LOAD512 - Day 8 - Promise

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD512) challenge for Day 8: Scrap someone else's story

I followed the prompt again! I followed the prompt again! (skipping, whistling, happy dance)

This is a page about my parents' wedding day, I emailed my mom to send me details about her wedding day (giving her prompts like: your dress, dad's tux, the minister, the church, the weather, etc.) and I pretty much copied and pasted verbatim everything she emailed back to me.

The journaling card behind the photo collage is double sided and reads:

The Couple – Bonnie June Belcher and Bennie Ray Shellnut were the bride and groom. I was 19 and a half. Bennie was 20 and would be 21 the following month.

The Date – Saturday, January 2, 1965

The Weather – Chilly and snowy

The Place - First Free Will Baptist Church of Hazel Park, Michigan where Bennie and I had attended for several years. He since birth; and I since I was 11.

The Dress and Accessories – I wore a white princess style dress with a lace, boat neck and long sleeves. (I borrowed the dress from Darlene Carpenter, a good friend who was two or three years older and had married just two years before.) I had a gold cross necklace, which I think Bennie gave to me previously, and my engagement ring. I also had a white knit shawl that I wore to and from the car. I carried a dozen red roses, which the florist advised against (he said brides should carry white flowers), in a triangle shape and tied with a white ribbon. I had faux pearl-laden tiara and a blue garter and white satin sparkly, 2-inch heels (the last time I ever wore such high heels. My bunions kept me from wearing heels.

The Tux – Bennie’s tuxedo was a white coat, white shirt, white bow tie, white cummerbund, and black pants with a red rose boutonniere. The tux rental place advised against white for a winter wedding. The groomsmen and my dad wore the same tux but had black bow ties and cummerbunds. Each wore a red boutonnière.

The Minister – We were married by our pastor William (Bill) Hill.

The Wedding Party – Dad’s best man was Jerry Barich; his other groomsman was Finis Barr, our youth pastor; and his brother Freddie, who was 13 or 14, was a junior groomsman. My maid of honor was Mary Carte; my other bride’s maid was Brenda Shellnut, Elmer’s daughter and Bennie’s niece; and my junior bride’s maid was my niece and sister Betty’s daughter, Denise Justice, who was 12 or 13. My sister Mary’s son, David Drake, about 6 or 7, was the ring bearer; and, our youth pastor’s daughter Vicki Barr, who was about 6, was the flower girl. My pastor’s wife, Julia Hill, made her dress to look like mine. The bride’s maids wore mint green sheath, short-sleeved, below-the knee dresses with a removable bell shaped skirt, which I designed and bought two patterns for Wilma Barr, our youth pastor’s wife, to make. They wore long mint green gloves and carried one red rose tied with a red ribbon. They had satin shoes like mine, but they were dyed mint green. I chose the colors for a winter-themed wedding and designed the dresses because they were modern and stylish and did not look like regular bride’s maid, evening gown dresses. Plus, I hope that they could be worn again by the bride’s maids; but, I don’t know if they were.

Did anyone give you advice? We attended pre-marriage counseling with our pastor, so he gave us advice about faith, love, sex, becoming parents, and sacrificing for one another.

What were your thoughts/feelings? I was happy to be marrying the man I loved, and who I knew loved me. And, I looked forward to our honeymoon in Niagara Falls and a life together.

What went through your mind walking down the aisle? I don’t remember exactly. But I had a special semi-circle stair case built, which was covered in white cloth, so we could walk up the stairs and stand facing each other during the ceremony. The attendants stood on each level of the steps. I had the kneeling alter covered in a white cushion. I was looking at the beauty of the altar and at Bennie waiting for me there. I was excited and happy. (I didn’t allow the photographer to take pictures of us walking toward to altar, And required him to take pictures from the balcony with a zoom lens because I did not like having photographers take pictures during wedding ceremonies.)

The Ceremony – We (probably I) revised the traditional vows and added our own verbiage, much of which we memorized. I was probably thinking about the words and hoping I wouldn’t forget any of them. As it turns out, I forgot a phrase during a long section. But, Bennie, the perfectionist, did not forget any of the vows. I still have the book with our rewritten vows in them. A good friend, Hansel MacDonald recorded the ceremony on tape (no camcorders in 1965) and gave it to us. I thought I gave it to Shawn and Scott in the early 1993, when we moved; but they don’t recall getting it.

The Transportation – The car was a brand new 1965 Maroon Impala with black interior. Bennie bought it in November or early December with his mother as cosigner. We traded it in in 68 for a new gold Oldsmobile...one of our bad moves. I really liked that car...but I always let Bennie make the decisions about cars.

The Honeymoon – We drove through Canada to Niagara Falls the next day, where it was a beautiful winter wonderland. We didn’t have boots, so our feet got wet and cold when we walked by the falls because the mist was always blowing, much like rain. We both ended up with colds. We were there three days and nights.
 

Some observations about the process and products:

1. The flower in the upper right corner of the photo collage isn't there because of any design reasons, but rather to cover up a no parking sign in the photo that I didn't like.
2. My mom scanned and emailed me these photos.  I knew I wanted the one of them waving, and then she picked out and sent over the other two.  Totally love.
3. I'm beyond thrilled I have all of these details of my parents wedding recorded.

LOAD212 - Day 15 - It Is Well With My Soul

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day challenge for Day 15 was - Songs of Days Gone By.
Here is my first version (actually, it's the second version, the first version didn't have a photo taken for it).

And while I know that done is better than perfect, I just wasn't satisfied with the first two versions. So, here is the final version, which I like much better.

Journaling Reads:
January 17, 2012 marked the one year anniversary of Dad’s death. My dear friend, Amy, sent this lovely Thomas Kinkade book to Mom because she knows how much this song meant to Dad and how much it means to us as a family. Dad loved this hymn and sang it often. Even when he couldn’t remember much else, he could remember the lyrics and sang along with Shawn as she held his hand. We sang this at his funeral. We sang this at his graveside. When I want to feel close to Dad, I think of this song. I sing it in the shower and cry. I sing it to the boys as I’m tucking them into bed. On February 12, 2012 we gathered at Mom’s house to celebrate Dad’s birthday; our second without him. Mom loved this book so much, that she purchased one for me, one for Shawn, and one for Jeremy. Inside the front cover she wrote, “Heather, Remember why Dad could sing confidently: ‘It is well with my soul.’ ” She also included photos of each of us with Dad inside the book and she wrote a letter that listed reasons why Dad could say:

It Is Well With My Soul

He loved God purely. He loved me completely. He loved each of you unconditionally. He said, “I love you” every day and treated me better than he treated himself. He played with each of you, hugged you, and happily went to your events. He built a house and furniture for each of us: concrete expressions of his love. He asked forgiveness when he wronged one of us. He forgave others even if they did not ask forgiveness. He forgot past wrongs. He helped those who asked for help. He helped others without being asked. He didn’t expect anything, but liked hearing, “thank you.” He loved his mom dearly. He loved his brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, cousins, and in-laws totally. He was the glue that held the family together. He was our sweet husband, dad, and Poppa. Let’s remember why he could say, “It is well with my soul.”

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. The patterned paper background in the first layout was just too busy for me. I also didn't like the way my photo/journaling block was off center.


2. I listened to my Pandora station called, what else, It Is Well With My Soul. Hymns and more hymns.


3. I love love love the note my mom put together about my dad and why he loved this song and could confidently claim, "It is well with my soul." I think that's primarily why, even with all of the sadness I've had about losing him, I've largely been at peace, never angry nor upset. Sad, yes, but at peace knowing that it was well with his soul.

Bonnie love

I would have posted this layout last night, but I've been having issues with my external hard drive (where ALL of my pictures and videos are stored, and are NOT backed up any where else....I should probably look into backing them up, eh?) But I finally got it to work and was able to get this uploaded.

Anyway, last Thursday we were heading home from Jordyn's Spring choir concert when my dad asked her if she knew that when he was in 8th grade, he had a solo in his Spring concert. He then proceeded to sing us the song. "I'll go home with Bonny Jean". He still knew every word! No doubt because he had sung it to my mom, BonnIE JUNE, several times over the years.

At that moment, I thought - "I have GOT to get this on video!"

So, on Mother's Day, I asked my dad to sing the song to my mom as I recorded it. He acted a bit shy and hesitant, but I think he was flattered that I asked him to do it...even if it meant we had to mute the Tigers game on the tv.

Then I created a scrapbook page about it:

Bonnie love:

Behind the photo of my mom and dad is a CD on which the .mpg file of him singing this can be found. So, future generations will be able to watch my dad sing this song to my mom. That is, IF this media is still available and there are still machines around that will play it! Imagine if you stumbled upon a beta tape from your parents - how would you play it today? But, I guess my grandkids' grandkids will have to figure that out themselves. I've preserved the memory the best way I know how.

Some observations on the process and the products used:

1. Label shaped paper purchased at the Mega Meet (woo hoo! I'm using the things I bought!!) is from My Mind's Eye.


2. Heidi Swapp ghost sticker "love" (also purchased at Mega Meet)


3. I used white rub on letters for the word "Bonnie" (left over from the Lisa Bearnson All About Me kit - the kit that keeps going and going and going and going!)


4. Heidi Swapp date stamp (I've always wanted one of these, and LOOK! I've already used it twice now. Quite a bargain for $2.99 - also from the Mega Meet)


5. I really like the Kraft colored cardstock. Must get some more of this.


6. I am enormously blessed to have two parents that are still so much in love.

And you can watch him sing it here if you so choose. It's saccharine sweet.

ps - If at any time during this video you hear some off-key humming, that's my mom, who God love her, can not carry a tune to save her life!! Love you mom!!