crazy love; it's a beautiful view

My mom has always told me that life becomes more and more profound with age. If that's the case, then lately I've been feeling not a day under 85...seriously.

 

This past weekend I was honored to be a part of another very close friend's wedding (in reference to the one I posted about back in July). It was an absolutely incredible weekend filled with overwhelming love and happiness...and my slightly obnoxious neverending tears of joy. This is what I mean when I say that lately I've fallen victim to the profundity of lfie. I've turned into my sentimental mother, only 30 years earlier than I'd expected. Don't get me wrong though, I have no shame about it. I simply feel so very grateful for all of the beautiful people who have entered my life and this past weekend was another reminder of that.

 

Now I bet you know where I'm going with this. Yep, another homemade wedding gift. Sorry, Chris, if you were hoping for that 11-piece Wüsthof knife set :-/

The above picture was captured during their engagement photo shoot done by Jennifer Eileen Photography. It is probably my favorite and definitely the best one for the look I was going for.

 

The below window pane was found at Urban Ore.

 I emailed the photographer who was nice enough to send me the high resolution file of the photo. I then sent it to Kinkos with the dimensions of the window pane and $30 and 24 hours later had the enlarged print in my hands. Very easy.

 

I don't know about you, but I think that looking out the window to all this crazy love is one view that would never get old (it's a song that never gets old either).

 

Keeping with the look of the photo, I wanted to paint the window pane a complimenting color but hold onto the rustic, aged look. To create that, I painted two coats over the original white color and then used sand paper to uncover the layers underneath.

Simple and sturdy hanging material found at any hardware store. I used a staple gun to adhere the photo to the back of the window pane.

Now if you'd like to read about one incredible young women and the love she has found in one incredible young man, feel free to continue reading. 

 

Tashy and Chris, so honored to have been a part of your day!

 

A Toast to Mr. and Mrs. Nordman

Hello everyone and as they say in Serbian, sdravo!

I want to start by saying I spent about 10 easy seconds translating the first sentence of this speech on Freetranslation.com  but sadly came to the realization after spending the subsequent 10 minutes trying to pronounce it all that there was absolutely no way it was happening in Serbian. So I’m sorry to those of you very important people whom I’m leaving out…if the neighbor of those people could so kindly tell them I say so I’d appreciate that.

Okay, now for the introduction, my name is Erin (or Sully by some) and while most of you may think you are here because of Natasa and Chris I will have you know that you are quite mistaken…you are actually here because of me (and Matt)..Matt please raise your hand. Yes that’s right, behind this incredible couple are two pretty incredible matchmakers. So if you’re having a great time, if you like to party and dance, if you like to eat delicious food and drink endless wine and schliva and be surrounded by this wonderful group of people, you can thank us later…we’ll be around.

Okay, now that the light hearted humor is out of the way, it’s on to more important things. As I said, my name is Erin and I am so very grateful to say that I have called Natasa a close friend for going on almost 9 years now and a best friend for a majority of those. While we don’t have the quantity of years on our side as a sister or childhood friend might, our friendship has been nothing short of quality and I now can’t believe I made it through the first 18 years of my life without her. Let’s just say we’ve been known to have slight anxiety attacks over not talking daily. But this speech isn’t about my relationship with Natasa- it is about Natasa and her relationship with Chris.

So in regard to the first topic, Natasa, I decided it would be a good idea to reflect not only who she has been to me, but who she has been to everyone in this room and beyond. She’s been a daughter, she’s been a sister, she’s been a granddaughter, a niece, a cousin. She’s been a childhood friend, and simply a friend. She’s been a son’s, brother’s, and best friend’s girlfriend. She’s been a soulmate and now she is a wife. And as I looked at this list of roles Natasa has played, I realized two things. The first thing I realized is that the word “incredible” belongs in front of each one of these nouns. She has been an incredible daughter, an incredible sister, an incredible friend and girlfriend…and the list goes on. The second thing I realized is that her ability to play each of these roles with such greatness really has nothing to do with the role in and of itself but everything to do with the person she is.

About a year and a half ago Natasa read me a letter that she was given by the grandmother of two young clients she worked very closely with. While she read me the letter over the phone, my eyes soon began to well with tears as I listened to the words of an almost stranger twice her age describe so accurately how I too felt about this incredible young women. It was at this moment that I realized that be it a best friend or a girlfriend, a client or a complete stranger, Natasa’s sincere and beautiful character never ever wavers and that is a quality you don’t find every day.

So I’m going to read bits and pieces of the letter- I’m sorry Tash, when I told you I was dropping off dry cleaning and asked you to leave your key in the key hole I was really shuffling through your drawers trying to find this damn letter…and shit girl, you’ve got some sorting to do. But jokes aside, as I read, I’d like each of you to reflect on who Natasa has been to you. And please excuse me if I get choked up.

“I read somewhere that love is like a field of daisies, it is almost never ending. That is how I will feel about you. God has a special place for those who care about people and learn to love them and seek to find that special part of them that is unique. You have cared enough to be concerned about what I think; someone to call upon during bad times and good. You have helped me understand the truth about things and have helped me to not be afraid of the answers. You know what I have been going through and have supported me through it all. You have seen me through good times and bad and have cheered me up when things do not go well. You are an amazing young women and I am rejoicing that we have had you in our lives. God bless you and may life be as beautiful as all the beauty you bring to other people’s lives.”

Pretty damn accurate, right?                                                                    

But what I love even more than the truth in every word, is the women behind every word for recognizing the true beauty in my best friend. Chris, this is exactly the reason why I couldn’t be happier that Natasa found you. Because despite the fact that you started off on shaky ground by hating on my lemon cucumber vinaigrette dressing during our first game night (and no, I haven’t forgotten) you have recognized and loved the most uniquely beautiful characteristics that make Natasa Natasa.

When asked for a bachelorette game to name his favorite thing about Natasa he didn’t answer with the obvious “her firm and perky fanny, her smokin’ hot legs, or freak nasty dance moves” but instead said “The thing I love most about Natasa is her warmth and compassion for other people. The way she lights up a room and makes everyone feel better about themselves and the way she makes me feel like I am the funniest person in the world”. Wait Chris…now that I think about it, did you use Barbara’s letter too? No but seriously, there is a theme here…

Chris, you are one lucky man to be marrying one incredibly beautiful woman, inside and out, and Natasa, you are one lucky woman to be marrying such an incredible man who even when your fanny ain’t lookin so perky anymore and your freak nasty dance moves are just a thing of the past, will still love you most for your internal and unwavering beauty.

I am so happy for you both and look forward to watching your lives unfold together. Please raise your glasses to Chris and Natasa! Ziveli!