Till we are home owners! I cannot wait! Owning a home seems a lot more frightening then getting married. When I think about getting married, I know I am making the right choice and that Tom is the man I am supposed to be with for the rest of my life. I am certain of that and find peace in knowing that we will grow old together.
Owning a house however, makes me NERVOUS!! We have seen the house 2 times and can we really know everything about it from those times? NO? I have recently become addicted to HGTV and therefore have watched a lot of Holmes on Homes. This show makes me nervous. In the show he goes into homes where home inspectors have failed to see things that are major and cost major MOOLA to fix. I likely need to STOP watching this show so that I stop worrying about it! Whatever happens we will roll with it! We can handle it....hopefully!!
This weekend we are also going home and we are meeting with our DJ, my hair trial and first fitting! So its a busy day on Saturday. But exciting to get to see my family again! We wont be home in April but parts of my family will be coming here about 3 times in April so that will be nice!!
Less than 2 months till I am a wife!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Time is a flying!
So 2 months, 1 week and 5 days to go....got some things more or less done lately...or at least brought up:
- Decide songs for dances (parents, BP) and what not to play list
-Wedding party gifts boys done - got about 2/5 figured out
-Mailed Invitation to our international guests and my sister here just for fun!!
-put stamps on all invites and will mail them Monday
My mom is coming to visit this weekend so we will be looking for what she will wear or a wrap/top to go with the dress she wore for my sister's wedding 4 years ago. Also plan to get her to help me with wedding party presents!
I am also technically on holidays tomorrow and Friday! Yeah!! I have some work I need to do but it will be nice to be off and sleep in!
- Decide songs for dances (parents, BP) and what not to play list
-Wedding party gifts boys done - got about 2/5 figured out
-Mailed Invitation to our international guests and my sister here just for fun!!
-put stamps on all invites and will mail them Monday
My mom is coming to visit this weekend so we will be looking for what she will wear or a wrap/top to go with the dress she wore for my sister's wedding 4 years ago. Also plan to get her to help me with wedding party presents!
I am also technically on holidays tomorrow and Friday! Yeah!! I have some work I need to do but it will be nice to be off and sleep in!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
New Month - New List...
...or the continuation of the old ones. So up for this month:
-Design Menus (heard from caterer need to finalize)
-Reception Décor (by March 1st) oops!! unless we find something cheap for backdrop it may just be as is heck with it!
- Ceremony Décor I think the church is fine how it is but am going to try to make pew bows
- Decide songs for dances (parents, BP) and what not to play list
-Wedding Programs designed - just waiting to ask readers and finalize songs
-Wedding party gifts boys done - need ideas for girls
-finalize bar
-finish card box (still need to do)-Dress fitting (March 26th)
-Katie's rings in for check and cleaning
-Hair Trial (March 26th) -Marriage License
-Set up of hall - # per table
-Meet with DJ
-Mail Invitations - International - early March - regular - March 14th
-Design Menus (heard from caterer need to finalize)
-Reception Décor (by March 1st) oops!! unless we find something cheap for backdrop it may just be as is heck with it!
- Ceremony Décor I think the church is fine how it is but am going to try to make pew bows
- Decide songs for dances (parents, BP) and what not to play list
-Wedding Programs designed - just waiting to ask readers and finalize songs
-Wedding party gifts boys done - need ideas for girls
-finalize bar
-finish card box (still need to do)-Dress fitting (March 26th)
-Katie's rings in for check and cleaning
-Hair Trial (March 26th) -Marriage License
-Set up of hall - # per table
-Meet with DJ
-Mail Invitations - International - early March - regular - March 14th
Friday, February 25, 2011
Chastity
As I have said before, one of my FAVOURITE parts of my job is when I get to write the front of the weekly bulletin. It is a chance for me to reflect personally on the readings from the Sunday but also to write! I love writing (which is why I started this blog). This past Sunday I ended up doing the bulletin front - I wasn't scheduled to but filled in for someone who wasn't able to get it ready. I chose to talk about the topic of chastity in light of the recent letter to young people put out by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. What I thought was just 'ok' was apparently more than ok. I have been blessed to have received great feedback from a number of people. One lady even called and left a message on my voice mail at work. She isn't a parishioner of the parish but comes to play cards on Wednesdays. She said she picked up a bulletin and was so impressed and loved that I took on a challenging topic. Her message was so sweet and I almost cried (tears for sure welled up)
I wonder, Is God giving me these opportunities to write and speaking to me through these complete strangers? I pray that I can be open to what God is calling me to with this gift He seems to have blessed me with.
If you are interested here is my reflection. The Gospel for last Sunday was Matthew 5:38-48.
In the Gospel today, we are challenged to be perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect. I don’t know about you but to me that is a HUGE challenge. In our daily lives there are standards that we are held to or ones that we strive for and this trumps ALL of those! As Christians we are on a journey to holiness. This journey will take us through trials and triumphs but we need to always keep at the centre our focus of being holy and perfect as God is perfect.
In January, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral letter to young people on chastity. In a world that has little respect for sexuality, they are speaking out and calling our young people (and all of us) to a higher standard - to be perfect like our Heavenly Father is perfect. St. Paul tells us many times in his letters that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (in today’s second reading). If God dwells in us then people should be able to see God working in our lives through our actions. In their letter the Bishops say, “The body is our doorway to salvation, and so how we treat it matters.”
Chastity is something that we are all called to, young and old, single, married, religious, or ordained. It calls us to purity of body and mind. “The virtue of chastity involves the integration of the powers of love and life placed in us. This integrity ensures the unity of the person and is opposed to any behaviour that would distort it.” When we try to separate our body from our spirit, we live a double life, become self-centred and lose sight of the beauty around us.
Society tells us to listen to our bodies and to follow our own desires – ‘if it feels good do it.’ But Jesus calls us to a great standard. He says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mk 8:34). Chastity is a struggle and requires that we order our lives with God at the beginning of everything. By knowing what we believe, surrounding ourselves with friends who are supportive of our faith, and choosing wisely the entertainment we seek, chastity and holiness is possible.
When World Youth Day was held in Toronto in 2002, Pope John Paul II (who will be beatified on May 1st) said, “Just as salt gives flavor to food and light illuminates the darkness, so too holiness gives full meaning to life and makes it reflect God’s glory. How many saints, especially young saints, can we count in the Church’s history.” We have many men and women who have gone before us who are great examples of chastity and holiness. One of my favourites is Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati who went against his family’s lifestyle and what society told him and chose to act on God’s call to follow Him.
As we go about our faith journey’s I pray that as a community we can help our young people and one another to strive for chastity and holiness in our daily lives.
The full letter from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops can be found on their website: www.cccb.ca.
I wonder, Is God giving me these opportunities to write and speaking to me through these complete strangers? I pray that I can be open to what God is calling me to with this gift He seems to have blessed me with.
If you are interested here is my reflection. The Gospel for last Sunday was Matthew 5:38-48.
In the Gospel today, we are challenged to be perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect. I don’t know about you but to me that is a HUGE challenge. In our daily lives there are standards that we are held to or ones that we strive for and this trumps ALL of those! As Christians we are on a journey to holiness. This journey will take us through trials and triumphs but we need to always keep at the centre our focus of being holy and perfect as God is perfect.
In January, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral letter to young people on chastity. In a world that has little respect for sexuality, they are speaking out and calling our young people (and all of us) to a higher standard - to be perfect like our Heavenly Father is perfect. St. Paul tells us many times in his letters that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (in today’s second reading). If God dwells in us then people should be able to see God working in our lives through our actions. In their letter the Bishops say, “The body is our doorway to salvation, and so how we treat it matters.”
Chastity is something that we are all called to, young and old, single, married, religious, or ordained. It calls us to purity of body and mind. “The virtue of chastity involves the integration of the powers of love and life placed in us. This integrity ensures the unity of the person and is opposed to any behaviour that would distort it.” When we try to separate our body from our spirit, we live a double life, become self-centred and lose sight of the beauty around us.
Society tells us to listen to our bodies and to follow our own desires – ‘if it feels good do it.’ But Jesus calls us to a great standard. He says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mk 8:34). Chastity is a struggle and requires that we order our lives with God at the beginning of everything. By knowing what we believe, surrounding ourselves with friends who are supportive of our faith, and choosing wisely the entertainment we seek, chastity and holiness is possible.
When World Youth Day was held in Toronto in 2002, Pope John Paul II (who will be beatified on May 1st) said, “Just as salt gives flavor to food and light illuminates the darkness, so too holiness gives full meaning to life and makes it reflect God’s glory. How many saints, especially young saints, can we count in the Church’s history.” We have many men and women who have gone before us who are great examples of chastity and holiness. One of my favourites is Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati who went against his family’s lifestyle and what society told him and chose to act on God’s call to follow Him.
As we go about our faith journey’s I pray that as a community we can help our young people and one another to strive for chastity and holiness in our daily lives.
The full letter from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops can be found on their website: www.cccb.ca.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
I wish I was here......
If I was here, that would mean I was married! If I was married I would be happy! Not that I am not happy now - because I am. But right now everything in life seems to be leading to that day when finally, FINALLY!! I can say that I am married to my beloved and that we will live forever as husband and wife. I look forward to not just that day but all the days to come after - to being married. Not having to plan and think about what I've forgot or what needs to be done....just be!
Oh Jamaica!! I'll see you soon!!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
First Wedding Shower
I was back home this weekend and my mom and sisters surprised me with my first wedding shower! It was great! Tom and I are so blessed to have such great family and friends. It's exciting to have things to put into our home and now that we have a place we will call home its exciting. The house is ready for us to move into (freshly painted, new carpets, etc). But there are some changes that we plan to make that will make it ours. One being the dumb cupboards that were added to the kitchen that took out over half the front hall closet and 2nd access to the attic. We also want to put in new counters in the kitchen.
But one thing we will be working on before we get married is the bedroom. When I got my 2nd apartment here I needed a dresser (the apartment before had a GIANT closet with shelves so it was not necessary). So in looking at dressers and what they cost Tom and I ended up finding a nice bedroom set that got me not only a dresser, but also a queen bed, mattress (much better than the futon I had been sleeping on) and bed side table. So we have that bought and good to go. We have found a sheet/duvet cover set that we love and hope to get.
But one thing we will be working on before we get married is the bedroom. When I got my 2nd apartment here I needed a dresser (the apartment before had a GIANT closet with shelves so it was not necessary). So in looking at dressers and what they cost Tom and I ended up finding a nice bedroom set that got me not only a dresser, but also a queen bed, mattress (much better than the futon I had been sleeping on) and bed side table. So we have that bought and good to go. We have found a sheet/duvet cover set that we love and hope to get.
Our plan is to then paint the walls a light grey and bring in pops of colour (ok the last little bit is my plan but Tom will go along with it). For now it will be with my red curtains. So that is exciting!!
So the countdowns continue: 37 days until we get our house! Only 88 days till we are married and will be husband and wife for the rest of our lives! Time is a flying!
So the countdowns continue: 37 days until we get our house! Only 88 days till we are married and will be husband and wife for the rest of our lives! Time is a flying!
Monday, February 14, 2011
96 days!
We are at less than 100 days!! It's crazy to think that in just 96 days we will be husband and wife. There is still so much to do. Since the last update we have done a few things (slowed down by buying a house).
So in the past week:
So in the past week:
- we received our favours and are working on those
- ordered the groomsmen gifts
- ordered some of the ladies gifts
- we've finalized the wedding cake and dessert choices (thank you Two Cups of Sugar sistas!!)
- we've also put our 2 MC's in contact with one another so they can start planning and talking
So lots still to do this month to keep up on the checklist. A good number of things are in progress/ongoing. These include:
- program design - almost finalized (will start printing once we confirm readers, and music)
- waiting to hear back from our caterer so that I can get started with either printing or ordering our menus (from vistaprint - sweet site!!)
- reception decor - ridiculous!!!! so hard to figure out
- Church decor - to flower or not to flower...that is the question!!
- music - working on figuring out songs and such for the reception
- gifts for me ladies!
So lots to do but its all exciting! And now we can add thinking about house renos to the list!! But wedding first....then marriage and house renos!!!
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