Celebrations

Love Stories (Melissa + Sean)

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the happy couple via Melissa's personal collection

When I started sharing love stories this week, I automatically thought of asking a few of the people who have been incredibly supportive and inspirational to me through the "blog world." Today's story is from Melissa of the beautiful boutique, Reverie. Melissa was one of the first people to leave comments on my blog, and through them (and both of our blogs/emails) we have gotten to know each other despite being on opposite sides of the country. She is such a sweet person who exudes such love and passion for her family and life. Because of this, I knew I'd like her and Sean's story to be one of the few I share. Luckily for us, Melissa agreed to my request! With all of that said, I will let her take it from here.

Our Love Story

Valentine’s Day 1997:

I was working in a bank as a customer service account manager. 

Dating a guy who just proposed to me a few months before and gave me a sweetlittle pug puppy for Valentine’s Day.

A tall, dark and handsome guy walked into the branch and asked to open achecking account.  I fumbled with my words, my thoughts became all cloudy,and I was breathing heavy.  He never stopped looking me in the eye, smiling,a gentleman in every single way.  It wasn’t right to have these feelingswhen I knew I was to be married in a year. 

Fast forward a week:

The tall, dark, handsome guy asks me to lunch.  I accept.  Girls can haveguy friends right?  Of course, he had to notice my engagement ring, so he isjust being nice and taking me to lunch as a thank you for helping out withhis new accounts and relocation woes.

Lunch is great.  He makes me feel like I’ve never felt before.  My stomachis about to explode with butterflies.  My face hurts from smiling andlaughing so much.  I cannot get his dreaminess out of my mind.  I’m smitten,but we are only friends.  Keep telling myself this – just friends!  (Eventhough, my heart is on fire!)

Three Months Later:

My sweet Valentine’s pug goes into the veterinary hospital to be spayed.Tall, dark, handsome guy sends get-well cards and gifts to the pug.  Done.I’m head over heels in love!

Four Months Later:

Mutual break-up with fiancé.  We knew it wasn’t right from the beginning,but our families didn’t want to hear it.  Young, influenced, and naïve.  Wewent our separate ways and never looked back.

Five Months Later: 

Still best friends with tall, dark, handsome guy.  He never made anyromantic advancements….just a great listener with an incredibly warm, lovingsoul!  We were ‘buddies’, not looking for anything else. 

13 Years Later:

Blissfully married for almost 9 years to Sean (the tall, dark, handsomeguy), still adoring the sweet Valentine’s pug together, and created our ownadorable crumb, Gaia Miette born 7 days before Valentine’s 2008.  Februaryis definitely my month of love.

Love Lesson 101:

Never underestimate the power of two souls meant to be together.  Love is anamazing thing – don’t ignore it!

Thank you so much for sharing, Melissa!! And I completely agree about the power of soul mates. Happy Valentine's you two!

Love Stories (my grandparents)

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My grandparents are the cutest couple ever. (I say "are" even though my Grandfather passed away a few years ago, because if you've ever met my Grandmother you can just tell she is part of a pair. That even though he isn't with her on Earth, they are forever tied together in their hearts.) Watching them together was always such a treat. Every minute my grandmother doted on my grandfather, all the while as my grandfather doted on her. Spending time with them meant seeing love in its purest form. They teased each other, sent loving gazes back and forth, and always-I mean always- talked about each other with such admiration and affection in their voices. Even today, talking with my grandmother, it's as though her heart is so filled with love for my grandfather, that at any minute it might burst.

And to think she didn't even want to go on the date to begin with.

My grandmother was in college at Stetson University in Florida when one of her best friends (and roommate I believe) asked her to go on a blind date with one of her boyfriend's good friends. My grandmother really really didn't want to go on this date. (I think she even used the excuse that she needed to wash her hair to be honest with you.) But since the boyfriend had his friend with him, my grandmother's best friend couldn't go on her date unless my grandmother agreed to come along. So the friend begged, and finally convinced my grandmother that "it was only one date, but she really thought the two of them would hit it off." Begrudgingly, my grandmother agreed.

Back then, men had to pick up their dates at the dorms and "sign them out." I think this is incredibly romantic because it's leads itself to those classic Hollywood scenes of the girl walking down a grand wooden staircase to meet the gaze of a gentleman waiting at it's base. And that is exactly what happened. My grandmother, known for having a little bit of a wild streak in her, was also incredibly beautiful. She was always dressed well- from perfect hair, to a dress with matching shoes and purse. I can only imagine how they both felt when their eyes met. Apparently, they were both smitten with each other and much like my parents, were dating by the end of the week.

One night, coming home from their date my grandfather got a flat tire and the two of them had to walk all the way back to campus. Arriving after curfew, my grandmother was placed on "house arrest" and couldn't leave the campus. That didn't stop my grandfather, who would still pass by to wave at her through the windows and send messages through her roommates boyfriend. The courtship continued for 6 months-throughout my grandmother's last semester in college. After she graduated they were married, and had their simple wedding in my great grandmother's backyard surrounded by their friends and family. (Being a true fashionista, my grandmother even wore a beautiful lace wedding dress her mother made.)

Many different homes, hundreds of trips around the world, and 3 beautiful daughters later, my grandfather passed just months before celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. And even though it's rare these days to find a true fairy tale kind of love, one that truly was a happily ever after, my grandparents had that, and still have that though they are apart. Their connection and companionship is one that I will always look up to and strive to immulate.

Love Stories (my parents)

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via lelove

I got an email from my dad today saying how loved the "XOXO pencils" I posted because they remind him of when he and my mom were dating. I love my parents story, and since love stories are also one of my favorite things, I thought I would share it here today.

To set the scene, it's the late 70's in Augusta, Georgia during Masters Week. If by chance you have never heard of Augusta, it is most known for being the home of the widely reknowned golf tournament, The Masters. The first full week of April every single year, Augusta practically shuts down. Schools close for spring break, restaurants are packed, tourists are everywhere, and a normal 20 minute drive across town now takes an hour and 1/2. If you're lucky :) This is the week to be out and to be seen.

It was after the tournament had ended for the day and my dad was out partying with his friends at a local restaurant/bar. My mom, visiting from Atlanta, was standing at the bar with one of her friends when my dad spotted her. Just like that, he knew. Pointing over to her, he announced to his friends that he was going to marry that girl. Now, it has to be said that my father was a declared bachelor at this time. In his early thirties, he was still living it up. Marriage, even to his then girlfriend (who by the way was sitting next to him at the time*) was a word he never brought up willingly. Despite being a huge sentimental romantic (sorry to let out the secret Daddy :)), he had succeeded in maintaining his "never going to settle down" reputation. So of course, his friends were shocked. Sure the girl at the bar was beautiful, but marriage? I can only imagine they then cut him off :)

Shocking or not, my dad waltzed up to the bar and started flirting. Luckily, he had 2 things on his side (besides him charm and good looks of course!) One, my mother was staying with a good friend of my dad's, and two, she was from out of town and therefore he could offer to "show her around town." Of course, like all good love stories, my mom kind of blew off my dad. But if nothing if not stubborn (and/or persistent,) my dad was determined to get a date from my mom.

As the party at the bar was wrapping up, my dad knew the only way to spend more time with my mom was to convince their mutual friend to come to an after party at one of his friends houses. *Side note, the mutual friend was also a party girl and my dad knew she couldn't say no too a good party. As expected, she didn't say no, leaving my mother no choice but to come along.

Seeing the opportunity, my father offered my mom a ride to the party, and since she didn't have a car and her friend was already in another car heading to the party, she said yes.

It didn't take long for them to fall in love and within a few days they were dating. Unfortunately, when the week ended, my mom had to go back home to Atlanta (about 2.5 hrs away from Augusta). Even so, they knew they had something here and decided to try it long distance.

Hundreds of miles driving back and forth, hours of long distance phone calls, and thousands of games of tic tac toe (which they would play over the phone together**) my mom brought up the big question.

"Where is this going?"

My mom wasn't dumb. She knew my dad had a reputation as a bachelor and she wasn't going to have a long distance relationship with him (or anyone) if it wasn't going somewhere. (My mom always jokes that the phone bills were just too expensive for that!)

And so, knowing she was the one, my dad asked her to marry him that night- roughly 6 months after they had first met. My mom said yes, and they were married the following spring in Augusta (in the same church that roughly 30 years later my father walked me down the aisle to J so we could exchange the same vows, by the same pastor.) And while there have been ups and downs (like any relationship) they are still happily married to this day!

I just love the simplicity of it. How my dad just knew and wouldn't let anything stop him from having the love of his life. And the destiny of it all! For my mom to have been in that same bar, that same night, and that my dad saw her from all the way across the room. It was fate.

*probably not the best way to be broken up with, but I'm guessing she got the hint since they stopped seeing each other after that moment.

** like I said, they played tic tac toe together over the phone when they were apart and because of that, the game has always been special to them. My mom has a tic tac toe pin (with diamonds as the "O's") and matching hoop earrings that were a gift from my dad, and at our last house, my mom and dad played a game in the wet concrete of our front porch- marking the home forever with their love. It's so cute to see them play together. My dad gets this silly grin and my mom turns right back into a smitten twenty three year old- it's beautiful to see.

Some of my favorite (Valentine's Day) Things #3

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Because there are so many beautiful things out there, I thought I'd share 2 today!

First, aren't these the cutest pencils?! How perfect would these be for the "lover of all things handwritten" in your life? As for me, I'd use them all year round!

And second are these beautiful straws. I would love to sip my drink from these during a picnic in the park for two!

Some of my favorite (Valentine's Day) Things #2

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I love the idea of decorating from the ceiling. Usually overlooked, it is one of the simplest ways to transform a room. Whether its for a birthday or just because, I absolutely love hanging lights, garlands, streamers, or whatever I have around- from our dining room ceiling, so of course I will be doing this for Valentine's day too! Though I'm not sure how mine will look, I love the simplicity of these beauties. Not to mention, they would be so easy to recreate!

It's Friday already?!

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Where has this week gone?

Sorry to be so light on posts, but it's like the days have just flown by! Between switching printers, working on orders, talking with new clients, running errands etc. this week has been super busy. But a good busy.

And what is better way to end a busy week and kick off the weekend than with a birthday party?! Most of my friends were out of town last weekend on my actual birthday, so we decided to celebrate tonight and I can't wait! It's going to be a blast.

Speaking of birthdays (I have like 5 friends with birthdays this month), my best friend A turned 24 this Wednesday!! (Happy birthday!!) As you all know, I'm a big birthday person so I definitely waited until she went to work to go over to her place to drop off her presents and attack it with streamers. Nothing like coming home to a crepe paper chandelier and happy birthday signs!

Hooray for so many January babies and so much to celebrate!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!

Simple rustic affair

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row 1: photo via snippet and ink
row 2: elizabeth messina photo via oncewed, porcelain utensils via caroline swift, paper sack menu via sunday suppers row 3: , burlap fabric via the paris apartment, hanging postcards via design sponge, dress via the english dept

I know a (really) cold front has hit the majority of the country right now so many people are dreaming of sitting by a fire or playing in the snow, but I saw this top image on snippet and ink and haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Since I promised today's post would be "lighter" I figured an inspiration board based on this image was perfect.

This one is all about staying simple and rustic. A lot of natural elements (fresh herbs, the dirt

floors, exposed wooden tables) with touches of off white porcelain and simple laid back fabrics (like burlap and thin white cottons.) As the party goes into the night, I see a ton of twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling and tucked into the shrubs and a family style dinner of different pastas, bottles of red wine, and oven fired home made pizzas covering the tables.

Has anyone else noticed a shift to the "simple" for big events such as wedding? It seems as though more and more people are realizing that the day isn't about coordinated favor boxes and towering flower arrangements, and instead are holding tight to what really matters to them. Personally, I think it's wonderful!

Have a great day, everyone!