the after-vacation

"HI CAN I HAVE TWO LARGE HOT CHOCOLATES WITH MILK!!!" - me with a deep voice at the speaker.

This is the last picture of me and Rebecca together. we had just spent nearly two hours shooting our own engagement pictures by the baseball diamonds in riverside park, and my new fiancée has often many cravings for Tim Horton's hot chocolates and krullers. What monster have I created???

It was a wonderful vacation and I'll cherish the memories we had of times together. man, we went all over! we went to more places than I've ever been in 6 weeks! Toronto, CN tower at sunset, Toronto harbour, Niagara falls (twice), home (St. Thomas) Guelph, Palmyra New York, Ikea 3 times (and once we didn't buy anything!) and we had a blast everywhere we went!

We rented videos nearly every day, watched every movie I never watched before and plenty i have that she hasn't. we went to a drive-in theatre and although the movies weren't so great we still had a fun time. somewhere there's a video of me singing stranded at the drive-in from grease, good times. they'll think he's all gona-a-wonk. I said that in it. funny. I'm like that.

One other thing that my Rebecca was so enthralled with was the dollarama. we went there like 20 times. becky's suitcase was 90% dollarama stuff, 10% everything she originally brought. i paid $80 for the baggage weight overruns when she flew back (ok so she paid me back 60 of that but i'm an old bag i complain to have to pay anything). next time i think it'll be cheaper to just ship it all back. i have my mom to blame partially for this, but i also have myself to blame. i showed her the store in stone road mall when i was getting her engagement ring. she never looked back from that time. i went back 30 minutes later and she hadn't been through half the store yet. she's like I'm buying stuff for you, I'm like good cause i don't know how you're getting all that back to England! it was really nice of her, she loves shopping for me especially the first time we went to Ikea (i needed stuff but I waited just for her to come to buy it all with me).

She helped me move into my new apartment on the 30th of June. it will be a day I will always remember. we got up early.. well, fairly early.. OK like 9:00. that's early for a Saturday!! everything had been moved into the living room of the place the night before, just a few things stayed in the same places, like my computer and all. my parents phoned me up and told me that they were at the other place and i went there. took care of all the stuff they brought and when I got back my brother and his truck had been there for a while and it was full and the bulk of the living room stuff was in it already. Bex helped him get it all in there. she was exhausted already then. we had hardly started then yet. it took 3 hours and lots of work to get it all taken care of. afterwards we went to Swiss chalet for lunch. I paid, it was the least I could do for all their help. Mom and dad told us to go home and just relax, and they'd take care of a few things we still needed and that they needed for themselves. i was running on autopilot at that time and was just all over the place and exhausted. i really am grateful for Rebecca though because she kept me going, and less than a few days later we were 100% settled in.

She was more exhausted than i was, so i made her dinner and it was lovely! spaghetti... we had an awesome conversation and we were totally feeling the spirit together. I felt it was good timing. I went out to my car's glovebox and got a bag out of it. I quickly returned but yeah, I'm sure at that time Bex knew what was going on. I went back to her and got down on my knee, and asked her to marry me. it wasn't as nerve-racking as it could've been if it weren't at such a perfect moment like it was. it was such a great day for us, and i'll have it no other way. the ring i got her has 15 diamonds in it, 3-diamond setting with an eternity banded top. there are hearts in the setting and it's engraved "Past, Present, Future".. wish i could make it say forever instead of future...nothing could say anything more than that's how much I love her. Eternally.

Seeing Rebecca leave on the 19th of July was perhaps the most sad moment of my life. to slow time down then would've been my ultimate prayer. I didn't want to let go of her. but eternity means that she will one day return to my arms. I know that. and I'm grateful for that.

I love you Rebecca with all my heart.