The Vintage Wedding Gown

Thirty years ago today, at 2pm CST, I walked down the aisle of Perkins Chapel, on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and married my college sweetheart, Roland. In a vintage wedding gown.

Well, back in those days, I didn't call it a vintage wedding gown, but I was wearing my mother's wedding dress.

We were so young!

30 years later, we have made it through the better and the worse. We have lived in 9 different houses in 5 different cities (including 3 houses in Prague, Czech Republic). We have 2 beautiful children, Laura and Kyle, and now one fantastic son-in-law, Thomas. No grandchildren yet, but 2 grandpuppies. Do they count? We have had 5 pets: 2 cats and 1 dog, all deceased, and 2 great rescue dogs now. I'm not counting the fish OR the hamster (thank you, Laura, for that wonderful experience, lol), but we had those, too.

But, really, you cannot simply quantify 30 years of marriage. It is time passing, and life being lived, doing the best that you can do.

Here's to 30 more!

Finally, a picture of my mother, Corinne, the original owner of the beautiful gown I wore. We did have to make some modifications, the most significant was replacing the yellowed lace on the bodice with new. Leftovers of that lace were used on Laura's wedding gown she wore in 2010.

Bamboo?

We had gorgeous weather today, and, since I couldn't think of a reason not to, I tore myself away from some sewing to take a hike with Roland. He's really been into hiking lately (a New Year's resolution?), and since we live ridiculously close to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area it would have been silly to decline the invitation.


If you click on the link, and then click on "view map", we were hiking in the Palisades area. He's been trying several routes. The other day, we stopped at an overlook, and I snapped this:

[I used my Instagram app, and am really having fun with the filters, so that's why the picture looks as it does.] Do you see the mid-rise office building in the background. Yep, the area is really more city than country, but we're so lucky to have this area.


Today, we took a different (and much steeper) route, starting at a higher area and working our way down to the river (and, yes, we had to go back up, too). Everything looked pretty much like it does in the picture above, until we encountered a stand of bamboo. Very strange and green, and we felt like perhaps we were in a different country.

From the hike, we headed to Lowe's to pick up some paint chips for the sewing studio. Painting this week, I hope! And a little sewing, too... there is a minoru jacket sew along after all!

Happy Birthday, Roland!

Today is Roland's birthday, and a day I'm always looking forward to. It's hard being the older woman (by only 6 months), and now he's back to being the same age I am!


The cake is another Grandma recipe. I'm not going to post the recipe unless I'm overrun by requests, but she called it "Summery Chocolate Cake". Not sure what makes it summery except that it appears to be a "light" recipe... you know, one of those that uses applesauce to replace some of the fat and the eggs. It appears to be on the thin side, and if it's worthy of a remake in flavor, I will use a smaller pan. Obviously we haven't cut into it yet, but the batter was delicious, and the frosting *ahem* was too.


In sewing news, I have finally finished the cutting out of my Colette crepe dress. We have an hour or so before we go out to dinner, so I think I'll go do a little sewing...