Megan and Christophe met as teenagers – at 15, in fact. Like Romeo and Juliet, they fell for one other fast and hard. Even now, Christophe can still remember how sad and lonely he felt the next day when Megan, whom he had known less than 24 hours, left for France. But unlike those star-crossed lovers, this couple didn’t rush into anything. They waited, grew up together, and let their love mature through high school and college.

There’s another, very significant, difference between that infamous love story and this real life romance. Rather than two families that waged wars against one another, Megan and Christophe’s family seem, in the words of Christophe’s mother, “destined to be together.” If the glimpse I got of the two families at this engagement party is any indication of the truth of that statement, well, then I couldn’t agree more. Most toasts are awkward, dutiful, emotional words directed towards the couple… a few are touching and well-said and funny all at once. But this time of toasting was the best I’ve ever witnessed. It began with lovely words from Megan’s dad, with all the afore-mentioned elements. And from there, began an open season of celebration and merriment. Gracious words were spoken by many about many, and happiness and laughter reigned (by the way, sorry to those near me for that barking sound… that’s the way I laugh when I’m trying to be unobtrusive and didn’t expect to laugh). It was so heart-warming to see these families rejoice together over their children’s upcoming marriage and even though I was there to “work”, I truly had a wonderful time.

My parents met in Junior High, so I’ve always believed in young love making it through. Megan and Christophe, you’re a beautiful and gracious couple. We are honored to be there for your wedding… it’s been a long time coming :-)

That was one of the first things we tackled last June. (well, I say “we”, but it was really Becky.)   Becky has just taken the blog over, and made sure that we post at least 4 times a week.  She wrote a schedule of what we were going to post, who was going to post it, and we were suddenly posting on our blog very regularly. Now, at our weekly meetings, we discuss the blog schedule for next week, and make sure we know what’s happening, so we can prepare. Becky’s a genius.

Of course, this is also where I have to confess something else.  Even though we have our blog schedule, there are still waaaay to many times where I email Becky and whine about not having anything to post, because I didn’t get pictures of something or another. [Believe me, they are really lame excuses!]  She’s always very gracious and says “oh, I have this post I was saving for something – I can put it up today.”  How could I not love her?

Anyway, I just thought it was time for everyone to know who’s really responsible for the interesting, funny, cool posts you see here every week.  If you think about it, you could even leave her a comment about how much you enjoy reading the blog. :)

-Susie

Emily and Carlton have lived within 10 minutes of each other for years, but didn’t know the other existed. It took the internet to get them to meet, and one reason Emily knew she wanted to go out with Carlton because he had such a cool name. :)

We had a long list of significant places we wanted to stop by, so we had to edit a bit, but we still managed to make it to several of the significant spots in Annapolis. First stop was Luna Blu, where Emily and Carlton had their first date… and where Emily *knew* within minutes that she could stop dating and start a life-long relationship. The next stop was the Charthouse Restaurant, where they had their 2nd date, and Carlton now works. We couldn’t do the session without hitting Davis’ Pub, where Carlton also works, so that was our 3rd stop. Both of the restaurants we went to, Emily & Carlton were warmly greeted by many friends and co-workers. And finally, we finished up by the wharf in Annapolis, which is so lovely at sunset!

Emily and Carlton, we had a great afternoon with you and can’t wait for the wedding this November! :-)

CONS:

1. They bloom for a week at most.  Ok, *maybe* two if the temperature is just right.

2. Each stem holds several buds, each of which bloom at different times.  So, when cutting,  you either waste 3-4 precious blooms, or you get impossibly short stems.

3. They are delicate in the heat.  Last May’s temperature scorched them after only three days or so.

4. They are delicate in the rain.  Petals fall.

5. They are too heavy for their stems.  You wait and wait and wait and wait for these buds to open, then on the glorious morning when they finally do open… their weight causes them to drag down into the mud.

6. My peonies openly mock me.  A florist friend needed peonies for an important project last weekend.  Her wholesaler wanted $56 for 10 stems.  Read again: $56 for 10 stems… THAT’S WHOLESALE.  I promised she could use mine.  The project was Saturday.  Mine bloomed Sunday.

7.  I hate being mocked.

Yet… year after year, I do not dig up my peonies.  Why?

PROS:

– Becky :-)

Venue: The Mill at Fine Creek
Videograper: Ginger Topham
DJ: Hunter Omohundro
Caterer: The Mill at Fine Creek

-Susie