Something Borrowed

So far we have:  Something Old, Something New....
I mentioned previously that my sis and I went through her wedding stuff and I stole borrowed some of it.
Ah ha! "Something Borrowed"

I've also mentioned my adversity to veils and the need to wear one for the Bedeken.
I found the perfect solution to my veil issue.

My sister's veil will be my "something borrowed."
And from what I remember, she MADE that awesome thing!

So I'll wear it for the Bedeken to cover and uncover my face.
Then I'll take it off for the ceremony! Poof!
Something Borrowed!



Oh, and since you can't see it in the collage so well, I will share this picture separately because I love it.

{All photos by Yours Truly, Me}

What was YOUR "Something Borrowed"?

My Sister's Name is Hope

{source} Inspired by Emily Dickinson


Well no, my sister's name is actually Marlo - like the famed Marlo Thomas.  And it's fitting because my sister is famous, at least to me.



Looking back on my life, when I think of a source of hope and inspiration my sister comes to mind.  Without a doubt my sister, who is eight years older than me, definitely pulled me through many a tough time. Times when I felt like all was lost, or nothing was going right, or boys confused me, or I questioned myself, these are all moments when my sister shined a light - a ray of hope - for me to see.


Take the time when I was 14 (or so?) and dealing with my period.  [This is not graphic, keep reading].  Tampons confused the heck outta me.  After 30-plus minutes in the bathroom I came out intimidated, scared, overwhelmed and just plain hormonal, and broke down in tears.  Marlo saw my pain, empathized with my frustration and pulled me into her closet with a bunch of tampons.  [again, not graphic, keep going]  She calmly told me that tampons were silly and nothing to fear.  Then I watched her literally fling one out of the package into the air.  She handed me a bunch and proceeded to rip open more packaging and shoot them like torpedoes around us.  Before long we were laughing, and laughing so hard tears streamed down my face.  My sister managed to calm my fears, soothe my worries, and make me cry again - but in a good way.  I felt hopeful about being a woman.


Another time I emailed her with my worries about dating and boys.  She wrote back what ended up being my maid-of-honor speech at her wedding.  "Tell boys they're smart and funny and repeat things they say."  I swear this advice only works on high school boys, but none the less she managed to build up my confidence and help me to see my self worth.  And it made a hilarious, yet heartfelt, speech, by the way.


Now here I am in Texas, miles away from my DC home, watching my sister and brother-in-law successfully raise their two daughters and I think to myself, There's no way I could EVER do this.  As I hold my 4 day-old niece, Madelyne, I think,  There's no way I could EVER give birth to two - let alone one - babies!  I watch her meet the needs of my oldest niece, Eleanor, and am amazed how she soothes both little-ones.
I ask her how she does (raise a family, have a great job, own an awesome home, successful overall).  How does she feel? Isn't she worried about, uh, stuff? and life? and raising her baby girls and the world around them?
She told me she, "hopes for the best."


Sometimes that's all it takes is a little hope to get you a little farther.
Before you know it, you're there.
You just gotta fling tampons and give wacky advice.
And hope.

 My sister and I, with her two daughters ...sisters!

I won! AND...

I won my first giveaway!  Sweet! (Literally!)

Jayme over at The Tater Twins hosted a yummy giveaway of cookies from TRBrown's Etsy Shop.  The winner (me!) receives their choice of 3 dozen super-cute, mini soft butter cookies.  I ordered these cookies, with pink strawberries instead of red.

Tammy, of TRBrown, agreed to send my cookies to TX because ... drumroll please.... I'm going to visit my sister because... more drumroll ... she's having a baby! Yay!

My sister, Marlo, is expecting Baby Girl #2, aka "Flashlight" as dubbed by my 3 year old niece, in mid-July!
And I, being the awesome sister I am, am going to Texas on Eleanor-duty.  Since my sister's due date is mid-July I will fly out early July and plan on staying for about 2 weeks (1 week prior and after her due date).  This way when my sister goes into labor, I will be there to take care of Eleanor wherever she may be: sleeping, eating, daycare, music class, swimming, etc, and my sis and bro-in-law can head to the hospital to welcome the new baby!

So hooray for winning the giveaway and hooray for my sister!
What are you excited about, or looking forward to?

3 Reasons I love my niece, Eleanor

My fabulous fiance AND my niece share a birthday. I remember when my sister called me during the series finale of Sopranos to tell me her water broke.  The next day, April 9, 2007, my niece Eleanor was born!  She is the first grandchild in both families, so she gets a little bit of attention - but honestly she's not spoiled in the slightest.
She's pretty darn cute, too.  But I'm not biased. ;)
Because Mike and Eleanor share a birthday, I try to do for one what I do for the other.

As little E is turning big 3, here are three reasons why I love my niece:

3.  she's creative, expressive, and curious
2.  her mom is my sister and we LOVE talking about her, so her birth brought us closer (as if that was possible!)
1.  she dances, constantly, in a flow-ballerina-swirly-twirly-graceful-way without a care in a world (it's the cutest thing....I'm requesting it for her Flower Girl debut)

Happy Birthday, Eleanor - for these reasons and so many more, I love you to your toes!
Love,
"Aunt-Vicki-Cool-Dude" (story for another time)

So Stinkin' EXCITED!

Why? Because one of the MOST awesome women in the world is coming to visit me.  She's super successful, highly likable, tres fashionable, and a vegetarian to boot.  Some, well most, people say we look alike.  We should, she's my sister.
I love my sister, Marlo, so much.  With 7 years  and 9 months separating us, I grew up wanting to do everything she did.  I'm sure she loved this at times.  So maybe she hung my stuffed animals out the window of a moving car while on road trips, at least I didn't mean to kick her when we shared a bed on those trips.   I can even forgive the countless times she forced me to clean up a bug while babysitting me;  I now know how to trap, catch and release a roach without having to smush it.  From fashion to musical influences, I thank Marlo for introducing REM to me in middle school. In high school I turned to her for advice, and she helped me cope with many boy-situations successfully.  By my college years, we were the closest ever - it's true what they say about age and siblings, the older you get the closer you become.  I absolutely love her family, too: my brother-in-law is a great guy and my niece is the best kid I've ever met (might be a little biased here).  Even her animals are cute!
She proved to be a great role model (still is), and now I can't wait to share the experience of dress-shopping with her!  Next weekend we shall shift through satin and lace to begin the search for my perfect wedding gown. 

Aaandd, help us reach 300 by voting!