(no subject)
It seems like I never post anymore. I honestly can't remember the last time I did. Probably back in August when I got back from my vacation? Well, I've got a brand new computer now, and therefore don't have any more connection issues, so hopefully I can start updating a little bit more regularly. We'll see.
It's quarter after five in the morning, and I can't sleep. I'm in one of those moods where I end up replaying things that I said that I think were stupid, or could have done better, even if they're years past and there's clearly nothing I can do about them now. I don't know why I get this way., I was so tired, and only got up to use the bathroom, but then I couldn't get back to sleep. We have another leak in the house, and it's raining, so I thought I'd check on that. Then I lay in bed for a while with all these thoughts running through my head and nothing would make them stop. My nose started to run, so I got up again and now I'm sitting here drinking some Neo Citran in the hopes that I'll be able to get a few more hours of sleep. I doubt it, though.
We had a shoplifter in the store on Sunday, and he got away with 6 or 7 things. That's the main regret that's occupying my headspace right now. I should have watched him more carefully, I should have told him to leave, I should have followed him around the store. Something. I feel like it's my fault he got away with what he did. Now, we have him on video and I've already contacted the police and given them a copy of the video, as well as emailed it to all the other stores. I have my fingers crossed that we'll catch him, even if it means I'll have to go testify against him.
I've been giving it a lot of though this past week, and I think I've figured out what went wrong. I felt he was sketchy as soon as he walked in the door, and that put me on guard. But, when I get sketchy people, my experience has always been that they are imbalanced in some way. They tell me they're married to Jesus and they have a ball of fire in their pocket, or they take off their shirt and sing songs about how they're not a prostitute, or they tell me in a very fervent and passionate voice that anyone who makes money should be shot at the same time as telling me I must make a lot of money working in a store like this. My gut reaction is to put distance between myself and them, so I can watch them, but I can make sure that they can't get at me. I got the same kind of feeling from him. Like, if I confronted him about anything (even though I didn't know he'd stolen anything until an hour later) he had a chance of getting violent. So that's what I did. I put distance between him and myself and therefore couldn't watch him as effectively as I would have if I'd followed him around the store. Danielle, on the opposite spectrum, gets mostly scammers and shoplifters and her reaction is to stare them down and be completely rude to them until they take the hint that they're not welcome and she's on to them so it's better if they just leave. But I don't get these people often, if at all, so I handled things differently. And I've talked to Danielle, and I've talked to the higher-ups and they know it's not my fault, that this guy would have used any opportunity to take things. Plus, he's clearly on camera taking them. Like, he's watching me, clearly trying to mask his movements, not realising that when he walked into the store he looked DIRECTLY into the camera, and the area where he's trying to steal things has not one, but two cameras pointed directly at him capturing his every movement. So while I can't see exactly what he's doing, the camera is catching every shot glass and pencil sharpener he's shoving into his jacket pockets. When the police came to take my statement, they noted that we have an extremely clear video system, so the chances of catching him and charging him are more likely. Yet, none of that makes me feel any better.
On the plus side, though, we're speeding through wedding plans. We made a list of things that we needed to book and decide on, etc, and we divvied them up based on who would have the time to do the task and who we thought would do the task better. Mike obviously gave me more of the tasks, but he's in school and working while I'm just working (and my shifts have been cut to almost *nothing* right now, ugh) so I guess I end up being the one with more time. He's booked our wedding commissioner, who sounds really awesome. He says that there are only two lines that the Newfoundland government requires you to say in order to be considered married, and beyond that he's cool if we want to write the entire ceremony. I don't think we'll go quite that far, but we do plan on writing our own vows at least.
I ordered my dress a few weeks ago, and it only came to $400 including taxes, shipping, a green petticoat, and conversion from GBP to CDN. I've read a lot of good reviews about this site, and it was recommended on Offbeat Bride, so I've got my fingers crossed that everything works out. It's the same one I posted a link to before, I believe, but in case anyone wants to see it again, go here. I still have to look into tailors in case I need any alterations done. I'd like to get a feel for them beforehand so I know they'll do good work.
I've been in contact with an artist on Etsy who will be custom designing a bracelet for me, and I'll be buying matching earrings as well. I had been looking at ther page and fell in love with her jewelry, but realised that with the neckline of my dress, I probably wouldn't be able to get away with a necklace. I mean, I could, but I think it would take something away from that neckline. So I was looking for earrings and a bracelet. She has these beautiful thistle earrings which are, coincidentally, my wedding colours, that I fell in love with, but she didn't have a matching bracelet for them. I contacted her to see if it's something she's done before but just didn't currently have listed. She responded and told me that she'd always wanted to do a thistle bracelet, and she would custom create one for me! She sent me a couple of different sketches, and I picked the one I liked best. She actually just messaged me to tell me that she's going to start sculpting tomorrow, and hopefully will be done by next Friday! So soon! I'm so excited, especially since it's an affordable piece (around $125USD for the bracelet, the earrings will be another $75), but it's one that I'll be able to wear again and again and, if all goes according to plan, be able to pass on to my children. Maybe that's planning a little *too* far ahead, but Mike says we can start trying sometime after we get married!!!
Also today, we met with a photographer to discuss prices and get to know him and his style a little better, and we just fell in love with him. He's so animated, and yet really easy going, He says it's our day and, having met us, can tell we don't want anything formal and forced which is exactly what he tries to do in his work. He likes getting those candid shots that speak more about our love and relationship than do a list of photos and instructions. He allowed us to custom create our package (we opted not to have bride or groom prep because we feel it's a bit silly and my dress isn't really one I have to get helped into, so I feel like it would be shots of a closed door while I step into my dress, or me getting my hair washed or something, not exactly a memory I need to hold on to), and we got to include a photo booth in with all the other stuff we want done (ceremony, reception, on location photos in the fields). I'll be minimising the price of the photo booth, even, because we don't need all the bells and whistles that come with it (coffee table book, printed photos to include in thank you cards, even the props as I plan on making them myself and he's excited for that). So, in total, our photography package will be around $1850. It's more than we'd planned to pay for, but the price includes tax, he's going to set up a payment plan for us, and we're getting exactly what we're asking for. Plus, in doing some research, I've noticed that his packages are A LOT more affordable than most. Most of them, that I've seen anyway, start at $2300 at the minimum, and most of those packages don't even include the rights to your own photographs, forcing you to go through your photographer any time you want a print (and those prices are jacked up significantly)! Ours will give us the digital negatives, and include free online storage for a year for easy sharing with our friends. We're going to give him the downpayment later today, so that's another thing crossed off our list!
Mike's going to be handling the wedding website (wedsite?) because he's more technologically adept than I am. At first we didn't think we'd have one, but after realising that not only do we have to get people to RSVP, but also choose their menu choice and we wanted to have them request a song for us to play at the dance, we thought that was a lot of little cards to include in the invitation and then to keep track of later. This way, they're all in one place. I'll give people who may not be able to figure out the website (my nan who still thinks that a link I showed her online is something I installed on her computer, and my other grandmother who has never used a computer in her life) an option to RSVP by mail or phone. But I know the people who would need that option, and know that they'll for sure be coming (if my own grandmothers missed my wedding....!) so I'm not too worried. And I know Mike is excellent when it comes to computers and web design, so I'm not worried about that, either.
I've also talked to my friend Anthony, who is going to be my bridesdude, and he's willing to design our invitations for us. We sent him some invitations that we liked the look of so he knows what we're looking for, and hopefully they'll be ready sometime after Christmas when things slow down for him at work. We're going to print them via Vistaprint as they allow you to upload your own photos and they are super affordable. I've also heard good things through Offbeat Bride about them.
Aaaand finally, Sarah's bought her Maid of Honour dress already. Eshakti had a sale on a couple of weeks ago, and she got the dress, shipping included, for less than $60. It's arrived already! I'm so glad that's sorted. Now Christina needs a dress, and I need to find a tie for Anthony, and he needs a suit as well. I'm not too worried about them, though. At least, I won't let myself be. They're in Halifax, and knowing that I have no control and can't oversee them, I'm leaving it up to them. They know how pissed I'll be if they're not prepared, and I trust them enough to know that they won't let me down.
I think that's it as far as wedding plans. I've been giving some more thought to decor and we've bought the jars for our favours, but we can't start making the bbq sauce until closer to August or it will go bad. I'm sure I'll have another update as I check more stuff off our list.
Finally, Christmas is coming and it's going to be a frugal one. Most of our money is going towards the wedding right now, so we're trying to save in whatever ways we can. Most people are going to be getting homemade or repurposed gifts, and that's cool. Homemade is always best, imo. Though, I did splurge and buy $40 cufflinks for Mike so he can have something nice to wear to interviews. I'll get him a nice shirt to go with them. He'll be graduating this spring, so I want him to look professional when he goes off to be a fancy-pants accountant!
It's quarter after five in the morning, and I can't sleep. I'm in one of those moods where I end up replaying things that I said that I think were stupid, or could have done better, even if they're years past and there's clearly nothing I can do about them now. I don't know why I get this way., I was so tired, and only got up to use the bathroom, but then I couldn't get back to sleep. We have another leak in the house, and it's raining, so I thought I'd check on that. Then I lay in bed for a while with all these thoughts running through my head and nothing would make them stop. My nose started to run, so I got up again and now I'm sitting here drinking some Neo Citran in the hopes that I'll be able to get a few more hours of sleep. I doubt it, though.
We had a shoplifter in the store on Sunday, and he got away with 6 or 7 things. That's the main regret that's occupying my headspace right now. I should have watched him more carefully, I should have told him to leave, I should have followed him around the store. Something. I feel like it's my fault he got away with what he did. Now, we have him on video and I've already contacted the police and given them a copy of the video, as well as emailed it to all the other stores. I have my fingers crossed that we'll catch him, even if it means I'll have to go testify against him.
I've been giving it a lot of though this past week, and I think I've figured out what went wrong. I felt he was sketchy as soon as he walked in the door, and that put me on guard. But, when I get sketchy people, my experience has always been that they are imbalanced in some way. They tell me they're married to Jesus and they have a ball of fire in their pocket, or they take off their shirt and sing songs about how they're not a prostitute, or they tell me in a very fervent and passionate voice that anyone who makes money should be shot at the same time as telling me I must make a lot of money working in a store like this. My gut reaction is to put distance between myself and them, so I can watch them, but I can make sure that they can't get at me. I got the same kind of feeling from him. Like, if I confronted him about anything (even though I didn't know he'd stolen anything until an hour later) he had a chance of getting violent. So that's what I did. I put distance between him and myself and therefore couldn't watch him as effectively as I would have if I'd followed him around the store. Danielle, on the opposite spectrum, gets mostly scammers and shoplifters and her reaction is to stare them down and be completely rude to them until they take the hint that they're not welcome and she's on to them so it's better if they just leave. But I don't get these people often, if at all, so I handled things differently. And I've talked to Danielle, and I've talked to the higher-ups and they know it's not my fault, that this guy would have used any opportunity to take things. Plus, he's clearly on camera taking them. Like, he's watching me, clearly trying to mask his movements, not realising that when he walked into the store he looked DIRECTLY into the camera, and the area where he's trying to steal things has not one, but two cameras pointed directly at him capturing his every movement. So while I can't see exactly what he's doing, the camera is catching every shot glass and pencil sharpener he's shoving into his jacket pockets. When the police came to take my statement, they noted that we have an extremely clear video system, so the chances of catching him and charging him are more likely. Yet, none of that makes me feel any better.
On the plus side, though, we're speeding through wedding plans. We made a list of things that we needed to book and decide on, etc, and we divvied them up based on who would have the time to do the task and who we thought would do the task better. Mike obviously gave me more of the tasks, but he's in school and working while I'm just working (and my shifts have been cut to almost *nothing* right now, ugh) so I guess I end up being the one with more time. He's booked our wedding commissioner, who sounds really awesome. He says that there are only two lines that the Newfoundland government requires you to say in order to be considered married, and beyond that he's cool if we want to write the entire ceremony. I don't think we'll go quite that far, but we do plan on writing our own vows at least.
I ordered my dress a few weeks ago, and it only came to $400 including taxes, shipping, a green petticoat, and conversion from GBP to CDN. I've read a lot of good reviews about this site, and it was recommended on Offbeat Bride, so I've got my fingers crossed that everything works out. It's the same one I posted a link to before, I believe, but in case anyone wants to see it again, go here. I still have to look into tailors in case I need any alterations done. I'd like to get a feel for them beforehand so I know they'll do good work.
I've been in contact with an artist on Etsy who will be custom designing a bracelet for me, and I'll be buying matching earrings as well. I had been looking at ther page and fell in love with her jewelry, but realised that with the neckline of my dress, I probably wouldn't be able to get away with a necklace. I mean, I could, but I think it would take something away from that neckline. So I was looking for earrings and a bracelet. She has these beautiful thistle earrings which are, coincidentally, my wedding colours, that I fell in love with, but she didn't have a matching bracelet for them. I contacted her to see if it's something she's done before but just didn't currently have listed. She responded and told me that she'd always wanted to do a thistle bracelet, and she would custom create one for me! She sent me a couple of different sketches, and I picked the one I liked best. She actually just messaged me to tell me that she's going to start sculpting tomorrow, and hopefully will be done by next Friday! So soon! I'm so excited, especially since it's an affordable piece (around $125USD for the bracelet, the earrings will be another $75), but it's one that I'll be able to wear again and again and, if all goes according to plan, be able to pass on to my children. Maybe that's planning a little *too* far ahead, but Mike says we can start trying sometime after we get married!!!
Also today, we met with a photographer to discuss prices and get to know him and his style a little better, and we just fell in love with him. He's so animated, and yet really easy going, He says it's our day and, having met us, can tell we don't want anything formal and forced which is exactly what he tries to do in his work. He likes getting those candid shots that speak more about our love and relationship than do a list of photos and instructions. He allowed us to custom create our package (we opted not to have bride or groom prep because we feel it's a bit silly and my dress isn't really one I have to get helped into, so I feel like it would be shots of a closed door while I step into my dress, or me getting my hair washed or something, not exactly a memory I need to hold on to), and we got to include a photo booth in with all the other stuff we want done (ceremony, reception, on location photos in the fields). I'll be minimising the price of the photo booth, even, because we don't need all the bells and whistles that come with it (coffee table book, printed photos to include in thank you cards, even the props as I plan on making them myself and he's excited for that). So, in total, our photography package will be around $1850. It's more than we'd planned to pay for, but the price includes tax, he's going to set up a payment plan for us, and we're getting exactly what we're asking for. Plus, in doing some research, I've noticed that his packages are A LOT more affordable than most. Most of them, that I've seen anyway, start at $2300 at the minimum, and most of those packages don't even include the rights to your own photographs, forcing you to go through your photographer any time you want a print (and those prices are jacked up significantly)! Ours will give us the digital negatives, and include free online storage for a year for easy sharing with our friends. We're going to give him the downpayment later today, so that's another thing crossed off our list!
Mike's going to be handling the wedding website (wedsite?) because he's more technologically adept than I am. At first we didn't think we'd have one, but after realising that not only do we have to get people to RSVP, but also choose their menu choice and we wanted to have them request a song for us to play at the dance, we thought that was a lot of little cards to include in the invitation and then to keep track of later. This way, they're all in one place. I'll give people who may not be able to figure out the website (my nan who still thinks that a link I showed her online is something I installed on her computer, and my other grandmother who has never used a computer in her life) an option to RSVP by mail or phone. But I know the people who would need that option, and know that they'll for sure be coming (if my own grandmothers missed my wedding....!) so I'm not too worried. And I know Mike is excellent when it comes to computers and web design, so I'm not worried about that, either.
I've also talked to my friend Anthony, who is going to be my bridesdude, and he's willing to design our invitations for us. We sent him some invitations that we liked the look of so he knows what we're looking for, and hopefully they'll be ready sometime after Christmas when things slow down for him at work. We're going to print them via Vistaprint as they allow you to upload your own photos and they are super affordable. I've also heard good things through Offbeat Bride about them.
Aaaand finally, Sarah's bought her Maid of Honour dress already. Eshakti had a sale on a couple of weeks ago, and she got the dress, shipping included, for less than $60. It's arrived already! I'm so glad that's sorted. Now Christina needs a dress, and I need to find a tie for Anthony, and he needs a suit as well. I'm not too worried about them, though. At least, I won't let myself be. They're in Halifax, and knowing that I have no control and can't oversee them, I'm leaving it up to them. They know how pissed I'll be if they're not prepared, and I trust them enough to know that they won't let me down.
I think that's it as far as wedding plans. I've been giving some more thought to decor and we've bought the jars for our favours, but we can't start making the bbq sauce until closer to August or it will go bad. I'm sure I'll have another update as I check more stuff off our list.
Finally, Christmas is coming and it's going to be a frugal one. Most of our money is going towards the wedding right now, so we're trying to save in whatever ways we can. Most people are going to be getting homemade or repurposed gifts, and that's cool. Homemade is always best, imo. Though, I did splurge and buy $40 cufflinks for Mike so he can have something nice to wear to interviews. I'll get him a nice shirt to go with them. He'll be graduating this spring, so I want him to look professional when he goes off to be a fancy-pants accountant!