Mama

There is no-one like your mother. Nobody can love you like your mama does. I am so blessed to have my mother still in my life and still cheering me on! I am so much like my mother. As I get older I realize that more and more. She is my prayer warrior, my corny joking, supportive mother! 

It would not have been the same without her there helping me get ready on my special day. She is my voice when I don't have one, my prayer when I cannot speak them, my believer when I lack in faith....she is the rock that keeps me, keeps us all going strong. She was pretty quiet on my wedding day, not sure if it was the nerves or just the mother within her worrying about the day and praying it would go smoothly......but she was was that quiet beautiful strength of support that I needed.

I am reminded of a time where my circle of friends rejected me. I was isolated and left to feel discarded and without value. I remember kneeling at the alter at a church service, crying my eyes out from the hurt that they made me feel, asking God to please let them see the hurt they were causing me, let them come and hold me.....I remember sitting there feeling their stares almost like daggers making the hurt more deep. Then I felt a hand go around my shoulder.......I looked up expecting one of them and instead found it to be my mother. God then reassured me that my mother, my family will be the rock that would hold me through that next season. That was the truth! My faithful mother!

                                         

My prayer is that I will become the mother to my child as she is to me. My child will be so richly blessed if that will come to pass!

I love you ma!

~My

(All pictures by Katherine Davis by http://www.deependimagery.com )

Always Daddy's Little Girl

 I am so happy we decided to have the "First Look" with my father. Ever since I was a little girl you could always find me at my Papi's side. I knew he would appreciate this experience and since it was his mother who made my dress I thought it was only fitting to do so. My father did not want anything to do with knowing the design of the dress. He decided himself that he wanted to see it for the first time on my wedding day, I thought that to be so special. Throughout the process he made sure things were going smooth and encouraged me to get what I wanted out of the dress. Sigh.....I adore this man.  

It was truly a blessing to have him there and healthy on my wedding day. (He had open heart surgery back in September of 2013, a blog to come on that testimony) What a faithful God we serve!!

I love you Papi!

~MY


(All pictures by Katherine Davis by http://www.deependimagery.com )

"The Way You Look Tonight"

Our wonderful photographer Kat Davis with http://deependimagery.com captured the only time I cried on my wedding day. I am a weird one, I do not show much emotion for special events like most, I am actually kind of awkward and maybe way too much in my head to express them. Anyway! This moment was made during getting ready, as I always envisioned, Frank Sinatra was playing in the background. My grandfather who was by far was one of the most hilariously stubborn loving man I have known was a HUGE Frank Sinatra fan. He even named one of his sons after him! What a character my grandfather was, I so wish my husband and friends would have been able to have met him. He past away years ago after being bedridden for many years after suffering from a stroke. At his funeral Frank was playing in the background and as his casket was lowered into the burial place, the last man who was given permission to sing Frank Sinatra's songs sang "My Way". It was something that my grandfather would have absolutely loved.....well the guy was kind of old and honestly I heard better, which I know my grandfather would have made fun of LOL but nonetheless, it was the perfect ending to a beautiful life we had the privilege of calling our grandfather's. 

Back to the story.....

While getting ready "The Way You Look Tonight" came on......this was a song that I had on repeat during the mourning process of my grandfather. I always coined it a song that I would dedicate to him during my wedding day. It came on and BOOM the tears fell and as much as I would have loved to have him there to party like Gatsby with(the man could jam and party!) I felt him there that day. It was a beautiful moment......getting ready to walk down the aisle in the dress his wife handmade for me.....it was evident he was smiling down on me with those gaps! Not many understood what was behind those tears at that moment but it was one marked down in the books. My grandfather was there partying and with so much joy that day in my heart of hearts. In fact, he is always with us.....every time we watch or play baseball.....when we read our books......jam to salsa music.......when I am dancing with my father......every Yankees win.....when I bite into a jamon y queso(ham and cheese) sandwich from a Spanish bakery........AND of course when Frank plays on the radio.....there he is.

I love you grandpa! We miss you but glad you are able to dance again!

~MY

"Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely, never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
Cause I love you, just the way you look tonight.

Mm, mm, mm, mm,
Just the way you look to-night."

More Than A Wedding Dress

 This dress......it means the world to me! My grandmother crochet it just for me! Every part of it was made by her loving hands and along with my aunt, who made the slip....which itself could have been a beautiful dress! Sigh......again...how blessed am I?!?!

Thank you Lord, for an amazing loving and talented family!

The process of creating this dress was an interesting one!
My grandmother had years before crochet a wedding dress for my cousin's destination wedding. I had prior to seeing this knew my grandmother's talent and thought to myself how cool it would be if she made mine. When I saw that she was able to create such a beautiful piece of art which confirmed my thoughts, I instantly(during the wedding reception) went up to her and whispered in her ear, "Grandma, when my time comes, I want you to make my dress." She smiled and said "of course baby, but it better be soon, my eyes ain't getting any better!" We laughed and that night I went home and started planning the design of my dress! Yup, still not engaged but dating...LOL

A few months later, I was over her house and she asked me if I had any ideas of what I would like. I told her and showed her inspiration pictures....nervously.....as I said earlier, I still wasn't engaged! She said she just wanted to practice.....

Not too long after, we visited her again and to my surprise she already had a dress that was almost fully completed! I was so nervous and felt so weird talking about it when AGAIN...I still was without a ring! LOL She even had me try it on!! It fit like a glove! No measurements.....she is just amazing at her craft!!

Finally, maybe a year or more later....I received the ring and was able to go over and comfortably talk about the dress!! I originally pictured myself getting married in the Fall but due to being in school that changed to a summer wedding, so the original dress she made had quarter length sleeves. I felt guilty and was not wanting to tell her they had to go....but being a grandma she knew and the sleeves were off in seconds once the truth came out! There were a few bumps in the process after that but eventually the dress started to really take form into my vision and I was beyond ecstatic.

It meant so much to me to walk down the aisle in such an amazing piece of art, made with so much love by my grandmother! It will definitely be something I will cherish for years to come, and I am looking to frame and hoping to pass on to my little pearl one day!

She also handmade the veil and my head piece!!! Isn't she a beauty!!!??

I love you Grandma!

~MY

(All pictures by Katherine Davis by http://www.deependimagery.com )

We Tied The Knot Gatsby Style

As I sit here and write this 6months into this marriage, I still cannot believe it to be true. Ive always been one to dream about my wedding day. I can remember as a young girl the planning process had already begun, the little old purple journal with all the clippings and  notes of what I desired the day to be like. To now look back and realize how perfect that day was and how closely knit it was to my dreams and what was in that small purple journal, leaves me with smiles and chuckles. God, have you  ever so blessed me!

Before I can even begin to reflect back on that day, I must begin with our extraordinary roots, known as our family. Sigh.....where can I even begin?! We are truly blessed with the parents that God has given the both of us. Tho they may be from different ethic backgrounds, they both rely heavily on our Creator and have instilled that in our lives. This picture is by far one of my favorite from the wedding because it shows God's amazing work in our families lives. To have both sides still in love and fighting to sustain their marriage is such a rarity in todays society, it reminds me of that pearl lost in that ugly oyster. What value that pearl is compared to the world it dwelled in! Me and my Romeo would be nothing with out these four incredible people, and we look forward to being half of who they are as spouses and parents!! 

Along with those parents they also produce some beautiful children( apart from me and Ram ha!) and man are they our rocks! On my side I have a younger brother and older sister who are my everythings! Ram has a younger sister who has been our biggest cheerleader and supporter! Sigh.....did I mention how blessed we truly are?!! BEYOND. It was a dream come true having them all at our sides on that special day and in the preparation process.

And now.......JULY 18, 2014

As I mentioned earlier, I have always had my wedding on my mind! It was always centered around the 1920's, something about the freedom in that era and mostly the clothing and accessories has always captured my attention. I often feel and have been told I was born in the wrong era LOL I just am a lover of vintage, which I know I have inherited from my mother. Anyway! The wedding was centered on that era with inspiration from Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. It was such a joy to plan the details of this wedding because it was all things I loved! A lot of what I used for our decor were items I already owned, which made it all the more easier. I am a believer in doing things that YOU love, not just what is in at that time. Let all you do reflect YOU and that is exactly what we did!  The day was absolutely perfect! The family and friends that surrounded us beamed with love and excitement, the food was beyond yummy and the atmosphere was so peaceful and fun.....I often dream about going back to that wonderful day! Below is a link to a Wedding Blog that featured our wedding! It also holds our video snippet! I will be blogging pictures of favorite parts of this day and sharing my thoughts on them within the next couple of weeks!

Be sure to visit the link below!

http://www.100layercake.com/blog/2014/09/24/great-gatsby-themed-1920s-themed-wedding/

To my Darling Pearls in Waiting,

I remember multiple weddings where I was left with feelings of doubt and sadness. When would this happen for me?! Will it ever happen?! What would he be like? Have I already met him? Etc, etc....

I believe the enemy works his way in our hearts and minds during this season, as he loves to do trying to steal, kill, and destroy the Hope that is within us. Getting us to focus on the outer shell of our lives that appear compared to others, dirty, without beauty, rough....kinda like the exterior of an oyster. May I encourage you to stick to that Hope within you and focus on the interior. Have you ever seen the interior of an oyster?? Yes, it contains a pearl but its interior is often shiny and pearly itself! It is beautiful! Fix your eyes on that! Yes, there are parts that are still rough and not so pretty but thats life darling, train yourself now to see that beauty within and before you know it that shell will crack open exposing you, my Darling Pearl, to new life and new beginnings! 

Stay Encouraged. 

~MY

(All pictures by Katherine Davis by http://www.deependimagery.com )