Reliving Days

I got the call yesterday that my wedding bouquet had finished preserving and to come in and pick out the frame I'd like it displayed in. Mom found Ever After, a Birmingham-based preservation business by calling around the country. Who knew they were in our own backyard? Part of me wishes we'd gotten the moms flowers in-- they do these super cute little Christmas ornaments that would've been a great way to save a tiny piece of the wedding without it overwhelming your home. I also loved seeing all the other bridal bouquets-- so fun!

It's hard picking out a frame that will eventually hang in a house that I have no idea what it will look like or really what our style is. Did that even make sense? You get what I mean. I had fun talking with the lady though and hearing her tips and advice. It'll be fun to have it as a very real reminder of the big day. What amazed me the most is how light it is now. Water is heavy!

I was a little apprehensive going to the store. After all, the day I met Mom there to drop off the flowers was the day Dad died. On the way over, I had to calm myself down several times (thank God it wasn't a Tuesday!) and assure myself that if I cried the lady would probably just assume I was some girl having wedding withdrawals.

I'm continually amazed at how much I miss Dad, how much I'm reminded of him, and how interconnected the daily ongoings of my life are. Who would've thought that the mind would sync everything from "that day"--the time, day of the week, dress I was wearing, place we had lunch--with Dad's death and, moreover, Dad himself. Sorry, Homewood Gourmet! And yes, there's a good chance that dress will go out with the other items I'm purging from the apartment. I went to the hospital in that dress, wore it to the funeral home as we prepared the services, and pulled it close as we walked the available plots at the cemetery.

It's no surprise to me--I'm materialistic. Not simply in a shallow way, but in a way that I assign strong emotional reactions to the clothes I'm wearing. Shoes? No biggie, but I can tell you what I wore on my first date (ever) and which dress I chose for almost every birthday and big event in the past several years. It's no wonder my closet at home is filled with old bridesmaids dresses and prom get ups!

The flip side of that is that I also assign positive emotions with things, like my bouquet. So while it may be daunting for a few years as we move around ("Where do we put this?"), I know that I'll love it when I'm settled in a house and remembering how it was once stuffed with mini marshmallows to bait the kiddos.

When I get it, I'll post pictures. Should be about three weeks!