Mom-ents: Would You Sell Your Wedding Dress?

My Mom and I were recently talking about things that were stored at her house and how if needed, where she could downsize. I don't have much left there, but what I do have left there is my wedding dress. It's stored in the closet in my childhood bedroom. I never brought it to our home because well, in an apartment with 2 kids, storage space is highly sought after real estate and there is little room for things that don't serve a functional purpose. 

My dress hung from a ceiling fan...LOL

When I saw my dress, I just knew that it was the ONE. It was the dress that I would marry my husband in. The beginning of our "forever". It was right off the rack, but it was perfect. It fit just right in all the right places, it was elegant and simple. It had just enough bling to sparkle. 

My parent's wedding day

However, my mother's dress holds so much more sentimental value. My grandmother had the gift of being able to do wonderful things with fabric and a sewing machine. She used that gift and made my mother's wedding dress. Mom always thought that maybe someday her daughter would wear it. And while it is a beautiful dress, it wasn't my style. Then she thought, well maybe it can be made into a granddaughter's Christening gown. She has 4 grandsons. So, what does she do with it now? Hold on to it, sell it, create something new?

Then I saw an article posted my The Huffington Post, originally from Buzzfeed, were daughter's try on their mom's wedding dress and do a photo shoot. I thought that was a pretty awesome idea! Create a new memory from an old one. What do you think, Mom? Could be fun!

I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my wedding dress. I always just thought that I would store it way for the rest of my life and someday when I was old and grey, make that choice. I also used to be a pack rat. LOL. 

Did I want to continue to store it in the hopes that I would have a granddaughter someday? Chances are it would be out of style anyway. Did I want to sell it or donate it? Did I want to create something more functional? Or maybe create a new dress for a 10 year vow renewal...Hmmm, that sounds interesting.

So, I am curious to know, what did you do or plan to do with your wedding dress?

No wedding dresses were harmed in the making of this blog post. Both dresses remain perfectly preserved and stored. 

Throwback Thursday - May 8, 2014

Mom and I on my wedding day

I chose this picture of my mom and I for this week's Throwback Thursday because Mother's Day is this Sunday. This is also one of the very few pictures that I have of just me and my mom. I know she is probably going to hate this picture, she has changed so much since then, but in my eyes, that day she looked beautiful. She was so happy and proud that her little girl was getting married.

It was also the day that my relationship with my mom began to change and evolve into what it is today. I wouldn't say that we ever had a bad relationship, my relationship with both my parents was always pretty good. But growing up, I did give them some hard times, as I am sure most kids to during their teenage years. Heck, I know adults that still give their parents heart failure. 

Our relationship changed in that I understood her more. I understood the things that she did to make her marriage work. I understood what it was to maintain a home, worry about finances. I understood her as a wife. It was on this day, that we became friends. 

I don't know what I would ever do without my mom, although the sad reality is one day, I will. I call her to vent, to laugh, to cry, to know that their is someone on the other end that understands, not just because she is a woman too, but because she is my mom and I am part of her. 

I know I can call her a million times and ask her how to make a hard boiled egg, something I just can't commit to memory and I know she will be there to tell me how. I could be looking all over the place for something very specific and if I tell her, sure as the sky is blue, she will be the one to find it. She comes up with solutions to problems that only a seasoned wife and mother could possibly think of and most times, they are positively genius. 

Not only is she a fantastic mother, but she has morphed into the most amazing grandmother to all her grandkids. They are her life. They keep her going when sometimes she feels that the cards are stacked up against her and things aren't going right. They are just as lucky to have her as I am.

I just hope that my mother knows just how much she means to me and that I wish her the most wonderful of Mother's Days, this year and always. 

Throwback Thursday - April 17, 2014

Our Wedding Day - April 19,. 2008

This Saturday, Chris and I will celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. So much has changed in our life since we said "I do". We've moved to a 2 bedroom apartment, we had a beautiful little boy that has brought more joy to our lives than we could have ever imagined possible. We've got different vehicles, we've got more debt. We've even changed jobs a few times. We've loved, we've lost. We've fought, we've made up. We've tried and given up. We've succeeded and we've failed. We have a new little boy on the way. 

But through it all, we have loved each other. We have made it through things that would otherwise tear people apart. When others thought that there was no way that we could ever possibly make it, we did. When the cards were dealt against us, we always managed to come out on top. 

We are polar opposites, but we are exactly the same. He is the other shoe that makes my perfect pair. When I fall, he picks me back up. When he falls, I laugh. LOL, no just kidding. Okay, maybe only partly kidding. Humor is something that is never lacking in our lives. We laugh at ourselves, we laugh at each other. But we are always laughing together. 

We live a simple life. When we were dating we used to always dream about the huge house we would have and the fancy cars we would drive. But as we have moved through life together, we have come to realize that those things aren't the things that make a marriage. Having dinner together after a long day, even if it is pasta for a second night in a row. Sitting on the couch watching our favorite shows, even if we don't say a word. Snuggling at night while laying in bed and him waiting for me to fall asleep before he rolls over to face the other way. A simple text message to say "hi, how's your day". A hug when nothing is going right. A pep talk when you feel at your lowest. Knowing that no matter what you do, there will always be someone in your corner. Having someone to come home to, a home that no matter how small or messy at times, is ours that we have built together. Having someone to tell you you're right or wrong. Honestly. 

The last 6 years have been some of the most rewarding and challenging times of my life. But I wouldn't trade them for the world because I know I am going through them with my best friend.