Family Reunion: celebrating 100 years of the family farm!

Meet some of my family! Can you find me?

My dad flew in from Texas last Friday to attend a very special family reunion in Massachusetts as well as my grandparents that drove up all the way from Mississippi! There were more where that came from! My grandma's siblings all came up from their respective locations (from Pennsylvania to New York) to join the reunion too.

I would say, years of preparations went into this reunion by my great aunt and great uncle. My great uncle is the sibling of my great grandpa (my grandma's dad) and married a woman who inherited an amazing farm in Massachusetts. This family farm has been in the Plaza name for 100 years - and my great uncle Hayes has been managing it since the 70s.

Anyway, it was truly amazing to have so many people - more than 250 to be exact - gather in one special place. What's even more amazing is that we are all family and connected in one way or another. It was such a monumental event, the local paper even came to visit (that's where the family group photo came from!). (Here's the story!)

I had such a fantastic time meeting people and seeing familiar faces too! I was so honored to be a part of a awesome family!

Here are some small glimpses of the reunion through my eyes...

The family cows!

My grandparents and I!

The answer to where I am. :)

 

Will you be my bridesmaid?

I knew I wanted to do something special to ask my friends to be my bridesmaids. I'm not an ultra crafty person, but I do enjoy putting extra imagination to an idea, so I decided to print out some pictures I have with each of my closest friends and frame them. After I did that, I went to the Container Store to purchase some blank white boxes. I wrote "I can't say 'I do' without you" on each one in the three colors of my wedding: green, navy and purple.

Then, I typed out a poem that was unique to each friend. The poems all concluded with the question: "Will you be my bridesmaid?" I packaged the frame, poem and special instructional letter inside the white box with the writing outside. Once I got everything together, I tied blue and green ribbon on the outside. I finished it with a special handwritten note.

The final product!

The Wedding Salon

Last week, my friend Carmen and I was invited to a wedding showcase in Manhattan.  I tend to jump at the chance to attend showcases that are complementary.  They are fun and it's a chance to get ideas.  There might be something I haven't thought of before.  It's tough to be planning a wedding from out of state - not completely impossible, but I'm really unable to meet with vendors, etc.

Most of the people at this showcase arranged by the "Wedding Salon," are local to NYC.  It doesn't stop me from taking advantage of their representatives and to take in all the awesome decorations!

Unfortunately, they didn't really have any "rustic" ideas.  Everything was mostly modern and sleek.  That didn't stop Carmen and I for sampling the photobooth vendors!

Magnolia Photo Booth Co.

NYC Photobooth

Photo booths are so much fun!  I've been borderline with including a photo booth for my wedding....hmm....

Guest Post: Is alcohol use an area of concern in your marriage?

Hi everyone: I received an interesting request from a graduate student from Clark University about the relationship between alcohol use and marriage.  I thought it would be worth passing along.  Please see her post below.

My name is CJ Fleming and I am a graduate student studying the relationship between marriage and help seeking for alcohol-related issues. Recent studies have shown that rates of problematic alcohol use are increasing rapidly in returning veterans, but that less than .5% of veterans who identify as having problems with alcohol actually get any help for these issues. Broadly, I am interested in better understanding the role of a spouse in a person’s decision to seek help - how do a spouse’s own drinking behaviors and attitudes towards drinking affect a drinker’s decision to make changes? Better understanding the role of the family in decisions to seek help can help us make connections between available services and the people who need them.

If alcohol use is an issue in your marriage, please click below to participate in a research survey. The survey is anonymous and entirely online. The survey has a section for both spouses, but it is also ok for only the heavier drinker (assuming one of you drinks more than the other) to take the survey. Those who complete the survey will be entered to win a raffle. https://surveys.clarku.edu/AlcoholUseSurveyStart.aspx

CJ Fleming, M.A. is a graduate student at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. Her research focuses on couples issues and help-seeking for both individual and couples' concerns.