Thoughts On A Snowy Day

During this time of year I check the weather twice a day…for snow. They say there are some things you loved so much as a child that you never out grow. For me, this is snow. I guess it may stem from living at the beach and only watching snowfall on television. On the rare times we got any snow it was never enough to sled in or build anything but a glorified pile of snow that we called a snowman (which required all the snow in our yard to make) so I was beyond thrilled when I got a chance to go sledding for the first time ever. I LOVED every minute of playing in the snow and I’m pretty sure I acted just like a child does, but I am not ashamed.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed my day, I couldn’t help but reminiscing on the past. As a child, I took almost yearly trips to Boone, NC to go skiing and just embrace the winter weather. These trips were sometimes with close friends and extended family, but usually they were with my father. I may not have fully appreciated it as a child, but now I recall how patient and loving he was as a man who had to teach a clumsy little girl not to fall and keep giving up.

Sometimes I feel like I’m doing great and sometimes I feel like I miss you so much I can’t go on.
Thank you for teaching us to always question the world around us, but to never lose our faith.
Thank you for your patience, sense of adventure, and gentle spirit.
Thank you for teaching me to love the simple things in life, like the snow.

I give you this one thought to keep-
I am with you still – I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the sweet uplifting rush,
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft starts that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone –
I am with you still in each new dawn.
– Traditional Native American Prayer

*Snowman created by:
David East,  2010
complete with okra nose
and pine cone eyes

Destination Weddings

News was made in 2005 when for the first time ever a couple hiked Mount Everest to exchange vows.
Fact: Weddings do not have to be in a specific location

Another main reason why elopement is the right choice for us is the location we have chosen to be married in. I’m not going all out and hiking to Mount Everest (I mean, can you imagine?) or flying to Rome (though that would be lovely). I only desire to marry on the river. Summer or winter, it doesn’t matter. The river is not only the place we got engaged, but also where we took our first road trip and several day trips to hike with the puppy. Going way back, this is also a place we both visited with family before we met and a place my father really loved. The problem with this location is the twenty person limit, the two hour trip there, and the four car limit in the park. However, for us, this place is the perfect location.

Today I found out that you can hike Amicalola Falls in Georgia and get married at the Falls so I decided it would be fun to see where else there was out of the ordinary (besides the obvious Vegas and expensive over-seas destinations) and here are just a few of the results:

• Atlanta History Center – Atlanta, GA
• Wickham Park – Manchester, Connecticut
• The Seven Falls – South Cheyenne Cannon, Colorado (or rent the Royal Gorge Route Railroad train car in Colorado)
• The Show Queen boat – Clearwater, Florida (also possible on the Henrietta III in Wilmington, NC)

According to this website:http://where-to-elope.com/by-state/georgia/ the top twelve elopement destinations are:
1. San Diego CA 2. Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia, Caribbean 3. Denver, CO 4. Orlando, FL 5. New York, NY 6. Charlotte, NC 7. Napa Valley, CA 8. Las Vegas, NV 9. Maui, Hawaii 10. Virgina Breach, VA 11. Lake Tahoe, CA 12. Seattle, WA

Another website (http://www.locationweddings.net/Eloping_101.html)  states that the following places are the best locations to have a destination wedding due to the ease of elopement:
1.Las Vegas, Nevada 2.Gatlinburg, Tennessee 3.Poconos, Pennsylvania 4.Niagara Falls, New York  5.Ontario, Canada 6.Gretna Green, Scotland

I once saw a Cake Boss episode where Buddy made a cake for a couple getting married inside a museum and apparently this is a popular thing to do now. The Georgia Aquarium, City Zoos, and the New York Public Library for example, all allow couples to rent out sections of their buildings to host their wedding ceremonies. My Aunt and Uncle got married in the Wine Cellar of Château Élan which made for a gorgeous wedding. My point is, there are plenty of neat places to look into when it comes to your big day besides the conventional.

Elopement Journey First Post

February 16th 2013 was the date that Stephen and I got engaged on the river in Cherokee, NC as the snow fell down around us. Next month will be a year since our engagement and naturally, people are wondering when we are planning our enormous wedding. Expectations are coming from people we have known all our lives to those we have lost contact with and even people whom we just met. To be honest, we weren’t even sure what we wanted for a while. All I knew is that ever since I was a little girl when all of the other little girls planned their fancy ball gown and church isle weddings I did not. I always wanted to be married, but never wanted the wedding. Part of this may stem from my belief that the marriage has nothing to do with the wedding itself and while it is a symbol of your love, it is not the glue that holds you together. I spoke to a friend earlier this week who explained to me about her wedding and gave me some advice. She said, “At the end of the day, you aren’t any more married if your wedding happens in a church, a courthouse, or the backyard. Your marriage won’t last any longer if you have three hundred people instead of two.” So, after much thought, tears, and confusion we have decided to publically share with you our desire to elope.

I am not writing this blog as a way of shocking or upsetting anyone (because it seems just mentioning the word ‘elope’ already has done that) but to have a way to share my reasons and let you join us in this journey. We all know the priority Pinterest has on a wedding, but in my experience very little is found on elopement ceremonies so I turned to search engines, but very little turned up there either. My hopes are to have a place to gather all of my research and share it with not only those who love and support us, but also those that may be deciding upon elopement as well. So, here it goes…