tbt Bonus: 15 years ago...our honeymoon

our honeymoon 15 years ago ... In which we take a train from Chicago to Portland, OR ... Visit The Rose Gardens; stay at various lodges and B&B's along the coast of Oregon and Washington; stop in the Hoe National Forest; catch a ferry to Vancouver Island; and hit the Alaskan Inside Passage Cruise from Vancouver...where we spend a week amongst quaint Alaskan towns, whales, harbor seals, salmon, glaciers, and absolute majestic beauty!

flash forward tuesday:)

A Glimpse into the Future.....

Little Angel's playing dress up, in MY wedding dress. Fairy Girl is lying on the floor in a Princess Tiana dress yelling: " bridesmaid down!! Bridesmaid down!!"


 



 

  

Imagine this; the year is 2035....Little Angel or Fairy Girl is walking down the aisle, having made the decision to wear their mommy's (mud-infested:D) wedding dress, from the year 2000...........and then, imagine having these very precious photos for their wedding day...... snff snff :'(

Wedding Details

Angel: "Fairy Girl, will you stand up in my wedding?" 

Fairy Girl: "what does that mean?" 

Angel, "you dress pretty and stand next to me."

Fairy Girl: "why would I want to stand next to you?"

Scrapbook Page--10 Years of Togetherness

Our Blessed Journey---10 Years of Togetherness

"You were born together and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Aye you shall be together, even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you." Kahil Gibran

The journey hasn't always been easy, but together we held each other's hands, never letting go, thus building a very strong foundation for our chosen path of togetherness. It was a day of beauty, a day of celebration, a day to commemorate our loved ones who were viewing from the golden wings of Heaven. We were so blessed to have the gift of the outdoors, as Mother Nature poured her glory out, but withheld for the sake of our ceremony, only to commence when she deemed our outdoor festivities complete. The day was filled with smiles, joy, laughter, family, friends, music, dancing, love, and blessings.

Our day indeed was a Celebration of Life!!!

To my wonderful husband of 10 years:

I walked into the door and there you were. I thank God everyday for having you in my Life! Each and every day and every passing year, our marriage and friendship grows stronger and stronger. We have a beautiful family. We have our health. We have each other.

Together we have everything and we are everything. I can't begin to tell you what you have come to mean to me--but it is EVERYTHING!!!

Thank you for all the Beauty you've brought into my Life, and thank you for picking me up when Life has knocked us down.

We found a true gift in one-another, and I thank God we are together every step of the way, on this, Our Blessed Journey.

On Marriage, by Kahil Gibran (the reading we selected)

Then Almitra spoke again and said, And

What of Marriage, master?

And he answered saying:

You were born together, and together you

Shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when the white wings

Of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the silent

Memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance

between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love;

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores

Of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from

The same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let

Each of you be alone.

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they

Quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of life can contain your hearts.

And stand together yet not too near together;

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each

Other's shadow.

It's Wedding Week: 10 yr Anniversary is Coming---My Bridal Shower

My mom and my grandparents, at my bridal shower.

J proposed to me on January 31st, 2000--I arrived to Michigan, we immediately went ring shopping. That's the same day his mother passed away. His "formal" proposal came to me the next day at Ottawa State Park on our way to go be with his family in Ohio (I got the first flight from Wisconsin to Michigan when he called me with the very sad news). It was very hard for him, because his mom and sisters were pushing for the proposal, and the first thing he said to me was, "I never got to tell my mom I was going to propose." I know she was with us:) Mostly because of J's mother's passing, we were trying to keep things very simple, stress-free as possible, and low-key. Not everybody understood that, but it's what J and I needed and desired. If it hadn't been for my grandparents REALLY wanting to attend our wedding (and it was out of town in Lake Geneva, so it was a REALLY big deal for my mostly housebound grandmother to make that trip, and of all the grandkids, who were married in our hometown, mine was the only one she was able to attend, so I am so glad we married locally, for them!!); we both would have chosen a very small destination wedding/honeymoon--probably Hawaii. We'll do something cool like that for one of our anniversaries in the next few years--maybe our 15 year:)

My bridal shower was held at The Fireside, June of 2000. We still kept the wedding guest list to the closest of family and friends---mostly family. Being very spiritual, I sort of had my own personal theme in mind: "May the music of the Angels light up your life." The statement speaks volumes about me, for those who truly know me:) Regarding the shower, I didn't really plan on a shower, as we didn't need the stuff--but my family really wanted to throw me one--so I came up with "trim our tree!! The shower was very beautiful, I think the theme was well-received! And we have some VERY beautiful Christmas ornaments (ok, they've been in storage since having kids, because of all the blown glass--but I'm looking forward to seeing them again someday; it'll be like, well CHRISTMAS!!

Please stay tuned over the next few days as I reminisce over our 10 year anniversary!

p.s. a big thank you to my very pregnant awesome photographer--you will see some of her handiwork:) (this means her baby girl will be 10 this year too:)

A Beautiful Day!

My Father-in-law married a wonderful women this past weekend---we're so grateful he found love and happiness again!

The wedding celebration was a perfect blend of elegance and togetherness!