Tag Archives: wedding

Day 251: these boots were made for walking

8 Sep

Pup had the right idea — hiding under a blanket for most of the day.

It was that kind of day; a wet, muddy, windy, lightning, thundering-so-loud-it-shook-the-windows, icky sort of day.

I don’t know if we can call it Fall yet, but I do know one thing we can call it: a boots day.

If you know me, you know this:
I hate being cold. I hate being wet.
But, I love my boots because they keep me warm and dry.

I was thinking a lot about boots today, on one part, realizing how much I adore my pink and green plaid rain boots, (that are logging more miles than ever since I can’t buy another pair!) especially on a soaking day like this.

There is another pair of boots I adore even more.
These other boots were made for walking — walking down the aisle. 

I just shipped off our wedding gift to Kelley and Brad.  As we looked over their wedding registry we decided to opt-out and go in a different direction.  Instead of china or kitchenware, in lieu of linens or luggage, we sent a photo.

The photo so uniquely captured a picture of love, honor and respect, that we couldn’t resist immortalizing it forever.

On the day of their wedding, Kelley and Brad both wore boots.
Kelley’s dress hid the boots well, I didn’t notice them until they rode the lift down the mountain to the reception site, and only then because they peeked out from underneath her dress while on the chair lift.

It was perfect choice of attire for a mountaintop wedding.
Well done.  Well matched.  Nice touch.

It was even more fitting when I found out they were Cindie’s boots.
While we lost Cindie long before the wedding plans were in place, and while Cindie couldn’t be at the wedding in person, and while I know Cindie was in all of our hearts on that day — I’m so glad Kelley made sure a little part of Cindie made it to the wedding — and the chair life, and the reception, and the dance floor, and in the photos.

It was a little nod, and a beautiful way to honor Cindie’s eternal presence.
Because we all know she was there, even if we couldn’t see her.

If nothing else, those boots were made for walking.
And, I know Cindie was there, every step of the way.
That’s just what mother’s do.

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Day 211: on top of the world

30 Jul

It’s wedding day around here.
And, while it is customary for the bride and groom to be on top of the world on this special day, the rest of us will soon be too.

Well, technically, we will be on top of a ski mountain, one that requires a chair lift to transport each of us to the summit and the ceremony.

The big, pressing question over the last few days has been: what are you wearing?

For the women at least, there has been much discussion about shoes and attire. It’s a survey of sorts, being passed around like hors d’oeuvres:

Heels or flats?
Pants or dress?
Strapless or sleeveless?

Add a weather forecast of 90 degrees and this becomes even more interesting.

So, this afternoon we wedding goers did what girls do best:  laid out all of the options to debate the pros and cons of each dress.  It’s great fun, I must admit.  It’s like playing dress-up, or pretending to shop, or something in between.

As for me:

The old Jamie, would have spent two days, if not two weeks, figuring out what dress to wear, what shoes to buy, what jewelry to match.  The new Jamie, at least the 211 days into her promise Jamie, has learned how to make due, be a little more creative than just swiping her credit card for a new outfit in a moment of confusion, and, she is certainly honing her re-purposing skills with what’s already in her closet.

There is just one problem.
Dropping my sugar addiction has also allowed me to lose something else.
My already-less-endowed endowment. (And, I’m not talking about finances here.)

So strapless is out.
I really wanted to wear my totally adorable turquoise and white striped strapless number. It’s a perfect fit for a summer wedding. It’s cool and fun and totally design worthy. But, I don’t trust it’s ability to stay in place, especially with my butt placed on a chair lift 2,006 feet about sea level.

So my long, chocolate-brown cotton dress will do.  It will be cool enough, long enough, and just right enough for the occasion (and, the only chocolate this girl will have today!)

It’s almost perfect, except for one thing.
It is cut a bit too low for me now.  But, I have a solution.  A strapless tank top will now replace any cleavage that once stood in its place.  And, that’s okay. Because the new Jamie is learning to go with the flow.  Or, lack thereof.

Oh, and bike shorts!
I plan to wear bike shorts underneath.  At least until I get to the top of the mountain.

Oh, yes, and flip flops!
I will be toting both heels and flip flops.  Just in case.

And that’s enough.  Actually, it’s just right.
Because, if there is one thing I am learning this year, it is this: I already have what I need.

And, whether it is strapless, sleeveless, long, short, hemmed, lace, cotton or sequined — there is only one dress that matters on this day.

The one the bride is wearing.
For, it is her moment, to be, on top of the world.


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Day 187: a second hand story

6 Jul

I went to the second-hand store today.

The name always escapes me.  I usually refer to it as “The Chicken Place” and then Justin usually looks at me confused and clarifies, “What chicken place?”

Then I say something like “you know the second-hand store” and he asks back, “St. Vincent de Paul?” and then I get frustrated and say, “No, you know, the one with the chicken on it.”

Believe it or not we are always talking about the same place: Chicken Alley Thrift Shop

I stopped in today and I don’t really know why, maybe to experience what is most definitely the best place to find a “second-hand find” on the island.  You never know what you might spot.  Not that I’m buying anything.  (And I didn’t buy anything, promise.)

But, it’s always a field trip of sorts looking through someone’s old stuff which sometimes isn’t always old.  And then of course sometimes it’s just people’s real junk.  But at “The Chicken Place” it’s always an adventure.

Today I watched three women swoon over wedding gowns hanging on a rack.  I thought they were very old looking gowns and not all that young looking women …it made me wonder what all the hype was about.

I had just heard some old school Soul Asylum music in my car and the lyrics repeated through my head — Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd  —  as the women hovered.  Just what was this all about?  Was this some vintage couture find?  That is totally a possibility at “The Chicken Place” so I had to walk over and inspect.

One gown was really old and delicately laced, another gown was definitely from the 70′s (at least it looks like something from my mother’s old photo albums with long bell-shaped sleeves) while another gown was relatively new sporting its Filene’s Basement price tag.

I still don’t know what the hubbub was all about. But it got me thinking…
Who wore these gowns?  What were these women like?  Why did one still have tags?  Was an island wedding canceled and the gown never worn?

And that made me think of golf clubs.
Yes, that’s right, golf clubs.  I donated my golf clubs to Goodwill last fall.  They were old.  I had them since high school, and decided they were taking up too much room in my nomadic trek from the island to Florida and back again.  Plus, Justin bequeathed an extra set of his clubs to me, which are newer and longer and a better fit.  So I did what any conscientious American girl would do — DONATE!

When I shared this with my dad he almost choked.
Turns out those golf clubs were his before they were mine.  They were in fact old, but he informed me that they were by all accounts vintage.

Oops.
I had no idea.  I donated them in a mad rush to get rid of “stuff” — not realizing I was handing over one of my familial hand-me-downs.

I hope the young soul who picks up my donated bag of golf clubs knows how much effort was put into each shank, birdie, pull, and push ~ both from my dad and me.  The new owner of these clubs may not know their second-hand score is really a third-hand find.

Just as that white sequined dress with the price tag hangs in Chicken Alley awaiting the day it never got to see, its very own wedding day, may the new owner of my golf clubs do something I was never able to…

Score a hole-in-one.
Which may be just as amazing as a couture find at The Chicken Place.

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Day 119: f*ing friday :: fairytale

29 Apr

TGIF.
Today continues the weekly series, F*ing Fridays, which will coincidentally occur on Friday. I mentioned some of my favorite F words back on Day 5, including: Fearless, Fabulous, Fine, Fun, Faith, Freedom, Forgiveness, to name a Few.

Last week I dove into the word Forward.

Today’s F*ing Friday is dedicated to the word:
Fairytale.

As in, storybook moments.

On this day, the world celebrated the marriage of Will and Kate, forevermore the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

I did too.
Alarm set off and festivities promptly kicked off at 4 AM. So British of me to be on time!

Of course, all I had to do was roll out of bed and plop myself on the couch. The hardest part was finding the right buttons on the remote to turn on the TV in the dark.

It was totally worth it.
How often do we get to see a girl (who isn’t a cartoon image) become a princess?

I remember watching the wedding of Princess Diana, almost thirty years ago. The excitement! The fascination! That beautiful princess walking down the aisle with her very long train. I was only seven, but it has stayed with me ever since.

These moments become blazoned upon hearts and minds for a lifetime, like folklore and fairytales.

Because who doesn’t love a fairytale?

But, I also believe it doesn’t take a wedding to create storybook moments.

To be the writer, illustrator and producer of our very own fairytale. That is the stuff dreams are made of.

As in, don’t wait to kiss a frog,  find a charmer to locate missing slippers, let alone kick off the day that begins the rest of your life.

Begin now.

I say, be the queen or king of your own destiny and dreams.

Believe me, I love a good wedding!  I adored the play-by-play nuptials of  Prince William and the celebration of the Royal Family’s newest princess. The dress! The lace! The Queen in yellow! The kiss! The second kiss!

It’s a great story.

But, let’s face it. Even the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will eventually have to check email, find something for dinner, and attend to the realities of their version of real life. And, that’s where the fairytale really begins.

So, here’s to your very own fairytale, whatever it may be.
May you have the storybook moments you dream of, and more!


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Day 118: a royal treat you can make at home

28 Apr

In honor of Kate & William, on the night before the wedding phenomenon, I share this:

A Royal Recipe in three easy steps:

1) Make your favorite salad, pile on all the yummy goodness you crave, tuna on spinach is my top choice.

2) Make sure you are starving. Like really starving, stomach growling with hunger pains echoing off the walls.

3) Twist off pepper top. Forget pepper top is really a “pop top” and not a “twist top”. Watch a whole bottle of pepper flakes fall onto your beautiful salad creation.

It’s what I had for dinner.
Okay, so the only royal part about this recipe was the royal pain in the you-know-what to remove all the clumps of pepper from all the pieces of buried spinach.

Warning: do not attempt at home.
The pepper treatment turned my tuna salad into blackened tuna. “Pop”arazzi surprise!

I think champagne and crumpets may be more appropriate for tomorrow morning’s global soiree.

Hitting the sack early tonight to make the 4am wake up call.

It will be a Party Of Two over here.
Pup and me, designated wedding crashers.

I don’t think it animal cruelty forcing Pup to watch the royal wedding. In fact, I think he appreciates the gravity of this occasion.

It’s hard to remember the last time it felt like the whole world was rooting for the same team, and speculating about the uniforms they will wear to the big event.

Yeah, I know there are naysayers and party-poopers out there bringing on the buzz kill around this spectacular event.

But, I think a world-wide wedding is just what we need right now. More love story.
Less loss.
More celebration.
Less competition.

It’s a new beginning, a new era, a new milestone in our life and times.
It’s more than a good party. It’s good for the heart.

I think a little pomp and circumstance can go a long way.
After all, aren’t these moments the spice of life?

So dear Kate and William, I say pepper it on!
(just watch out for the “pop”arazzi!)

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Day 25: age 27

25 Jan

Over the next few days, leading up to my 37th birthday (tomorrow!), I am reflecting and writing my younger self a few notes.

Today, age twenty-seven.
What would you say to your 27-year-old self?

Dear Jamie, Age 27

Hello, Ms. Smarty Pants!
You think you have it all figured out right now, but it’s just a veil covering the fear and uncertainty of approaching the big, bad, thirtieth birthday — and not feeling like you’ve done enough.

Please give yourself some credit.
You are a 10-year cancer survivor! You are a college graduate! YOU can even whip up a bowl of pasta in less than 20 minutes! Most of all, you are still here. Take comfort in the day-to-day and stop pressing. You have time. It will all happen, the career, the path, the purpose. I promise.

About the engagement…
It seems that everything has finally fallen into place, you have a sparkly new ring on your finger and one big, bustling life in Boston. Don’t stress about the wedding, at this point it doesn’t matter how it all comes together, it will happen. Please don’t forget your friends and family who will be there for you through all your transitions in life.

I know you miss Mama Sling.
She loved you very much. Even though it’s only been a few years since Mom died, I know you are left with overwhelming loss and grief. Even though you don’t admit it to yourself, you long for her everyday. She is still there for you. Sit silently with your thoughts and you will hear her voice.

Speaking of voices, try listening to yours.
There will be many differing opinions and pressures to be something other than you are, to pursue paths that aren’t quite you. Know this: you have a very strong gut. It is wise. Listen to it.

By the way, so what if your company failed!?
It was just your first one. You were only twenty-five! It’s not the last mistake you will make, but it’s one of the best lessons you will learn. Keep your head up.

And one more thing…
The whole world in 2001 is about to change in so many ways, so hold on tight. You will endure the ride, bumps and all. Just know, there will be friends waiting to collect you when you exit the ride and they will smother you with love.

Love will be there for you. Always.

Love,
Jamie, Age 36

P.S. Try a different haircut and stop biting your nails. It will be so worth it.

P.P.S. Go to a yoga class! You will enjoy it more than you did basketball.

P.P.P.S. You won’t believe this, but you will run a marathon. I’m serious.

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