Storybook Love (First Dance Link Up)

I’m totally behind on blogging again. Actually, I’m pretty much behind on life again. Things went a bit crazy and the days haven’t left much free time until recently. David’s currently away, speaking at a conference, so what better time to re-enter the writing world with a link-up that gives me a chance to reminisce on the one who is away?

A very long time ago, a friend told me that I was deluding myself if I bought into the idea of a White Knight coming to sweep me off my feet and away into a fairytale ending. Well, my friend was wrong. I met David, my life changed forever, and even with all the hard work & sacrifice that comes with living life well, these past ten years have been more of a fairytale than I could have ever imagined.

Clare May Ball -- Cambridge, 2010

The Princess Bride has been one of my favourite movies, ever since I was a little girl. Romance, adventure, humour... it is perfect. David & I watched it together on our first Valentine’s day and then on every subsequent one until we got married. So it was pretty much a no brainer that this needed to be our first dance as husband & wife. I’m not a fan of the version sung by Willy DeVille, so we went with a beautiful instrumental version that my brother edited & arranged so that we could use it for a dance.

not quite the version we used, but very similar

Q & A: 2012 in Review

2012 was a crazy year for us. This seems as good a way as any to sum it up.

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?

Giving birth would probably be the biggest thing! 

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t set resolutions, so there was nothing to keep. I guess if anything I just keep trying to work on self improvement over time :)

3. What countries did you visit?

2012 was certainly a year for travel. I went to: USA (Washington, DC & New York), Scotland (Aberdeen), Germany (Berlin), and now I’m in British Columbia, Canada.

4. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

Stability. As enjoyable as all the travel has been it would be nice to have a home of our own again and at least the illusion of job (and financial) security for another chunk of time.

5. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

August 3^rd, the day that Walter was born. Giving birth under normal circumstances is memorable enough, but the unplanned home birth with the help of the emergency response team certainly ensured we would never forget it :)

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Organising an international move, packing, and getting all the paperwork in order in the 8 weeks after giving birth. Juggling that with a newborn was epic. I never want to do it again! But I did it fairly successfully and it felt pretty good to see what I could accomplish (I think thanks to a heavy dose of divine grace). A close runner up would be the feeling of success and pride I had when I could successfully set up things (like internet & phone) in Germany. It felt so good to get on in a country where I couldn’t just rely on English.

7. What was your biggest failure?

So far it’s been keeping up with correspondence/thank you notes in the time since we left Cambridge. Being on the move has made it very difficult to keep up with emails, letters, cards etc. I’m pretty exhausted most of the time and keen to use Walter’s mummy-free moments to veg and try to recoup some strength.

8. What was the best thing you bought?

Walter’s travel system. It’s been invaluable and allows us to be out & about, undertaking all sorts of adventures, with minimal fuss.

9. Where did most of your money go?

Travel. Flying is expensive, getting screwed by East Coast Rail was expensive, and being in a new country every few months is expensive.

10. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Moving to Germany for two months. I should probably say “having a baby” but that was also terrifying. Germany was less scary and it was awesome to finally make it to the continent!

11. What song will always remind you of 2012?

“Call Me Maybe” simply because it was the top song on August 3^rd and I listened to it when I entered it into Walter’s baby book. It’s the first time in years that I’ve actually listened to music that was current! “How Can I Keep from Singing” may also stay in mind for 2012, as it is Walter’s favourite song and one that I have taken on as my anthem for the past year.

12. Compared to this time last year, are you richer or poorer?

Much, much poorer financially. We’ve lost 2/3rds of our income in the past few months and it’s been really hard, especially as we’ve had to keep moving around for various reasons. But I feel that my faith is richer (hard times will do that to you!), I’m learning the grace of Hope, and although my family is going through a tough time it’s something that the three of us are trying to face together. We’re certainly richer for having each other, especially the blessing of our little son.

13. What do you wish you'd done more of?

 Book reading, at least in the latter half of the year. Once Walter arrived it was hard to get a chance to read. In 2012 I only read 83 books, the lowest number I have on record (I’ve been tracking books-read since 2006). It means I’ve been spending more time on the computer, which generally is not as good for my mental health although it is easier when juggling a baby.

14. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Planning! Almost nothing went the way we thought and if it were possible to live life with no plans it certainly would have saved me many hours of anxiety!

15. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent our time with David’s family in Victoria, and then celebrated all over again in Port Alberni for a slightly early Ukrainian Christmas. It was lovely to be home again for Christmas after three years abroad.

16. What was the best book you read?

Vanity Fair. It made it into my favourites for rereading list, right up there with Gone With the Wind.

17. What did you want and get?

To go back to Canada for Christmas.

18. What did you want and not get?

A place to call home for a significant length of time.

19. What did you do on your birthday?

Bubble Tea, Turkish kebabs & pommes frites mit mayo, a special German supper cooked by David, and just a fun family day with my husband and son in Berlin.

20. How would you describe your personal fashion concept?

practical bohemian!

21. What kept you sane?

Prayers, both ones I said and the ones said for me. Without God to get me through this past year I don’t know if I could have made it.

22. What political issue stirred you the most?

The attack on religious liberties, at least in the press and the halls of the politicians! I was engrossed in the German circumcision issue, as I found it fascinating that the Europeans polled, or the ones I spoke to, would react so vehemently against it.  

23. Where did you ring in 2012?

On Glen Lake, watching the fireworks over the lake while taking a brief break from Pathfinder.

24. Where will you ring in 2013?

Considering I can’t even tell where I’ll be in a month or so, there’s no way I’m going to guess where I’ll be in 2013. But I hope that it will be with my little family :)

25. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

And I don't know what the future is holdin' in store

I don't know where I'm goin',

I'm not sure where I've been

There's a spirit that guides me, a light that shines for me

My life is worth the livin', I don't need to see the end

                -- John Denver, Sweet Surrender

Eleven Questions

I was tagged in an eleven-question meme by one of the blogs I follow. The rules are: 

1.  Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.
2.  They must also answer the 11 questions the “tagger” has set for them.
3.  They must create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have decided to tag.
4.  They must then choose 11 bloggers and tag them in their post.
5.  These “lucky” bloggers must then be told.
6.  No tag backs.

But I’m not going to follow the rules, because I think there are only ten people who follow this blog anyway and the last meme I send out tags for (a cooking one, via email) got horribly rejected and it was all quite a bit of faff. So if you want to answer my questions, I’ll post ‘em at the end and you can answer them in your own blogs, or in the comments section. Otherwise you can just enjoy reading my answers :)

So, eleven things about me -- I'm 29 years old (1), happily married (2), and really enjoying being a mum (3). I really wish I had a cat as well (4), and also would like to be somewhat settled down (5) although I feel it will be hard to commit to staying in one city for a long time since we've moved so frequently (6). My favorite thing to do is listen to folk music while reading a good novel (7), and if you bring by some champagne, fancy truffles, and then something horribly carb-and-fat laden to eat (8) I'd  probably think I was in heaven. I love to cook (9) but I get really stressed out when I have to bake (10). Thinking up lunches to make is the one thing I really dislike about keeping my family fed (11).   

The questions I must answer:

1) What was the last book you read? Adam Nicolson’s Gentry: 600 Years of a Peculiarly English Class. When Dave & I popped into Heffers to buy German dictionaries it turned out that the dictionaries were part of a 3-for-2 deal, so David found this book and we brought it to Berlin. It helps with the adjustment to leaving Cambridge and with my inability to get Downtown Abbey right now. It’s also a fun read, like an Edward Rutherford novel but using real people.   

2) If you could visit one country right now, which would it be? This is hard to answer, since we’re currently visiting a new country. I’m probably going to surprise everyone by saying America. I love visiting the US, because it’s different but not too different. I like the food, the people are friendly, the prices are low... And it’s one of the places where I don’t have any responsibility or obligations. I can usually just cut loose and relax when I’m there. That said, I think if I were living in Canada my answer would be somewhere on the European side of the globe.

3) If you could be adopted by another culture, which would you feel most at home in? I think Scotland. Scotland itself always reminds me of Canada, and the people are friendly & thrifty and seem fairly unpretentious. Out of all the places I’ve visited it’s one where I feel that I could happily live in.

4) How do you pronounce “lieutenant”? I pronounce it “lewtenant” although I know that’s wrong. Words which I read, but rarely pronounce, I often mispronounce in my reading—quay & draught are two other examples.

5) Do you speak or read any other languages? At some point in time I was granted various degrees that suggest I can read Latin, but my skills are diminishing with time since I don’t keep it up like I should. I can speak a little German, but not much. The linguist really is David, and I’m just along for the ride.

6) What is your favourite costume you’ve ever worn? Mighty Mouse, when I was 5 or 6 years old. It’s one of the few costumes that I remember turning out the way I wanted it to. My mum even borrowed my cousin Tara’s mouse ears from Disney Land so that I could have the proper head attire.

7) What is one of your favourite quotations? A small piece of Ovid, ostensibly from the Metamorphoses: “Vita est flumen; tempora nostra non incipiunt et nova sunt semper.” I came across it out of context, in a Latin exercise book, and I’ve always liked the idea of time changing, and us changing with it, just like the course of a river – sometimes fast and furious, sometimes slow & meandering. If you take it in context with the Metamormophses the meaning changes...so I suppose if I ever use it as my motto on a coat of arms in future years to come people will be swearing that I believed in reincarnation or some such!

8) Favourite flower? Most often roses, especially big tea roses, but I also like carnations for sentimental reasons (my dad always buys them for my mum, and has done so for as long as I can remember. Every two weeks without fail!)

9) Do you prefer heat or the cold? The cold, because one can always put on more layers. With the heat you eventually realise that you’re naked, there’s nothing more to take off, and you’re still uncomfortable.
 
10) Preferred birthday cake? Chocolate with a rich, crunchy chocolate frosting and some nuts thrown in. OR my mum’s cherry cheesecake.
 
11) Do you like muffins? Not particularly, or at least not the ones you can buy in shops or coffee places. The only muffin I really like is a health muffin, so bran with nuts or oatmeal or something like that. Otherwise they’re too cakey and sweet, in which case I’d rather just have some cake.
 

Now, my eleven questions:

1)      What is the best book that you’ve read this year?
2)      What is your favourite mealtime (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) to eat out, and why?
3)      Out of all the places you’ve lived, and I’m assuming most people reading this have at least lived in two, which place feels most like home?
4)      Describe your faith, and how you came to it. Or if you believe in nothing, why?
5)      Are you a cat person or a dog person?
6)      What is one thing you’d like to do before you die?
7)      Favourite pizza toppings?
8)      Best childhood memory?
9)      What do you like most about Christmas?
10)  Where is the farthest that you’ve traveled?
11)  What is your favourite old hymn, and why?