wedded bliss

9 / 9 / 13

Had to tell a little lie the other day… but I can explain. You see, my wonderful mom-in-law and dad-in-law were celebrating 55 years of wedded bliss, so we decided to have a little surprise dinner at our house in their honor. Not a major event, just a small gathering of family to help them celebrate. In the end, I think there were almost twenty of us gathered together, and it was an evening full of laughter, love and a lot of wine!

Now everyone has their secret tips for making events, like this, successful… and I would love to know your secrets!! Here are just a couple of mine. #1 Delegate! Let everyone contribute. For those who don’t like to cook; no problem. Assign them a store bought item or wine! #2 Not everything has to be homemade! If you are a baker and love to make desserts; Go for it – But then purchase a store bought appetizer! #3 Prioritize and keep it simple! This is a big one, and totally varies from person to person!! Personally, I love the detail stuff – “themes” and table decorations, homemade tags on the dipping oil… But to take the time to dust before the party…? Ya – Probably not gonna happen. Like I said; this is an individual thing. Everyone has a different set of priorities. Maybe dusting is your #1 priority!! Just make sure that you make time to do the things that are important to you!!

We went with an Italian bistro theme… complete with a little Frank Sinatra (of course!), red & white checked paper placemats (super easy clean up!) and some Chianti wine! An Italian platter as an appetizer also made it super simple (no cooking!) – cheese, salami, Rosemary almonds, stuffed olives, crostini with goat cheese and bruschetta… Our main course consisted of home-made lasagna, meatballs, oven roasted Italian green beans, Italian salad and warm, crusty bread with homemade Italian dipping oil. (Dipping oil recipe was posted on my Facebook page; “Tasty Tuesday” Sept 3 – Click here) For dessert we served Italian gelato with homemade biscotti, which I served in assorted hand-painted martini glasses (Biscotti recipe coming… tomorrow!!) And that, friends, is my final “tip of the day” – fun and super simple… I love using martini glasses for serving dessert! I especially love that everyone’s glass was different (I did this on purpose – Not a matchy-matchy kinda gal!), but you can certainly use whatever martini glasses you have on hand!! I have a huge advantage in the fact that I paint and sell cocktail glasses, so my “inventory” is probably a bit more extensive… Ha!

So there we go. My suggestions, in a nutshell, for hosting a little gathering of your own. I realize now that I already gave you my “final tip”, but I just thought of one more… and it’s a BIGGIE, actually! Chances are good that you will not complete your “things to do before the party” list. Just sayin. However, once the party starts… let it go. Pour a glass of wine and join in the fun. Whatever didn’t get done isn’t gonna get done… so never mind. If you are having a good time at your party, so will your friends!! And at the end of the day, isn’t that all that really matters…? Bon Appetit!!

I thought I loved you then

9 / 9 / 12

Yesterday was the epitome of a ‘picture perfect’ day. Blue skies, sunshine and seventy something. The kind of day that reminds us to live in the moment. Close our eyes; feel the cool breeze and the warm sunshine on our face. Deep breath. Ahhh… Perfection.

The groom was all smiles and the bride was absolutely breathtaking… her gown a soft creamy white with delicate jewels and a veil that sparkled in the sunlight. It was a glorious day for a wedding.

Weddings are magical. A window into that fresh, warm feeling of new love. Just sitting there in the church, you could feel the happiness, the excitement, the anticipation… I started to reminisce about that day, our day, over twenty-eight years ago. About to say “I do” to the man who I loved more than anything. Yes. There would be hard times, we were warned. Marriage is a roller coaster. Ups. Downs. Some really sharp turns. Sure. Life happens. You learn to hold each other close during the good times, and even closer in the bad. Yet; as I sat there yesterday, filled with emotion, I realized something very important. In all of the advice that we received… Everyone had failed to mention one very unexpected consequence of marriage. When I was waiting to walk down the aisle on our wedding day, I was as happy as you can be without exploding out of your own skin. Yes. That happy. I was absolutely certain that I could never love this man any more than I did at that very moment.

I was so wrong.

“I thought I loved you then”. My thoughts, put to music by Brad Paisley. Listen with your heart. If your eyes fill with tears when you hear this song, then I pray that you, my friend, feel blessed as well. And so I feel a certain sense sense of responsibility to forewarn our newlyweds… This is (if you are so blessed) an unforeseen consequence to a long and happy marriage. So consider yourself warned. As for us, this is a marriage that (God willing) still has a long, long way to go.

“What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more; but I’ve said that before. Now you’re my whole life; now you’re my whole world. I just can’t believe the way I feel about you, girl. We’ll look back someday at this moment that we’re in. And I’ll look at you and say…

and “I thought I loved you then”. Brad Paisley

love in london

8 / 1 / 12

So indulge me for a moment or two. The summer Olympic games have got me a little homesick for London. Again.

I know, I know. You might be thinking, “Been there; done that”. Yes – During the “Queen’s Jubilee” I did a post entitled “big ben”. And, yes; Big Ben is in London. But you have to understand that this was a special time in our lives. Very special. Two years and a lot of memories. So you were thinking just one blog post would cover it? Oh, gracious me. I think not.

So I begin with the reminder that we had only been married for two short years. We were moving away from friends, family and familiarity. We were entering the unknown… just the two of us. A team. We brought very little with us. Found a furnished “flat” (apartment) to live in; filled with someone else’s “stuff” – dishes, furniture, bedding… and started making our memories.

We lived a “hop, skip and a jump” (walking distance) from The Victoria & Albert Museuem, The Natural History Museum, Hyde Park and Kensington Palace/Gardens (where Prince Charles & Princess Diana lived.) Used to do my morning walks in the gardens surrounding Kensington Palace. Never once, however, did I see Princess Diana in her bathrobe out picking up the morning paper. Hmmm… Go figure.

The truth is, and the point of this blog is that the two of us learned how to survive, day-to-day, alone together, as a couple. When you only have each other – it is such an incredible bonding experience. We were there for each other during the sad and lonely times; when something would happen back home and suddenly we felt like we were painfully separated and distant from those we loved… because we were. But we focused on the fact that we had each other; and we got through it. We shared all of the adventures, the “kodak moments”… the experiences that formed treasured memories for the rest of our lives. We made wonderful friends, traveled to incredible locations and lived every single day with gratitude for the many gifts that we had been given. What we didn’t realize, at the time, was that the true gifts weren’t palaces, princesses or exotic destinations. The true gift was the strong bond that formed between us over those two years that gave our fresh new marriage a solid foundation on which to move forward. Through thick & thin; sun & rain. Twenty eight years of marriage (so far!) and we’re still going strong. I am grateful. Always.

live happy… laugh, love, dream, create

on this day…

6 / 16 / 12

“On this day, you will marry your best friend.”

And so I did. And yes; he still is.

So many years ago…so many shared memories. They belong to us, and us alone.

Thank you. For being there. For loving me. For supporting me. For trusting me. For encouraging me. For drying my tears, comforting my fears, sharing my years. You are my rock, my safe spot, my comfort zone. I am blessed.

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.” – Winnie the Pooh