Today was a good day.

My classes went well; the year nine drama class is creating a melodrama piece that already has me in tears, and they've only been working on it for two days. My year 7 band class were angels as usual, and are really starting to sound good; I've been able to start giving them notes on things like posture instead of things like "you are playing a completely different song that the rest of the class". My after-school music group was alot of fun as well, although I never get as far with them as I do with the classes that run in school hours.

There was also a sufficiently large amount of drama, that did not involve me in any way, to keep me highly entertained. A forgotten birthday cake (birthdays are HUGE at my school) and an insane fight at our department meeting, beginning with the words "Gunnell is just a fucking shitty teacher", made today probably the highlight of my week.

Finally, I came home to discover that my skinny jeans not only fit me again, but do not require lube and a pair of pliers to get on. I am going out to a birthday dinner in two hours, and plan on getting pleasantly buzzed on wine and good food (but not too much of either, if I want my skinny jeans to still fit me tomorrow).
There are only 3.5 weeks until Jeremy and I fly back to Canada; we've booked a week in Mexico to kick off our vacation, and the remaining 2.5 weeks will be spent seeing family and friends (and of course, massive amounts of shopping).

There are days where the voice inside my head spends alot of it's time bitching. About how buying -everything- over the Internet is a HUGE pain in the ass, how gossip spreads around this town like fire, about how ungrateful and rude children can be when they want to. Today is not one of those days. Today, things are really, really good.

<3




Just a side note: I really should start writing more about the ridiculous things that happen at school. There are so many, and they do make me smile. Teaching really has put a different perspective on alot of my memories from highschool, haha.

....you have no idea how much I miss you right now.

This post is basically just to say that I am still alive, just INSANELY busy with school. Like, ridiculously. HOWEVER.... our big concert is coming up soon, and as soon as that is done I plan on basically bullshitting the last month of school, so I should have more time to relax/write in here.

Also just wanted to say. Cannot DESCRIBE how excited I am that we are going back to Canada soon. Cannot. Wait. :D


<3

I sit here in the afternoon sun, sipping lemon-lime gelato smoothie. The day is perfect; no clouds, just effortless blue sky, warm breezes and birdsong. I baked brownies and Jeremy put together our new computer....I can't even describe how relaxed and content I am now.

Too bad it's back to work tomorrow....sigh.

HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCKING FUCK.


Tyler. Yes. My Ex Tyler.



HAS A DAUGHTER.


Jesus. JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZUS. I mean, my mind was blown when Brent had a kid. Yes. But Brent was just always so....RESPONSIBLE, in a way. He really always seemed like a dad-in-waiting, if that makes any sense. I mean yes, he was never really GOING anywhere career wise, but he had his head on straight (most of the time). Hang on, I need another glass of wine for this post.

So yeah, I was shocked when Brent had a kid..... but TYLER?!??!!?!?!? TYLER?!?!?!?!?!? I dumped him because I was the most RESPONSIBLE one in the relationship!!!! He made me feel like his mother sometimes cause he was just so... YOUNG. Yes, he's two years younger than me, but I mean mentally as well.. he was just such a kid at heart. All his video games and comic books and little adoring love letters that he wrote me....he was just so immature. And now. HE HAS A CHILD.

I think my brain just exploded.

Jeremy: Huh, we really need a salt shaker...I should probably steal one from work next week.
Rhiannon: Ok, sounds good!
Jeremy: I make almost 100,000 dollars a year, and yet I would still rather steal a salt shaker from work than buy one from the store. It's just so much more satisfying that way.

I'm married to this guy. And the thing is, I completely agree with him. :D

Don't take this the wrong way.
I am, clearly, very happy that Obama won. He was far and away the best choice, and I believe good things will come of this.
HOWEVER.
My Facebook friends are seriously starting to piss me off. It seems that everyone is in a competition right now to be THE MOST TOTALLY OVERJOYED AND DELIRIOUSLY HAPPY PERSON BECAUSE OF THE ELECTION RESULTS, and THE BIGGEST SUPPORTER OF OBAMA EVAAAARRRRRR. Some of their statuses suggest that Obama getting elected is about on par with the second coming of Christ. I mean, come on people. It's still America, it's still the year 2008, and there is still ALOT of cleaning up to do. Also, don't forget that a significant number of people voted AGAINST Obama. Clearly the attitudes and beliefs of every single American haven't changed overnight.
I don't mean to be a downer. This is a VERY positive result, I am grateful to all the American citizens who voted, and I am excited to see how America progresses over the next 4 years. But I just wish that my friends on Facebook would stop acting like all the problems of the world were solved last night. One in particular, gushing how "overcome with emotion" she is, made me want to vomit a little, in my mouth.
Sigh.

Anyways, in other news I got my WACOT certification yesterday, and faxed off my application to the DET today. So hopefully I could be teaching in a week or two!!! Yay!!!

I had an awesome weekend.
Jeremy and I went off-roading in the Jeep Saturday, exploring the untainted scenery around our town. Found rolling, red hills and deep, secret saphire pools. Irredscent green-gold grass sprouting from blood coloured earth, and of course the blue, blue sky, unspoiled by a single white cloud.
Sunday was more relaxed, but just as enjoyable. Went garage-saling and bought a dining room table and a lawn mower, both of which we badly needed. We did some household chores that would have been boring if not for the fact that we were doing them together, as we lazed through the morning. In the afternoon, we drove round to Rosie's house, and spent a few hours soaking in her aqua coloured pool, beneath the indigo sky. Palm trees softly whispered above us, and occasionaly a lazy fly, drunk on heat and sunlight, would circle us as a halo.
We are content, peaceful. The little daily-life stresses do not really touch us. I know it won't always be like this, but for now I am happy that we are happy, in this new land. Tomorrow is a holiday in Newman, and tonight we are going to Ian's house, to watch TV and hang out, drink some beer. Be with other happy people. It is a gift.

Today I have to clean the kitchen, do the laundry. I don't like playing the housewife, but there are worse things in the world than mopping. I will be overjoyed when I finally can become a productive member of society, but for now, while I'm waiting... there are worse things.

I also killed a red-back spider in our shed this morning. They are very poisonous. Another side to our new adopted home. This might be a country of harsh, bold lines and strong colour palletes that make you want to stare for hours, but it's also a place that can kill you, very quickly, without much bother. I love it, although sometimes I do miss the placid Ontario countryside, safe in so many ways. But life is about taking risks, right? Making a choice, placing bets. And I can't help but thinking, that the wager we made in coming here, is turning out to look like a sure thing.

So, I've been a pretty sporadic poster, and there has been ALOT of back-and-forth about what exactly we were going to do for our wedding. Originally, we were going to have the big traditional family wedding, until one day we stopped, looked at each other, and asked 'why???'. After lots of thought and re-planning, on February 6th, 2008, we had our dream wedding. It was simply the best day of my life!!! For details, gratuitous amount of pictures, and a mini rant about why eloping is awesome, click the cut!!!


( We got married!!!!! )

Loss cradles, mimicking the lover once held so-
Music made to break the heart;
"Oh, Lady".
Tears that will not flow:
We learn to bend or we break.


New layout from The Fulcrum.... link in my sidebar. I'm very excited about it!!!!
I've been posting a lot of private entries..... my thoughts lately are not...anything that should be put down on paper for others to see. So, I hide. In real life.... well, I quit my soul killing job at M.P. I just couldn't do it anymore. I can't be someone's little retails slave!!! *argh* seriously though, I would have put up with it if the boss hadn't been psychotic.... I'm not the only one who couldn't deal, a part time girl quit too. I've had my share of shitty jobs with shitty bosses, but this one REALLY took the cake *sigh* anyways, now I have to go to the trouble of finding something else! Hopefully not involving retail... but I know that'll be all I can find in this town right now. Kingston actually has one of the highest unemployment rates in Ontario. It's because of all the university students who graduate and then stay here like me, heh. There's too much educated surplus workforce. ANYWAYS. Only 4 more months, give or take.... I just keep telling myself that.
We might be going out t Nevada next weekend! Jeremy has a job interview out there in November, we're just trying to work out dates with the company. They are paying for both of us to go down for 4 days, which is sweet. They are also going to try and set up a meeting for me with someone from the school board, which is awesome.... I can not WAIT to get a REAL job teaching, heh. So that will be cool.... there is also NO income tax in Nevada! Which means you make alot more money there.... squeee! I'm trying not to get too excited... but at least it would be something DIFFERENT, you know? I reallyreally don't want to stay in Canada. Even though I said I'd NEVER live in the states.... well, I guess I could put up with it for a few years. The company (Barrick) is a huge international mining company, and after putting in a few years in Nevada we could transfer anywhere in the world. They actually have a new mine opening up in the Dominican!!!! how awesome would that be? *sigh* anyways like I said we will have to wait and see.
Other than that, there isn't really anything new going on. Jeremy is really busy finishing school.... just the humdrum business of daily life. I'm excited that things are actually going to start HAPPENING soon though..... yay!

Oh my dear sweet Lord, I NEED to get the hell outta here.

I'm going crazy with boredom. It's almost like, now that there are only 3 days separating me and freedom from house(wife)-arrest, the time is CRAWLING by. ARGH. On the bright side, this Saturday we are flying to Cairns for 9 days of snorkelling and rain-forest adventures. I plan on getting my hands -literally- on a Koala. If you pay 15 bucks at the zoo, they will actually let you CUDDLE one, and take a picture. Money well spent in my mind.
I am SO frikken excited to be going back home. I just want to get on with all the other stuff in my life! I want to work, I want to see my friends, I want to wedding plan and figure out where we are going to move next September. God I know I sound like a broken record these days but I'm just SO sick and tired of being here. I don't know HOW some women do the whole housewife deal. *sigh*
Another reason it is a good thing that we are only here for three more days, is the fact that I am seriously pondering killing Mike. Everything he does drives me insane, and his girlfriend is getting to be just as bad. Jeremy and I often joke about all the ways they could randomly die, haha. :P We're not bad people I promise, Mike is just COMPLETELY unbearable to be around. Honestly they are THAT horrible. Imagine the most AGGRAVATING person you have ever known, and times them by 100. *sigh* I keep repeating the mantra of *only three days* under my breath to myself.
I really don't have anything else interesting to write about. Unless the internet would find a detailed description of the laundry I did today interesting? I could talk about the disgusting mass of burnt food I cleaned off the stove today (Jeremy and I haven't cooked anything on there for days). God I'm bored. And, BORING. Ugh. I need to get the HELL out of Australia.

I have spent three full days trying to complete the last mission of Guild Wars: prophecies. Today a group of us got RIGHT to the end.... and died, the finish line only a hands-breadth away. I almost drove the fork from my bowl of Kraft Dinner through my eyeballs in frustration.
I want to get back to Canada So.Badly.
The word bored doesn't even begin to cover it.... I think my brain is turning to mush. Thank god there are only two weeks left!! I really miss all my friends and family.... although I will probably be wishing I was back here, once I'm working full time in Kingston. :p The grass is always greener! Ahh well, it will DEFINITELY be nice to have a life again, no matter what kind of shit job I end up working.
Mike (the worst of the Three Stooges) is driving Jeremy and I to absolute distraction. To be honest, he reminds me ALOT of Wes...only without all of Wes's redeeming qualities. Mike is obnoxious, antagonistic, overly aggressive, selfish, rude, and an absolute horror to live with. His girlfriend Sarah is living here now too...she's alright, although not someone I would befriend outside of this situation. I don't get why she's dating Mike though, since she seems fairly normal....although people probably said that about me when I was dating Wes, so I shouldn't judge. Mike is TOTALLY AWFUL though...seriously he drives me insane with his belief that he is entitled to do whatever he wants, whenever he feels like it, no matter who he is putting out/hurting in the process. He is still eating our food, and continuously trying to engage Jeremy in this not-so-subtle Alpha male struggle within the house. It's crazy, you'd have to see it to believe it....he's the type who feel like he always have to be number one to be worth anything....Jeremy basically ignores him, but it is definitely irritating to the extreme. *sigh* UGH I just wish he would go back to Vancouver!!! but sadly he's staying here as long as we are... so two more weeks! :(

In other news, we've had ANOTHER change of plans with the wedding. :P We're going to most likely move the date up to April 2008, instead of August. Basically, we realised that we were going to end up paying an extra 6 months in rent money and utilities, etc, if we went backpacking first, and then came back to
Kingston just to get married. This way, we can get married, then go on our trip, and then move directly wherever it is we end up going... it saves SO much time and money. I really don't know why we didn't think of this in the first place *shrugs* I think it was mainly because Jeremy doesn't really fancy going backpacking from may-july since that is the busiest time and everything is more expensive...however, the expense of going then does not even begin to compare to the amount of money we would have to spend if we did it the other way around....so yeah, looks like the end of April is going to be our official date. THIS is why I am not telling anyone except my closest friends about any wedding planning stuff.....we are so changeable :P I'm basically not going to say anything about the change in date to April, until we have booked a venue and finalised some details.
The only downside to the April date is that this means Holly will most likely not be able to be my bridesmaid, or even come at all! :( Since she will be working/living in Dubai until the end of June.... This sucks, I really wanted her there... but if that is the ONLY reason for not saving a ton of money by changing to April, then I really can't justify it. At least Ashley, Lissa and Agnes will be there for sure... :) So I'll just have three bridesmaids instead of four.
This also only gives me 8 months to plan, AHHH! At least I already have my dress.... but things are going to get a bit hectic I think. It's going to be a crazy year, but I'm really looking forward to everything.

Just a wuick update before jeremy gets home:

I bought my dress!!!! WHEEEEE! It's EXACTLY what I wanted, and a good price for what I'm getting, so that's awesome. Agnieszka said that usually brides say the hardest part is picking the dress, so it seems i'm over a major hump! Although, considering how specific I was about what I wanted, it wasn't really difficult at all. I'll post pictures once it arrives.
So basically I can't do anything else wedding related until I get back to Canada...September is going to be BUSY, what with finding a place to live, applying to jobs, AND going to look at venues when we can....plus Jeremy is back in school :P It's gonna be crazy, but hopefully really fun too.... I'm still super excited to be returning to Canada. I'm going to try and design the wedding website while I'm here, since that's probably something that won't get done if I leave it till I'm busier in the fall.... and I've got nothing but time right now. But yeah, other than that.... we're good, for now. It's a nice feeling.
Jeremy and I had a huge epiffany about Australia over the weekend. It'll take a long time to explain, so I'll leave it for my next update... but yeah, BIG decision made. It seems 2007/2008 are going to be the years for big decisions....we got engaged, went to Australia, we will be travelling to Europe, getting married, and deciding where we are going to move in the world, and moving there! Wow, that's alot of big life decisions in a small amount of time. But it's also terribly exciting to be DOING something.... to be finally moving along into another part of my life.....a part which I definitely think is going to be the best so far. Sure there will be ups and downs, but I'm looking forward to surmounting everything that comes our way. I'm so happy and excited about everything...

Oop, the guys are home. Gotta go!

None of the places we have emailed are emailing us back!! ARGH!!! I -HATE- trying to do this from Australia, but there's no way I'm leaving it until September to start looking into stuff. I think I'm going to enlist my mother to make phone calls for me this week. Also, wedding dress shopping in Sydney this weekend!!! Wheeeeeeeee! I'm tres excited. hopefully it goes well and I don't come back even more depressed about weddings.

In other news, we'll be back in Canada in 5 weeks! I can't believe how fast time went by. It seems unreal to think we've been here for 3 months already. We may have to live in a box when we get back to Kingston, as we have zero leads on apartments..... but no matter what it will be nice to be back on Canadian ground.

Guild Wars has taken over my soul, yet again. Thank God for that game though, seriously. It raining again today, I have no idea what I'd do with myself all day if I didn't have GW. *sigh* I'm officially pathetic.

I am just so freaking frustrated.( possibly the longest post I've ever written. And it's about weddings. )
*cries*

I feel really happy and energetic today. I honestly feel the best I have in weeks.... so that's good! :) I did a lot of household stuff as well, cleaned this place up a bit... did I mention I hate living with the three stooges? They never do a fucking THING. Ugh. The cleaners are coming tomorrow though so that's really good. They'll finish off the stuff I haven't gotten to yet.

So I'm totally obsessed with wedding planning as of now. As soon as we find a place we like/ can afford we're going to pick the date.. it's basically going to be a Saturday in late June, July, or early august of 2008. I'm VERY excited! How I ever thought I'd be ok without a wedding is beyond me completely. I still think Jeremy would be happier with some sort of destination wedding for just the two of us..... but he's resigned himself now. Plus, it's not like we'd save any money. Every destination wedding package i've looked at has been at least 2 grand. Factor in plane tickets, the fact that we'd still have to buy a dress/rent a tux for him, and hotels/travelling around wherever we are.... it would actually probably cost us MORE money than a wedding for all our friends and family in Kingston. And honestly, I would be sad if my friends couldn't be there.... and although I admittedly could do without family, I know my parents would be sad.... and I don't want that. So, wedding it is! We're still keeping it small, no more than 40 people. Hopefully it won't end up being that expensive... I'm going to DIY most of the projects, and try to scrimp as much as humanly possible. Jeremy and I are going to sit down this weekend and work out finances and budgeting for the next year or so.

Anyways, in other news, we are going to this fancy company dinner at a winery this weekend. The tickets are only 25 bucks, and the company pays for you to stay overnight...super. So yeah that should be fun! My Dad gets home from Wales today! He's going to call me tomorrow... I'm glad, I have to admit I miss my parents when I don't talk to them for like 6 weeks. My mother is staying till the 24th to help my Aunt deal with all the stuff with my Nan's will. Did I write before about my Nan? She died a few weeks ago :( She was in a lot of pain though, and was very sick... so the doctor said it was almost the kinder thing.... anyway, very sad, especially for my mother. They now have to go through the whole process of selling my Nan's house and stuff..... not a very relaxing vacation by any means. But yeah, I should hear some more details about how everything is going in Wales from my Dad tomorrow. He promised to take pictures of my cousins, whom I haven't seen in 5 years... I'm sure they are going to be all grown up and very scary, considering I remember them being little children.

Alright, Jeremy should be home soon!

I need a hobby. Something I can learn to do, that doesn't require a large amount of money (i have some money to spend money on supplies etc). I am open to any and all suggestions. Please, help me find something to do with all my spare time, other than beat guild wars. :D

I'm going to start using this again. God knows I have the time now..... so many things have come to an end, and so many things have begun. That's always the way of it, isn't it? One thing flows continously into another, starts to finishes, birth to death.

Could you whisper in my ear
The things you wanna feel
I'll give you anything
To feel it comin'
Do you wake up on your own
And wonder where you are
You live with all your faults

I have my regrets, many of them. There are a lot of things I would do differently if I could go back, but that too, is natural. There are people in this world who mean more to me than they could ever know- and those people will never leave my life. But so many other friendships and fond aquaintences are going to end now that school is over, we are graduated and newborn into the realm of adulthood, and we are all going to go our different directions.

I wanna wake up where you are
I won't say anything at all
So why don't you slide

Yeah we're gonna let it, slide

Time passes so quickly, and these huge events in my life, that are supposed to signal some sort of change....a marker of sorts, after which nothing is ever the same: they pass without incident. I suppose I always thought I'd feel different when I graduated from univeristy, when I moved on with my life, when I got engaged.... but everything just feels normal. These big events that society has decreed mean something...they really mean nothing, in the end. Everyone keeps asking me if being engaged makes me feel old, and I'm puzzled by the question. The answer is unequivocably 'No', but I'm surprised they even ask. Should I feel old? Should I feel tied down and set in a certain path for my life? I don't, simply because Jeremy and I aren't like that. My life proceeds unaltered, simply, adorned with him.
I guess I thought life would be like a novel: where the great events are seperated into neat little chapters. And you always know when one is ending, by the blank white space at the end of the page, and the title on the next. But the flow of life isn't interrupted by the events we have decreed shape it, and give it meaning. Life simply flows on.

And I'll do anything you ever
Dreamed to be complete
Little pieces of the nothing that fall
May put your arms around me
What you feel is what you are
And what you are is beautiful
May do you wanna get married
Or run away

Last Friday night, Jeremy propsed to me. I am now, engaged.
Wow. I am still completely at a loss for words. I am so deliriously happy..... I can't explain it. Everything seem so bright.