Sunday, September 23, 2012
Sometimes I get to attend Baby Showers
A Rainy Saturday Morning Wedding
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Picking Up The Threads
Yesterday I performed a wedding for Fay and Bill and it proved to be very emotional, for me.
Fay and Bill were married before, would have been celebrating their 42nd Anniversary yesterday had they not hit a rough spot a few years back
I don't know their history, the hows and whys of their split up and divorce but I was called upon to perform the ceremony which would put them back together.
They were a very nice couple and their marriage had produced two sons, one of which had provided them with a grandchild with a second one on the way.
They had chosen to have their ceremony in their home, a very nice, comfortable home in an upscale neighborhood in the Fort Lauderdale area, complete with a wonderful, large golden retreiver.
Their only guests were their two sons and Bill's mother. Very small intimate wedding.
I set out to put their ceremony together a day or so before their chosen date and found their situation to one which gave my writing talent a nice workout.
When you think about it, two people who have hit the rough spots and stumbled, who then decide to pick themselves up and start again, it can be so very meaningful. I wrote, what I thought, was quite good for the occasion. It went over well, I could tell by the looks on their faces and by the fact that it was a little emotional for me as well.
I sincerely wish Fay and Bill all the best in their lives. I want to believe that their breakup showed them all the things that are lost in the breakup of a family and all the pain that is suffered by not just the couple but by their children, their whole family and friends as well.
It would serve everyone well to give great thought both before they get married and before they divorce. We can all do better.
Fay and Bill were married before, would have been celebrating their 42nd Anniversary yesterday had they not hit a rough spot a few years back
I don't know their history, the hows and whys of their split up and divorce but I was called upon to perform the ceremony which would put them back together.
They were a very nice couple and their marriage had produced two sons, one of which had provided them with a grandchild with a second one on the way.
They had chosen to have their ceremony in their home, a very nice, comfortable home in an upscale neighborhood in the Fort Lauderdale area, complete with a wonderful, large golden retreiver.
Their only guests were their two sons and Bill's mother. Very small intimate wedding.
I set out to put their ceremony together a day or so before their chosen date and found their situation to one which gave my writing talent a nice workout.
When you think about it, two people who have hit the rough spots and stumbled, who then decide to pick themselves up and start again, it can be so very meaningful. I wrote, what I thought, was quite good for the occasion. It went over well, I could tell by the looks on their faces and by the fact that it was a little emotional for me as well.
I sincerely wish Fay and Bill all the best in their lives. I want to believe that their breakup showed them all the things that are lost in the breakup of a family and all the pain that is suffered by not just the couple but by their children, their whole family and friends as well.
It would serve everyone well to give great thought both before they get married and before they divorce. We can all do better.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Out Shout the Wind by Donna Merritt
It was a WINDY day on Key Biscayne.
I received a call from Juliana in Miami on Saturday asking if I could do a wedding on Key Biscayne the following day.
I advertise "short notice" OK and I do try to9 accommodate when possible so I said I could do it.
She said they wanted to have the ceremony at 11:30 and we agreed to meet at her condo at 11:00.
The drive to Miami is not bad on a Sunday morning and i always give myself plenty of time because arriving late just sort of tears up my whole constitution so I was in the area, after about a 30 minute drive, by 10:30 am.
That was when the fun started. I had the address but still I drove up and down the street several times looking for the address.
Juliana is from Columbia and our communication left something to be desired and so it ended up with me finding a parking place, calling her and saying this is where I am and her coming to find me. The problem stemed from the fact that her building was not facing Brickell Ave, where the address was, but rahter facing on a little driveway that ran along the south side of the building rather than on the west side which was Brickell.
At any rate she found me, we drove to her apartment, less that two blocks away and hung out in the lobby for a few minutes while everyone assembled. lots of beautiful people, all speaking Spanish, except to me.
Juliana turned out to be an absolutely beautiful young woman, striking would be a good word here as well. She was wearing a form fitting, one shouldered dress in off white with a slit up one side which extended quite high. Her hair was long and dark dark brown. She looked like a Greek goddess.
This was Juliana's second marriage and she has a little seven year old boy who looked so much like my youngest grandson, it was amazing.
At any rate, it seems we were waiting for the groom, yes grooms run late just like some brides, but we finally were all assembled, got into our cars for the drive to the end of Key Biscayne. Actually to Bill Baggs Park. If you are not familiar with Key Biscayne and the park it is well worth your effort to take a trip there. The whole length of the Key is very pretty and the Park section at the end is quite large and wild looking.
I need to do some homework here on history. In the middle of the Key is an area called Crandon Park and I believe I am correct in saying this is the home of the original Crandon Park Zoo in Miami. I remember taking my kids there years ago. It has long since been replaced by Metro Zoo in Miami.
To continue...I love the Spanish, two minutes can be an hour and a ten minute drive can be much longer. Anyway the location they had chosen, ten minutes from the apartment. I didn't time it but it was a little longer than that but such a beautiful drive. The bridge over the bay which provides a beautiful skyline view of downtown Miami and then the drive through the residential and tourist area, the park areas, all nice and especially on a Sunday morning, free from heavy traffic.
We arrived at the parking lot, at the far end of the park and the weather was being so nice to us. We had been threatened with storms and rain but it was nice and sunny when we got out of our cars.
However just a short walk to the water and it was like going into a wind tunnel. I was totally unprepared for the transition from warm sunny day to storm blasts. The couple however had picked the spot and there is where we did the ceremony. What a wind blown group we all were. There were probably around twenty of us all together and the guest had to huddle close because my words were fairly ripped from my lips and blown away.
I must say everyone, except for a small child about a year old, handled it with great dignity (if you can be dignified and blown away at the same time and in about twenty minutes we had accomplished what we came for. Juliana (love the name) was married to Cyril (a young Frenchmen) with Juliana's son acting as ring-bearer.
I Had taken care of the paperwork back at the apartment because I didn't expect the accommodations for writing would be very good at the park, and so with a few final congratulations and goodbyes I headed back home.
The drive back to the main land was so beautiful and the drive up 95 was easy with few cars to mar my progress and so I was home in a short time. I stopped at my favorite Italian place on the way and picked up a pizza to go. I had just pulled into my car port when the storm hit. Going inside I was thinking God had certainly been nice to my bride and groom and to me. He held up his storm so that we could have a beautiful, if windy time for the ceremony and then turned loose his fury after all was finished and I was safely home.
I changed into my comfy clothes, put a couple slices of pizza on a plate, curled up on my couch, turned on the TV and settled in for a nice quiet afternoon. My work finished for the day, wind and rain pounding outside while I snuggle warm inside. Life is good and I am blessed.
I received a call from Juliana in Miami on Saturday asking if I could do a wedding on Key Biscayne the following day.
I advertise "short notice" OK and I do try to9 accommodate when possible so I said I could do it.
She said they wanted to have the ceremony at 11:30 and we agreed to meet at her condo at 11:00.
The drive to Miami is not bad on a Sunday morning and i always give myself plenty of time because arriving late just sort of tears up my whole constitution so I was in the area, after about a 30 minute drive, by 10:30 am.
That was when the fun started. I had the address but still I drove up and down the street several times looking for the address.
Juliana is from Columbia and our communication left something to be desired and so it ended up with me finding a parking place, calling her and saying this is where I am and her coming to find me. The problem stemed from the fact that her building was not facing Brickell Ave, where the address was, but rahter facing on a little driveway that ran along the south side of the building rather than on the west side which was Brickell.
At any rate she found me, we drove to her apartment, less that two blocks away and hung out in the lobby for a few minutes while everyone assembled. lots of beautiful people, all speaking Spanish, except to me.
Juliana turned out to be an absolutely beautiful young woman, striking would be a good word here as well. She was wearing a form fitting, one shouldered dress in off white with a slit up one side which extended quite high. Her hair was long and dark dark brown. She looked like a Greek goddess.
This was Juliana's second marriage and she has a little seven year old boy who looked so much like my youngest grandson, it was amazing.
At any rate, it seems we were waiting for the groom, yes grooms run late just like some brides, but we finally were all assembled, got into our cars for the drive to the end of Key Biscayne. Actually to Bill Baggs Park. If you are not familiar with Key Biscayne and the park it is well worth your effort to take a trip there. The whole length of the Key is very pretty and the Park section at the end is quite large and wild looking.
I need to do some homework here on history. In the middle of the Key is an area called Crandon Park and I believe I am correct in saying this is the home of the original Crandon Park Zoo in Miami. I remember taking my kids there years ago. It has long since been replaced by Metro Zoo in Miami.
To continue...I love the Spanish, two minutes can be an hour and a ten minute drive can be much longer. Anyway the location they had chosen, ten minutes from the apartment. I didn't time it but it was a little longer than that but such a beautiful drive. The bridge over the bay which provides a beautiful skyline view of downtown Miami and then the drive through the residential and tourist area, the park areas, all nice and especially on a Sunday morning, free from heavy traffic.
We arrived at the parking lot, at the far end of the park and the weather was being so nice to us. We had been threatened with storms and rain but it was nice and sunny when we got out of our cars.
However just a short walk to the water and it was like going into a wind tunnel. I was totally unprepared for the transition from warm sunny day to storm blasts. The couple however had picked the spot and there is where we did the ceremony. What a wind blown group we all were. There were probably around twenty of us all together and the guest had to huddle close because my words were fairly ripped from my lips and blown away.
I must say everyone, except for a small child about a year old, handled it with great dignity (if you can be dignified and blown away at the same time and in about twenty minutes we had accomplished what we came for. Juliana (love the name) was married to Cyril (a young Frenchmen) with Juliana's son acting as ring-bearer.
I Had taken care of the paperwork back at the apartment because I didn't expect the accommodations for writing would be very good at the park, and so with a few final congratulations and goodbyes I headed back home.
The drive back to the main land was so beautiful and the drive up 95 was easy with few cars to mar my progress and so I was home in a short time. I stopped at my favorite Italian place on the way and picked up a pizza to go. I had just pulled into my car port when the storm hit. Going inside I was thinking God had certainly been nice to my bride and groom and to me. He held up his storm so that we could have a beautiful, if windy time for the ceremony and then turned loose his fury after all was finished and I was safely home.
I changed into my comfy clothes, put a couple slices of pizza on a plate, curled up on my couch, turned on the TV and settled in for a nice quiet afternoon. My work finished for the day, wind and rain pounding outside while I snuggle warm inside. Life is good and I am blessed.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Great New Shopping Spot
Hello and happy August to all you bloggers or readers of blogs. Wow has this been a hot summer or what. I feel like I have just become a recluse. It is so nice inside in the A/C and so hot when you venture out.
Good time to explore on the computer. Isn't it wonderful how you can find just almost anything you want online. I do a lot of searching for information online, new ideas which I might use in my wedding business, what's new in the art world that interests me, (I work in polymer clay and I also make purses from recycled jeans), and sometimes just to see what's new in the shopping world. I'm not much of a shopper for new merchandise, I have shopped flea markets and yard sales too long, but sometimes it's nice just to see what's new and exciting.
I found a really nice selection of merchandise this week at a site called become.com. They have a several categories, clothing, electronics, garden etc. The usual I guess. What caught my eye was some of the really nice clothing.You know, sometimes when I do go shopping the new merchandise I find is not as nice as the used stuff at the flea markets.
I remember when I was young I could go to a store or look through a catalog I would find just lots and lots of beautiful things which I would like to own. Now it is hard to find anything attractive. However on become.com I see some really beautiful dresses, surprise...
Try these links on become.com and see what you think. Navy sheath dress,
or click on tie back tankini. They have some really good mark down bargains as well. I know it's too hot to think of warm clothing but it will be here soon so take a look at this fleece lined rain jacket
Even though it is hot everywhere people are still getting married. I did a nice home wedding yesterday. They did opt to have the ceremony indoors rather than the back yard which they had planned. This morning I drove up to Juno Beach, just north of West Palm for a wedding in a Gazebo on a cute little lake. We were surrounded by ducks of many colors, turtles and other birds and wildlife. The weather was cool and overcast. There had been a little rain earlier. It was a beautiful spot for an outdoor wedding. Nice.
Remember if you are planning a south Florida wedding give me a call. I do really beautiful ceremonies, I know this because everyone tells me so. I would love to do your ceremony. My website TheSimpleWedding.com is just filled with all kinds of good ideas and information to help you plan your dream wedding...often on a shoestring. It can be done.
Stay well and stay cool...Donna
Good time to explore on the computer. Isn't it wonderful how you can find just almost anything you want online. I do a lot of searching for information online, new ideas which I might use in my wedding business, what's new in the art world that interests me, (I work in polymer clay and I also make purses from recycled jeans), and sometimes just to see what's new in the shopping world. I'm not much of a shopper for new merchandise, I have shopped flea markets and yard sales too long, but sometimes it's nice just to see what's new and exciting.
I found a really nice selection of merchandise this week at a site called become.com. They have a several categories, clothing, electronics, garden etc. The usual I guess. What caught my eye was some of the really nice clothing.You know, sometimes when I do go shopping the new merchandise I find is not as nice as the used stuff at the flea markets.
I remember when I was young I could go to a store or look through a catalog I would find just lots and lots of beautiful things which I would like to own. Now it is hard to find anything attractive. However on become.com I see some really beautiful dresses, surprise...
Try these links on become.com and see what you think. Navy sheath dress,
or click on tie back tankini. They have some really good mark down bargains as well. I know it's too hot to think of warm clothing but it will be here soon so take a look at this fleece lined rain jacket
Even though it is hot everywhere people are still getting married. I did a nice home wedding yesterday. They did opt to have the ceremony indoors rather than the back yard which they had planned. This morning I drove up to Juno Beach, just north of West Palm for a wedding in a Gazebo on a cute little lake. We were surrounded by ducks of many colors, turtles and other birds and wildlife. The weather was cool and overcast. There had been a little rain earlier. It was a beautiful spot for an outdoor wedding. Nice.
Remember if you are planning a south Florida wedding give me a call. I do really beautiful ceremonies, I know this because everyone tells me so. I would love to do your ceremony. My website TheSimpleWedding.com is just filled with all kinds of good ideas and information to help you plan your dream wedding...often on a shoestring. It can be done.
Stay well and stay cool...Donna
Friday, July 15, 2011
A special checkers set for my kid sister
A special checkers set for my kid sister
Guest post written by Cory Wilcox
I'm always seeing crazy looking things that are really colorful that remind me of my kid sister. It's almost like she's my niece or something because there's such a large age gap between us. But I think that also helps us relate better to each other without having to worry about things like having the same friends. She's such a free spirit. I mean she's very well grounded but she's so carefree and lively, that I kind of envy her for it. So every time I see something that's just really zany or colorful I instatnly think about her.
Her birthday is coming up in a few weeks and while I was looking online one night for some kind of gift that would capture her spirit, I ran across teh website http://www.Wirelessinternetproviders.net. After I looked through it a little bit, I decided to sign up for one fo the intenret service packages for my apartment that I saw on there.
I did find this one-of-a-kind checkers set that I think will be great for her. She's always loved playing the game anyway, so I know that she'll appreciate it.
Guest post written by Cory Wilcox
I'm always seeing crazy looking things that are really colorful that remind me of my kid sister. It's almost like she's my niece or something because there's such a large age gap between us. But I think that also helps us relate better to each other without having to worry about things like having the same friends. She's such a free spirit. I mean she's very well grounded but she's so carefree and lively, that I kind of envy her for it. So every time I see something that's just really zany or colorful I instatnly think about her.
Her birthday is coming up in a few weeks and while I was looking online one night for some kind of gift that would capture her spirit, I ran across teh website http://www.Wirelessinternetproviders.net. After I looked through it a little bit, I decided to sign up for one fo the intenret service packages for my apartment that I saw on there.
I did find this one-of-a-kind checkers set that I think will be great for her. She's always loved playing the game anyway, so I know that she'll appreciate it.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Let's Shape Up
Hello all you prospective brides and grooms...or wanna be brides and grooms. Summer is a great time for weddings and the weather is right for all your favorite places for a honeymoon. So what are you waiting for?
A summer honeymoon is probably going to involve a bathing suit, and a bathing suit requires, or at least suggests, a body that will be the best you can make it.
Have you heard about the latest method of getting rid of those bulges that just won't get it in the new bathing suit. It is called coolsculpting. It uses a new devise which cools the selected area to the point that your body will slowly eliminate the fat over a few months time. There is no cutting or needles.Just the cooling equipment.
At www.coolsculpting.com they explain their 12 weeks to change program. Take a chance and check it out if you have a few little bulges you would like to make go away. For information on their 12 week program click here.
While you're checking all this out be sure to visit their facebook page and Like them.
I am not guaranteeing Coolsculpting or this procedure, just sharing a little info which I have come across in my great web searching. Isn't it amazing all the stuff that is available to us 24 7. I think it is wonderful.
If you are all ready to say "I do", and if you would like to have your wedding on one of our beautiful south Florida beaches give me a call or e-mail me. Short notice is OK. If I have the time open and you give me an hour or so I will provide you with a wonderful, memorable wedding ceremony.
A summer honeymoon is probably going to involve a bathing suit, and a bathing suit requires, or at least suggests, a body that will be the best you can make it.
Have you heard about the latest method of getting rid of those bulges that just won't get it in the new bathing suit. It is called coolsculpting. It uses a new devise which cools the selected area to the point that your body will slowly eliminate the fat over a few months time. There is no cutting or needles.Just the cooling equipment.
At www.coolsculpting.com they explain their 12 weeks to change program. Take a chance and check it out if you have a few little bulges you would like to make go away. For information on their 12 week program click here.
While you're checking all this out be sure to visit their facebook page and Like them.
I am not guaranteeing Coolsculpting or this procedure, just sharing a little info which I have come across in my great web searching. Isn't it amazing all the stuff that is available to us 24 7. I think it is wonderful.
If you are all ready to say "I do", and if you would like to have your wedding on one of our beautiful south Florida beaches give me a call or e-mail me. Short notice is OK. If I have the time open and you give me an hour or so I will provide you with a wonderful, memorable wedding ceremony.
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