9.3.99

Today I have been doing a lot of reminiscing. I've been thinking back to ten years ago on this day and remembering what I wore, the butterflies in my stomach, and an overwhelming sense of excitement. Ten years ago today ... I got married.

It was a lovely evening - what I can remember of it - and it has been an even better ten years married to the best man I know. I am truly blessed. I wrote more about the details of the wedding last year for anyone who is interested.

In my nostalgic mood, I pulled out my wedding dress and decided to snap a few photos of it. It is so beautiful! Unfortunately, our wedding photographer didn't take any photos of the dress or the shoes, and the details are well worth capturing. So, since I can't wear the dress around town (and since it doesn't fit anymore due to expanded ribcage and bustline, thanks to the kids!) I hope you will indulge me a little bit.

I am far from being a frou frou kind of a girl, but I couldn't resist this bow! I'm sure it looked stunning as I knelt down for communion with my husband.

My bridesmaid's gowns were certainly not apricot taffeta with matching hats! I chose simple navy blue matte satin dresses.

I wish I had more clothes with such impeccable detailing. The embroidery and pearl accents were so lovely.

Although the dress was quite stunning, I think the details of my life with my husband are even more so. It is my prayer that the next 10 years of marriage will be just as amazing.

To my husband: I love you ... more every day.

Blog Fodder

Some days I can't think of anything to blog about. Other days, it just pours out of me. Today is a blog fodder kind of day ...

Hot Date

It is a rare thing for my husband and I to have a date. We live in a town where the nearest relatives are 2 1/2 hours away, most of our friends have kids (and more of them than we do) and it doesn't seem right to ask them, and since we are pretty new to our current church we don't really know the teenagers enough to ask them to watch our kids. Fortunately, a very nice couple in our small group offered to watch our little ones if we ever wanted to go out. YES!!! This last Saturday we went on the first date since November and boy was it fun. We went to a charming little eatery and had a leisurely lunch. I also insisted that we take a couple of photos to remember who we are as a couple since almost all of our photos are of our kids.

Survival of the Fittest

I guess I wasn't fit in one of my Facebook "friends" opinion as I have been defriended. In Facebook you can remove someone as a friend and they may never know about it, or at least it could take a while. I was sorting through my friends and putting them into categories (i.e. family, high school, church, etc.) and discovered that someone wasn't on there any more. He was from my youth group in high school and I didn't know him that well, but still I feel the sting of rejection. Why was I removed? Did I offend? Did I get removed by accident? It's like high school all over again!

No Line on the Horizon

It's here. After 4 1/2 years since their last album, U2 has finally released a new one. Being a HUGE U2 fan I was quite excited. I have listened to it a couple of times now and I have decided that I like it. It may be a while before I love it, as most U2 albums need to grow on me. I mean I didn't even like them back in the 80s when they released their renowned album Joshua Tree (probably because I was listening to the poppy tunes of Debbie Gibson, I was only a 6th grader after all). I haven't had time to delve into the lyrical poetry of No Line on the Horizon, but knowing this morally conscious band, I'm sure it's in there. In the meantime, I have had a great time watching snippets of U2 on the Letterman Show last week. Here is an amusing clip featuring the "Top Ten Things U2 Has Learned Over the Years".

So Bad Yet So Good

I have discovered a bakery in town. That is both good and bad believe me! Good that the local bagel shop is no longer the only place to go for a morning treat and a decent cappuccino. Good that they sell fresh French breads and pastries - that fill my olfactory senses with wonderfulness as soon as I walk into the shop. Good that their cappuccino is so perfect that I can taste the whole milk, the good espresso and I don't even have to add sugar of any kind. Bad that I discovered this place and have already indulged, because now I can do nothing but dream of their croissants, their scones, and oh the chocolats! It's created a monster I'm afraid. Bad, bad Kelly!

Nine Glorious Years

Nine years ago on September 3rd, I married one incredible man. I am so proud and honored to be the wife of a person who lives his life with integrity, intelligence and humor. Since our wedding day we have moved four times, bought two houses, had two children, and have laughed a lot.

Our wedding day. September 3, 1999.

I love to look back on my wedding day. I admit that much of it was a blur as I was so nervous and full of excitement. My wedding was beautiful. It was inspired by Audrey Hepburn and her simple sophisticated style. My hair was up, my dress was ivory with embroidery and pearls, and my flowers were ivory roses and pearled stephanotis. We were married at a bed & breakfast in my hometown of Corvallis, Oregon and the best part of it was God was with us that day, and so were our friends and family.

I can't quite fit into this dress anymore as my shape has changed a little bit since having kids. I would choose this dress if I had to do it over again - just in a size bigger.

There is very little that I would change about that our wedding. If I had to do it all over again I would probably get a more artistic photographer, wear a little more color on my face, and choose more color for my bouquets (they were very beautiful but I think a pop of color would be nice), and I would have insisted more photos be taken outside in the beautiful courtyard.

We were both in college in those days and had to work with a budget. I wouldn't change that because it made us be creative with our resources and money. The result was an elegant and lovely affair (thanks to help from my parents), a very fun honeymoon in Tahiti (thanks to help from my husband's parents) and an amazing marriage (thanks to help from our Lord).

After years of marriage I still love to look at wedding magazines and websites. My favorite things are wedding cakes, stationery and bouquets. I think there need to be more occasions to carry bouquets like going to the grocery store, going to church, taking the kids to school ... it would make life a little more special wouldn't it?

This would be a perfect "everyday" bouquet. I could take it with me to the bank or when taking the dog to the vet.


The muscari (blue flowers) in this nosegay would have been perfect at my wedding since my bridesmaids wore navy. It was late summer however and they weren't in season. This bouquet would be perfect for a dinner out with my husband.

This arrangement demands attention. I would save this for a special occasion like shoe shopping.