Old Fashioned Love

At work, I often run into a lot of different characters. Some of them are good, others are...not so good. Some of them a little out there..some aren't really there at all. Some are young, some are old, and some are at that generic place of inbetween.

This story has to do with two that I happened upon a few weeks ago.

It was a rather slow moment at the store..I was cleaning up around the front of the store..so I watched as a man, weathered with age, liverspots and laugh lines got out of the car and slowly made his way to the passenger side. I then watched in awe as he opened the door for his grey haired wife and they made their way into the store...hand in hand. Now, I'm fairly use to couples coming into our store, especially couples that are on the older of the age spectrum. But there was something different about this couple. They weren't holding hands because they were leaning on each other, or because one was unsteady on their feet. No, despite their grey hair and obvious age, they were holding hands..simply for the sake of holding hands. Their arms swayed back and forth as they walked and they made simple, light conversation as they walked to the entrance.

Upon their arrival to the store they walked around and then eventually asked if they could go out to the fields to go picking their own strawberries. I said of course, showed them the different baskets we had and then sent them on their way. I told them they could either walk down to the field, or wait for a tractor ride...but they opted to walk. As they want on their way I could hear them chit chattering and laughing all the way to the field...walking again..hand in hand. They had the biggest smiles on their faces and looked at each other with such love in their eyes that I couldn't help but smile myself...

I can only hope that I find someone who I can love that much. Who I can grow old and gray with..who still smiles and laughs and jokes with me..who knows me better than I know myself and spend the rest of my days with...happy and content with life and everything that it brings. With the current state of our society..where people don't seem to stay together forever anymore..it gives me hope and faith that it can be done. This couple completely and totally restored my faith in love...and makes me dream that it all really is possible :)

And with that, I will head off to bed..with dreams of happiness and endless love filling my heart with joy :)

Here Comes The Bride..

No, it's not me. It's DEFINITELY not me. It's so far from being me..it's actually almost FUNNY.

Basically, to spill the beans..One of my two best friends...my lovely Nenna got engaged to her very own Effrey!

Now, I could not be happier..as I love BOTH of these two DEARLY. (In fact, I love them both at LEAST as big as a dump truck, and maybe even a digger) I'm so excited for them..as the wedding planning is ALREADY in FULL swing! In the few short weeks they've been engaged they've managed to secure a venue, church, place for photos..as well as other things! These things are a necessity to do early..as evidently wedding things are super popular..and the 'big ticket' issues apparently have to be booked well in advance.

So this ALSO means..I get to be a bridesmaid. Which I am super DUPER excited about as I love weddings and being in weddings and doing fun wedding-ish stuff! The last time I was the bridesmaid in December I had a blast and everything just worked out and was so beautiful and happy and wonderful that I'm REALLY excited to be a part of that again for others that I hold closest to my heart.

ANNND...I've got a little book and everything.

It's really true, I do. Because you know, I'm a giant loser like that. It has things that *I* have to do, things that I have to remind Nenna to do, and also things that cannot be done under any circumstances (For instance, the fun of the chicken dance has been banned...I know, collective 'AWWW'...but what can ya do?)

So I'm excited..in 13.5 months..my Nenna and Effrey will ACTUALLY be married. For real. They'll be their own real little family....and as Nenna's little boy Gigglenuts has told us..we all know that getting married means that "Mommy and Effrey will live with me forever" - It's the true definition of marriage..straight from the mouth of a three year old. ACTUALLY.

Holy moly...the more I think about this..it's scary! Not scary in the TYPICAL way..but just in the 'Wow - I'm so behind on this 'growing up' thing' kind of way....haha - ah well..I guess we all do things in our own different times..haha! :)

Anyways. So when I finally got confirmation that a proposal HAD happened...I drove 1.5 hours to a) see the ring b) say congrats c) try to take 2498713948 photos of the ring try to get a good shot of it (note to self: diamonds + photographing = HARDER THAN IT LOOKS)

These were a few of my end results:

I like this one :)

The top of the ring

The side with the cute side diamonds!

So yes..that's the exciting news in the world of engagements 'round these parts! I'm oh so looking forward to the wedding of my lovelies! It's going to be such a perfect day..I just know it! And I'm also excited because it means that I get to hang out and partay (like it's 1999) with my second family..YAY!

So all in all..some pretty exciting times around here! :)

Update Slacker

I, dear readers (if, there are any of you left in the great white in-tra-net abyss) am a horrible, rotten, no good, very bad..blogger.

That's right.

You heard me.

I admitted it.

BUT!

Things have been crazy. (When are they ever not? BLAAAAAH!)

Let's Review..

Since I last updated I have:

Got a job in Switzerland
Bought a laptop
Worked stupid amounts of hours
Drank a few too many drinks
Hung out with lovely people
Slept too little
Danced
Sat anxiously awaiting my work permit
Had my best friend go and get herself engaged (and thus, subsequently, have become a BRIDESMAID!!!)
Gone to a fair
Spend hours agonizing over EVERYTHING
Gone for cottage adventures
Eaten icecream
Spent too much money
Got an international drivers licence
Ate pizza
NOT booked a flight (which I think is subsequently giving me an ulcer..gah)
Smelled peaches
Taken oodles of random photos
Played 'Word Whomp' with my mother WAY too much
Not spent enough quality time
Filled my car up with gas that costs WAY too much money
Sat on patios, decks and other lovely sitting places in the warmth of the summer
Sang at the top of my lungs
Worried that things won't work out
Mailed a letter
Got a new credit card (....)
Toasted with champagne
Played guitar hero (who knew?)
Ate steak (this is a big deal folks, I'd never eaten more than a piece of steak before in my life..and even then..I've always spat it out..haha)
Been told "I love you" (even if it was by a three year old..)
Daydreamed

So, I've been up to a lot of this and that.

I'm exhausted now though (surprise surprise) and finally got in some hangouts with my daddio tonight..which were desperately needed. I feel as though I can't strike a balance with anything anymore..and I just feel like a constant disappointment..which sucks.

I also am supposed to start work in a foreign country..three weeks from today.

This is me. This is me FREAKING OUT.

I don't even know where to start ANYTHING right now. I'm just stressball. I'm ACTUALLY a giantball of stress.

Elaboration on previous topics later. Maybe. Hopefully. Who knows.

Strawberry Adventures!

As you may or may not know..I live and work on a strawberry farm in the heart of cottage country in a small town in rural Ontario...

Also..as you may or may not know..I love my little family of friends..I think that I have some of
the best friends ever. I'm actually quite convinced of the fact.

ANYWAYS. So. Last week I was working a split shift..which meant that I worked from 8-12 and then 4-8..which means it's a LONG day..because usually in my "break" (if I get out of there on time..which..never happens) I'm usually doing things for the store or dealing with phonecalls or etc. etc. So it usually ends up that I'm on my feet/on the go for about 12 hours straight..and by the end of the shift I'm EXHAUSTED and SO worn out that I can't even MOVE.

One day though..after FAR too long of feeling like we hadn't seen each other REALLY in days and days and even LONGER than just DAYS and DAYS..my Nenna came out for a visit! She brought her little boy Gigglenuts out to play at my work..and she brought Hammie too!
It had been a fairly busy morning..and then a stressful little time in the afternoon..so not only did she save my butt by picking things up in town to bring to me which I desperately needed..but she also brought her lovely self and others that I love muchly with her to my farm where we could pick some strawberries, go for a tractor ride and have some good old quality hangouts :) I had been having such a stressful yucky day before that..and was just tired of people and dealing with problems and dealing with LIFE that I just wanted to curl up into a ball and hide..but of course..it was BEST FRIENDS to the RESCUE!

I love my best friends. Love love love. That made my day SO much more enjoyable..and just put a smile on my face :) That's what friends are for..and I love having amazing ones that always know exactly how to make everything better..and make long days..lovely days :)

Anyways..on with le photos!



Tractor rides are the BEST part of strawberry picking at his FAVOURITE "aunties" work!

YUM! Strawberry eating machine!

Thumbs up for awesomely yummy strawberries!

Mommy pulling the wagon..Hammie taught Gigglenuts to say "Mush Mush Mommy"..oh dear.

Hammie and Gigglenuts chillaxing in their chariot :)