Mother Effer.

we put a bid on a house. We both really wanted it. I know it was our first bid, and the chances of us actually getting the first house we bid on were slim.

I said I wouldn't be disappointed if we didn't get it. There are more houses out there. But I think I only said that because I really truly thought we were going to get it.

We lost it by 1200 bucks. Which just makes it all that much worse. And now I'm just minorly bummed out.

Poop to that.

What not to do

When you get a nice expensive gold ring they should give you a manual with it. Well maybe people like Tom and I anyway..

Heres something interesting I learned about mercury this weekend:

"Its ease in amalgamating with metals is made use of in extracting gold, silver, and platinum from their ores."

Aka; mercury sticks to gold. I have a gold ring on my finger, as of late. These two things do not go so well when my life long dream of playing with mercury comes true. But let me tell you, it was totally worth all the poisoning and ring ruining I am now experiencing! It was SO cool!

So the story goes; I was playing with the mercury. It's really fun to pour. From my hand to the jar, from the jar to my hand. After we are done playing with the mercury we wash our hands really well, and as I'm washing my hands I look at my nice shiny ring and say to Courtney, "weird, the light in this house totally makes my ring look silver rather than gold! What the heck?!" I go around the house to all different lights and it always looks silver! I take it off and am holding it at different angles, still looks silver. Then I realize it feels funny too, it's all slippery...What is going on. I suddenly realize. If I run my fingernail along the metal of my ring I can see the thin layer of liquid metal slightly move. SHITE! How on earth do you get it off? I know! Mercury is heavy, if I put my ring in some water it will sink in the water thus leaving my ring unharmed. Yeah, that doesn't work for future reference. So next step, Thomas starts looking on his crackberry on how to fix this whole situation. We find a website that gives us instructions as follows;

You will need:

A lighter

A coat hanger

Some polish/toothpaste

gloves and goggles

Hold the ring with a piece of coat hanger and hold the blue part of the flame up to it. The heat will boil off the mercury. Try not to breath when you are are burning your ring, and it says it won't take long. Then to clean it rub it with toothpaste.

Great, here we are two weeks after I get this nice shiny ring holding it up to a lighter for half an hour, tarnishing the crap out of it, and hopefully not damaging it!

The short of the story is it mostly worked! Though the jewellers were not very impressed with what I had done, and not very appreciative of how well we had cleaned it ourselves! Ha ha, well I think it makes a good story anyway, who else can say that's happened to them two weeks after they got their ring!

now faith

I've always known that we would end up this way. Happily engaged, on our way to a wonderful marriage. With many blessings and well wishes from all our family and friends. Maybe not always. Tom credits himself for "sticking it out" in the beginning when I was a "moody teenager", not yet 16. I guess he was the more mature gent. But, I've known it for a few years at least.

Now that it is really, actually here, sometimes I worry. Not that we will fight. Or stop loving each other. Or get a divorce. But I worry what hard times we will have to endure as we choose to forever join our lives together. Will one of us get sick? With cancer or some other fatal disease. Will we be strong enough to live through it together. Will I have a miscarriage in 5 years, and not know what to do with myself? How will we cope? What about when our parents start to pass away. Will I be able to support my Thomas through that? All these unanswered questions.

Can you tell I am having a hard time being faithful?* I realize there is not much else I can do but have faith. Life would not be very enjoyable if all I did was worry and push everyone I care about away. So here begins a new journey of faith.

*Feel free to pass on any good verses on faith you have kicking around in your head.

Where to start?!

While most of you know by now...I'm engaged! Finally! Yes, I am very happy. And now am planning a wedding for the next six months.

Our preliminary date is July 2nd. We are still waiting to hear about the place we are trying to get hitched. I'm not going to tell you where it is, and get myself all excited about it until we know for sure. Lets just say it's going to be a country-boy/hippy-girl kinda wedding. Which I have decided to call a "Prairie Wedding".

Until all that gets sorted out we are planning a coffee house. My boss has agreed to let me host it at the cafe I work in, which is going to work out really well because it is a cafe! Made to serve food and drinks to many people at once! Plus, (bonus of the year) IT HAS A DISHWASHER!! Which the church does not. This is a real pain in the butt when you have 1000 dishes to wash.

Next on my "exciting-life-of-a-twenty-year-old-girl-who-is-taking-on-way-too-much-in-the-2011-year" agenda is; I have been offered a chance to go to Guatemala on a Habitat for Humanity trip with my Aunty Jan and Uncle Ron! I must say, I am almost more excited for this trip than for my wedding! It is going to be so cool. Not only do I get to go on a trip where I get to meet lots of amazing people, work in the hot humid sun of Central America and build houses for appreciative people. But, I get to go traveling with the most expert traveling couple I know, whom I also happen to get along with really well.

So, I guess I should get started on some planning or packing or whatever it is I should be doing! :)