Wedding Pics...

So a while back, I was so excited that I was able to wear my maid of honor's dress from my wedding to the renaissance fair. At the time, I wasn't able to show any of the pics from the actual wedding, but I found some!! So here they are...

This was the seating display that my maid of honor painted for us. It was so cool, I have to say. We had decided that each table would be a country, so she made us a map. The bride's room was the "Maiden's Den", dance floor was "Dancing Waters", and the entrance was the "Kingdom of Entree". It was really neat! We still have it!

This was the wedding party. The groomsmen all wore tuxedos at the church, then changed. All of the swords are actually Henry's. We were going to display them someday, then we had kids... someday just hasn't happened yet.

This is our cake. I love, love, love, love this cake!! It was as delicious as it was stunning! Each stone and tree was made individually with sugar. The rope bridge was authentic and the castle towers were perfect. I actually came across the amazing talent who created this on the web. She was just starting out on her own and she did not disappoint. Unfortunately, upon finding the picture, I tried googling her to say "hi" and once again thank her for her amazing work, and she seems to have stepped away. Well, wedding cake wonders will be missed! Thank you, Dottie!

Well, that was my little tour down memory lane. I hope you enjoyed it! I will be back soon with some more updates. I promise!

Goodbye, Memere...

Last night I got a call while shopping with my mom. It was Henry (Chef Hubby) calling to ask me to come home immediately. Earlier in the day we had gotten a call saying that his grandmother was diagnosed with pneumonia and wasn't eating well. She's been in the nursing home for about 2 1/2 yrs and has always been as strong as a horse. It seemed to be another hump to get past. Until about 4 hrs later, when the phone rang again. Unfortunately, she was gone.

I met Memere when we first started dating, about 8 yrs ago. She was the type of person who told you how it was. She was strong, giving, honest, and very protective of her family, especially, Henry. He had lost his mom when he was only 10 and was practically raised by his grandparents. She made him the man is today.

We took care of her for about 6 yrs before she was unable to live alone. She was diagnosed with alzheimers and was legally blind, but ultimately it came down to a fall. It was heartbreaking for Henry to have to place her in the home; he felt as though he were betraying her. She always said that she never wanted to go and prayed everynight for the Lord to take her home.

I don't have the written skills that my husband has, and this may seem choppy, but I just wanted to honor a woman that gave me the greatest blessing in my life.

Thank you Memere for everything. Thank you for giving me a caring, generous, loving, hardworking, absolutely amazing man! I never knew the true Claire Norcross, but I know that were the most important person in Henry's life. I know that you are the reason he holds himself to such high standards and doesn't let anything stop him from doing anything. You gave him the backing to always go for what he wants and never be afraid to fail. You believed in him and loved him and I can only hope that we are able to leave as large an impression on our children.

You are now with your husband, daughter, parents, brothers and sisters. You are finally at peace. You will be missed deeply. We love you, Memere.