A Fun-Filled, Nature-Based Wedding!

One of the things I love most about officiating is working with so many diverse couples -- each couple has something they want to emphasize in their ceremony, which is what makes each ceremony unique!

Megan & Bill's joyful ceremony tied in with their love of nature and trees.  It was held under a beautiful oak tree at the Dubsdread County Club, a beautiful venue in Orlando.  The weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding!

Megan's engagement ring also reflected their love of nature -- the center stone is Mystic Topaz, an unusual, unique and beautiful choice!

And aah, their ceremony -- it was truly unique, from a verse from "Captain Correlli's Mandolin," about how love erupts like a volcano, and when it subsides, how you've found that your roots have woven together into one -- to the vows they wrote to each other, which included love, humor, and nature references - to their ceremony ending with the touching wording:

"Marriage creates from two committed spirits one beautiful tree of life.  Its roots are the trust and devotion that underlie each action, thought and motive.  Its branches are experiences shared, hopes realized, and dreams pursued.  And its blossoms are the kisses, gentle words, and tender sighs that decorate each day and beautify the union of two loving hearts.

Bill and Megan, may your love grow like a beautiful tree, sending roots deep and branches high, with new beauty every season of your life together. May you find constant reward and challenge as you pursue the ongoing adventure of learning who you are and where you want to go. May you always have a special sense of your mission in life together, and may you never tire of the endless possibilities of exploring your shared existence.  And long, long years from now, may you look at one another and be able to say, “With you, I have lived the life I always wanted to live – with you, I have become the person I always longed to be.”

Check out their wedding favors --
they stayed with their theme!

But do you know what the most touching part of their ceremony was?  When Bill saw Megan coming down the aisle with her father, his face began to glow, and his tears began to flow -- which is exactly why I carry tissues in my officiant's book!  Both of them cried happy tears during their ceremony!

This was the first of several tissues!

Congratulations, Bill and Megan, and thank you for choosing me to be a part of your joyful day -- may your Tree of Love grow to astounding heights!

Take a good look at the picture to see what it spells -

LOVE it!  

My Life Monday: Spontaneity

Hello beautiful!  How was your weekend?  I announced last week that I would get a little more personal on the blog, so I'm going to take a quick break from crafting and share a little bit about me and what I've been up to this weekend.

On Saturday, John and I woke up at 5:45 and drove down to Key West.  It's takes just about 4 hours-- but only 1.5 hours is on the mainland.  The rest of the drive is so beautiful!  There is one main street that travels through all of the tiny islands called "keys".  You pass over a lot of bridges and the ocean surrounds you on both sides!  Here is the Google map of the Keys.  Key West is at the very bottom and is home to the southernmost point in the United States!

We usually just walk around the island without a plan when we visit Key West.  There are so many restaurants, shops, and things to do-- so it's easy to have a great time and play things by ear.  Yesterday we found out about a sailing, snorkeling, kayaking trip.  John really wanted to go but I didn't have my swimsuit and my waterproof camera was at home.  I told John we would do it next time, but I could tell he was disappointed.  It was a beautiful day-- 82 degrees, sunshine, not too windy.  We walked for about a block and realized I was passing up a perfect opportunity.  I decided to be spontaneous and we began our mad dash across the island.  We needed to buy swimsuits, sunglasses, towels and sunscreen, drop off my camera at the car, and make it to the marina in 90 minutes!  We made it with minutes to spare.

Snorkeling was my favorite part of the trip.  I have wanted to see a sea turtle for the longest time and finally my dream came true!  I floated a short distance away from the group and I saw the cutest baby green sea turtle! He was busy munching on his turtle grass and didn't mind me watching him one bit!

I also saw a barracuda!  He yawned and I saw all of his teeth!  John didn't realize how close he was to him and almost kicked him with his flipper!  Scary!!!  I promise I'm not exaggerating-- we were at most 8 feet away from him.

I also saw a green moray eel, a queen angelfish, snapper, grouper, and so many other fish that I have no idea what they were!

After snorkeling, we sailed to a mangrove island and kayaked around it.  There was a bald eagle in the treetops!  We saw so many birds-- osprey, herons, and sadly many others that I've forgotten their names!  The picture above is from a kayak trip about a month ago in the upper keys-- but it gives you an idea of what mangroves look like.

We watched a beautiful sunset on the boat as we sailed back to Key West.  It was such a lovely day!

How was your weekend?  Have you ever visited the Keys?  Where is your favorite natural place?

xoxo,
Ashley

Image Sources: Sailboat   Sea Turtle   Barracuda

Knit Flamingo Free Pattern

My long-time BFF Jessica came to visit this weekend-- and she made me this knit flamingo!  I recently moved to Florida-- so he makes an extra fun addition to my life!  Jessica found the patern on Ravelry.com -- Click here to see the free pattern!  

Jessica is a crafting all star.  She is a pro knitter, sewist, and general crafter!  You can see some of her other projects at her blog Under the Apple Tree.  

Our weekend together was so fun!  We went thrifting on Friday and found lots of great finds-- my greatest was a hand-knit cardigan with a delicate lace-y sticth!  On Saturday, John joined us and we strapped our bikes on the car and headed down to Key West for the night!  (G had a sitter-- he wasn't too happy to miss out on all the fun!)  It was amazing to ride bikes across the island, enjoy great food, and get some top shelf people watching in!

Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

xoxo,
Ashley

Adventures in My New Town

Yesterday I went on my first "adventure" in my new town!  I've had a few adventures since I moved here-- but today was the first time I set out to find some.  I packed my camera and a lunch and set off on my bike for the state park.  I had to cross a LONG bridge!  See the water below the grate?  It was so scary and the cars were driving so fast right next to me.  My tires are pretty skinny so I was a little freaked!  On my way home I broke the rules and rode on the walking bridge!

About a minute after I entered the state park I met a Gopher Tortoise.  I thought there was a rumor going around that tortoises are slow creatures... Not the case!  My friend was  absolutely cruising!  I had no time to get out my camera and was wise to snap a quick shot with my iPhone!  He was on a mission to get where he was going-- even eating grass on the go!

The park was beautiful!  So many plants I've never seen before!  Many of the plants reminded me of plants from the Midwest-- like this one below.  This tree reminded me of "lambs ear" but on a tropical looking tree!  Anyone know what kind of tree this is?

 Even the bees look different!  This fancy bee had a metallic sheen to his upper carriage.  

 

The park is sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal Waterway.  I had never heard of the Intercoastal before moving down here!  According to Wikipedia, "The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile (4,800-km) waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals. It provides a navigable route along its length without many of the hazards of travel on the open sea."

After some biking and some hiking (walking really... but hiking just rolls off the tongue here) I was ready for some lunch!  I found a picnic table under a shady tree next to the Intercoastal.  I watched the boats going up and down the waterway.  A big tour boat went by and I wondered if I give off a tourist vibe or if people think I'm local.  

On my ride home I took some time to enjoy this flowering tree!

Mister G was so excited to see me when I got home!  We played in the yard and I filled him in on my adventure.  I promised to take him to the state park once I get a car down here.  He's going to love it.  I know he will!  

Packing Up My Sewing Machine

Packing for a weekend trip is a big challenge for me. Packing a suitcase with everything I need for a month- and putting everything else into a box is indescribably hard!

As some of you may know, my husband recently started a new business in Florida with his friend and we are relocating there. My sister is 38 weeks pregnant- so I need to have my move in order before her little one makes her grand entrance into the world!

The movers are coming on Wednesday to put our things in storage. The following week is my sister's due date and the next week my husband and pup travel down to Florida. I will stay with my sister and niece for 2 weeks and then fly down to my new home- reuniting with my hubs and Mister G!

Not surprisingly, my craft supplies have been the hardest things to box up. I am sad to put away my sewing machine today. After my sewing things are all packed up, that will leave only 1 knitting project, my felt, embroidery supplies, and jewelry supplies.

I plan to make some jewelry over the next week-mainly because I keep all of my tools and jewels in a vintage tackle box that can be moved on its own without a box.

What kinds of crafts do you make with few small things? I'm excited to see what I can come up with with just a small basket of supplies!!

I also just got the book "The Knitting Sutra" from the library and the first few pages have been fantastic!!! I'm certain I will finish it before part one of the move begins next week!