Part 2: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Winnipeg, Manitoba.

When asked about the location of Winnipeg, Manitoba I simply replied, "west." To be honest I didn't know where exactly I was moving to. In my mind it was west and well, being from Southern Ontario, West was well, West. It didn't matter if it was the first, second, third or forth province West, it was not Southern Ontario. In some ways Canada revolves around Ontario and often times Ontarians, myself included, forget that life actually exists in other parts of the country. Anyways, I am getting away from the story.

"You could move to Winnipeg," she had said. Not quite expecting this offer to be seriously considered.

The thought ran through my head for at least 2 days.

To be honest I don't know how I came to the conclusion so quickly but I saw this as an opportunity to really break out of the small town bubble which I had become so accustomed to. I decided to let life take me where it may.
I can only imagine the look on my mothers face when she heard that her youngest son had decided to move to another province because he had met a girl. To a province she was sure was West but a more pressing fact was that it was far, far away. I love my mom dearly and had I not felt a need to leave I would have stayed. Also, had this girl not had a special something to her I wouldn't have considered it but there was something about her that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

3 weeks later I found myself literally in the middle of Canada.

It's amazing how things look the same but feel completely different. Same stores, same look, viewed with the same eyes but different feel.

Throughout that first year I kept recalling a conversation I had had with a friend of mine before I left. She had asked me why I had decided to leave. In reponse I simply said, "I want things to be harder." Life, in my opinion at the time, was too easy. And with this decision things certainly got harder. This was something I felt that God kept reminding me of. "Well, that's what you asked for isn't it?" To which I could only reply, "I guess so."

In that year I grew in the ways that I believe everyone needs to at some point in their lives. It kind of felt like a maturing of sorts. You can't exactly pin-point all of the ways in which you have grown or changed but they are there. I don't think I would have made it through without Christine and her family. It is funny how in hindsight one sees all of these connections and directions that life takes. Whether through concious decisions or not our lives take course with or without our knowledge. Christine had told me well into our relationship that when she met me in Trois Pistoles she had written in her diary that she would one day marry me. At this I was a bit suprised. I mean how many people actually know this? Is it even possible? The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that I guess I must have known all along as well. Otherwise, how did I end up in the middle of Canada?

Bridezilla, and why I refuse to be one

I am not going to be Bridezilla. I promise here on this website, which is read by friends and family, that I will not turn into Bridezilla, which is this freaky breed of person that some female people who are going to be married turn into when faced with the task of planning their "big day."
Here are my promises:
1. My bridesmaids are picking their own dresses, ie. having them made. The fabric for these dresses will not be itchy or pink.
2. I will not try to burn the church down with 1 million candles. The candles I do get will be from Catholics, who know how to make candles that burn slowly and don't drip everywhere.
3. I don't care about what people wear to my wedding. You can come in jeans and a t-shirt.
4. I have very few expectations about how things "should" go. The only one I have is that something will go wrong, like I will trip on the hem of my dress and fall flat on my nose while walking up or down the aisle, and will step on somebody or trip on some cord at least once at the reception.
5. I am not getting a seperate outfit, or my hair done, or my nails done for my bridal shower or any sort of bachelorette that may or may not take place.
6. I am not reading 5 hundred books on perfect weddings.
7. I have not dreamt of my wedding dress since I was 4. It never occurred to me that it was terribly important as a child.
8. I will not freak out about anything. Honestly.
9. I am not the most important person in the universe. Not ever. Not even on May 5, 2007.
10. I will worry more about having a good time than about details.

No Bridezilla. You heard it here first.
Christine

Part 1: Trois-Pistoles, QC

Once upon a time, there was a girl with a big red suitcase who boarded a bus to the tiny village of Trois-Pistoles, Quebec, which is right on the Saint Laurence river. She got a room with a view at Priscille's house, which overlooked the river and the bicycle shop next door.

Once upon the same time, there was a boy who wanted to learn French who landed up in Trois-Pistoles, Quebec for the Semaine Preperatoire before the Summer Language Program began. He was roommates with a guy named Trevor who was studying to become a Catholic priest.

It so happened that the girl arrived a bit early for the course in Trois-Pistoles, and she had just arrived with her big red suitcase and had packed away her clothes and her scarves when Priscille called her downstairs to eat dinner. She walked down the stairs just as the door opened and the tall quiet boy who wanted to learn French walked in the door. She thought he had very beautiful eyes and she didn't know what to say, not because of his eyes, but because she had to speak in French.

The boy thought the girl was very pretty and very smart. He didn't know what to say to her, and he wouldn't have known what to say to her, even he hadn't had to speak French. So, the girl and the boy were very quiet and Priscille talked a lot.

That night, lots of other girls and boys arrived in Trois-Pistoles for the Summer Language Bursary Program, which is a learning-French-for-anglophones project funded by the Government of Canada. The girl with the big red suitcase and lots of scarves and the boy who wanted to learn French registered for their classes and workshops and spent a lot of time together.

The girl and the boy talked about lots of things, especially about God, because of Trevor, who was studying to be a Catholic priest. They also talked about their families, about their dreams, and about their favourite things. And they always spoke only French, which made things a little bit complicated.

One weekend, all the boys and girls piled into a big bus and went to Quebec City. The girl and the boy stayed in a hostel without all the other people. They spent the days going to the art museum and having a picnic on the Plains of Abraham. In the evening they went out for dinner and strolled on the board walk and talked (in English) until 3 am. Then the boy took the girl's hand.

The next day, the boy and the girl went to have coffee and the girl said to the boy: "What do you want from this?" and the boy was quiet. He thought and thought. "You could move to Winnipeg," said the girl, as a joke. The boy thought and thought. "I have to think about it," the boy said.

In the days that followed, the boy and the girl walked to school hand in hand. They talked in French again, about all sorts of things. The other boys and girls whispered and giggled. But the girl and the boy didn't care. Then one evening the boy said: "I've decided to move to Winnipeg." So the girl phoned her parents and said: "Mom and Dad, I wanted to tell you I have a special friend and he is moving to Winnipeg and I was wondering if he could live at our house." "Okay," said the mother, "What is his name?"

So the girl and the boy made plans about the boys move to Winnipeg. It was hard when the girl packed up her big red suitcase and got back on the bus to go home, but they both knew that in a few weeks they would be seeing each other again.

They talked every day on the phone for 3 hours, and got to know eachother better. And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

The Engagement Party...

Last Sunday, our engagement was announced in church, so now it is officially official. Apparantly there is actually a law about having to announce your engagement in a public place. Go figure. I learn something new every day. After church, we were invited out for lunch by my Oma, and that included my dad's whole side of the family, those of us who live here in Winnipeg, that is.

And then in the evening, everyone gathered at our house for Kaffee and Kuchen. My mom was baking cakes all week in anticipation, especially since the various dietary concerns make every kind of culinary gathering an adventure. I don't think there have ever been so many people in our kitchen! My dad made a speech... and then we toasted with champagne, even those of us who were underage excitedly took the sip. Some glasses were discarded after the first taste (um, we'll leave this one unnamed), but others drank bravely on (Alexander). We were so happy to have everyone over. And having both sides of the family over at the same time was good practise for the wedding! ;)

We have now had two engagement parties. The first one, of course, was on April 30, 2006, the actual day of our engagement, in the Ökumenisches Wohnheim in Heidelberg, with a number of my roommates, with my head still buzzing with the excitement and magnitude of the promise we had just made to eachother. There was even some cake, since someone is always baking over there. We drank delicious Port wine I had brought back from my visit to Portugal, and I had to do some serious convincing to persuade people that we actually were engaged and no, it was not a joke!! (Yeon, Beni) Thanks to all of you who celebrated with us, and who celebrate with us now from far away.

Viele liebe Grüße,
Christine

The Beginning...

Hi everyone both near and far...
I have been back in Winnipeg for just over 2 weeks now, and already I am up to my ears in planning for the coming year(s). Dave and I thought we could start a blog so that all of you could have a glimpse into our lives while we plan for our wedding and our move to Germany next fall. We want to give you an idea of what has gone on before now in our relationship... with some photos and anecdotes, and of course the classic stories like "meet the parents" and "the proposal". We are looking forward to this way of communicating... so that everyone can have an idea of the goings-on, and also to hear back from you about what is going on in your lives.
With much love,
(on behalf of David too)
Christine