70 Years.

The year: 1943.

The world was in the middle of World War II.

Gasoline cost approximately 19-cents per gallon.

Bread could be found for just 9-cents a loaf, and it cost 3-cents to mail a letter.

 

Casablanca won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Bing Crosby's crooning voice singing I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas topped the Billboard chart at the beginning of the year.

It is also the year that my grandparents said "I do." Seventy years ago. And today they are celebrating this monumental anniversary.

Not many of us will have the opportunity to make it to 70 years of marriage. In fact, the way I figure it, if I wanted to stand a chance I'd need to get married tomorrow, AND live until I was 96. Somehow I don't think that is going to happen (just a hunch....).

What a legacy my grandparents leave to their children. To their grandchildren. To all future generations.

I'm told the wedding was a lovely affair. My grandfather has been working on writing his life story and I hope he doesn't mind if I share the part he wrote about their wedding. I was going to try to re-write it but I decided to share it in his words.

"Our wedding took place on the evening of January 16, 1943 at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Detroit where we were members. Our pastor, Dr. Albert J. Lindsay, performed the ceremony. Ruth had made her bridal gown of blush pink satin. It had long sleeves and a gathered skirt that swept into a long graceful train. Her sister Bernice was the maid of honor...our mothers and Ruth's grandmother Volk were attired for the occasion. About 250 guests were received at the reception held in the church parlor.

The weather was a bit treacherous as it had started to snow that morning. Ruth and I had reservations at the Dearborn Inn for that night and then at St. Clair Inn for a few days. That first night we had one of the small private rooms behind the main Inn. When we looked out the window in the morning the snow looked about 2-ft deep and it was still snowing. Breakfast was delivered to our room. We probably dined at the Inn for all our other meals. There was no way we were going to be able to get to the St. Clair Inn, so on Tuesday we settled in at the apartment...our new home in Dearborn."

I'm thankful for my grandparents and the strong example and legacy they are leaving behind.

Happy Anniversary, Papa and Grama! I love you!!!

January 6, 2013

My bouquet from Sarah & Aaron's wedding.

#fmsphotoaday #mine #january6 #callalilies #sopretty #yellow

January 5, 2013 (AKA, I Love Weddings)

I have a good reason for not following the January 5 photo prompt! You see, on January 5, 2013 I had the great privilege to be a bridesmaid as one of my dearest friends said "I do!"

Sarah and I have been friends for close to 9 years. Over the past 6 years or so she and I and about 3 other girls have been getting together close to weekly for Girl's Group. We usually do some sort of Bible study and share prayer requests, but pretty much every week we end up sharing all the various things going on in our lives. It has brought us all very close and this past weekend Sarah became the first member of our group to become a married lady.

I was, obviously, busy with various tasks, so I didn't take very many pictures but I did get a few to share.

Enjoy (and excuse the fact that I didn't get any pictures of "movement," as was my prompt for the day). :) Click on the photos to make them bigger. :)

The Bride | The Bridesmaid Dresses

 

The Bride | The Matron of Honor, Signing The Guestbook (Yes, A Record)

 

Yours Truly | The Flower Girl Signing The Guestbook

 

The Groom | The Bride (I Think They Are Excited!)

 

An Excellent Wife....Who Can Find?  

Congratulations, Aaron & Sarah! I love you and was so honored to be part of your special day!

#photoaday #january5 #weddings #iloveweddings

Sneak Peak.....

I'm still in CA.....but wanted to give you a sneak peak of pictures from the wedding I was over the weekend. My dear childhood friend Aley (who I am pretty sure reads my blog.....) got married and I got to be one of her bridesmaids. Here is a picture of us before the ceremony. :)

It was so fun to be a part of her special day. :)

I will get all caught up on the Project 365 pictures, etc., when I get home and have access to Photoshop and iPhoto to touch them up a tad. :)

The Older I Get. .

. . .the faster my friends start dropping like flies. By "dropping like flies" I mean getting engaged and, ultimately, married.

When I was 4 or 5 I got to be the flower girl in my dad's cousin's wedding. Someday I'll find some of those old pictures, scan them, and share them with you all. For now, close your eyes and just imagine a really cute, blonde angel (okay, maybe not so much on the angel part). Picture said angelic creature in a simple white dress with a pink satin ribbon pinned around as a sash. Imagine a wreath of flowers with two little pink roses, one opened, one still a bud. Picture said blonde hair curled really nice, and a basket of flowers in hand. Okay, you can open your eyes now. That was Laura as a flower girl that you were picturing. Yes, I still have the basket.

Anyway, that was the first and only wedding I went to until I was in college. And it's still the only wedding I've ever been in (I'm working on trying to get my close friends married off. . .so far I've not been successful). I would hear people talk about the weddings they had been to, and so on, and I couldn't honestly remember exactly what being at a wedding was like. The whole flower girl experience is kind of a daze (although that is the first airplane trip I remember vividly - I couldn't figure out how the pilot knew where we were going and where to land the plane!).

In my first year of college, someone who had been involved with the college group got married. My friend and I went, because we both wanted to go to a wedding. After that wedding is when going to weddings started getting weird. Why was it weird? Because those getting married were friends of mine - my age or younger!

My friend Joanna got married about 2 years ago. She was the first actual friend of mine to get married. It was weird. I caught the bouquet at that one. Some good that's done me. :) I'm pretty sure that "luck" wears off after a year, or something.

Last year my dear friend Britney married her sweetheart. It was a beautiful, elaborate wedding, enjoyed by all.

Last month my childhood best friend, Bethany, got married. The girl who swore-off boys with me in elementary school found the love of her life and married him. And I am so happy for her.

The reason for this whole post - the events that encouraged these thoughts in my head - is the fact that today my friend Heidi got married. . .and tomorrow, in Hawaii (and no, I won't be in attendance) my childhood friend and, later, pen-pal, Tamara, is tying the knot.

I know many others who have gotten married. I've been at most of their weddings (except for any friends who got married outside of the state of Idaho!). It's a stage of life, I know, but it's weird. Eventually all of these who have gotten, or are getting, married will have children (some of them already have!) and instead of buying wedding presents I'll be buying baby presents. . .but I guess that's just the way growing up is.

As for me? I don't have any plans of getting married in the near future. I've always said I'm going to end of being the last of my friends to get married (although they tell me that by saying that I'm setting myself up to be first. *grin*), but by going to all these weddings I am accumulating ideas in my head for that someday when I am the princess walking down the aisle to meet up with my Prince Charming. And then all those who are in attendance can think about how many weddings *they* have been to, and all the single girls can wonder when *their* turn will come. But until then, we can all dream, knowing that "someday my prince will come!" And until then (and after!) I will continue to encourage my friends who are at that stage, and I will continue to be a frequent wedding gift shopper at Bed, Bath & Beyond. :)