Ramblings of a Relaxed Bride

Wedding plans are in full swing, as you can imagine and things are coming up quickly. As of today, 52 days and counting!!! This is a very good thing!

I've been thrilled by the RSVP's we've been getting back in the mail each day - actually, that's been a big highlight for me each day.

There is much to do - mostly the nitty-gritty details left, which is fun for me. I have genuinely enjoyed the wedding planning process. I haven't really felt stressed or frustrated much at all. I'm definitely not one of those bridezillas you read about it the magazines... It's been a really fun and rewarding experience. Maybe that's because I'm a creative thinker to begin with, so it was like letting a kid loose in a candy store. There are endless posibilities!

But mostly, my mind's been filled with thoughts of what it will be like to actually be married. The wedding is one thing - very fun, romantic, exciting, beautiful, etc. - but in all honesty, it's only a day. Being back together with Warren has really brought that into perspective for me and made me realize how much I anticipate living together and sharing a life together as husband and wife. It goes so much deeper than the wedding. I feel so loved and so blessed to have this amazing gift of love, of Warren in my life. He's everything to me and I guess I just know that this is something pretty sacred, pretty real.

A Clear Revelation

God's shown me lots of stuff about myself lately that I need to and want to change. This past week - more near the end of it - was a tough one, in some ways. It was tough because no one likes to be slapped in the face with reality. Especially when you're wrong and you know it. The changing process, the time in which God takes your heaped up heart into His hands and moulds you like putty, can be a weary one. But the end result....it's something beautiful. I'm on my way there. I am trying to get back to the place I seem to have distanced myself from.

I tend to be a very selfish person. I guess we all do, that's the humanness in us. But this is different. I want to understand what it means to be a selfless individual because I know how easy it is to slip into a me first mode. That sucks.

When you are around an unselfish person, you know it. You see it and you feel it. Everything in the room feels different - somehow light and airy, easy going and happy. God gives each of us the opportunity each morning to wake up and map out our journey for that day. It's up to us how we will react to each situation and where we will put our focus.

I love when God wakes me up and gives me a clear revelation. I know this will be a forever process for me, something I will be striving to better myself in for the rest of my life. We all have our things, our areas that need work. But I guess today I just come with a full heart and a willingness to change and see myself for who I really am standing infront of such a big God.

A Little 'Bout Me...

1. name that appears on birth certificate: Cynthia Marie Bartel
2. any siblings? 1 sister, 2 brothers & 1 brother-in-law
3. number of candles on your last birthday: 24
4. pets: 1 dog - Kodak
5. hair color: blonde
6. piercings: ears
7. eye color: light blue
8. hometown: Leamington, ON
9. favorite foods: Tacos (mexican food), cheesy hashbrowns!
10. favorite icecream: It's ALL good!!!!
11. ever been to Africa? nope
12. what's the furthest you've been from home? Haitii.....also Europe (Paris, France and London England) - not sure which one's further...
13. have you ever loved someone so much it made you cry? yes
14. been in a car accident? Uh-uh....phew!
15. favorite day of the week: I don't know...Saturday or Sunday...hello, it's the weekend!
16. favorite restaurant: Applebees is climbin' the charts!
17. favorite flower: tulips, hydraengeas, peonies, orchids, calla lillies - "springish" flowers - they're so cute and happy looking
18. favorite sport to watch: hockey...but let me make myself very clear here....as long as it's live and it's someone I know because in all honesty (sorry to my future Toews family) I don't like watching sports on TV - it's kinda boring...
19. favorite sport to play: Ha ha, that's pretty funny...!
20. favorite drink: diet coke
21. favorite color: greens, browns (neutral colours)
22. hobbies?: design, sketching, photography
23. what do you do most often when you are bored?: sadly, probably watch TV
24. name one place you'd love to visit, anywhere in the world: New York City!
25. at which store would you choose to max out your credit card: Oooohh...there are more than one, my friend. For clothes/shoes/bags - Urban Trade, Jacob, American Eagle & Aldo... For home decor/stuff - Pier One Imports, Home Outfitters... For art/hobby stuff - Michaels (Wow, that was easy, wasn't it?!)
26. e-mail or snail mail?: Well, both are great, but there's something about snail mail that's kinda romantic and old fashioned and nice. It would be wonderful and seem more meaningful to recieve snail mail because there's a lot more thought, work and time that goes into it.
27. bedtime: 11ish
28. would you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?: introvert
29. how many schools have you attended?: 6
30. favorite TV show? The OC - LOVE it!!!
31. last person you went out to dinner with? Warren
32. ford or chevy? Chevy, I think...
33. what are you listening to right now? Paul Brandt - This Time Around
34. do you enjoy life to the fullest? I try to. I love my life!
35. what are your nicknames? Cyn, Squeaker (only by Dad), Critter (only by Warren)
36. would you ever bungee jump? Do I look like I'm mentally challenged???!?
37. outdoor activity or indoor? Outdoor
38. shoe size: 7
38. who do you miss most? Warren
39. the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? The eyes, for sure.
40. Last movie you watched: Elizabethtown
41. favorite smell: fresh cookies in the oven
42. favorite time of year: Christmas!!!

A Closer Look

So, I thought I might post a few pics on my space here, because if you're anything like me, you appreciate the visual aspect of most things and agree with the phrase "A picture is worth 1000 words". Here's a look into my little corner of the world...

First thing's first - there he is, in all his glory. Warren, my fiance. Yup, he's cool, he's stylin' and he's got what it takes to make your heart melt. But anyway, in this picture, he's sitting at one of our favorite spots down by the river in Saskatoon (university side). We've shared many good talks and made many memories down there.

We're a pretty easy going couple - it doesn't take much for us to have a good time, which is a good thing because when you're students, the money doesn't exactly flow like milk and honey! One of our favorite things to do is to go for long walks and just talk, laugh and be goofy. We love Saskatoon! What a great city!

Okee-dokee, now it's time to introduce you to the rest of the Bartel clan. Kay, this is my little brother, Jon (21) and his longtime girlfriend, Karen (21). They are one of my all-time favorite couples! They're so nutty and fun. They've literally been dating for almost 6 years now! It's only because they are true high school sweethearts - since like grade 10 or something?! Kar is like my second sister. We've done a long road trip together, vactationed in Florida together and ate many Christmas dinners together. Good times. Jon is an Audio Engineer - went to OIART (Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology) and is now an intern there. He's super artistic and an amazing musician. That guy's got stuff! And Kar is at the U of W taking all kinds of sciences - biochem is her baby. Anyway, I think she eventually wants to become a teacher. She'll be great at whatever she does. She's a real go-getter.

And... this is one of my favorite pictures of all time. It's my other brother, Steve (22) and his longtime girlfiend Vicki (21) on the beach. The reason I enjoy it so much is because it totally captivates who these two are. Vick is a nutcase! Seriously, she's so crazy and spunky. Steve is a bit more quiet and serious but still goofy, very goal-oriented. Together, they are such a great couple. I think they've been together for just over two years now. Steve is finishing his last year in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Windsor and Vick is in the Communications program at the same university. They are the living proof that opposites attract! I can't wait to see what the future holds for these two.

This is my big sister and best friend, Mel (27) and her beautiful little girl Mikayla Jade (almost 2) (also known as MJ to our family). These 2 pics are kinda old now, but I think they're pretty great. Just look at those blue eyes!! MJ was born on November 11, 2003, offically making me Auntie Cyndy for the first time. She's a very special girl to me. She brings so much life and laughter to the clan. And what a little stinker...she's got opinions, that girl! LOVE her!

So anyways, that's not all....there's more where that came from, but I'll save that for another day. Hopefully this gives you somewhat of a start to understanding who I am, where I come from and the people who surround me. What a life!

The Glow

I think I'm glowing. No...I'm positive that I'm glowing. In fact, I really don't think this smile has left my face since the weekend. If I said it was because the sun is shining and the air is a nice, crisp cool, I'd be only partly right. Aw, who am I kidding, it's because I'm just a girl in love. The truth is, my fiance - Warren Toews - has finally, finally come home! Phew. What a long stretch of long-distnace that was!

Okay, okay, let me give you the lowdown before I carry on any more. See, Warren's currently in his last year of the Optometry program at U of W and was gone on his resdency/externship - in Birmingham, Alabama (of all places!) and then he did a shorter stretch in Saskatoon, SK. Aside from a weekend here or there (I think there were 3 times we saw each other in that span), we've been apart for nearly 6 months now - for most of our engagement! Eeek! So you can only imagine how stoked I am to have my man back and be able to spend the remaining 2 months of our engagement together!!! WOW.

So whatever, this past weekend was heaven. We did lots. Friday, he got here later than expected - clinic ran late - and so we just vegged and had a Corner Gas marathon (yup, you read that correctly - Corner Gas is a Warren fav. I think it's a Saskatchewan thing...I don't know) Saturday morning, Lisa Quick from Due South Photography came over to my parents' house to take our engagement pics - it's so pretty in the bush, with all of the fall leaves and stuff. Warren was surprisingly cooperative. Hmmmm... Then, we headed for Windsor and had a BLAST. Just a Warren and Cyn kind of day. We went to the mall for a bit....test drove a car (Warren's idea, of course!)......went out for supper to BP's......and then went to a movie - Elizabethtown - which we both really kinda liked. Sunday morning was church. Then it was off to Matt & Genelle's for lunch. We made pita pizzas, which were quite tasty. It was great catching up with those two. We have fun together. So yeah, what a weekend. Lots of laughing. Lots of good talks. Lots of just loving being back together. I'm happier than a fat kid in a bakery!