New Year's Catch-Up

I'm back in blog world! I can't believe it's been so long since I've written anything, but I really didn't know what to write. Who really wants to hear about weeks of sitting on the couch eating Christmas chocolates? Okay, maybe it's a little exaggerated, but only a little.

Christmas itself was quite wonderful. I attended two church services Christmas Eve. The first was at my church, and I was quite blessed by the choir singing two of my own songs: The Stable Bare and Joseph's Carol. For the midnight service, I attended Holy Trinity Anglican, a.k.a the church by the Eaton Centre. It was really wonderful and intimate.

Christmas Day was busy as we tried to fit two family celebrations into one day. But it was full of love and food and all things good, and no one can complain about that. New Year's celebrations were great. The weather was so mild that we cleared the deck of snow and had our champagne outside! Awesome way to start the new year!

The rest of the days were declared Lazy Week. Late nights drinking espresso and reading C.S. Lewis. Short days of sleeping in and watching Dr. Phil reruns. Seriously - who needed to read a blog about that?

However, I really should mention one important thing that happened over Christmas. December 20 and 21 marked four years since we lost Steve. (He passed on the 20th, but we didn't find out until the 21st.) The whole month of December has been awful for years, but this was definitely the easiest it has been. I enjoyed the holidays and all the celebrations more than I have. There were some rough moments, but the days of the 20th and 21st weren't too bad. I just wanted to enjoy the time with my family, and I think Steve would be really happy about that.

So now, what's happening in the New Year? Well, the big thing is WEDDING PLANS!!! Our wedding is four weeks tomorrow, so, as you can guess, we're all getting a little stressed right about now. Lots of stuff is falling into place, but every day a new "essential" makes itself known. I have no doubt that it will all come together and be fabulous, but to be completely honest, I have a new appreciation for people who choose to elope. This wedding planning stuff is huge! I've put together lots of shows, but this will be an opening night like no other.

Here's the truth of the wedding for me:

I have no latent desire to play princess for a day. I have no long lost fantasies of the perfect wedding. I sort of don't care what happens with the dj, the cake, the hall, or the limousine.

My family will be around me. We'll be spending time in the presence of God. And if, at the end of the day, I am married to the beautiful Gerald Flemming, then the whole thing will be a complete success.

For me, that's the fairy tale come true.