It was my HoneyBear's Birthday this Nov. 13th. (He was born on a Friday too)
I had planned to build the most manly bouquet I could for his gift.
...But I failed at that idea. So I'll keep it for another time.
So what did I get him that was awesome?
This ring: Which I previewed a while ago. and he was so proud to put it on right away.
And these awesome gloves:
Touch Screen Gloves for the touch-screen user.
And they were a hit with SpitFire. He absolutely thinks they are the coolest thing, and is super happy with how they work too.
These guys retail for about $10. but you can find them at a local store for less if you shop around.
And if you are super cheap, then give your hunny a pair of these:
Homemade of course would be best *snip*snip* :p
And then I gave him a bundle of his favorite childhood candy:
Laffy Taffy - Willy Wonka just started putting these out again around Halloween and SpritFire reminisced about how much he loved these as a kid. We have a box of mini's which he devoured in less than a week.
I totally scored when I found full sized ones at the local bulk dollar store.
SpitFire and I spent this Thanksgiving with his family.
His mother is a wonderful cook, and his sister in law has proven herself worthy as well after this weekend.
It was Sis-inlaw's first time cooking a turkey. She had everyone over and made a big feast of turkey, potatoes and carrots.
SpitFires Mother made her famous Broccoli salad, and stuffing to go with it.
SpitFire and I brought the wine. as per usual. (why cook when you can drink!?)
we all sat down and our little niece said grace.
Everyone dug in and the food was so good.
I have some of everything. Even the turkey. My usual vegetarian-self took the day off to be kind to his hard worked sis-inlaw.
We finished dinner and all sat around talking.
His Brother looks over at me and says, did you like the stuffing?
Me: "yes. It was very good"
Brother: "Very Good?"
Me: "Yes.... why"
Brother: "did they tell you it was made with chicken and turkey hearts?"
Me: *face turns to angry frown and cringe* "No"
Whole family starts to laugh.
Me in a frank tone: "Where I come from, stuffing is made with bread and spices. If I had been warned, I would have passed." finishes sentence with a glare towards Spitfire and his mother.
Family stops laughing.
They begin to feel sorry; and start making excuses like 'we didn't know you would be offended', and 'we came from a family of 8, so we had to use everything to feed everyone'.
I ignore their sad stories, and ask Spitfire for a refill on my wine.
Lesson learned: Never trust anyone with your food. Never Trust Inlaws.
This $550 titanium ring comes with negative engraving to imprint the wearer's hand with the words 'I'm Married.'(TheCheeky.com) ***************************************************************** Vancouver-based web store TheCheeky.com has come up with this classy way stay true to your spouse! Or at least to brand them for a little while.. .
The imprint is said to last up to 3 hours after removing the ring.
Yay for Canadian engineers and crafty creations!
I'm also excited to share some wedding related news of my own. SpitFire and I are Engaged! Yippeeeee!
I don't think we'll need a ring like this one though. hehe.
This week my Roller Derby team has some VIP's here coaching this week. Each night we have a 5 hour skate session. So naturally, there's little time to run from work to practice, and wash my gear in between... yup you know where this is going..
So SpitFire has been lending my his big blue truck while he gets my car fixed - what a sweetheart ;)
Last night I left my gear in the truck after practice. and today it is a scorcher outside!
Major penalty in Derby - Do Not leave your gear in the summer heat! lol... oops. sorry hunny!
So on lunch, I ran out to the truck and opened my bag to air it our before practice. - Cuz I cant stink out my teammates! that would just be rude!
and I spread it out all over his back seat. - I couldn't spread it out in the truck bed, cuz someone might steal something!!!
So I left it in the truck to air out.... windows cracked a bit for breeze flow.... hahaha which there is not much of today.
He's gonna HATE me later.
Did I mention how much I Love my SpitFire?!?! :D *Gigantic Smiley Face*
As the world turns and we become more busy with our work lives, our social life tends to fall by the side and get kicked into the corner. As a strong couple we do a few things to keep the romance alive. We cook together, sleep in on weekends together, and take Saturday morning walks with coffee down by the river. but this is all planned. There's nothing spontaneous or exciting about a walk, and I hate cooking....
So the other day, as Spitfire and I walked hand in hand, I turned to him and asked : "Will you take me on a date? like a real date night date."
He looked at me and said "If my baby wants a date night, she'll get a date night!"
2 days later, I put on a fancy dress, threw up my hair, and we went out for dinner and drinks at a small downtown restaurant. And it was wonderful.
I give him the credit, he's a man, and they tend not to know how much romance and physical attention a women needs in comparison to them.
You may think I'm selfish here, but honestly; women need attention. A lot more attention than men do. We are creatures who seek out other touchy-feely people to fill the need we have to be loved. That's why women have so many friend, and guys have like, 2 friends.
Give a guy a beer and a kiss, and he's good for the week.
Girls need the morning "I love you Hunny" before work and a hug when they come home. They need to be reminded they are special. they are so much more complex.
So this is my reminder to all you ladies.
Tell your man what you want. He will be more than happy to make it happen. and he will be SOOOO happy he didnt have to 'Mind read' as to why you just got all bitchy on him because he just doesnt know.
But he's so willing to hear what I want and need, and happy to make it happen.
My boy has his knuckles tattooed with "Spit" on the right and "Fire" on the left.
So I was thinking, when he gets married he will be covering the "R" in his tattoo with the wedding band. It will read "Spit Fi-e", and that is just sad.
So, I am planing on getting him a "Bling Ring" as I like to call it. It will look something like this:
and It works perfectly because, his first name also starts with "R"
How Pimp will he be then!?!
Did you know there is an Irish rule about women asking men to marry them!?
Well, I was attempting to ask my Boy to marry me, and this is how it went...
*I'm leaning out the window as he paints the outside trim of our house windows. A very Romeo and Juliet kind of moment*
Me: "Hunny, I Love You, We should get married."
SpitFire: "I'd marry you"
Me: "Will you marry me!?"
SpitFire: "you can't ask me to marry you. I'm Irish. "
ME: "What does that mean!? and why not?"
SpitFire: "an irish tradition states that a girl can only ask a man to marry her on a leap year. There's even a movie about it. This girl is running around on Leap Day looking for her love."
ME: ..... .thats just stupid.
Ever get the urge to do something wild and crazy?
It's been 4 months and I'm crazy in love with a boy.
We have moved in together.
Life is like a fairy tale.
We talk about getting married. and sometimes I think to myself - what are we waiting for?
Why not just go for it? why not dive in.
I might even ask him to marry me.
Lets change it up.
I want you.
Now.
What do you say?
Why should I wait for him to make the call?
I rarely do things by the book anyway.
This would fit perfectly with our imperfect plans.
I'm pretty sure He would say yes if I did too.
My trip home with SpitFire went exceptionally well. Our weekend was filled with Country drives, and family bonding with his parents, Brothers and niece. I learned a little more about who this new man in my life is, and what is important to him.
This week he spoiled me with a pair of Diamond Earrings. I'm the luckiest girl there is.
Here's my love song of the moment.
Take Care by Drake Ft. Rihanna
Starting over can be difficult. Starting anything is difficult!
I believe everyone suffers from this fear: the fear of starting over. and the fear of losing it all.
The Attached Fear: When you come to the end of a relationship and you are holding on . . . because you are afraid of letting go of what you know. Of the things. of the lifestyle. of what you have become comfortable with. what you have learned to settle for.
The Unattached Fear: When you start a new relationship, and it gets serious. You fear investing in another person. building a home. making those bonds. giving up your personal space and time. trusting them with your secrets. Trusting them to not break your heart again. ....Trusting them.
Are you guilty of saying "been there, done that" and not giving something new a fair chance? Because someone else failed. Because it hurt so bad, you are now entombed in a self made bomb shelter.
I am.
But my time for cowering in my bomb shelter has come to an end. I'm being pulled out of the rubble by a strong hand and lifted into the sunlight. It's happier, out there, in the sunshine.
... isnt it?
SpitFire is bringing me home to meet his family this coming weekend.
I've been slightly terrified of this event for the past week.
My mind keeps saying, I've been through this. I've done that. What if his family hates me. What if everything I've put into this new relationship becomes shattered and hopeless after this weekend. How will I start over? Can I handle another heartbreaking ending?
I've even had nightmares about our relationship.
When did it happen? When did I become so completely invested in this relationship that the thought of it ending kills me a little bit?
Somewhere in the last few weeks, I have. and it scares the hell out of me.
Whats a FlashMob?
This is when a group of people come together, learn a dance, and execute it in a public place at a secret time and location.
Here We are with Start Up Canada for Entrepreneurship, FlashMob Fredericton, in front of City Hall!
I tricked SpitFire into going downtown with me, and surprising him with the flash mob. I told him I had to meet a friend downtown for coffee. Once we got downtown, there was a set up infront of City Hall. not very conspicuous, with loud speakers and people waiting around.
SpitFire turned and looked at me, and said: "Whats going on down here?"
Me: "Oh Hunny, it's probly just a protest of some sort. You know how Fredericton people are..."
and he shrugged it off.
But people from my FlashMob/Zumba Class kept saying "Hi" to me, and totally gave it away. So he caught on right before it happened! and at this point I became the coolest girlfriend on the planet.
My SpitFire is a good man. He's manly and tough. and he will do almost anything I ask him to. I absolutely love him for this. But sometimes, I like to be a jerk and abuse my privileges. Like This:
I hung a My Little Pony "Pinkie-Pie" from his front passenger side sun-visor-mirror. I looked at him and said: "Hunny, you have a new friend. and she loooooves her new home!" *BIG SMILE*
and there she has stayed.
In his big blue manly truck; a tiny pink and purple unicorn hangs sweetly in the front window.
It's been over a week already That Pinkie-Pie has enjoyed her new home with the best view in town.
If that's not love, I don't know what is :)
I've transitioned out of the single market at a steady pace this past month; and into a simpler happy bliss with my new beau.
Most women would find this easy and normal. Going from single to attached. In fact, most women dream of nothing else, but being happily attached. I have always had commitment issues when letting a guy into my personal space. I fight them off and fight to keep my personal identity as an independent fun girl. In my last relationship, I would pack up his things and leave them in a box near the front door. I'd even throw hissy fits and complain to my friends that his stuff was taking over my apartment. I justified it by saying I had a small apartment made only for one. I find myself still fighting for my space like this now. But for the most part, I really like having SpitFire around.
The other day, I gave him a small drawer in the bathroom for his stuff.
Yup. That's pretty epic commitment from me right there.
and then there's another issue....
Does anybody else have problems with men still calling/texting for booty calls and hang outs? This was a change that had to take place to turn my life around and head down a road made for two.
Step One:Stop shenanigans with the non-stable relationships in my life.
It began with turning down the Carpenter. Blowing off Bridge Boy. Declining a booty call from the Pilot. One last date with My Girl, followed by silent ignored texts. Ignoring that last text from the boy down the street. and so on. I hoped they would get the hint; "I'm ignoring you, I'm busy".
and when that didn't work,
Step Two:I pulled out the "B" word - I'm with my new Boyfriend.
They all wished me the best in my new relationship in their own way.
The Carpenter questioned and tried to turn me back at first. My favorite statement from him was this- "Why dont girls just like sex!?"
He's such a Dick.
The Pilot kept sending me messages even after I asked him to stop. At one point I had to tell him I would delete him from all my connections the next time he messaged me for sex.
A few weeks later he sent me an inbox apologizing for his behavior and how he had treated me.Our relationship was complicated and unkind to say the least. Something I really could never write about. So This apology was nice to get from him. But it was nothing I did not consent to and put myself through either. We were both at fault for an unstable relationship.
Step Three: No More Dates
The site had gone silent. The messages in my inbox sat unopened. Those people - the potential new dreamboat, and the pretty faced pixie - they no longer mattered. I was to busy being loved, and no longer searching for love.
I threw in the towel in the single life boxing ring. I'm fully
committed/Invested/attached whatever you want to call it. I'm all about
this guy and need nothing else to fill that void any more. My void has
filled up and bubbled over with the excitement I feel when I'm thinking
about him, and the happiness I get from being next to him. He's the only
one I want to spend time with. He's the only one I want. So the time came...
I deleted my online dating account.
Step Four:Meet the Parents
This weekend I introduced SpitFire to my Rents. We showed up unannounced and surprised them with a weekend visit. They were so excited to see me. and they opened right up to Him as well. The big tough guy look, tattoos and military style did not phase them an inch.
He made instant favorites with my mom buy sharing house building plans, and helping her find her dream log home. And he won my dad over by sharing a love of guitars, and spending a morning going through my dads collection.
Meet the parents was a success. He has joined our circle of trust. He's definitely a keeper, and someone worth dropping everything for :)
One late night, SpitFire and I took a drive in his truck. He let me drive. He showed me how each knob and button worked. He made a funny joke about how I was the only girl to ever drive it other than his mother. We arrived home, and I parked that monster like it was nothing. He reached over and pulled out the spare key from his dash and handed it to me. He said, "Here's $50,000.00 you can scrap if you want to. You're worth it."
We've become inseparable. We're making long term plans together.
Who would have known; that guy I met at a coffee shop just 5 short weeks ago, would be "the One" that changed the way I feel about everything. A guy who is special enough, I would shake off all of my other adventures to be with just him.
It's been exactly 1 month since I met Mr.SpitFire.
We've become inseparable. and life seems magical.
Will this honeymoon period ever end? I certainly hope not.
I have yet to tell me parents of my new love. They tend to get attached even more easily than myself when a new man enters my life. So I've held off on this one, waiting until the time is right. and also, because my dad may have a slight heart attack when he finds out my new beau is covered in tattoos and loves street bikes *My Father Hates these things*.
We are planing a surprise trip to see my rents next weekend! I'm excited for it. I havent seen my parents since Christmas. and I'm sure the conversation will go something like this:
Mom: "EEEEEEEE- MeShelly's Home!!!! & who's a boy....?"
Me to Dad: "Hello straight-edge-Daddkins... meet my boyfriend, SpitFire . . . ."
*and I'm not going to tell him anything before hand, hehe. I'll just watch his face and wait for that most definite predicted Africaans code language to come out while he says something rude about my new beau being covered in tats.*
I'm hoping the surprise visit will trump any other first impressions that could be made here. Wish us luck
Mr. Spitfire did it again. Gave me another reason to fall for him.
He brought me a coffee at work. and not just any coffee.
SpitFire: "It's different. It's raspberry coconut flavor. When I saw it I thought of you -Oh! She likes coconut :)"
Me: "Oh You!" *big batty lashes all smitten kitten like*
Its the little things, like remembering my favorite lotion is coconut scented. and the surprise treat during my busy day. and the simple fact that he thought of me. all these things make me feel special.
Its been 3 weeks since we met. and we've spent every moment we can together.
He's done the little things that make him so much more than just another guy. Like bringing over a new box of dish soap because I was out. and getting the snow-blower working again. and dropping in to work just to bring me a coffee an say hello.
and this past weekend, we mutually started using the terms, boyfriend & girlfriend.
Yup. I said it. "My Boyfriend"
It just happened, and I didnt take it back. and it was nice.
No fuss was made, no discussion took place. It just came out. and we both smiled. and that was that.
He calls me his, and I call him mine.
This is how it should be. Easy, natural, mutually connected and on the same page. No guessing games. Just happiness when we're together, and eagerness when we are apart.
So, my mini-date with My Girl went well. We actually talked business for the most of it. and we caught up on life since the split. but no shenanigans ensued. I played it like a good girl. She paid for dinner, and we left separately.
Today, she asked me if I want to go on a vacation to Cuba with her for a week.
I would really love a sunny beach getaway right now, more than anything! but with her . . .?
A friend asked me: would I be upset if Spit Fire was going on dates with ex's?
I replied: "we have only been dating for 2 weeks. Should we be that serious already?"
after thinking about it, I decided, yes I probably would be jealous.
Tomorrow I'll introduce him to two of my best "screeners". These are the friends you subject your date to, to pick their brain and ask the hard questions. They will quiz him and check out his motives. Their opinion on the people I date is of huge importance for me. They ask the practical questions, while I sit and smile in my honeymoon like state. They help me see through the shiny, and point out what is best for me. Essentially, I trust these people with my life completely.
I feel like I'm keeping a diary here. Over the past 3-4 years, my blog has gone from "a fashion guide for the small town freddy girl", to "Wedding bliss how-to's", to "the scandals of a single girl, diary inserts". Its interesting to look back and see how things have progressed in such a direction and brought me to this crazy time and place.
Its Tuesday, I'm back at work after a whirlwind weekend in Montreal for Roller Derby Boot Camp.
and I'm sure you're all dieing for deets on the French Diamond and my adventures.
Yes, we did see each other while in Mtrl together. He scored brownie points big time with my teammates by hooking us up with a swanky hotel downtown Mtrl, and getting free drinks at the bar (at the Hotel Vin Diesel had been staying at for the filming of the new Riddick movie.) This hotel is one of the highest class and most expensive stays in Mtrl. It was an epic posh night for us.
*Pictures of the hotel:
There was a giant chair is the corner of the room, you can't see here. which we named the "sex chair". It was so big, I slept on it as if it was a small twin sized bed.
The Bar
He then came to the game Friday night : New Skids Vs Boston. New Skids Won!
and then out on Saturday to our big derby party at the Phoenix Bar.
We shared a few drinks and caught up. But He's not the one for me right now. We do share a long distance romance, but thats all it can be.We can not be together, it just doesnt work.
It ended with FrenchDiamond thinking my teammate is my lover. Her and I shared a few glances at the bar while he was with me. You know how girls give each other flirty, stares just for fun. and then she made an angry face before we left; which he perceived as an envy of him taking up my time from her.
He asked if she was angry I was with him. I said, "well, no, im sure she'll get over it if she is"
So he thinks I'm dating her now.
End relationship.
*********************Cut to Spitfire********************
My SpitFire guy has grown on me.I spent the weekend texting him every free moment I had. He's sweet, and funny, and we fit together easily. Nothing is complicated with him. Our conversations flow easily, and he has a knack for just knowing when to kiss me or hug me at the perfectly right time. Its a romantic honeymoon phase we're in. and I like it.
I am going to invest in this relationship. He seems worth it. He makes me smile.
If this isn't pure wholesome affection, then I dont know what is. . .
My Spit Fire guy "makes things" at work. He's followed me to a derby practice and checked out my gear, and asked me questions. I thought he was being a typical guy, being nice, and just interested because, well, I'm F*cking interesting as hell! right?
well, its better than that.
He got crafty at work and made me a little prezzy!
These fab Toe Guards for my Roller Skates! He even used a fancy embroidery machine and embroidered "Derby Girl" on them!
Yup. that settles it, he's a keeper.
This $550 titanium ring comes with negative engraving to imprint the wearer's hand with the words 'I'm Married.' (TheCheeky.com)
