We searched everywhere, to no avail. The stones are very very tiny, so it's not really surprising...but superstitious Irishwoman that I am, I went into a bit of a spin about the whole thing. I'll be calling the jeweler today to see what can be done, but if anyone has any suggestions, email us please!
Other than the missing gem, I can honestly say the holidays were damn near flawless. In fact, when I realized the stone was missing, that was my first thought: well, that's the only bad thing I can remember happening all season! Last Christmas involved illness, drama, and chaos on a supreme level, so I am incredibly grateful, to both the people and the powers that be, that this year went so nicely. Mo spoiled me with overly generous gifts: she actually did some CSI investigating and figured out where we'd filled out our practice gift registry that I blogged about, and bought me all the green kitchen accessories that I'd been loving. My parents, despite saying that we wouldn't exchange gifts this year because of the upcoming family trip, spoiled Brian with tools and me with all sorts of goodies. Both sides of the family got Brian socks, so we had a ceremonial sock burning on Christmas morning and burned Bri's old socks. They actually sat there, untouched by the flames, for so long, that I remarked we may really need to find a young priest and an old priest and do this exorcism right; just as I said that, they quite literally burst into flame. It was awesome. We spent Christmas eve and dinner with Bri's family, and were lavished with prezzies there as well, and even got some money, which we spent on a couple squash racquets to play squash at the gym.
All our handmade gifts went over really well, too. I was very much impressed with Brian's meticulous crafting, and was amazed by the beautiful things he created out of paper and glue and wood. My own creations were lovely, too, if I do say so myself...but I'm frankly hoping that Bri makes me something soon, because it was hard to give his handiwork away. (Always a sign of a good gift: if you don't want to give it up.)
And a special Christmas gift was delivered to me, by my friend and derbymate Sandi's in-laws: the green wedding dress was brought up from Windsor for me to try. Sandi and family, thank you again for doing this. It took all the pressure off of trying it on, because there was no shipping to worry about, no fears of damage in transit, etc. Well, I put it on and I had to admit, it is a beautiful dress, but Mo and I agreed it wasn't the right 'vibe' for the wedding. I packed it away for a day or so, then tried it on again with my mom. She loved it, of course, as it's a beautiful dress; in fact, even my dad, who usually only likes traditional things, really loved it. I stood in front of the mirror for what seemed to be forever, staring at it, and then realized I ought to take it off...and that's when a little voice spoke up inside of me, clear as day, and said, 'I WANT IT'. I couldn't bring myself to let this dress go back to Windsor. We'd already acknowledged that I've got a split personality in terms of taste, style, and tone, and that the wedding would have to reflect that...so on the one hand, we have the white dress, playful and short and retro and cute--and on the other hand, we have this green beaded, gem-covered, sparkly shining elegant dramatic ballgown. Well, sister, we're just gonna have to fit both in. I am now 99% sure we will be putting me in the green one for the ceremony--a more serious, 'weighty' part of the day, deserving of a dress that speaks to the vibe--and the white one for the reception. I like that, while most brides may change into a coloured dress for the second half of their day, I will be changing into the white dress at that point. And I will, of course, be wearing my riding boots through both the ceremony and reception, then changing into my hand-painted Figgie shoes for the dancing.
The green of the dress is entirely different from the green of the wedding, and all plans for wardrobe colours for the bride and groom attendants have to be changed, as well as the colours in my bouquet, etc etc etc...but even as Mo and I talked about these details, I just felt like, it'll all work out. I felt more confidence in this fact than I have in any other aspect of the wedding. So. Two dresses it is. To my utter delight, and to my complete shock. (Have I said THANK YOU to Shannon for the white dress, and It's Your Day bridal for the green yet? THANK YOU!!! This is more than I could ever have dreamed of. I get to feel like a pixie and a queen all in the same day. I wish I could hug you all right now!) If you haven't seen the dresses, go to the 'No Brian Zone' at the top of the page and take a look.
Oh, we received another wonderful Christmas gift, as well: the timely arrival of a giant box of CheeCha puffs to try, which arrived on Christmas eve and has kept us crunching away ever since. CheeCha, if you recall, has offered (and we've accepted!) a supply of CheeCha puffs to feed our wedding guests on the big day. We were excited by the fun nature of the offer, but we hadn't got to taste them; so Tracey at CheeCha sent us an enormous box of them. It was funny, as I had forgotten that she was shipping them to us, and when we got a notice on our door that there was a delivery left for us at the post office, I had no idea what it might be. We went to pick it up and found ourselves standing in a never-ending line at the post office on Christmas Eve. I loudly and incessantly whined to Brian the whole time about how stupid we were to get ourselves stuck in a line at the post office on Christmas eve, and he just murmured reassurances and looked around apologetically. When it was finally our turn, the postal worker brought the box out and put it on the counter; for all its size, it seemed to weigh nothing. The woman remarked that there must be a lot of packing peanuts, and I said (in an ever-increasing volume), "No, it's not packing peanuts, I KNOW WHAT THIS IS!!!" And then, no lie, jumped up and down and turned to the people in line and grinned. Someone said, "Have a Merry Christmas," as we walked away and I called back, "Oh, I WILL!"
They were worth all the excitement, let me tell you. Brian loves them, and I can eat them without any difficulties, given that I usually can't eat much in the way of chips or snacky food because the fat and grease content just kills me. They are truly delicious, and much to our excitement, it turns out they ARE available in Ottawa, at Bulk Barn locations, online, some Shopper's Drug Marts, Metro stores, Fortino's and effective Feb 1st Sobeys locations. Wooooohooo!
We also finished choosing our wedding parties over the holidays, but this entry is getting long-winded, so I'll wrap up.
I know that this is early January, and it's the time for resolutions. No doubt, most blogs you follow will be full of writers committing to the world that they will eat better, work out more, and try harder to get a haircut that works. Bri and I didn't do resolutions, partially because we're always resolving to do something new, regardless of the time of year...and also because resolutions put a lot of pressure on people to do something, or be something, they haven't managed to do or be for the whole of the previous year. I would like to take a moment to encourage you to read my own ongoing resolutions, totally flexible and applicable at any time of year; see if you might like to incorporate one into your own resolutions, with perhaps some adaption to fit your own needs:
I resolve to:
-take myself less seriously
-shed negativity and negative people
-feel the fear, and do it anyway
-love the way I look as I am
-make time for the things that matter to the future
-make time to soak in the sweet things my partner does
-slow down a little, and speed up a little
-enjoy the ride
-love my future spouse as often, as much, and as genuinely, as I can.
Feel the fear and Do It Anyway is a great way to kick off the year and all your other resolutions. Good for you. Its been at the top of my list ever since I read the landmark book on fear by Susan Jeffers. Here's to a great year for you both!
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