If only it could be that easy...

It's Friday, but I have to work again tomorrow so the week isn't quite at an end yet. It's been a horrid week at work, so I am anxious for it to be over with.

My mom got news from her social worker this week that they will probably have a place for her in November. That wasw at least a little bit of good news this week, even if it isn't anything definite. It hasn't been so bad having her at the apartment, but I guess it's easier this time since I have my car and can take off at will.

Otherwise, this has really just been an awful week, both professionally and personally. So here's to next week being a better one. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

This strip reminded me of most of my co-workers. Most of whom have been making my life at work a living hell over the past few weeks. Grrr.

We are having a catered luncheon today for our fleet manager, who is retiring. I will miss Bob, as he is a really good guy and the only competent manager on staff. A free lunch is always a good thing, especially when the company is paying for it :p

Our company just sold our sister dealership in Oakville, so tonight our social club is having a goodbye dinner for our member from that dealership, Nancy. We are going to Crabby Joe's for some food and drinks. I really hate this, as I will miss Nancy terribly. She's become a good buddy, so hopefully we can keep in touch. There are now only two of us on the social committee and Nicole is, well, a twit. Nice enough girl, but utterly useless so I am just dreading planning the upcoming year's events.

Had a really nice dinner last night-Chris made stuffed peppers, steak and baked potatoes. He also got me a rose and a card to try and cheer me up. I just wish I could get out of this funk...

I would say "woohoo, it's Friday", but I have volunteered to work the next two Saturdays so Friday doesn't mean much. The wedding will not pay for itself, especially since the budget has now doubled, so I'll have to try and earn any extra cash that I can.

I'm sorry I haven't posted much, I've been down in the dumps and not overtalkative in general. Hopefully next week will be better. Have a great weekend and Neicy, have a fabulous party! Wish I could come!

What's in your purse?

Okay, this is from over at Kristi's blog. This should be interesting because my purse weighs a ridiculous amount, so maybe there is more crap in there than I thought...

1. Bottle of Advil gelcaps

2. My car keys and house keys

3. My wallet

4. My digital camera and extra batteries

5. Hairbrush

6. Several crumpled receipts and paystubs

7. Pressed powder compact

8. Change purse with my birth certificate, and various other cards

9. My cell phone

10. Two hair clips

11. Pepto Bismol chewables

12. My prescription sunglasses and case

13. Oh look, another pressed powder compact

14. An old shopping list

15. A Papermate Dryline correction tape (how the heck did that get in there?)

16. 2 lip glosses and 3 lipsticks

17. 3 Pens

18. 1 lonely Halls cough drop

19. And two items I won't mention since, well, I am embarrassed.

20. A packet of those little papers you use to take the shine off your nose

Wow, and I was making fun of poor Kristi with all the stuff she had in her purse! No wonder the damn thing is as heavy as a brick...

Odd question survey

Apparently it's survey week, because this is the second one I've gotten so far and this one is huge! So prepare yourself for all the inane details, lol

Are your parents married or divorced? Divorced

Are you a vegetarian? No, but I like lots of vegetarian dishes

Do you believe in Heaven? No

Have you ever come close to dying? Luckily, no

What jewelry do you wear 24/7? My gold claddagh ring that Chris gave me for our 6th annv.

Are you eating? Yes, jalepeno Tostitos (healthy, I know)

Do you eat the stems of broccoli? Yep

Do you wear makeup? I own a ridiculous amount, but wear a minimal amount

Would you ever have plastic surgery? I don't think so

What do you wear to bed? My underwear

Have you ever done anything illegal? Yes, but nothing that other stupid teenagers haven't done

Can you roll your tongue? No

Do You have a boyfriend or girlfriend? A fiance

Do you believe in Abortions? I am pro-choice, but abortion is not a form of birth control

What is your Hair color? Naturally light brown. Currently dyed light auburn

Future child's name, boy and girl? Boy-Logan Girl-Rowan

Do you smoke? No

If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Scotland

Do you sleep with stuffed animals? Nope

If you won the lottery, what would you do first? Quit my bloody job

Gold or silver? Gold

Hamburger or hot dog? Yum, do I have to pick just one?

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Shrimp!!

City, beach or country? Country

What was the last thing you touched? My keyboard

Where did you eat last? At my desk

When's the last time you cried? Yesterday (this wedding crap is getting to me...)

Do you read blogs? Yep, Neicy's and Kristi's

Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex? I doubt it

Ever been involved with the police? I was a witness in a murder trial once

What's your favorite shampoo/conditioner and soap? Pantene and Lavender Chamomile Body Wash

Do you talk in your sleep? How the heck would I know?

Ocean or pool? Pool

What's your favorite song at the moment? Baby Hold On by the Dixie Chicks

Have you ever had a cavity? One, when I was fifteen

Window seat or aisle seats? Window seats

Ever met anyone famous? No (Brad Pitt, where are you??)

Do you feel that you've had a truly successful life? Heck, no

Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Cut it (I suck at twirling)

What is your fav. sport to play? Is minigolf a sport?

Basketball or football? Basketball

Do you drive a stick? No

Cake or ice cream? Ice cream!!!

Are you self-conscious? Big time

Do you like any of your close friends? I should hope so!

Have you ever given money to a bum? Nope

Have you been in love? Yes

Where do you wish you were? At home sleeping

Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? Once, when I passed out during a panic attack at work

Can you tango? No, but that would be so cool to learn

Last gift you received? Flowers from Chris

What occasion did you recieve your gift? No reason, just to cheer me up

Last thing you spent lots of money on? My wedding dress

Where do you live? Stoney Creek, Ontario

Last wedding attended? My cousin Ryan's, about 4 years ago

Favorite restaurant? Kelsey's

What is your favorite kind of car? Honda Accord

Most hated food(s)? Brussel sprouts, onions, eggs

Most loved food(s)? Shrimp, pizza, steak, guacamole, cheesecake, pasta

Can you sing? So-so

Person on your mind? Chris

What's your least fav. chores? All of them?

Favorite drink? Cranberry & vodka

Currently have a Crush? Just on my honey

How long was your longest drive in a car? Sudbury (six hours)

Is it Friday yet??

Today is one of those days. You know, when you want to go postal on everyone because they are just bloody annoying. Chris' exact words were, "Man, you are TESTY today". Testy? Hah, that is the polite way for saying BITCHY.

The cause of this wondrous mood-no sleep. And why no sleep? Because wedding plans are getting more complicated by the minute. But I can't be completely selfish or I will truly be a Bridezilla. Looks like we are going to have a small wedding instead of eloping. Chris' dad and sister were pretty upset at the notion of not being able to attend and I can empathize with them. Their family is so small now with Chris' mom gone and they rely on each other a great deal. So I can make concessions for that. So I have a guest list of 15 people (that is Chris' ENTIRE family plus my dad, stepmother, mother, grandmother and 3 close friends). This small group is still going to screw with my budget, but hopefully my dad and Chris' dad will at least kick in a bit of money to help out. WE had set a date of february 2008, but now with people coming, we don't want to do it in winter. So I am pushing for summer 2007 (I really don't want to wait until summer 2008-it's almost 2 years away!).

On the plus side, I found my dress! In case you didn't know, I am a huge Ebay junkie. I used to spend a ridiculous amount of money but now it's just a few purchases here and there when I find a great deal. So this dress is brand-new from Emme Bridal and retails for almost $700 US dollars. I won the auction last night--for $90!!! Woo hoo! The measurements are perfect and I think it will be wonderful for an intimate wedding (not too formal, but still feels like wedding dress to me) . I also got my jewellery and hair accessories. Ha! All I need is a venue and money to pay for it and I'm all set. Oh wait, I guess I need Chris there , too :P

The Dress

This was an email a former coworker sent me today and I thought it could be fun to post it here:

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Service Coordinator
2. Receptionist/Admin
3. School Age Childcare Supervisor
4. Cashier

Four movies I have watched over and over:

1. Star Wars
2. Beverly Hills Cop
3. X-Men
4. Finding Nemo

Four places I have lived:

1. Burlington, Ontario
2. Hamilton, Ontario
3. Stoney Creek, Ontario
4. Ancaster, Ontario (these are all within 15 minutes of each other)

Four TV shows EI enjoy watching:

1. CSI
2. Star Trek (all except Enterprise)
3. Buffy & Angel
4. American Idol

Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Orlando (when I was ten)
2. Cottage Country, Ontario
3.
4. (I need to get a life apparently...)

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Shrimp!!
2. Spicy Guacamole and fresh Salsa (yum!)
3. Steak
4. Cheesecake

Four Places I would rather be right now:

1. Asleep in bed
2. Curled up on the couch with Chris
3. Playing with puppies
4. God, anywhere but work!

star wars audtions

I loved the Christopher Walken part (all it needed was "I need more cowbell")

Ta da! The ring is here-woo hoo! It is even better in person-I can't stop looking at it. Most of the people at work know now (because, well, I keep sticking my ring in everyone's face). I really want to tell my dad, but Chris and I haven't worked out how we are going to tell him. I don't want to wait much longer, because he should be one of the first people to know.

I want to elope. Getting the rest of the world to go along with this apparently is not going to be as easy as I thought. I know my parents really won't be too put off by me not having an actual wedding, but Chris thinks his dad might want to attend. That just puts a whole new spin on things. There are two big reasons I want to elope: money and my parents.

The money part is obvious: I would much rather spend $1500 on an amazing elopement for the two of us than say 5-10,000 dollars on a full wedding. Because if we do have a full wedding, it will be large because my side of the family is huge. Chris thinks we could just have a small wedding with just our parents and his sister and grandparents, but this leads to my second problem...

My parents and my stepmother. My parents do not even remotely like each other and my stpemother hates my mother. Now I know they would all behave for my sake on the big day, but the thing is I won't be comfortable. The thought of being in a intimate setting with all three of them there actually make me nauseous. I really don't need the pain of my teenage years being thrust in my face on my wedding day.

And to top it all off, I am excited to actually set a date. I desperately need something in my life to look forward to. Chris, in his current mental state, has no enthusiasm for this. So it has kind of sucked all the wind from my sails.

Man, I see how people turn into Bridezillas! It totally takes over your mind! All I can think about is WEDDING. Please shoot me, now....

The proposal...

Happy, happy, joy, joy...

I think we all have those moments where something just strikes you. An epiphany of sorts. Well, I had one two weeks ago while watchin Little Miss Sunshine. Greg Kinnear's character is a motivational speaker, who goes on about the difference between winners and losers, and some of his words really hit home. I have been so depressed about my relationship with Chris not moving forward, complaining about all the people around us who are engaged, getting married, etc. But who am I to complain and be depressed when I am not doing anything myself to move our relationship along? Why should the responsibility be on Chris to propose? Soooooo.....

On Saturday, we went to the Water Street Cooker, which is one of our favourite restaurants and where we normally go for our anniversary. Earlier, I had stopped by the restaurant and given them a personalized pewter beer stein to serve Chris his beer in (as he will usually have a drink when we go out somewhere for dinner). So we sit down and the server takes our drink orders. I order a cosmopolitan to encourage him to order something alcoholic, but lo and behold he orders a green tea. Argh!! So the poor waitress gives me a panicked look and leaves to get our drinks. So now I figure Chris will go wash his hands, since we get bread and olives at the table, and I can go talk to the server. Nope, he eats the stuff with his fork. So the server comes back with his tea and sets the beer stein in front of him. He looks at it strangely and reads the inscription "Chris, Will You Marry Me? Love Leah". I don't think I have ever seen someone looked so shocked-it was priceless. I'm tearing up and telling him he was SUPPOSED to order a beer...then he says "Of course I will". Eeeeeee! What a moment of elation. I scooted across the table and kissed him, which I also think shocked him because we aren't ones for PDA's. We had a fabulous dinner and a wonderfully romantic evening afterwards that went as I had planned.

So that's why I haven't slept in two weeks and have been so anxious. Now if everyone would just stop asking us when the big day is...Geesh, let us get used to this whole engaged thing first (we have only told 3 people so far and that was the first thing they asked)! My ring should get here by the end of the week or next after the sizing is done on it. It's an emerald (Chris' birth stone) surrounded by diamonds (my birth stone) so I am excited for it to arrive. Then we can get around to telling all the family and such. Eeeeee!

Aside from a lingering cough and a little congestion, the darn cold has finally lost its grip. I am so glad Friday has finally arrived, as it has been a trying week for me at work. Chris is coming out to have lunch with me today, so that will be a nice break.

I'm sorry I haven't posted much recently, but I have been in such emotional turmoil over the past two weeks that I am finding it hard to keep my thoughts organized. After Saturday, hopefully I can post about what has been causing me so much anxiety (and hopefully it comes to a happy resolution). Hopefully the weepiness will go away by then, too.

I don't have many people in my life that are close to me. Aside from Chris, my friend Elizabeth and my mom, I really have no one to talk to or confide in (and sometimes I can' talk to them because THEY are the cource of my distress). So I must give a huge thank you to Neicy and Kristi. Both of you have been wonderful, always giving me support and making me smile and letting me have a glimpse into your lives through your blogs. Who would have ever thought that two strangers, miles away, could offer you more friendship and kindness than the people around you everyday?

Here's a little chuckle for the day, since I think we all could use one. Fortunately, my cockatiel Lucky hasn't picked up any bad words from our TV habits...

New "half" siblings...

Bailey and Barney!

I spent nearly the entire weekend in bed with this horrid cold. I wish I was still in bed, because work has been pure hell this morning and I just don't have the patience for people today.

I got Mom moved on Thursday without too many hiccups. I haven't killed her yet, so that is a good thing.

Chris and I went out briefly on Saturday to visit my dad and see the new puppies. Barney and Bailey...they are beyond cute. I will post pictures of them later, but what I really wanted was to steal them and bring them home in my purse. Puppies just cheer you up with their love and exuberance.