Three unrelated ponderings

I drove to work this morning past the cows and the fields of Sutter (or is it Yuba?) County, and there was a thin layer of fog on the ground. Well, thin as far as dimension and not density... The top of my car was still above the layer, and as I looked out I could see a horse or two tall enough to still be seen. It made all of those times someone described fog as "a blanket" come alive. Isn't it interesting to think about how that works? This morning it made me think of the mystery of my Lord and how His creation never ceases to prove His existence.


We had Achilles family night yesterday which is a weekly occurrence, this time we ended up watching Peter Pan, the newer version that I hadn't seen before. I thought it was rather sensual for a kids movie, I mean the look in that kid's eyes was definitely not what I would consider average for a less-than-13-year-old. That aside, what I realized at the end of the movie is that the end of the story is depressingly realistic, and therefore I don't like it. Don't jump to conclusions and think that I wish that Wendy, John, and Michael would have stayed in Neverland and ditched their parents forever. I'm all for growing up. And for parents. However, I'm not for never seeing your true love again. Peter and Wendy should have ended up together (Tinkerbell is just a fairy, by the way, she can't be his life-mate). I s'pose you could argue that Peter was just a kid and kids don't need true love and life mates, but the way that that movie portrayed them did not leave Peter enough of a kid for me to believe that. I also realize that I am inconsistent because I am a fan of reality. I'm not a dreamer, I don't love fantasy, I'd rather have a story that portrays reality in a fantastic way. However, this story IS fantasy. It has mermaids and flying kids and dogs for nurses. Therefore, they should have stayed together.


Planning wedding music when you're a musician is tough, by the way. Especially playlists for the reception. And all the daddy-daughter songs out there are awful. At least so far. I actually will love my husband more than my dad on my wedding day (I know he takes no offense to that), and so I don't want a song that says "my heart belongs to daddy" or "can you feel the love tonight." Sigh.

And what else is a blog for than to post such random thoughts?

A Happy Soul (and side notes)

I got to see three of my "besties" this weekend... Jenny, my maid of honor, and Lizzy and Janelle, lifetime friends. Since I moved up to the most excellent Northern California, I am close to my families and to Mr. Man, but not to all my gal friends. Sad. (side note: I LOVE Northern CA [and greatly dislike Southern CA] hence the "most excellent" reference.)
But... Saturday I got to hang out with Jenny and another good friend Roselynne because they were in the Sacramento area for a wedding. We ate at Cheesecake Factory (side note: I LOVE Cheesecake Factory especially that sweet wheat bread they serve in the bread basket.) and found wedding shoes for me... which was a surprisingly easy.... like a lot of things for this wedding. It was SO refreshing to be with good friends!
AND THEN... Sunday was Manelsie's bridal shower in Hollister. (side note: Janelle = Nellie = Nelsie = My Nelsie = Manelsie) I am a bridesmaid and so is Lizzy aka Porky... so we were all 3 able to finally reunite... first time since New Years, I believe. I have known these girls since jr. high and seeing their smiling faces and getting to hug them was like medicine... the good kind. It was pretty short, and kinda crazy because I had to share Janelle with a house full of other people that love her too... (side note: there were these little croissant/bready/cookie things at the shower that were absolutely mind-boggling amazing. I am on a mission for the recipe so that I can gain 10 million lbs as soon as possible.)

So to sum it all up... I needed some girl time with these wonderful ladies more than I realized, and I am so very happy to have had it. I can't wait 'till it happens again.

Storm's a-brewin'

Just wanted to let the world know via blog that I am so excited for the cold weather. I think there are two major players in this excitement, one being that I do not have air conditioning in my car and I am tired of drowning every time I drive somewhere. The second is that the colder it gets the closer it gets to my wedding!

But seriously, cold weather is awesome. Blankets and sweatshirts and fires and hot chocolate... sigh.

We bought a REALLY cute kitchen table today. It's a two person table that is absolutely perfect for our new place. Bought it off craigslist.... which is officially pretty much awesome, but can also cause cancer. Or identity theft, if you're not careful.

And we need a microwave, a printer, and a queen size mattress in case you have any of those lying around.

God is good. All the time.

3 months 'till the HDoML...

... or the Happiest Day of My Life...

How am I feeling currently about the fact that I'm getting married in exactly 3 months?
As giddy as when Corey and I began our relationship, and any of you who knew us then know how giddy that was. Of course our relationship has grounded since then (2 1/2 yrs ago), and we are rock solid, built foremost on Jesus Christ, and then on trust, communication, and everything else awesome.

I know some of you (if anybody reads this blog) are thinking, "oh yeah, you're still giddy, but wait 'till 6 months into the marriage and it'll all go away." Well, with all due respect and a very firm grip on reality (that hurts sometimes), I would like to tell you that I am confident that I will be as happy as I am now in 50 years. I am definitely aware of the storms that life will hold, but I know that we will attack them together as a unit. (we have already got a head start).

I also believe that Jesus created Mr. Man and me to be together. This means that I believe that there is no one else in the whole world who would fit me better than him. These days, people don't believe in true love or "The One." I do.

Other than the sovereign plan of God, true love boils down to selflessness. And true selflessness cannot be found without the picture of Jesus as a guide. Therefore I feel sorry for those without Jesus who are missing out on that whole side of love.

Besides that deep stuff, I am giddy because we get to have our own little house full of our own little things! We just signed the lease on a place in Penn Valley. It's a 600 sq ft studio/1 bedroom attachment to somebody's house. Of course, now you're really sure we'll get tired of each other in such a small place with such little privacy. Bah. Corey is home, so where we live doesn't matter.

But seriously, I'm going to go all housewife crazy. Gonna cook in my little kitchenette for my man and decorate and keep it clean. (well I know some of that will get old...)

The Lord is so good to give me this dream come true. Scratch that, it's better than I dreamed... I've never been a dreamer.

Marriage in old England, music, and... news.

I just watched the BBC version of Daniel Deronda (original novel by George Eliot). Marriage in England at that time was SO frightening. People married just for attraction or money, and very quickly as well... sometimes within 3 weeks, as was the case in this story. Then they found out who their spouse really was, and often in stories such as this, the husband turns out to be wildly abusive and the woman is made subject to his every whim. I know that the people who wrote these sort of fictional stores (also made popular by Bronte sisters, Austen, etc.) meant it to expose or talk about what life was really like in their time. Now I'm not crazy feminist or anything, but the way that women were expected to act certain ways is a little upsetting. And the idea of your husband turning out to be some abusive tyrant who derives pleasure from making you subject to whatever he wants...

Good thing I don't have to worry about that. :)

On a different note, I love music... and at this particular point I love LISTENING to music. I love the way that putting on a song can completely raise my spirits and make me smile. Or playing a different type of song can help me relax, or aid and abet my lazy mood. I love putting on a song that makes me cry inside when I feel emotional, or finding a piece of music that describes exactly what I feel like at the point in time. The power of music to me is found in the emotion.

I'm not really sure why I'm up this late writing random things, but that's what a blog is for, right?

As far as news goes... I'm now Office Manager at DMH Mehanical and I work full time. We're working on getting caught up in Quickbooks for '09... we finished '08 about a week ago. I answer phones, keep the books, and do other administrative duties.

Planning is going well for the happiest day of my life approaches... we have almost nailed down our two venues, both in Grass Valley. I'm thinking they should be secured within the next week. I found a wedding dress, and we have our photographers picked! Aric and Casey live in Texas and are good friends with Dane and Shari Henson, who are my friends! Their website is www.aricalanphotography.com and you should totally check them out.

Oh yeah, and I joined Curves. Turns out I like exercising and I hate running in the heat and mosquitos here in Wheatland. So I go hang out with the middle aged women and listen to them talk about their kids who are in college or the drama at their jobs while they work out. Heh.

And God has been good, and has been providing stuff for us and our new place (when we get one!) We still need things, but we aren't going to have to move into an empty apartment. :) He is SO good. If you have anything you're getting rid of, let me know.

So generally, life is not easy, but I am continuously blessed with Mr. Man's companionship and love, and the provision of Jesus.

OH MAN and The Office started. Heck.yes.

Quick spill of the mind mug

So apparently, any "free time" I had before has been swallowed up by wedding planning. There's only 4 months until our wedding (YAY!) on January 9th, and we still have yet to find a venue. Other things are coming together in the meantime, however. Weddings are so ridiculously expensive, by the way.

In other news, I love doing office work, Corey has been laid off 2 days a week and needs work, I LOVE free weekends, and I joined Curves.

And counting calories is REALLY depressing.

And it's really strange when your younger brother (who's 15) has a girlfriend...

Also, Psych is one of the bestest shows in the universe, and it makes me laugh.

This coming Monday I'm going wedding dress shopping with Elissa (one of my wonderful bridesmaids) and I cannot wait. :)

And, as a side note, why doesn't somebody understand the fact that this time EVERY year, California catches on fire, and do something about it? Especially LA. That place is really built to be burned down. It's in the desert, transportation is awful, and houses are just built everywhere randomly. I firmly believe that the Southern CA area should not have been populated. I might be prejudiced, however.

Oh, and Master's started this week... and I am officially no longer a student. Weird. Not going to lie, I miss being in school. The classes, the books, the syllabuses (or syllabii). Oh well, it will still come again.

Despite the slightly cynical spin to this note, I am really very very happy right now in life... planning to be with the love of my life for the rest of my days. Praise Jesus for bringing us into each other's lives!

Soon to be Hunt

Well, folks, I'm engaged. Engaged to the most wonderful man on the face of the earth. His name is Corey Hunt, for those who don't know. We've been together for 2 years and 3ish months, and he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him on August 1st at about 9pm. Maybe I'll post "our story" later.

Our wedding is January 9th, and I couldn't be happier.

Pictures to come :)