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“It's not the length of life, but the depth of life.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Over Thanksgiving break, Joshua and I did lots of wedding shopping. We first tried to narrow some dates down. Once we did that we checked with a few halls to get an idea of the dates they were open. We called the church office and went over to find out dates our church, St. Sebastian would be open. The priest we’ve chosen is Father Gene. Way back, last fall, over a year ago when I first went to Ohio, the priest for the mass on Sunday was Father Gene. I said to Joshua, directly after mass that that was the priest I’d want to officiate our wedding. I think it’s something about his voice or just how sweet he is. He went over things with us and congratulated us and what not. On Saturday we checked out one more hall but decided on one his brother used in July.
Our date is: October 1st, 2011. We chose this date for several reasons. It gives us enough time to accumulate money to pay for all of the things we’d like to do. We don’t want to start out being in debt because of our wedding. We both love October–our favorite season/time of year. It’s less busy than every other month–for us, our family and friends.
I’ve also chosen a my side of the wedding party.
Matron (she’ll be married by then) of Honor: Kayleigh Wilson
Bridesmaids: Jessica Ross, Bridget Schmackers, Stephanie Schmackers, Erica Schmackers and Jenny Young.
The ring bearer will be: Maximus Ross (Joshua’s nephew/godson/Jessica’s son).
The flower girl situation is under review. I have three nieces but I’m not sure the youngest one will stay focused enough to do it. They other two would like to be in the wedding and they may be junior bridesmaids.
I’ve picked out the color purple (plum) which can be see here (top middle&right dress): click me!
Photographers are under review at the moment. The next steps will be wedding dress shopping (I’ve looked at a ton online) and picking out my wedding ring and his band. I’ve researched a tad about honeymoons but haven’t made any real strides in that area.
This process has been virtually stress free. I checked a few books out and bought a wedding planner and they all give a ton of advice. At the top of the lists: plan early, stay organized and don’t stress out. I’ve done all of these things and I do think it’s made the start of this journey much less painful than it can be. One thing I have noticed is: everyone has an opinion, about everything. I think we’ve done a good job of listening and considering everything people say but we’ve been able to make our own decisions because of what we want. The truth is, Joshua and I are fairly laid back about things. We don’t have a huge vision of what we want, we’re just taking it a step at a time. He’s been supportive, made calls and wants to be involved–I knew he would be.
This next year will pass before my very eyes, the wedding will be over and things will become relatively quiet…you know until the babies 
.
I unfortnately failed my blogging for a month total goal. However, I feel like I’ve created a habit of blogging more. Let’s hope I can stick to it. I have an upcoming blog about my journey on the North Star at Conner Prairie, so look out for that. For now, here are the remainding questions from my Harry Potter blogging.
Was there a scene in the books that wasn’t in the movies, but you wish it was?
In the 6th movie/book, I would’ve liked to have seen the final battle scene. I understand why the filmmakers kept it out (because there is also one in the 7th), but I think it would have created a better ending for the 6th movie because it felt lackluster. There was some quidditch portions missing along the way too that I would’ve liked to see.
What magical job would you want after Hogwarts?
I would like to be auror.
Top 3 favorite chapters
That’s tough, I must actually use my brain to think about this. I love chapters that have Christmas scenes in them. I think it’s in the first or second book during the holidays that the Weasleys and Harry are at the castle over break and have a ferocious snowball fight outside. The come inside, have a Christmas dinner and mug of hot chocolate. I don’t know why but that part always makes me warm. I also love the chapter in the seventh book when Harry walks into the forest at the end. I’m blanking on a third favorite.
Favorite magical treat
Butterbeer!
What would your Animagus form be?
I think like Sirius, I would be a dog.
How has Harry Potter affected you/your life?
It has given me countless hours of warmth. When I was younger, I was completely immersed in the books. I reread the first book so many times before I got the second and third for Christmas. I got the fourth after a minor surgery that kept me on the couch for a week. I’ve lied to get out of hanging with friends to go finish the sixth book. I don’t know exactly what it is that keeps me captured about the books and I know a lot of people don’t understand or think it’s silly. But it’s been so much apart of my reading and fantasy life for over 10 years. I don’t think any other book series will ever take me away as Harry has.
Today, friendship is on my mind. It came about after my friend Sylva posted a photo of us as her profile picture. For those of you who don’t know Sylva, she and I went to the same church (her dad was our wonderful pastor) and continued being friends even when time and distance separated us. Things were always different with Sylva (and Bry for that matter)–I don’t know how to really explain it, just a different emotional experience. Things were quieter with them, more romantic or more beautiful. I think there is a word that doesn’t exist to explain what it’s like with them.
This photo she posted was from a day when she, Bry and I (Bry is my friend that died of cancer in June) celebrated Thanksgiving/autumn one year. We made foods, we played in the leaves, we went on a walk to the truck with the tree growing through it’s hood.
I started thinking about Bry and how I totally lacked in our friendship in the last year of his life. While, I’ve come to terms with this, it doesn’t cause any less ache in my heart. I failed him, seemingly.
So, I’m left wondering how I’m failing other relationships (if I am, I’m not entirely sure). I guess I don’t know how to be what I’m suppose to be. In Bry’s case, it was much more simple, I needed to be there and I wasn’t.
I was thinking today about how a few years ago, the group of friends I had here did a lot of activities together–Thanksgiving dinner, geocaching, general hangingoutness. Much of that is gone for various reasons–romantic relationships, friendships have broken apart, hurt feelings, etc. I spend the majority of my time with Joshua or the Wilsons. I see gRegor occasionally but I’m often swamped with homework or work (which will change soon).
I don’t know if I’m necessarily trying to reach out to form stronger bonds, but rather, I’m just commenting on how time changes so many things. How time can set up so much distance between people that when you pass them on your way to class they’re virtually a stranger when only a few years ago they were your shoulder and you theirs. I don’t want to lose so much touch with someone that this happens. There are cases when going separate ways are what’s best, but for the most part this scares me.
Like Eric Matthews from Boy Meets World once said,
After seeing the seventh movie, I’m tempted to say Harry and Hermione. I keep listening to the song they danced to (click me) and it has such an emotional pull on my heart and I’m not really sure where the pulling is coming from. I love their friendship’s closeness. It reminds me of Andy and I, what we had in high school and how it was nearly completely platonic (I think we both considered things, but it never went anywhere). I think the song and the scene makes me miss having such a close friendship such as theirs and such as Andy and I’s. Now, we’re both engaged and never speak. That’s all beside the point. They were also very close in the 6th book. I guess that’s all I really have to say, so I this post is melancholy.
For this week’s poetry assignment, we are to write poems in homage/rebuttal to another poet. I decided to take my favorite poem Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines by Pablo Neruda and somehow write a homage to it. I’m failing quite miserably at the moment because I don’t feel the least bit poetic, not to mention his poem in my eyes is so completely phenomenal that I don’t feel I could ever measure up. I may post mine later but for how, here is
Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Write, for example,’The night is shattered
and the blue stars shiver in the distance.’The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.Through nights like this one I held her in my arms
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.She loved me sometimes, and I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is shattered and she is not with me.This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.My sight searches for her as though to go to her.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.I no longer love her, that’s certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.Another’s. She will be another’s. Like my kisses before.
Her voide. Her bright body. Her inifinite eyes.I no longer love her, that’s certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my sould is not satisfied that it has lost her.Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.
My first favorite mode of transportation would have to be apparation, although I’m sure it would get me in loads of trouble. If I were able to just pop in and out of anywhere I’d like, I think that would simply be too much power for me to have. I think I would eventually just never be seen again because why in the world would I want to stick around anywhere when I could be everywhere?
I also fancy broomsticks. I would love to have the chance to play Quidditch.
I was unable to blog yesterday because I was simply not at a computer for longer than 10 minutes, which wasn’t until the evening and I was utterly exhausted.
Yesterday, Joshua and I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. I woke up at about 5:30 AM to head to Bloomington for my nieces basketball games. Megan and Gwen both did great. Gwen even made two baskets. I was probably the loudest one there. Gwen kept looking up at us and smiling, but she did listen to the things we were yelling at her. As did Megan. It was a lot of fun to see them play and made me miss all the years I played. I would really like to get involved in a league again. I’m incredibly out of practice and would probably look like a fool.
Joshua came a bit later in the day, he had an art class with his little brother Datruce (through BBBS). We played lots of basketball at home, Sorry and also played with Braylen. He’s getting so big and couldn’t be cuter. He’s a very sweet baby.
Dinner was great. We brought potato soup, corn and Josh and the girls made his taco dip. Jessica made turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing and a lot of desserts. Oreo balls are the most amazing thing that have ever been in my mouth.
It was a really nice day.
When Joshua and I got home we decided to go shopping for Christmas ornaments/decorations. I love going to the stores and the malls around this time of year, with the music playing and all the decorations up. We bought a few ornaments and even heard my almost grandpa singing his famous song Jingle Bell Rock, which reminds me of my grandma.
The holidays snuck up on me a bit. I’ve been so busy with school, work, being engaged and so on that I’m suprised to be in the midst of them. Tuesday night after class, Joshua and I are heading to Ohio to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family. We’ll be setting a date for our wedding, booking a church/hall and of course doing lots of fun Schmackers things. On Wednesday, we’re having an engagement party with his friends and siblings. It’s look like a great week.
I'm an exuberant 20 something year old seeking, exploring and finding my way.
