fresh perspective on weddings and marriage

perhaps it's the timing

my senses are pulling for the soft and showy

if our wedding were this week,

these blooms would most certainly make the cut

(from the garden to the aisle)

can you tell flowers are on my to-do list?

on June 25th, Patrick and I will begin our married life together

what a blessing!

i try to keep perspective amidst the planning and preparation

for our wedding will be a celebration of a new movement in our relationship

i feel many brides lose the bigger meaning of marriage and the wedding

they focus on the party and wowness. selecting the perfect colors, songs, and eats.

while we certainly want to have a great time with our nearest and dearest,

in the end, this is about a loving commitment to each other

to be supported and celebrated by us, our family and friends.

when i look at the "to-do list"

i like to remind myself of what is truly important

now and forever: us

two.

supporting each other as we grow into a family

helping dream new dreams together

and realize each others' separate dreams as well.

i want our love to grow like a garden

enrich our soils and potential

till and pluck what does not serve in our best interests

so that we may grow more fully together

and in this greenery and fullness

let us share joy with others

our family. friends, old and new.

quietly linger

this is positively the most beautiful natural thing i've seen

each year for Mother's day i take my mom to "the Iris Lady's"

she has a field full of irises... waving flamboyantly in the sun

and each year, my mom invites a new charmer into her own garden flock

we love this tradition

the blooms grow and divide

my mother's garden reminds of all the times we've celebrated together

someday they are to be heirlooms to the women in our family

although the magnitude of colors is overwhelmingly beautiful

a floor rainbowed with flora

subtlety and delicacy won me over with this bloom

sometimes the quiet ones are most deserving of a lingering eyes, hearts, and minds

generations

my family's history is tucked in Illinois' countryside

horses run in our blood

galloping through generation to generation

my great-grandpa raised Thoroughbreds

a tradition passed on to his son

and his son's son

no wonder is my fondness for these creatures

ingrained

naturally beating

here is the next generation of race horses

the farm's yearling

born of Cactus Ridge and Irguns Star:

are there traditions coursing unavoidably through your veins too?