesse and I have sent a tentative date for our wedding, we've planned the engagement party and I'm trying to get my 21st invitations done. I met mum for lunch today and we ordered the cake for my 21st! I'm getting excited.

I have my outfit all ready for my 21st - it's spectacular, but I'm not telling you what I'm dressing up as!

I have so many thoughts in my head in regards to trying to plan things. I need to try and find a reception venue because we will need to book soon. Too bad Jesse won't sit down to discuss through these things with me.

Anyway, I need to sleep. I'm still getting over this stupid cold (a week now).

Just quickly

I just remembered what I was supposed to post in my blog the other night.

I've noticed that a lot of people have posted on my Facebook page and commented on things that 'finally' Jesse has proposed. I would like to correct people. Despite the fact that I may have been wanting this for a while, the timing is perfect. There is no 'finally', just 'perfect timing'. I am happy, and Jesse is happy, and we will build our lives together in our own time.

That is all, just a quick post :-)

What a week!

Well, it has been a while since I last posted, almost a week! And what a week it has been. I have been engaged now for 7 whole days. Between work and not sleeping because of stress and excitement it was a very exhausting week.

On Saturday I had a lovely lunch with a couple friends of Jesse and mine who are expecting their first child. They are very excited and we couldn't be happier for them, they will make wonderful parents. They were also very excited for us, and gave us a few tips in wedding planning and how to make decisions about the wedding. Afterwards Jesse went off somewhere with Collie and I met up with Sonja at her place and she took some pictures of my ring. We then went for a walk and when we came back sat and talked for a while. It was such a lovely talk. A few hours later she sent me some of the photos and they were amazing! (This is her website.)

Sunday Jesse and I went to church where the notice of our engagement had been put the bulliten, so of course there were many people who came to congradulate us after the service. For lunch Jesse and I along with Chris and Vicki went to my parents house where they started to ask us questions about having an engagement party, what kind of wedding, what date etc. The only things we decided on were the date for the engagement party and that we were not going to get married at the Loby Christmas Pageant. (Don't ask, that was a crazy story, thanks Mum.)

And now it is Monday night, one week after I was asked the most awaited and yet surprising question of my life. I am nervous, scared, anxious and above all excited about what is to come.

Engaged!

Well, as I'm sure you will have heard by now, either by Facebook or personal phone call, Jesse and I are engaged!! Despite how long I have been waiting for this it still hasn't sunk in.

But I guess you all want the story of the proposal. There are a few players in this story, and I am the only one who was oblivious to everything.

Rosie decided about 8 that we would go out for gelati in about a half hour. I was a little surprised, given the coldness of the night, but more than happy. I like doing spontaneous things with my housemate =) And I'm very glad that I did. We went to Cibo and sat and ate our gelati and then wandered down King William Rd. And guess what we were looking at? Wedding dresses! But not for me =P

After our little wander, during which Jesse rang me back from an earlier missed call saying he had to go to the church to fix something up. He mentioned to me he wasn't sure if he'd come up and stay over that night. I said we were out walking and would be home in about 20 minutes.

When I arrived home I realised I had forgotten my house keys. Rosie had left hers for Jesse to collect so he could let himself in. When Rosie realised this she said she 'had to ring Justin it was very important' (she rang Jesse). So he had to open the door for us.

I walked in and saw him kneeling on one knee holding the ring out. He said, "this isn't exactly as I had planned, but will you be my wife?" Behind him he had set up our dining room table with candles and flowers and champagne and a message in my journal: Amy Rohrlach will you be my wife? I was so overwhelmed by what I saw. On the eve of our 6 year anniversary he was kneeling before me offering himself to me forever. After what felt like a lot longer, I embraced Jesse and kissed him, thoughts spinning through my head. As he stood up I finally remembered I was supposed to answer the question he had asked me and I said yes.

When I put the ring on my finger I was so overjoyed, there was no other way to describe the pure happiness that I was feeling. I just could not stop hugging and kissing the man to whom I am now engaged.

I was so overwhelmed by everything it still hasn't quite sunk in fully. I guess when Jesse and I actually set a date and start planning it might all become real, I'm still on quite a high! I definitely did not sleep well that night, I was far too excited, and I think I managed 6 hours before heading to work the next morning.

I tried to take a picture of the ring to post it up here but it's really difficult to photograph something that reflects the light from the flash. When you see me I'll be more than happy to show you...and I'll figure out another way to take a photo as soon as I can!

From Amy Melissa soon-to-be-Sumner

Edited to add: I got a photo!!

Quick Update

Well, it has been a little while since I last posted. I guess I haven't felt particularly motivated to post anything up lately. I managed to make a couple postings in my writing blog but this one must now feel a little neglected.

This week at work was incredibly busy, stressful and overwhelming. It was actually scary for me, as overwhelmed is not a feeling I come across very often. Given the trials I have been through at work I have coped and handled invredibly well...so why not this time? There were days where I actually felt like not wanting to be at work, despite how much I enjoy my job.

Next week will probably be just as busy, and so I am thinking of dropped one of my outside activities. I am on band for Rage this week. All that involves is organising my band and choosing the songs. I message my band members on Tuesday to find out if they can play/make a practice. I get a response on Wednesday night - a littel frustrating. Now I am down 3 members from my initial responses (though admittadly, not for lame excuses). Come Saturday morning I had still not chosen songs. I had become so frustrated and stressed with work during the week that, desite that I had remembered each night, my mind would not function to think and choose of songs. But let's not dwell on these things.

I have had a wonderful weekend so far. I enjoyed the St Kilda playground yesterday despite having a wet ass from going down the slide after it rained and having to attempt to dry myself (and Bron too) at Maccas with the hand-dryer. I am very glad for the extra day off work, and I am feeling myself dreading it on Tuesday.

But Tuesday is a day to look forward to. It is mine and Jesse's 6 year anniversary. I can't believe it has been so long, and I am glad for every day that I am with him. I look forward to many more years to come ♥

I am not a genius, I am simply Gen Y

This tagline popped into my head today at work while I was helping another co-worker with what I found a very simple task. She wanted to know how to copy files from one USB drive onto another. Anyone between the ages of 7-30 (I'm being picky here) would know exactly how to do this, but I explained it to her slowly and showed her as I was doing it about 3-4 times.

This co-worker of mine is old enough to be my grandma (if children were had at age 20) and yet she has become quite proficient at using our computer system in the 9-10 months she has been working with us. Yet, my grandparents seem to struggle. I guess because they don't use it everyday as part of their lives it's a bit different.

But then it made me think, what will my grandchildren be teaching me about technology? As I age will I lose touch with the latest improvements and fall behind? Or will our generation keep up?

This is just a quick post because I liked the title and I couldn't let it go to waste.

On my own again...

Well, I have been putting off this post for a few days now, but I suppose I should stop procrastinating. I am now snuggled up in bed with a heat pack and my laptop.

It turns out that our office assistant wasn't quite right for the job, so as of Thursday afternoon I am on my own again in the junior/reception/assistant position. Whoopie. And the hardest thing is now that it is BAS time (trust me, this is once a quarter and it is huge) and I have all the admin work to oversee as well as the BAS. I am glad that I have a competant co-worker in the BAS department. My boss went into hospital on Thursday and most likely won't be back in the office until this Thursday.

But that is work, and yes, it will be stressful for the next few weeks/months/however long it takes to find and train someone else, I will manage. I have a good team to work with, but this position seems to be cursed (and it's not just since I've been there).

On Friday night Jesse and I had a lovely dinner with Nathan and Jade at their house and it was just a nice ending to a not-so-nice week. It was good to hang out and chat catch up and be with another couple who aren't all couple-y (if you know what I mean). And perhaps it will encourage Jesse to take the next step...I think I'm dreaming here

Saturday was a wonderful picnic/bbq/hang out organised by Robin, and it was just such a beautiful day. The food was good, the company was good, the weather was perfect, and the only thing that wasn't good was when Jesse injured Gretel. Even being tackled to the ground by Jesse during a water fight was lots of fun!

I think the only thing I need to consider next time is just how much exercise hurts later that day/the next day. Gretel and I (as she couldn't run due to injury) decided to climb on the play equipment instead of play ultimate frisbee. My arms and upper body muscles are quite sore now, hence the heat pack mentioned earlier.

I did make one big step with Jesse this weekend. On the way back from Nathan and Jade's house I said that he needed to stop spending so much money so he could save for an engagement ring. It's all to do with his credit card. I explained that the only reason he got it in the first place was for purchases where he couldn't transfer the money from his cash management fund fast enough, and yet he has been using it in place of actually having the money, which is the credit card trap. So now the card is in my possession for emergencies only.

Well, I must stop my ramblings so I can get to sleep so I am all refreshed for work in the morning.

What happens at parties

I went to a housewarming party last night for a couple friends of mine and there were a few things that arose that - for lack of a better word - concerned me.

I met a couple friends who went to school with the hostess, Caitlen and Daria. Daria was a quiet girl, a little shy and thrown into an unfamiliar situation. She reminded me of me. In order to get her to 'open up' her friend Caitlen, encouraged by several around her, decided to get her drunk. And so after the equivelant of 5 shots in 5-10 minutes (after a glass of wine previously) that's where she drew the line.

One of the culprits in the encouraging department was my lovely boyfriend Jessse. He decided to go 1 for 1 with her in the shots (skittle bombs, actually quite nice). As he was originally designated driver he handed the keys to Collie and started pouring.

After about 10 minutes you could tell Daria's head was clearly spinning. And her friend Caitlen decided it was time to experience her first drunken kiss. I feel sorry that it was actually her first kiss.

About 10 minutes after this I decided Daria had had enough and took her inside, sat her down and got her some water. Caitlen had disappeared at this point but I felt partly responsible as it was my boyfriend doing to the encouraging, and there wasn't a lot I could do to stop him. Anyway, shortly after that she felt very sick and I took her to the bathroom. Caitlen took over after that.

What really got me about this night, as she was not the only person in this situation. I was slightly disturbed with the behaviour of a couple other party-goers, and so I may have left a little early (though, admitadly I was quite tired in the end). But I believe Caitlen's behaviour was unacceptable as a friend - she is supposed to be there and look after her friend, not get them drunk and encourage them to hook up with some random guy. I feel this way because I am a 'Daria', the 'goody-two-shoes' back in high school - probably still now! And now Daria has gone home, feeling sick, and most likely regretting the whole night.

The most frustrating thing was that Jesse has hauled me up on the issue of drinking and he goes and does the same thing. He didn't hang around with some people at this party in high school becuase of the piss-ups, he didn't want to be a part of that.


Sorry for all the blog posts close together, just had thoughts that I felt should be shared. Now I am going to forget all the frustration and start getting ready for my cousin's wedding. I hope the weather will hold out and it will be a perfect day for all.

To be rescued

This topic has come up in a couple different blogs lately that I follow and it made me think.

One blog said: "I am not the princess who sits alone in her tower, waiting for someone to rescue her. But I'd like a knight to come along, lend me a dagger, teach me to fight and then guard my back as we slay our dragons. But first he's gotta sneak past the guards."

I thought this was a brilliant way of putting it, and I think this is the most true in my life.

I think I am a romantic. I was 'rescued' when Jesse came into my life and started treating me like his princess. But we haven't been without our shares of dragons and tall towers to conquer. He has come in as the brave knight and has assisted in freeing me from the tall tower and past the dragon to the safety of his embrace. awwwwwwww =P

To be rescued is something I believe I was made for. I'm not saying it's right for everyone, but for me it just felt right.

Gah, emotions!

Well, I had nothing to write about until an hour ago. I just saw a dog get hit by a car. Well, I didn't see that actual hitting part. I heard a loud bang, turned and saw a puppy rolling along, then lying very stiff upsidedown in the middle of Unley Road, and a small pool of blood forming by the head.

I felt a little sick as I drove back home, but forced myself to eat tea as I had kinda forced Jesse to come and meet me to buy me tea.

Wait, maybe I did have something to write about before then, it had just slipped my mind.

Fuck today. I am glad it is Friday and I am glad it is over.

This is the message I sent to Jesse after a long day at work. Not terribly difficult, just mentally and emotionally exhausting. Not to mention the fact that I finished a half hour later than usual as I wanted to tie up some loose ends and organise things for Monday before I left and I just didn't have time during the day.

[paragraph deleted due to thoughts about internal work matters]

My head is just in a mess at the moment. And I am supposed to be having a wonderful weekend. I have my cousin Jordan and his fiance Amy's wedding to look forward to on Sunday. And a housewarming on Saturday night.

I just don't know what to do! And now my eyes are red and I have a runny nose.

He is Risen ?

It is the end of a wonderful and relaxing long weekend - a whole 4 days off work to relax and recouperate! But also a very important time in the Christian calendar. Sadly, I'm not sure it had any impact on me. I've heard the story before, and I know it well. I hear the story again each year and yet the last two years I don't think it's meant anything to me. I go to church because I know Jesse wants me to, and because I'm rostered to play.

I was thinking about my costume for my 21st today. And I found the hottest little red dress in one of the stores on King William Road, only $55. If I cannot find a proper costume, I will be buying that little red dress, and I am considering it anyway, to wear out to town. I would have to wear black tights underneath for me to find it acceptable though, it was that short! Otherwise I will take some time to go to a costume shop and pick one out. Or else I've found a cool one on eBay.

I've been thinking about vampires lately (surprise surprise with what I've been reading) and I wondered, what would it be like to live for hundreds of years? What would it be like to live through history and see the world change, not just hear about it?

My thoughts are a bit all over the place at the moment, as I'm sure you can tell.

Goodnight.

Thinking thoughts

Well, I had no real motivation to write today. But I kept myself busy, and actually out of the house for a few hours. Bought a few books online and at the bookstore, so I will have something more to read. I'm really getting more into fantasy books. I'm quite liking the whole Vampire thing. Not Twilight, obviously (I'm glad to see that there was no mention of the series AT ALL on the Wikipedia entry) but the True Blood (Sookie Stackhouse) series. I've just ordered the other series written by the same author.

What I have been thinking about lately and has been bugging me is work. At least I think so. There have been pangs of different feelings. Whenever I look through photos of friends on Facebook and they are wedding photos I just can't help but feel so very jealous. And at work...well, there always seems to be this dilemma about the reception position. And because it is the only positiong below me, who fills the spot when it is empty...? Me! Strange thing is, this time I'm not sure quite early on that we've made the right decision.

Julie is our office assistant and my boss has been sceptical that we made the right choice - but there were 4 of us that agreed from her trial that she would be right for the job. But she has been with us now for just over a month (gosh, that's gone quickly!) and I'm having second thoughts.

1 - There are little things about her that annoy me. I know this seems silly, but with everyone else in the office I haven't had any gripes with at all. It's just something that makes me question her maturity. Julie is in her 50's and she still says things like 'drinkies' and other baby-type words that are not professional and just don't sound mature. But this may just be my pet peeve.

2 - I'm not sure if she will be able to grasp our work. I know it isn't exactly the easiest industry to understand, with all the specialised software and language, but I'm having my doubts. There have been a couple things where it appears she wasn't listening or using her common sense that just make us wonder 'why would you do that?'.

3 - My boss is rarely wrong when it comes to his instinct.

My boss has said on a couple of ocassions that I need to let him know if he doesn't think she's suitable, but I hate the feeling of knowing that I could get someone to lose their job.

I just don't know any more.

Yay for writing

Here is what I was able to write this afternoon on my story. I know it doesn't end well but I just don't know what Natalya is feeling to be able to answer Dhampir's question. Enjoy.

--

When I came too I squinted, my eyes assaulted by the bright light. The air around me was cool, but not cold, I could feel the warmth of sunlight on my face, but it didn’t feel like the sunlight I was used to. There was the feel of something I couldn’t quite place in the air, like a sort of electricity or static. It didn’t feel dangerous, just different, and mysterious, but in a good way.

As my eyes adjusted to the light I looked around me. I was lying in a clearing in a forest. The grass was a bright, unnatural shade of green, and it was so very soft. I couldn’t place the type of trees surrounding the clearing, and they, too, seemed unnaturally bright and colourful, as if in a painting. A slight breeze swept through the clearing, rustling the bright green leaves on the trees, bringing with it the scent of something wonderful and sweet.

Where was I? And how did I get here?

My thoughts trailed back to what had happened before I blacked out. There was a voice, a cool, mesmerising voice who had spoken to me. What had they said? One word floated to the top of my mind.

Soren.

Soren needed me. But who was Soren? And why did he or she need me?

Despite my unfamiliar surroundings and the bizarre circumstances I felt strangely calm. I got slowly to my feet and scanned the boundary of the clearing, searching for any clues as to where I was and how I got here. I heard a rustling sound behind me and I spun on the spot. From out behind one of the trees came the most handsome man I had seen.

“Natalya,” he said, his voice capturing my full attention. “I am glad you are awake. My name is Dhampir. How are you feeling?”

New story

Yay, I was able to write this morning! I woke up about 10 after falling back to sleep once Jesse had left for church. I woke up to an empty house, no distractions. So I pulled out my laptop and was able to write the following beginning to a story.

~~

I was driving home and I was exhausted. The headlights of my car barely pierced through the darkness to see one hundred metres in front of me. It was eerie, and my nerves kept me awake, despite the heaviness of my eyelids. Suddenly, everything went pitch black and I slammed on the breaks, hoping not to hit anything in the process. I panicked as my car skid to a halt, wondering what the hell had happened.

As my car came to a halt I hoped that there was no one else driving along the road, I had no idea which lane I was even in. I assumed I hadn't gone off the road as I didn't hear the sound of tyres on the gravel shoulder. I sat completely still, my hands clenched on the steering wheel, my heart racing in my chest, as I tried to calm myself down and let my eyes adjust to the light.

There was no breeze at all, the night air cool and still. As I opened the car door there was a deafening silence outside and the car, and I was still unable to comprehend exactly what had happened. Closing the door behind me, the sound seemed to echo, and I thought I would hear the distress of a nearby bird, but there was nothing.

Now outside the car, the faint light from the moon above scarcely lit the road on which I stood. I was definitely still on a sealed road, not the gravel shoulder, and a long way from the nearest town.

I stood off the road and fished my mobile phone from my pocket, but that, too, would not turn on. Swearing at my phone I shoved it back in my pocket. Feeling optimistic I went back to the car and tried turning it on to see if it would work now. But when I turned the key there was so noise at all, no attempt for the engine to turn over and come to life. Swearing again at my car I leaned over to the passenger seat and grabbed my jacket. It was going to be a long walk.

As I stepped out of the car I did wonder for a moment if I should move it off the road, but did not think I would be able to do it by myself. I took the keys from the ignition and out of habit locked the vehicle, with no seemingly logical reason why.

I started on my long trek to the nearest town, where I would hopefully be able to find some help. About 5 minutes into my walk I saw a light up ahead. It was a comforting sight to see as I was still surrounded by the darkness. I hoped that it was another car, pulled over for some other reason other than car troubles. Though, their lights were working, which is more than I could say.

Nearing the light I saw that it wasn’t a car, but a lantern, just left on the side of the road. I was cautious in my approach, keeping an ear out for any noises besides those of my feet. But I heard nothing else.

There was a piece of paper sitting on the ground next to the note and I found this more than ominous. As I crouched to pick up and read the piece of paper the lantern went out. The thoughts through my head were mostly swearing and WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!

“Soren needs you,” said a cool mesmerising voice in front of me.

I looked up to see where the voice had come from but felt a strange heaviness come over me, as if the air I was breathing was too thick. My eyes closed and I felt cool, strong arms catch me before I hit the ground.