A Present For People Who Long For A Different Answer

Today was day two of the work week. I haven't been doing especially well with it.
Monday morning I awoke a zombie and didn't really escape until 11. I still had to work for those 4 hours though.
I had a decent night's sleep beforehand. The sleep just couldn't make up for the busy weekend.
Friday I awoke very early to get my car's oil changed and the tires balanced. I started reading my HM magazine while waiting and it was a pleasant time. My mechanic is honest and fair and my car worked better. Such satisfaction.
Next it was on to Nathan's to begin finishing the slide show. It wasn't long before I decided to go and buy a suit for the afternoon and come back to it at night. So I did, and I bought groceries for the guys' breakfast for the next morning.
My suit was pretty grandish and cheapish, and with my huge hair that day I looked very Napoleonish.
I even got to hang out with Jenn for half an hour.
Then it was back home for supper and ironing and packing. Then it was the slide show. And more of the slide show. And very late at night/morningish it was all over. Or so I thought.
I also got to pray for Nathan before he went to sleep for rest and the day ahead.
In the morning we had fun and delicious food and Moulin Rouge. Then it was cleaning and trying to burn the show to DVD. Except there was lots of complications, which were solved only to be met with further complications. AGH!!!
Too bad. I'll come back and fix anything, if necessary between the ceremony and the reception.
So it was off to the reception, where I was quickly dubbed Cuban B.
RJ and I had the chance to pray for Nathan and it set the tone for the whole wedding. God gave me a picture, and let it be known that he was for the wedding. He had already done the same for a great many people and as such the occasion was ridiculously joyous.
It was also fun, and unique. If you don't know Nathan & Lauren then you wouldn't understand how the groom marching in to "Make way for Prince Ali!" followed by a short dramatic sliver of The Emperor's New Groove can fit very comfortably without any irreverence.
This wedding was beautiful. Honestly I could write a whole post on it. I loved every second of it.

But not now. After the ceremony. RJ and I headed to my house where I whipped up a fine salad and then I dashed off to Nathan's to see about the DVD. It wasn't complete yet. I had to fix all the text that had been ruined, and then burn it twice more before it would be in good order. Except I ran out of time and had to dash back to my house and give Mike a key (lots of people had come over to my house to hang out in between) to go and get it and bring it while I hurried to the church where I was an usher/seater.
The reception was fabulous. It was an extension of the ceremony. But again, I'll save that for an entire wedding day write-up.
The slideshow by the way was hindered by an ancient and problematic player which caused it to skip, and freeze, and miss portions. Ah well, what could I do? At least people got to see some pictures.

I also took some initiative and will now take some time to bring in another installment of Nolan's Type:

So RJ and I got to see everyone who was coming to the wedding because as I said, we showed them where to sit. Nadine, a friend of Lauren's, recognized me, even though I was disguised as Cuban B, and gave me a killer smile and a we have to catch up later look.

I suppose I should give you some background on this catch up thing. I think I've met her once before. Possibly twice, but I'm going to go with once. It was at Lauren's going away to England summer birthday party. We got to chat a little bit. Nadine was moving to Lethbridge to take teaching.
She caught my attention the first time because she looked so very familiar but I could never place why and when talking there seemed no reason we would ever have met before.
But as I write this I realize I was hoping she would be at the wedding...

So as the night continued, we only got brief snippets in passing, but every time there was that killer smile. I was patient though and at last there was some mingling time and space at her table. So I moved in.
I sat down beside her and we started talking.
I was soon to be kicked out by the returning owner of the seat I'd borrowed but Nadine came over to my table to finish, "catching up." Then the program resumed and then after the program people came over and all started talking to me and ruined my chance to swap phone numbers.
But Lauren will return from the Dominican and then...
Then I might ask for a phone number and then I might get together for fun a couple times over the summer before she goes back to school.
Otherwise, this will be an isolated event meant only to let you know that killer smiles are worth a lot of points. Possibly showing interest in me is worth points too, but that's separate. Anyway, this story is nothing serious or likely meaningful, and doesn't remove any other interests. It doesn't change the fact that I don't mind being single either.

So after the wedding I went dancing with Nick & RJ, and the other 4 people who came along left right away. Why? I don't know. I left early because I was exhausted already and had to wake up at 6:30. Which I did, and went off with Jason to Heart Creek. Then we hiked Heart Mountain, and decided to go on to another mountain, and then to a higher peak, and then back to the first peak and then down the side of the mountain, which took forever and was never easy. I do have to say that the crazy free-climbing I did was exhilarating if incredibly stupid. The walk along the creek at the end was very peaceful and the whole trek was good old Jason always encourages me when we get together because he's a good guy and he loves God.
So the 6 plus hours of outdoor action and beauty over, it was time for fun and social mixing at RJ's bbq. And lots of meat. Salmon, Dogs, Burgers, Chicken Kebobs. Slushies. And finally I went home, which brings me back to Monday.

This week while Kyle is gone I get to do Back Framing, and Basements, and Pre-Build, and starting the next house. Well maybe not all of those. Everything's taking so long. Monday I realized that the rest I was hoping for wouldn't be gained by not working on a slide show.

So I haven't been listening to the radio during the day. But I've become very frustrated when things go wrong. So I've read my Bible anyway and each time it's been so good despite not feeling like it. But it doesn't last. The frustration and exhaustion return.

But I'm not doing bad. If you asked me how I was I'd still give you the automatic and honest good. Maybe just not as enthusiastically as when I don't chainsaw through floor joists accidentally.

And yes I'm going to stay hiding. My room still isn't clean.
The list of people to hang out with is too daunting.
I'm so strange.
I look at my blogs and think, there's hardly any comments, and want them. And I turn on my phone, and hope for calls from friends. But I got a txt message from Cyler saying that people were going to see a movie tonight and I didn't go. I didn't want to see the movie. I didn't want to do anything for that matter.
And so I'm a curious mix of being exhausted and empty, and lonely, and dreading people.