Congrats Mr. & Mrs. 16!

My linesister's wedding was last night and it was fab! Her and her (now) hubby Kevin won the 2010 DC Green Wedding and were united on yesterday, Earth Day in downtown DC. The wedding was very intimate with circular seating (idea that I'll be sure to steal). The wedding party was small but V's besties all wore the wedding color and sat front row which added a wonderful effect to the pictures. Additionally, the front row was filled with family and the subsequent rows with friends. OH and the flower girls and ring bearer all wore light-up sneakers which was sooo cute! The symbolism there is obvious and I thought it was a great addition to the affair. From the seating to the minister (who delivered a wonderful message about love and God being love) the whole thing was really done with purpose and iLove that. Even their vows-which Kevin pulled off in Creole (and I only recognized one word after 7 years of french lessons) were really sweet. The finale of the ceremony included us all speaking a written message of love to the couple before they were whisked away for pics.

The cocktail reception followed the ceremony inside the museum. The reception area was transformed to pretty pink lounge where we were met with drinks and passed light hors d'oeuvres. First go round included: cream cheese and pine nut stuffed tomatoes, pesto shrimp, crab cakes, cheese, and some other dishes that I know I'm forgetting. Wine flowed freely and the cranberry-lemonade martinis were really good. For the kiddies (and non-drankin' folk) there was an assortment of pink and green sodas. Once the wedding party made it into the reception, heavy hors d'oeuvres were served. I know I won't be able to name them all. There was so much food that I literally had to ask the waiter not to bring anymore my way...my favorites were: the lamb chop, the mini burger and fries, the spinach oyster, and the fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Seriously the menu was superb and I didn't even name everything. In addition to the cake there were pie pops which were adorable! We danced the entire night and by the end even the flower girls and ring bearer had come out of their shoes. I didn't catch the bouquet and the garter was avoided like the plague for a minute but was caught no-doubt. All in all the wedding was beautiful and I was just happy to be a part of their special day. And now I'm totally a believer in Thursday Weddings...its a great way to kick-off the weekend!

THIS kind of love

Yesterday I came across an article on the Philadelphia Inquirer's website (go figure) about this couple that was celebrating 80 years of Marriage! I clicked the link and there was this beautiful black couple surrounded by friends and family as they celebrated being with one another for 80 years! Do you know how long that is? The story was absolutely beautiful and from what I've read and seen in the pictures, they were truly a blessed couple to have stayed connected and committed so long. It was truthfully a great start for my Black History Month to see something so beautiful.

Fast forward to tonite. I went to church for bible study (our first of the year!) and instead of hearing a message, the pastor informed us that one of the deacons had passed on yesterday. I did know that this man had been in the hospital but because I missed last Sunday (frikin' snow), I wasn't aware of how he was doing. Sadly, Deacon Grier passed yesterday so tonight Pastor Jenkins decided to just dedicate the service to his memory and just let people share their thoughts and memory. Nearly every person that spoke (many were couples) mentioned Deacon Grier's commitment to his wife and his marriage and how that helped them in their own marriages. Mr. & Mrs. Grier were married for 61 years. Again....do you know how long that is? One man actually counted the number of days that is..it's something like 222 thousand. I can probably count on one hand the number of people that didn't mention Deacon Grier's example of marriage or his affect on their marriage.

I want that. Something that can be an example. Something that withstands the many tests of time. I feel that marriage is just the "in" thing to do for so many people and when it gets hard, tough, or you simply get tired of looking at the other person...it's "on to the next one". What happened to staying together with your mate? What happened to actually courting someone to decide if they should be your life partner?