The Dress... and then some.

It's been awhile people. I've had my fair share of drama and plans going kaputt in that time, but I promised my next post would be on the dress, and this is me, fulfilling that promise.

So, there are a lot of crazy ideas out there surrounding "The Dress", which don't even have anything to do with the style or length or cut of a dress. Apparently you have to have an emotional attachment to your dress, you have to know it's "the one", it has to make you and your mother both burst into tears and embrace in a moment of mother-daughter bliss.

That's rubbish. As soon as I found my dress (online) I knew I wanted it, and then I went and looked at other dresses that had bits of "my" dress in them (so I checked to make sure an A-line looked good on me, and compared how a square neckline would look compared to a round one, etc.). I came to the conclusion, after trying on about 17 dresses, that the dress I found online was what I wanted, so I looked around for a cheaper one, and found one that a woman was selling one for about half-price (unworn, at least at a wedding, as it arrived too late for hers and so she had to buy a second dress to wear on her wedding day). Shopping for a wedding dress online can be a pretty sketchy deal. I suggest the following website, ScamAdviser, to check if a website is legitimate, or too good to be true. I found a lot of websites offering the dress that I wanted for absurdly cheap prices. If it seems too good to be true (a dress that's §1,399 on the rack, versus $199 on a website), it probably is.

Gambling is normally bad. This is worse. Far, far worse.

So, step the first is to get rid of the idea that you need to have some kind of spiritual experience when you see or put on your dress. Maybe you'll cry, maybe you won't. Maybe angels will appear and sing praises, while strumming on harps of gold... most likely they won't. I, personally, have no real emotions for my dress. I liked it in the pictures, I liked it in person, I like it when I wear it. It fits, it's perfectly suitable for my needs - but I'm not bursting into tears every time I wear it.

The second step is to do your research. When is your wedding? Are you going to want a long-sleeve, floor-length gown What kind of neckline do you want, will it be a bateau neckline or a sheer one? Do you want 3/4 sleeves, cap sleeves, or straps with a bolero? Now, what makes things more difficult is trying to find a wedding dress that won't need to be adjusted so you can either a) wear it in the temple, or b) wear it with your garments. I mean, you can get an adjustment, but if you think, "I'll just buy this strapless dress and we can have a modest top made for it," make a deal with your parents that they can pay for the alteration and you'll buy the dress, 'cause the dress will probably be cheaper than the alterations.

Since we're on the research step, there's no better place to put this bit about the many, many, many options you can choose for your dress (click here to see images of the following).

Silhouette: A-line, ballgown, mermaid, sheath, trumpet.
Necklines: Square, scoop, v-neck, sweetheart, one-shoulder, off-the-shoulder, sheer, halter, high neck, queen anne, bateau (or boat neck), strapless straight-across, strapless slight-curve, strapless sweetheart.
Waistlines: Basque waist, dropped waist, empire waist, natural waist, princess.
Sleeve-style: Strapless, spaghetti straps, straps, sleeveless, cap sleeve, short sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, long sleeve.
Length: Knee length, above-knee, tea length, ankle length, floor length.
Trains: Sweep, court, chapel, cathedral.

I'll throw this on, just because...
Materials: Charmeuse, chiffon, crepe, duchesse satin, dupioni, georgette, mikado, organza, satin, shantung, taffeta, tulle, plus (other options not at that link), cotton, hemp, polyester, rayon, sateen, bamboo. The vegan materials are italicised.

As you can see... There's a lot to think about. Some things, as a LDS soon-to-be bride, are a must, like sleeves (or a bolero), a back, and a modest neckline. There's also a question of whether or not you want to wear your actual wedding dress inside the temple during your temple ceremony, in which case there are other things to consider (the dress needs to be long-sleeved, or you need to make sure your temple is equipped with those fancy add-on-sleeves, which they just clip on for the ceremony. The dress also needs to be simple, and as white as can be - no ivory!). Make sure you contact the temple you plan to be married in for more of those details.

Seriously though, think about what kind of season you're getting married in. If you're getting married in the winter, you might want to re-think that tea-length dress; the same applies for summer-brides, do you really want to get caught in the August heat with that dress with 400lbs of material? Sure, it looks good on you in the air-conditioned shop, but what about in 40°C, or 104°F weather? Also, have some consideration for your men; if you're wandering around in a tea-length skirt in August, show some love and re-think having them in full-out suits with cummerbunds and vests and, and, and...

Okay, let's say you've done your research, and all you want is a dress that's modest, that you could potentially wear in the temple. Your next decision should be to go shopping.

At least, make the salespeople think you're shopping (if your options were as dismal as mine were). Now, who do you bring?

The first time I went out shopping, I brought my second mother. No, not my mother-in-law, and no, not my step-mother. This woman is my other mother, without having been my other mother.

Yikes

She's the mother of my best friends, and owns the house I spent the second-most-amount-of-time-in as I went through my troublesome teen years. She's been my spiritual support and mentor, and has taught me a lot of what it means to be a LDS-woman, -wife, and -mother. Be careful if you bring a woman like this, as she made me consider getting married in a mermaid-style dress.

Bring your lady-friends, and realise that they may be projecting their ideas of their ideal wedding dress on you. Don't bring your crazy "ohmygosh, it'sbeautiful, youHAVEtobuyit, whocareshowmuchitcosts???" friend, because they're crazy. Whether you bring your husband-to-be is up to you. Mine told me, very explicitly, that he didn't want to see me in the dress until we were married (my opinion in that regard is more along the lines of, "Hey, look at this dress that got delivered today!"). Bringing your parents is another option. I never went with my father, although I'm sure it would have been a good bonding moment.

My mother and I went together, on my last "outing" to search for dresses that looked like the one I wanted; we had a frustrating time together. My mom and I hate shopping for clothing, but add the stress of wedding dress shopping, and we were hitting our limits. The first shop we went in, she made fun of me in a couple of the dresses. She also actually started tearing up when she saw me in a sleek Roman-style wedding dress.

Styles have changed over the years, ladies.

Basically, the people you want to bring with you are the people you're most comfortable around, the people who's opinions you value. Don't bring overly judgemental people, and don't bring people who cater to your needs. Oh, and don't bring too many people, I think two would be more than enough, and three is pushing it.

Hit up Google to find the shops, ask your friends to come, and then set up some appointments for some fittings. Let them know how many people will be coming, whether you have something specific in mind, and what your price-range is. You'll be doing most of that again when you walk in the shop anyway, so it's good to know beforehand.

Check out those straps! This is not an a-typical selection.

If you actually find a suitable dress at their establishment, whip out the the plastic. For me, in Vancouver, it was extremely difficult. There wasn't a single dress I tried on that I could wear with my garments. In fact, my mother, who came to a few stores with me, asked,

"Is there, I dunno, a strapless garment you could wear?"

It's at this point I have to interject with a warning. And it's this: don't be a "bridezilla". Yes, you're getting married; yes, everyone's saying you have to have it your way, and yes, everyone is expecting you to blow up when it doesn't. But this isn't reality. You won't get everything you want, and things will go wrong on your wedding day (a post on that, later), I guarantee it.

All right, all right, sure, Katie was going to prom, and she's a 16-year-old character from Anamaniacs, but, if you check out some videos of Bridezillas from, whatever wedding-dress show is popular right now, there are more than few similarities. Don't be like that, in fact, do one better, be a...

On that note, since our wedding is already old news, this is the dress I bought: the Allure M473, from Allure Bridals' modest collection.

What it looked like on the model, on the hanger, and on me:

A last note to you beautiful ladies out there, reading this right now is just that, that you're beautiful. You're looking around for ideas for your wedding, and you're bumping and falling headlong and face-first into piles and piles of pictures of women with smaller hips, longer legs, more defined arms, and more puckered lips than you; and these women are beautiful, and we're bombarded by messages all over the place that if we don't look like these women, then there's something wrong with us. The only thing wrong with that though, is the whole thing, the whole messed up message that we need to look like someone else to be content with who we are. The truth, of course, is that we don't.

"What makes a woman beautiful? The world tries to convince us that cosmetics, perfumes, jewelry, fashionable clothing, diets, and even surgery are necessary for beauty... The Gospel teaches us that true beauty is more than skin-deep. A young woman whose countenance is aglow with both happiness and virtue radiates inner beauty." Elder Lynn G. Robbins.

Sister Patricia Holland gave a wonderful talk entitled, "'One Needful Thing': Becoming Women of Greater Faith in Christ", which was recommended to me by another Sister missionary while I was serving in Germany, when I was comparing myself to all the other women around me, wondering what on earth I was providing to the people in our area. We all have our own specific gifts, and one gift that we all have in common is the ability to love. 

Love is why you're getting married. Don't forget that while you're convincing yourself that you "absolutely have to have" that one thing that you won't remember on the day of your actual wedding. 

One of my favourite parts of our wedding was when I walked down the staircase in the temple to meet my husband, who was waiting for me at the bottom before we walked out to meet our loved ones. He had a look of utter shock on his face, and when I asked him why, he said it was because of how ridiculously beautiful I was.

Wedding Prep 101

For you novices out there (ha, like I'm some kind of profi), wedding planning is not for the faint of heart. My suggestion is that you start by reading this blog entry!


Okay, so, you're getting married (or your friend/daughter/son/etc. is), first off: congratulations! Marriage is a wonderful commitment between two people to love, honour, cherish, and grow with each other; it's beautiful and, in my opinion, totally undermined by society, and celebrated in all the wrong ways by the rich and famous. But, this is your* day; if you only have $3,000, do what you can, and with support and help from those around you, you can make this work, trust me!

*you/your refers to you and your groom! He asked, you said yes - this was a joint decision, don't forget that!

I have to say, planning a wedding isn't nearly as difficult a task as I thought it would. But, I had the help of a fabulous book, called, "Your LDS Wedding Planner: A Guide to a Stunning Wedding", by Ann Louise Peterson. I found it on Amazon for about $15, and bought it straight away because I was freaking out since searches on the crazy interweb were yielding almost nothing (and that which was found tended to be out-dated)... well, unless I was willing to part with $10-15,000. Which, for the record, I'm not - unless I'm buying a gold-plated car, which I never will.

To make things easier on myself (how selfish!), I'm going to focus on a wedding as planned by a Latter-day Saint, since, well, I have no idea how someone who isn't a Latter-day Saint would plan their wedding - mine being the first I've ever planned. Let's face it, there's a ton out there about non-LDS weddings, anyway. With my Fiancé and I both being converts to the Church, and having no family, or only a few family members, who are members of the Church, when we put our heads together... well, we found dust-bunnies and about 18¢. That which we do know now was given to us by good friends and leaders.

Okay, my beginner's beginning-advice:

1. Write it down.
    Write what down? Everything. Really. Writing down/drawing out any ideas you have is important. If you have an idea in the shower, don't wait! Get out of the shower and write that down! Seriously, I don't know how many ideas I've had and then forgotten, only to lament later that "I had an awesome idea for centerpieces but I can't remember it!"

2. Compile your lists
    I suggest recycling an old school notebook you have laying around as opposed to going out and buying a new book. Personally, I went to a dollar store and bought a floppy sketch book so I could draw out any images that came to mind, as well. That said, devote a page or two to an aspect of the wedding, and then add your ideas to it. Some headings might be: "Colours/Invitations/Clothing/Dress (and/or Suits) and Accessories/Photographer/Videographer/Transportation/Decor/Food and Drinks," and so on.

3. Set Priorities
    What's more important, getting out invitations, or acquiring your dress? Have you even set a date? Maybe you should do that! How badly do you care about your shoes matching your Maid of Honour and other Bridesmaids? Do you even want a Maid of Honour*? Have you decided what colours you want? Decide what the most important things are right now, and set to work on them.

*I highly suggest at least having a Maid of Honour, you'll feel less lonely in photos and plus, she is (and other Bridesmaids are) basically your Day Of slaves!

I'm just going to go ahead and tell you what I did first. This was my very first list, scribbled on a pre-used speech card (notice how I employed use of the first three steps):

Set a date
Book the temple
Dress, get it

And that was it! Setting a date wasn't too hard, I thought about what would be reasonable, in terms of the time required to plan out the kind of wedding Fiancé and I have thought about, and then I thought of some dates that are important to us. I asked him how he felt about July 9, we agreed it was a good date with some special meaning behind it, and after discussing dates with the temple secretaries, settled on July 10 (the closest day to ours that they perform live marriage sealings).

The dress... The dress is a more difficult decision to make (or at least, requires more thought and money), and deserving of its own post, so that will come next!

Congratulations again on your wedding, with some thought, some advice, a few lists (okay, a lot of lists), and a lot of research, plus the help of trusted loved ones, this day is going to be beautiful. Will it cause you stress? Absolutely. Will you cry? More than likely, and not just on the day, but before as well (I already have!). Can it be beautiful without breaking your bank? Yes! You cannot handle all of the planning yourself, I absolutely suggest sitting down with friends and family, together or in smaller settings, to ask them what they have, or had, imagined for their weddings. You'll feel the stress, even if you're not the sitting in the driver's seat planning it all, but there's a reason you and your Fiancé agreed to get married: you love each other, you're devoted to stick it out through the good and the bad, all the way through eternity. When the stress comes, and you want to break down, talk to your Fiancé, talk to your Heavenly Father. Heck, do it together, kneel down and pray for help! Ask that you'll be more willing or able to trust those around you with making decisions, because you can't, and shouldn't, do it all yourself; ask that you'll be able to carry the weight together; and most importantly, express your gratitude that Heavenly Father let you find each other, that He's pleased with your decision to marry one another, say thank you that, despite the momentary stress of a wedding, you get to be with that awesome guy for the rest of your life, and for forever afterward.

I'm in mourning (and engaged)

Excuse me:
OHMYGOSHI'MENGAGEDHOW'DTHATHAPPEN?!!

I can't believe it's already been a week and a half, and Fiancé is gone. If there's one thing about long-distance relationships that I hate the most, it's the saying goodbye. It's crazy, but the more time I spend with Fiancé, the more attached I get to him, the harder it is to not be beside him -- like, physically painful to me. And thus, the mourning. I already admitted to my mother that I'm being dramatic. I know it's not that big a deal that he's gone, because in no time at all, he'll be back, we'll be getting married and then flying back to Germany together (cross your fingers! We're praying everything goes "according to plan", but when does it ever?).

Wedding planning is next!

If you feel ripped off 'cause you were expecting stories of our visit - fear not! I just need to move from my stage of mourning to the acceptance stage, and then stories will follow.

T-Minus 23 hours...

And then Boyfriend will be in the country. At work today, I was occasionally smiling like an idiot, because I kept thinking what it'll be like to hug that guy again! (And just how will it be? Ridiculously awesome, that's how!)

Long distance relationships are not for the faint of heart, by the way. There are several good words to describe them with: lonely (sure, there's Skype, but that's not good enough, which leads into...), not fulfilling (physical contact, it's important more than once every five-to-six months), trying (discussing the hum-drum of your day is more fulfilling when it's done sitting on the couch together, vegging out) and a strain (since physical communication tells more -supposedly- than verbal communication, you're missing out on a whole lot of communication!). But hey, if you survive it, you're some kind of super hero or mutant with regenerative abilities and super strength or something.

However fantastic it is to constantly be around the -friend in your life, it's important to give them some time to do their own thing - and to take some of that time for yourself! You aren't connected at the hip, you're allowed to have different friends, you're allowed to have a boys, or girls-night out (according to your gender, of course). These things are good things, they're healthy things to have. They keep you from going stir-crazy. If your only social contact happens in the workplace, with your family, or at home with your other half, my friend, you're well on your way to Crazyville (interestingly enough, the population of Crazyville is 1: you).

So, to throw in some good ol' demonstration of this principle, we'll take Boyfriend. Boyfriend just spent the evening at a heavy metal concert. I love Boyfriend, I love being with Boyfriend and talking to Boyfriend... but sometimes I don't understand Boyfriend. Well, no, sometimes I don't understand heavy metal. Most of the time, actually. But Boyfriend loves it. So, when he talks to me about music, and heavy metal in particular, I shut up and listen, because I know that Boyfriend isn't particularly interested in hearing about various recipes I want to try out or which plants need what kinds of care, etc., but he loves me and supports the things that I enjoy doing (and will even listen to tangents about those things).

...Okay, we've moved toward conversation and communication here, so back to "Me" time. Go out, without Other Half, and do something awesome. Let Other Half go out, too! Hopefully there's a level of trust already there, wherein you know that they're not going to go out looking for some attention from some person that isn't their other half (ie. you). Even though you might not understand their fascination with monster trucks, fish, shooting guns, or shoes, make-up, and volleyball, let them do their thing. And go do your own thing, too. Let's try and get rid of Crazyville, that place is weird.

Countdown in Single Digits

Yep, in only a few days, Boyfriend will be walking off an airplane, safe and sound, here in Canada.

And I am freu'in', myself. I'm ridiculously excited, I can't help it!

Things are getting real. I was reminded tonight that I should probably be looking into Visa applications, since I want to, y'know, become an official Canadian German. And in time for school in October. Yes, this is an important step.

That said, I told my mother today that she should expect some pretty big news while Boyfriend is here. Like, something that will result in me calling Boyfriend something that's not "Boyfriend" in this blog anymore. I asked if she was aware that that was the plan; thankfully she said yes. She did, however, seem disappointed when I dodged her question, "Who's buying the ring?", by telling her that I refuse to have a ring with a diamond (as diamonds are intrinsically worthless, and that's not something I want as a symbol of my love for and with someone who is so intrinsically of worth in my heart and in my life), and that Boyfriend and I, a la German tradition, will both have rings (worn on the left hand during the engagement period, and then moved to the right hand after the vows have been said). I, however, neglected to tell her that rings have already been purchased. Oops.

   The ring story:
Boyfriend and I were on our way to the cinema, and passed a jeweler on the corner; we slowed down and looked at the rings in the shop window. Most of the rings were gaudy and sparkly: two things that turned me right off of them. Then, in the corner, I see the words: Herbstangebote (or, fall sale)! I like these words, a lot, so we go to work looking at them and really deciding, rather seriously, actually, which rings we wanted. We decided on a pair we both liked, then resolved to go there the next morning and try them on. So, after the film, we said good night for the evening, and showed up together the next morning to ask about the rings. The sale was a good one; unfortunately none of the rings we liked fit both of our fingers, so we ordered the pair we liked for an extra 20 Euro. Boyfriend would go to the shop a couple days after I flew back home to Canada, pay for the rings, and take them home. That night, as Boyfriend is about to leave, the woman I'm staying with pulls us aside and, rather seriously, tells us she needs to talk to us. I think she's mad because I forgot to clean some hair out of the shower or something, but thankfully she just explains that she got together with a few other women from the branch (a small ward, or assembly of members of our Church) in that city and had pooled together 100€ so that Boyfriend and I could go out tomorrow with her and purchase some rings. I looked, seriously, almost gravely, at Boyfriend, and this woman thought I was ticked at her or something, haha. In any case, we explained the situation and now, we have a swell story to tell the grandchildren one day.

The only damper on my excitement is the fact that I, admittedly, scratched a truck today with my side-view mirror, on the way to Church. I had pulled out of my driveway and was working on straightening the steering wheel when something I had on the dashboard fell, causing me to attempt to catch it, while I had toast clamped between my teeth. The wheel, having not been straightened, caused my car to head straight for this truck, and I dropped the thing that fell, grabbed the wheel with my other hand and jerked it the other way. I pulled over, heart racing. After calming down I checked the damage, then went to Church, knowing the neighbour wasn't going anywhere today. After sitting through a Sundays worth of talks on repentance, I was well prepared to go home and admit my wrongdoing. I'm a mortal, and I admit I thought about not saying anything - heck, the scratch is barely noticeable, super thin and not very long, but I got out of my car, knocked on the neighbour's door and explained the whole situation... to be told it was their tenant's truck, and that they'd give her my number. Deal.

When I told Boyfriend, he wondered aloud if we'd survive my driving skills long enough to allow us to get married this year. 

Trouble in Paradise

I'm in a conundrum. I've hit a wall. I have a problem.

No, not that kind of problem. Things between Boyfriend and I are great.

So, I got a job back in November ("Finally!" I thought), and it was only supposed to last until the end of the first week of January. For those of you not looking at your calendars, that'd be this Saturday. Strangely enough, my work has decided to keep me on - they're extending my contract for a few months. Unfortunately, Boyfriend will be here next Thursday, and there are six work days happening while he's here, and I've only got enough time off to ask for four of those days off.

So, do I work the two days, keep the job, and support myself and save up for our future, even though it would mean sacrificing two whole days, almost 22 hours of our visit? Or do I drop the job, enjoy as much time as humanly possible with Boyfriend while he's here in the flesh before he disappears back to Germany for five months, and try my luck finding a new one? Sometimes the time difference between us frustrates me. Normally I'd just call Boyfriend, but, he needs to sleep sometimes, too.

The plot thickens!


Update!
Well, Boyfriend and I agreed that it's easiest to just keep the job and for me to sacrifice some of our time together in order to keep bringing home the bacon. Or, bread. Or, well, those little slips of paper that the bank gives me money in exchange for (a trade I'm more than willing to engage in). Unfortunately, I'll be missing a total of 7 days off, since my work is changing my current no-working-Sunday-through-Tuesday schedule, to a different no-working-on-Saturday-and-Sunday schedule. So, I can ask for four days off, but, I have to work three. Gah! At no other time would I wish sickness upon myself, but if it means I get to lie on the couch and have boyfriend rub my feet and bring me soup... Heck, maybe I'll start spending more time around my sick sister...

Going German

Phew! First post! I think some introduction is in order.

I'm Katie, I'm in love with a German, and I'm a Mormon.

After being inspired by others who've written about their journeys into the unknown world of love, travel, marriage and parenthood, I decided I wanted some kind of record. This is a solid way for me to be accountable: make my goals, and therefore my failures and successes public. Heck, maybe there's someone out there who needs some help - I sure need help. I've got a lot of trials waiting for me, a lot of difficulties, and a lot of changes. Maybe someone, somewhere, needs some advice from others, and how they managed these things. I know I'm not the only one to have fallen for someone outside of my own country's borders. So, how did that happen, anyway?

Well, I served a mission for my Church - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - and I was called to labour (and labour I did) in Frankfurt Germany. Boyfriend was also called there, an occurrence not so regular. He should've been called to the Alpine mission (Switzerland, Austria, and southern Germany), since Austria doesn't happily open it's doors to Americans, and there are a lot of American missionaries out there in this wide world. Thankfully, Boyfriend was called to Frankfurt. Which is where we met, at a district meeting. In my third transfer (and his sixth), we served in the same district (a group of missionaries serving in several areas adjacent to each other), and had many more opportunities to get to know each other, and become friends. In fact, because of the closeness of our district, both geographically and in our friendships, we saw each other almost daily (Monday: Preparation Day, Tuesday/Wednesday: district meeting, Saturday: sports day with members/investigators). Then, I realised I was distracted - then-not-Boyfriend was a distraction for me from the work! - so I admitted the "crime" to my mission president and thankfully, at the end of that transfer, we were both transferred away to different zones (a series of districts make up a zone).

Fortunately, we were placed in areas and situations where we were able to see each other every 2 transfers or so, at zone meetings, as well as at Frankfurt's main train station, the Hauptbahnhof, where everyone was sent when they would transfer areas. In my last few transfers, I thought for sure that I wouldn't be seeing him again - he was in the southern part of our mission, and I was in the absolute almost-most-northern part... And then I heard on our transfer calls that for my last transfer I would be serving near Frankfurt, in a zone that would, that transfer, combine three times with his zone (and others), for a meeting to re-organize stake boundaries, and create another stake (made up of several "wards" and "branches" which are like districts, but in regular-member jargon), to say goodbye to our then-mission president, and to welcome our new mission president.

Suffice it to say, I realised I needed to tell then-not-Boyfriend how I felt about him, for fear that maybe he had some feelings for me, and I didn't want to miss an opportunity that perhaps Heavenly Father had brought us together, when we otherwise never would have met.

So, I "died", ie. finished my mission.

And then I told then-not-Boyfriend how I felt for him. And it turned out he felt the same for me!! I freu'd myself - I was ridiculously happy.

So! Here we are now. The situation: we've both finished our missions, I'm in Canada, he's in Germany. I flew out to visit him in late September/early October. I've worked like a madwoman since then, saved my money, and I'm waiting for the 15th so I can pick him up from the airport. Yes, he's coming to Canada. To meet my family. AHHH!! I've threatened to tie his ankles together so he can't run away from me after he meets them. They're... an eclectic bunch, like, the first set of silverware or dishes that you owned after moving into your first apartment, where you survived on a steady diet of ramen noodles and waffles.

I am a convert to the Church of almost 12 years. I am the only active member of my family, of which, my mother, two brothers, and my sister are members. We have, like every other family, a lot of issues, and a deep pit of back story. It turns out that Boyfriend, a convert of almost 6 years, and the only member in his family, also has a deep pit of back story. Our back stories have jived in such a way that we have a relatively deep understanding of each other, and the reasons why we are the way we are. This has made communication a lot simpler.

Speaking of which, on the topic of language: we both speak English, we both speak German. I'm lazy, and he knows this. We mostly speak English together, unless we want to speak in secrets, or I get into a mood where I want to speak German. He's stopped pressuring me to speak German (which mostly started because whenever we would talk, we'd do it when it was red-eye-early for me, and my brain wouldn't be able to get into German-mode. My laziness has won out since then, even though we now talk during the day for me, when it's sleepy-eyed-late for him).

Going back to the beginning, what kind of difficulties do I foresee in our future? Well, blending our lives, for one; finding an apartment for us in Germany, us getting married, satisfying both my Canadian, and our German relatives (I have a rather large collection of family in Germany) with the wedding plans; me moving to Germany and us having to deal with the paperwork, to say nothing of basically starting my life over and making new friends (sure, there's Skype, but it's not the same as going out with the girls), as well as attending school in Germany, in German. Basically, everything.

So, these are my chronicles. They're going to be filled with tears, and laughter. Definitely a lot of laughter. I have a great tendency to make a fool of myself. And I'll share these moments with you, and you'll laugh at me. But, that's okay, as long as you laugh. I'm going to be learning a lot, and not just German. Hopefully, through some good ol' fashioned trial-and-error, I can provide you with some good reading material.

The journey has begun, friends.