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simplyclary · 3 years

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Ewan McGregor: My Serotonin Booster

[P.S: Upon the time of writing, I have yet to watch most of his films including The Island, Beginners, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Trainspotting along with some of his series/documentaries including Fargo, Long Way Round and Long Way Up]

I have known many celebrities who has given me happiness these past few years, but it was during quarantine when I needed someone the most. Don’t get me wrong though, many of the people whom I discovered during the start of quarantine still provides me happiness until now, the only difference being that there is a specific someone who really provides me the dose of serotonin that I really hunt and yearn for, that specific someone being Scottish actor Ewan McGregor.

Before I get to the cheesy part (I guess), let me narrate the timeline on how I found my happiness in him.

I first saw him as the debonair bronze candelabra Lumiere who sang the iconic song “Be Our Guest” in 2017’s live-action Beauty and the Beast. I instantly found Lumiere charming and cute in that film and him being head over heels in love for Plumette (played by the gorgeous Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is so cute and adorable, not gonna lie. Also, a moving candelabra singing and dancing in the middle of your dinner table is such a cute visualization, don’t you think?

A year later, Ewan then brought me back to childhood nostalgia through the lens of Christopher Robin, where he played the titular character. Seeing that film for the first time and watching him interact with Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and the other characters in the Hundred-Acre Wood has awakened the child in me. I honestly melt everytime I hear Pooh’s voice (voiced by Jim Cummings) since that voice was what made Pooh one of the cutest bears in the world of cartoons. Also if you observe in the film, there was a scene where he (Christopher) twirled his umbrella like a lightsaber when trying to "kill" a “Heffalump”. That scene kinda made me giggle and also made me think if it was just Ewan’s muscle memory or not.

Fast forward 3 years later to the current year of 2021, I have made a galactic discovery through Star Wars (yes, I know, I’m so late to the rave but hey, better late than never, right?) and through this galactic discovery, I met the sassiest, kindest, strongest and iconic Jedi warrior Obi-Wan Kenobi. I honestly applaud both Ewan and Sir Alec Guinness for their portrayals of the live-action versions of Obi-Wan as well as James Arnold Taylor and Stephen Stanton who voiced Obi-Wan in the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels.

Now, believe me when I say that I fell in love with the animated Obi-Wan first because of The Clone Wars. Falling in love with the animated version then made me fall for the live-action version which Ewan portrayed flawlessly. It was really obvious in Ewan’s performance as Obi-Wan how much he paid homage to the Obi-Wan of Sir Alec Guinness and I really admired that. Plus, the iconic (and meme-worthy) lines are utterly unforgettable and it made me so happy to hear that he’s coming back as Obi-Wan in his own series on 2022. It was honestly through the character of Obi-Wan where I really started to love Ewan and because of this, I started to dig and binge some of his past and recent work.

Now armed with the yearning to look for and watch more of his movies, I scoured the internet and I found Birds of Prey among the list of his movies. First of all, I was utterly surprised when I found out he was involved in an all-female movie, but I was even more surprised when I found out that he was playing Roman Sionis, a.k.a Black Mask, who is the main villain in the movie. Truth be told, I have a history of loving villainous characters and he was no different. I honestly found him convincing as a villain, egotistical at best and was kind of saddened when he *spoiler alert* died at the end. I was hoping he would come back in a somewhat miraculous way, but I could accept if that’s how his story ends.

After watching Birds of Prey and witnessing him play a villain, I delved into the world of fashion design through the lens of Halston which is a Netflix series about Roy Halston, a famous fashion designer back in the 70s. Ewan played Halston flawlessly, and while some scenes made me cover my eyes because of explicit content, I still enjoyed the show overall not only because of Ewan but because I got to understand what Halston was really like behind the curtain, if you’d like.

Now, I am not the biggest horror movie fan but I faced my fear when I met Doctor Sleep himself, Danny Torrance. Considering that this is the sequel to “The Shining” which is deemed the scariest horror film ever made, I braced myself for it to be horrifying and I would be jumping out of my skin while watching it, and I did in several scenes. I applaud Ewan for playing the grown-up version of Danny and making me understand his story through this film.

After that horror experience, I decided to watch something that speaks to my heart and that is a movie with music, and Moulin Rouge was the perfect one. Now, this movie is highly recommended for every Ewan McGregor fan, because he showcases both his acting chops and his powerful vocals in this movie. I instantly fell in love with the penniless writer Christian, his sweet smile, kind spirit and utter obsession with the idea of love. Also, those songs he sang with Satine (played by the angelic soul that is Nicole Kidman) are automatic auditions to my playlist. Also, that drama at the end when Satine died and Christian was grieving, it made me tear up indeed.

After drama comes more drama, I went into a real-life story and that is The Impossible where he played Henry who is the husband to Maria (played by Naomi Watts) and father to 3 kids, one of them being my favorite Spiderman Tom Holland. Believe me when I say that the movie pulled at my heartstrings, especially after the tsunami hit and the family got separated as well as the scene where Henry (Ewan) was at this one camp and he was speaking on the phone while crying. I really felt the “dad” emotions there, knowing that he is a dad in real-life. This movie, even though you are a fan of Ewan and Tom, is not for the faint of heart.

The latest addition to my list is the knight-in-shining armor that is Elmont from Jack the Giant Slayer. He is a feisty one, let me tell you that. He does not give up easily and boy, does he look hot with that crossbow. Anyways, him as Elmont was a fantastic casting, showcasing the selfless persona of a knight who was willing to protect his kingdom above all else. The mini swordfights in between serve as bonuses.

Please do know that I will be watching more of his work as the days progress, but while writing this, this is all that I have seen.

Finally, I’m done with that lengthy timeline narration and now, onto the chessy-ish part, because it depends on perception if you are willing to think of my love for him as obsession or just dedication.

For the most part, I can’t really describe how happy he makes me. It’s as simple as me hearing him talk in interviews with that lovely Scottish accent of his, hearing him sing covers of songs and seeing his pictures on Pinterest (I have about a hundred of him on a board on the app, along with a few Star Wars characters) and the internet in general or it’s as bizarre as me smiling when I see a photo of him with a silver hoop piercing on his left ear or as scenic (I don’t even know if that’s the right word) as when I see a clip/GIF of him running his hand through his hair. I don’t really know and therefore can’t describe what is this feeling I feel when I see him.

Recently, I’ve been binge-watching his interviews on Graham Norton, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and other outlets and I can’t help but smile amidst him repeating stories and saying the same spiels and all, there’s just something about his presence that makes me feel happy. I’ve also been listening to his covers of songs and him playing the guitar and I melt. I mean, even with his mundane fashion sense, his charisma just stands out for me. Also, his point of views on career and why he chooses the projects that he does is inspirational. I just love, adore and admire him, amidst all the controversy (which I’m not gonna go deep into because that’s all in the past) that happened.

At the end of the day, all I can takeaway from all of these, is that Ewan really makes me happy. With his expressive blue eyes, charming smile, melodic voice, and sweet personality, he can easily lift up my spirits as high as the galaxies can reach. If only I could tell him all of these, but I would just faint and stutter if I were to see him face-to-face. But seriously, given the chance to speak with him, I would tell him how much he means to me and how much brighter the world is because of him.

I’ll just end this lengthy narration with a line from “Your Song”, which is originally sang by Elton John and Ewan sang it beautifully in Moulin Rouge and is now one of my favorite songs.

“How wonderful life is, now you’re in the world”

#ewan mcgregor #obi wan kenobi #star wars

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natromanxoff · 3 years

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I wasn’t sure about posting this at first but as it is already shared publicly and I have come across with it on Pinterest, I decided that it would be okay. So here is a story of a fan about Jim Hutton:

“ON 23rd of March, there was a Queen Tribute band concert in Goresbridge and my boyfriend told me that Jim would come as well. He admitted that he had arranged with Stephen for Jim to come along. The concert was in the pub called The Spirit Store. What a great name for spiritual meeting, I thought. When I entered, Jim sat at the table with Stephen, Jascqueline, her sister Valeria and other family friends. There was nowhere to sit, so we just stood by the table for a while. When I looked at Jim, he appeared somewhat fragile and tiny, like a man who could easily be overlooked. He didn´t look anything like those photos portraying him in the books.

After a while, there was a free seat by the table and everyone, including Jim, moved in order for us to sit down. It was just one place and my friend Mike wanted to take it. He got up fast but they all stopped him. Jim measured Mike up and down and told him, "Perhaps you should let the lady sit here, you cavalier!" Embarassed, Mike got up from his chair and offered it to me. I got the honorable place alongside Jim. Being a woman sometimes has its advantages! Jim welcomed me with heartfelt "Hi". At first I was nervous, but after a while I felt relaxed and enjoyed Jim's company. I was aware of his behavior, gestures, laughter, and tried to absorb his energy all at once. It was easy to talk to him about anything and everything.

I wanted to know the man Freddie loved so much, so I guess I started giving him many questions.

"Jim, are you still in touch with Phoebe?" Jim looked at me closely and began to talk to me with interest. "I haven´t really been talking to him for a long time. I know he had a hotel in Dubai, then he sold it, and he's in Prague now. He also bought something overthere and I think he's going to settle down there." When I heard about Prague, I jumped up excitedly and told him that I was from there. He smiled a little, though the coincidence like this didn´t overwhelm him as much as me.

He relished glass of Budwaiser and smoked Ultra light Silk Cuts. He offered me one and lit it up for me like a real gentleman. It seemed he wanted to continue talking. We both made fun of the ultralight effect of his cigarettes, which would probably piss off every orthodox smoker, Freddie for sure! He then demonstrated jokingly, how to properly smoke them. He inhaled all the smoke by sucking in his cheeks and widening his eyes, as if he should soon burst like an inflated toad. None of us resisted and we both burst into a mad laughter. I told him about my visit to Munich and meeting Barbara. He smiled and listened, then he rolled his eyes up to heaven and stated that she is one hell of a crazy woman. I totally agreed, and added, that also alcoholic one. It was surreal to talk about mutual aquaintances together, people we both knew. I also mentioned my visit to New York club and I could see how he returns nostalgically into his memories. Then I also tried to make him remember my friend Allison, who told me about him in the first place.

"About nine years ago she visited you in London". He couldn´t remember and admitted, that since then a lot of people have passed through his life and many of them he never saw again.

I continued. "She showed me several of your photos and in one of them you were holding Freddie's portrait that you bought at the auction". Suddenly he jumped up and said he knew whom I mean.

I showed him my miniature box containing a stone and talked about it with almost patriotic pride. "It's a stone from Logan Mews that I had to dig out from under the threshold of his house, because there was nothing else to take." Jim laughed out loud, this time without any hindrance and doubt that I was totally crazy. I also laughed because I knew I sound like nuts. He remarked with smile from ear to ear that I was pretty crazy. "Yeah, I'm crazy, and I'm proud to be. Who isn´t...and by the way.....why not?" I smiled at what I just said, because that´s what Freddie would say, to defend himself. Jim then talked about the medallion that Freddie had given him for his birthday. He said, there were three miniature pictures inside. "The first is that of Miko ", he said gently, looking up at me to make sure I knew who he was talking about. "In the other one is Freddie" ... he continued with kind of fervor and love. Something deep inside me shivered. "In the third one," ... he didn´t answer yet, when I jumped into his monologue ...."Tiffany," I blurted out.

"My mom's photo," he finished his sentence. (and I prayed he didn´t register my answer).

It was nice to hear him remembering like that. He opened up in front of me the way I never dreamt of. I think it was nice for him to share these beautiful moments and to talk about things that meant so much to him. "This rock is my good luck charm. I have been listening to Queen since I´m twelve and I also work in the Fan Club's office. We celebrate his anniversary every year. When I went here, I was kidding with my friends that I might meet Jim Hutton in Ireland... and here you are, sitting right next to me. That´s my dream come true", I said all emotional.

"How do you know Stephen?", he inquired after while.

"I go out with Vinnie and they are good friends" He eyed my boyfriend and indicated that he knew who he was.

"I was annoying the two of them and was constantly asking them to bring you", I smiled.

"Oh, Jacqueline wanted me to come, alright" Jim smiled at the thought. Then he talked about the music talent competition, in which they were selecting the best imitators of Queen.

"What music are you actually listening to?" I wondered.

"I have no favorite, I'm listening to almost everything. Even a radio".

"And do you still have Zig and Zag?"

He only sighed and said in a sad voice that they had both died since then.

"And do you have any other cats?"

"Yeah, I have seven others now," Jim smiled. This number didn´t surprise me. The old habits are hard to kill.

"Do you still keep up the gardening, Jim?"

"Constantly," he said with a loving smile and amusedly showed me his hands dirty from the clay and covered in sores. For God's sake, he must have been gardening a few minutes before going to a concert!, I thought to myself. A complete garden maniac.....

We were joking on the account of the band that was supposed to start playing long time ago, but somehow did not. He told me it would be nice to get drunk, so we didn´t know how terrible they were. That really made me crack up. He could be so funny.

He joked and emphasized to everyone around the table, that instead of a concert he could have been at home watching his favorite movie. In the same breath, he admitted that he was curious about their performance and that he hadn´t been out in ages.

He leaned over to me and confessed, that now he lived a life completely cut off from the rest of the world.

"We are basically the same, I am basically like him. Now I just enjoy loneliness and privacy. I don´t go out anywhere except my garden". I immediately knew whom he was referring to in his speech.

I said that I had discovered his house in Palatine and apologized when I saw his slightly concerned look. I said I was just little curious.

He then recalled a few of his encounters with the fans. One day there was an unknown car with a couple of strangers that arrived to his house. They came all way from Vienna and they found him by questioning people in a town! Not a hard thing to trace him, he said, as every cab driver in the area knows him pretty well. One local newspaper even published a photo of his house, and although they gave a wrong address, a lot of people had found him.

That made me laugh, because I knew what it means to be a devoted fan.

"On the other hand, it's nice to know that someone is constantly looking after you and giving you the feeling that all this is still alive," I added with a smile.

"Jim, do you still have your Volvo?"

"You mean the one that Freddie gave me?.....No, I don´t have it few years now, I´ve swapped it for a new one," he smiled.

He was all too gallant all the time, always lighting my cigarette.

He also wondered how long I would stay in Ireland, so I said that only another half a year.

"And you wanna come back here?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh, I'd love to. I'm trying to find a job either in Carlow or Kilkenny," I said enthusiastically.

Then I fell silent, looked at him and assured him "Definitely."

Each time he looked up into my eyes, I saw an incredibly nice person in front of me. Something in his silent expression suggested that he had suffered great deal of pain in life, but that he was now completely reconciled with his fate. Still, in his eyes shone a spark of unrelenting humor. In his company I forgot all about the world. I was happy to be able to make such an affluent and warm contact with him. The longer we knew each other, the closer we were.

When he wanted to go to the toilet, Stephen told him that the men's toilets were behind the bar and the ladies in front of the bar. It sounded like he wasn´t quite sure which one would Jim prefer.

But Jim didn´t care much and set off to the men's. I admit it made me laugh a little.

Then we continued our dialogue. I mentioned that I read both his and Phoebe's book, but that I couldn´t find his book anywhere in the stores. He confirmed that it´s out of print at the minute.

When I told him that I had stolen his book at the local library, he laughed and said that I should have asked him and he would have given me a copy, but he only had Italian version.

Finally, the band started to play. Everyone in the pub stood up and whole lot of us - as we were tucked in at the back, climbed onto the window ledges. I stood next to Jim, who remained seated.

He looked a little bit run over. I knew he was surrounded by the loneliness and I watched him with sadness. I lacked much power or words to comfort him. It was only after some wonderful songs that we both joined and got up. He could not remain sad in such a loving and friendly company for ever.

When he noticed the enormous, life-vibrant energy that only Queen music could produce in conjunction with a crowd of people singing, I think he forgot his personal pain. I could see pride in his face. He stood up and watched the band. Then he addressed me and made me come up onto the ledge above him to see better. I would not listen to anybody else, but from him it didn´t sound like an order. He wanted me to get the most out of it and it pleased me. Then we sat back and drank. Jim seemed to be getting cheerful and livelier. The more he drank, the more cheerful he was. The guys ordered him Red Bull with vodka. When I asked him if it was vodka, he claimed it was white lemonade! He put a warm glass of "vodka" on my hand, so I almost jumped out of my skin, which he thought was terribly funny.

Whatever he did, he looked at me as though I was the only person who knew what was behind his looks. His faces and funny grimaces reminded me of Freddie. He had a lot of subconsciously inherited poses and gestures from him. Even in his laughter I could detect an influence of Freddie's strong personality. He simply marked all people around him. It was not the same contagious and stormy laugh, but there was a spark of resemblance.

His niece Jacqueline, Valerie and Stephen, danced all the time on the ledge and Jim was pulling them and wrapping himself in between their legs, hugging them, clinging to them, and messing around like a little boy. It was a wonderful sight, as he was so happy and childish.

After some time, Jim lost himself in a crowd of concert goers, so I went to look for him. Without his company it felt such a sad place. It was as if he had fallen through the ground, which made me very nervous. Finally, I found him by the entrance table, where he was joking away with one old blonde, not too different from frivolous Barbara Valentin. I asked him for a photo together. At first he looked impenetrable but as soon as I threw a sad eye and smirked, he brightened up and agreed as if saying "You know you can, anything for you, darling"

His niece Valerie took our picture. He then whispered to me that he hopes I´ll send him some pictures later.

After that he announced that we are going back inside to listen to the band.

I saw them from close-up and I must say that it was much better to just hear them. They looked rather too comic with all their wigs. It was something that would make Freddie laugh too.

I told Jim that they don´t look very natural,which he agreed with, but he said he couldn´t complain about their music. He was totally right, because musically they weren´t bad and the singer had a very authentic voice.

Inside, everybody was dancing and Jim joined in and circled around them like a rogalo.

The whole pub vibrated with intense and loving energy. There was no one who would be bored. Jim then threw himself in the arms of his two nieces, who gently caressed him in his hair and embraced him. He let them take care of him, now vulnerable like a little lost child all of a sudden.

There was something deeply touching about it. He had closed his eyes and sadly lowered his head, as if his tears flowed deep inside, in his invisible world. I realized at this stage, how much he really loved Freddie. I was looking at him and I had a desire to caress him and comfort him but instead, I had to stand aside.

"You can have everything and yet feel alone", Freddie once said. But I was glad Jim had his family and friends around him, who cared and protected him. Jim was going through sorrow and joy,both at the same time, it seemed.

During one of his many shananigans, I caught him messing around with his niece's boyfriend.

He sat him on his knees and imitated sexual intercourse. It would seem offensive and utterly crazy to someone who didn´t know him. But we all did. Jim was laughing like crazy and when he finally looked at me, he seemed a little embarrassed by his behavior and gave me a look that said"I hope you won´t tell on me to Freddie"...but it was hard to take him seriously.

We both smiled conspiratorially at each other. In that sense, our relationship no matter how short-lived, was special. We understood one another in thoughts. He winked at me a couple of times, tapping my beer like an old buddy.

In one moment in particular, Jim leaned over me and whispered: "You as a fan have right to be crazy, but them" ... pointing at our dancing group of friends ... " they are fucked up", he said with smile and he began to knock his finger against his forehead. An international gesture that doesn´t need an interpreter!

Jim then went to the toilets for a while, and I, like a stray sheep, followed him through crowds of oblivious dancers. He was somewhat drunk at that time and barely retained a balance. He staggered a little like a broken tree. No surprise after god knows how many Red bulls and vodkas! I was bit afraid for him, so I supported him inconspicuously by both shoulders from behind. He went to the toilet and cared too little to even close the door behind him. If anyone was looking, he would see Jim Hutton pissing in a toilet bowl in his bright canary shirt.

At that moment they played the most touching song of all, These are the Days of our lives .... I stood by the door and listened, watching the band and waited for Jim. I don´t know why, perhaps because of the fate that brought me here, I suddenly felt terrible sorrow. I was sorry for Freddie and Jim. Tears poured into my eyes. I didn´t cry, but was very close to it. Jim suddenly appeared next to me and noticed my face. "What about those tears? I hope you don´t cry", but at this stage I was lost for words. His concern made me sad even more. Something inside me forced me to caress him. I hugged him gently around his neck and put my head on his shoulder for a moment. I wanted to let him know that I am very sorry about what happened to Freddie. He did not resist. He knew he wasn´t the only one in the world who was missing him. I looked into his eyes, and I told him a sentence that I didn´t know why I said, but I strongly felt it..."Jim, he's here, he IS here." His expression was rather confused at first. "Do you believe me?" ... I said this with a seriousness and a certain degree of self-assurance that he froze for a while. He looked thoughtful. He knew what I was talking about.

I seemed to only confirm his inner conviction. He didn´t say a word. He wiped my tear away with the edge of his hand and without warning, took me firmly by the hand and led me through crowds back to our friends. There was a lot of care and love in his touch. The music was just playing and Freddie just sang "I still love you" and I knew he did.

I didn´t want to leave, but I knew I said everything I needed to. I could not leave without saying goodbye. It would be a sin after all this to just disappear into eternity. I interrupted him from the conversation with someone else, leaned over the table and said, "Jim, I'm leaving now, so I want to say goodbye, it was great pleasure meeting you." I smiled as much as my heart allowed me to and shook his hand. He stared up and thought for a moment, and then, without any hesitance said, "We do not see each other for the last time." I didn´t know at this time how true his words were.

I thought I did not understand well, so I asked again, "sorry?" and he repeated patiently and more resolutely, "I shall surely see you again," while taking my hand into his hands and kissing it gently.

He left me in amazement. I stumbled out from there perplexed but still I could hear him talking about me to someone there. He probably said he hadn´t seen a bigger nutcase in a long time, assuming from his cute teddybear smile. Gosh I loved him so much!

The next day I learned from my friends that Jim was looking next morning for his jacket that he had forgotten in his car. Few days later, I've sent him the promised photographs. Jacquie confirmed that he called in to say he had received them allright.”

2001

“...And then I returned back to Ireland in 2004.

I had the opportunity to welcome Jim to my own home in Carlow sometime in 2006. He was Stephen´s surprise. When the door opened up, I didn´t see him at first.

Then his head popped out from the side of the door and with a laugh he emerged a bit later. He hugged me like we hadn´t seen each other for million years. What I felt at that moment was indescripable. My dear Jim back in my life and in my own house!

We all sat in the living room, Jim settled down on the sofa, I was sitting on the ground and absorbed the precious moments because I knew time spent with him was only borrowed time. Then we watched Queen videos and talked about Freddie as if he were in the next room. It was so surreal. Me and Jim agreed that our favorite video was Scandal, and he just added that Freddie didn´t like it very much because he couldn´t make any creative input in it, although he loved the song.

Then we talked about his illness, about him taking up to 40 pills a day to sustain his health and he also explained the difference between AIDS and HIV, as many people still didn´t know. We have talked so much and - above all - we laughed all night, almost at everything. It was so easy to succumb to his funny personality once again and to his heartfelt laughter. He made jokes about fancying my ex-boyfriend, whom he lied on top of on the sofa. Long time ago, I´ve sent him a letter explaining to him how Freddie has impacted my life. But I've forgotten I´ve ever written it and now I was faced with the horror that I actually have sent it. I hoped he has forgotten about it, but when Jim and I met in the corridor of our house, I couldn´t but apologize to him for that letter, and for being so daring. To my surprise, he looked at me softly with his tired eyes and assured me that my letter was absolutely fascinating. Then we were interrupted by Stephen, who was just leaving a toilet and the conversation was cut short at that point. Unfortunatelly I would never have the chance to find out what was the next thing he was about to say, because I noticed he wanted to continue, if he weren´t interrupted.

When we were saying goodbye at the door, he treated me as an old friend. He simply kissed me on the lips, which utterly shocked me and made me laugh at the same time.

He invited us back to his house to have a little party, but my ex-boyfriend was not in the perfect mood and so we politely declined, which I will forever regret!

About a year after that I bumped into Jim several times in the city where we both lived, or we exchanged text messages whenever I needed to advise what room flowers would be best for our new house. Sometimes I learnt about how he´s doing through my ex-boyfriend, who used to hang out with him and drink few pints in a night bar. Once my ex confessed how Jim told him that I was a great person and he should be happy to have me. They must have been talking about me!!!!

Then I met Jim one night in the nightclub, where he was with his friends. He spent most of his time sitting in the lounge smoking a cigarette, having fun with younger girls. Wherever he was, you heard his laughter. That night my ex-boyfriend arranged for Jim and me to have a dance together.

Jim was just dancing on the dancefloor with some older woman. I remember he had his jumper tied around his waist. I just got onto the dancefloor, he looked at me all serious and pulled me close to him. It was some tediously slow song that I can´t even remember, I just know that we were staggering from side to side like two handiccaped penguins and that made me laugh hysterically.

He was such a clown! Now, however, I consider this moment as one of the most precious memories of him. It was my night.

Back in 2009, I have learned that Jim was diagnosed with cancer. My ex-boyfriend told me how concerned Jim was when informing him. He said, he wept. At that time I didn´t know how serious the situation was and I hoped Jim will get better in no time. I believed the doctors would somehow help him out of it. I saw him a little later at work when he came to our restaurant for breakfast.

I almost served him as another customer, but when I realized it was him, I pulled myself back into the kitchen and let the other girls serve him. He never noticed. I was in such state of shock. I didn´t know what to do, how to act and what to say. He was so thin, just skin and bone. His face was sinking, his eyes full of pain, a small tube leading from his nose to the oxygen device he carried in his backpack and a small canvas hat on his head. I couldn´t believe this was Jim, whom I have remembered being so full of life and joy only half a year ago. I wanted to cry like never before. I also felt embarassed by my own cowardly reaction. I wished more than anything in my life to hug him and say I loved him. I wanted to wish him a happy Christmas. But I was scared of my own tears, which would not help him in his situation.

I wrote him a message on the phone, but he didn´t respond. And then I got the terrible news. Jim died and somehow I also missed his funeral. I took a first taxi and went at least to his months Mass and visited his grave, bringing him daffodils and little white lantern with candle. It was so hard for me. His relatives stood above his grave. I said my prayers in a minute of silence. The air didn´t move and the moon was full in the night sky. It was dark and cold all around but I didn´t care.

I wanted to see him laugh and mess around like he used to. It was as if another star had disappeared and fell to the earth. If only life could last forever.”

2006-2010

Credits to Seraphiel’s blog. Please don’t repost without credits.

#jim hutton

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najatheangel · 3 years

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hi, love !! i requested a selca ship from you once and i absolutely loved it !! may i request a written ship this time, please? groups would be nct 127, nct dream, and got7 <333

i’m an extroverted introvert. i’m naturally pretty outgoing and social but i also love being by myself and need alone time to recharge. i’m often mistaken as an extrovert in real life because i’m usually the one approaching people first and initiating or planning hang-outs for my friend groups. i’m pretty cheerful, light-hearted, easy-going, and non-judgemental. i strive for balance in life and i generally dislike conflict although i don’t hesitate to deal with it if necessary. i prefer focusing on the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or trying to forecast the future. for this reason, i can easily detach myself from certain people and situations (for better or for worse lmao). i’m a natural caretaker and i prefer to nurture people in more practical ways like being helpful or giving advice, but i don’t mind just being there for other people although a part of me always wishes i could do more. i may be more of a caretaker with my friends but being the youngest in my family, i do lowkey want to be doted on in private. i romanticize being organized and all but i’m really not :’) i TRY though. i’m also dangerously clumsy; i try and want to become more graceful but my coordination says no :)) i do feel things very deeply but i rarely show that. i prefer to deal with my emotions internally and by myself and then express them later in a more measured, rational, and calm way. i’m very independent and freedom of expression is very important to me and i believe everyone should have a right to that. i adore and appreciate all forms of art, especially written words; i love reading and writing. i just love literature. i also really enjoy aesthetically-pleasing things; i love taking aesthetic photos of nature or even people. self-care is also very important to me; i workout regularly, try to eat healthy, and meditate. i also have an immense love for learning and while a lot of topics interest me, i especially love history. i just find it so fascinating and i love it so much that it makes my heart skip a beat sometimes like i get too excited lmao. my mbti is isfp but i’ve also gotten i/enfp and esfp before (years ago lmao 😂)

i think that’s it !! thank you so much <333 i hope you’re well. have a wonderful day/night hehe

Hii faye, I’m happy I got to read more about you you seem like your life is full of joy and balance. The long wait is finally over, here goes your ship☺️🧚‍♂️

From NCT 127, I ship you with...Doyoung

Positive Side: Very beautiful love story from start to finish. During resonance promotions he remembered seeing you in the virtual fansign and even though your conversation was only 2 min, he was in lovestruck mode. He wanted to know more about you as a person and he was willing to try anything and do anything to find you. He found you with your group of friends at his favorite coffee shop and noticed how happy you were helping your friends study for their exams and stood out amongst the group yet at the same time wanted some quiet time alone. It took him a lot of courage, but he bumped into you in line and took his chance to confess and ask you out on the spot. It didn’t take long for you to say yes and the rest was history. Your both very natural when it comes to taking care of people around you which is a very good trait to have, because your both capable of providing to each other’s needs. Those simple acts of love such as feeding each other, helping each other through a problem and supporting each other’s achievements are what you both cherish the most. This man is your main model of study when it comes to taking photos so he won’t mind posing for you or even taking pictures together and changing it as his Home Screen on his phone. No worries about slipping on trying to eat healthy because this man is Gordan Ramsey 2.0 and he will help you keep your workout and diet plan together while you help him with your amazing literature skills how to compose better songs for the group.

Negative Side: Not every relationship is perfectly balanced. You both handle conflict in the same way. You obviously express your moods through your expressions if something is not sitting right with you, but then later would prefer to have a private conversation about the problem with that person. In the beginning when you first started dating, Doyoung wanted to have your back in almost any tough situation you were facing, but thre were times that you didn’t want him to fight your battles all the time to save the trouble. For example, if someone based horribly on your writing, Doyoung would defend you and have your back 100% in the most calm and family friendly way possible. It’s not that you don’t want his support in every situation, it’s just you’d prefer him to let you manage on your own and not add more stress into his life by barging in to your problems.

But...: Doyoung knows that he has to take it down a notch and let you face those haters on your own and barge in if needed. He love when you have his back on things, even with silly debates and fights against the members over who didn’t clean the laundry. Whenever he starts seeing you becoming vulnerable with him, he feels very special and is not afraid to help you heal through your experience. Even though sometimes it’ll seem like your both babying each other and snooping up in each other’s business, it’s better to release your emotions better than hiding it.

faye, get your man plsss...😳😳

From NCT Dream, I ship you with...Jaemin

Positive Side: The ultimate k-drama couple. First of all, your both ambiverts in all your friend groups meaning some days you want to stay behind the scenes other days you both tend to become the star of the show. Very fast you two would develop a friendship and from that point, he already made his mind of making you his one and only. He’s like the mom of Nct Dream taking care of his family, so when he notices how cheerful and light hearted you can be around your family and friends he just melts into a puddle gushing over how adorable you can be. The killer for him is how clumsy you can be. Dropping pans of cookies you just baked or falling in the ice rink when your skating together it just makes him want to protect you and keep you by his side more and more. Jaemin also appreciates your creativity and wants to brag about it to the whole world how talented you are. He’ll always ask you if he can be the first one to read your stories which makes him feel like you hold a special place in heart. He’s also a photographer himself and would be your camera man for when you need photos of yourself or pretty nature images for your Pinterest board. Of course most of the time he would want like 100+ pictures of you and him saved in his phone. Overall your the angel that he’s been waiting for all his life and would do anything to make you stay.

Negative Side: Knowing how charming this beautiful man can be, sometimes his flirting can get out of control. I know it’s just for fan service for the fans to eat up from, but sometimes it can sting a little. Once he was doing a collab stage with a rookie girl group member and they seemed to be pretty playful on stage. It didn’t bother you at first because you understand that this is Jaemin’s job, but it was all until she started to flirt with him and slide her arm on him which started to tick you off. You were pouting from the outside, but on the inside you wanted to go off so you kept your cool until you got home. Of course he tried to cuddle with you and kiss you, but you weren’t having it. He tried to even talk to you in his cute baby tone, but you ended up slamming the door on him and went straight to bed. “It was just a performance princess, nothing more nothing less.” “Try telling that to dispatch when they see you holding hands with that girl.”

But...: Jaemin is aware now that you have feelings to and don’t want to cause all these misunderstandings or else it’ll affect his relationship with you. He knocks softly on your door and carries you out of bed with the sweetest apology proposal with homemade breakfast, balloons with your name in big letters with a heart next to it and a big teddy bear that says I love you. The gesture almost put you to tears and decided that arguing with him over a performance with another woman is pointless to break up over. You give him the biggest smile and give him the tightest hug. “So does that mean you forgive me?” Puckers his lips out cutely begging for a kiss. “Hmmm, sure. Your punishment for now is no kisses for today.” You stuff his mouth with bacon and run off to the living room teasing him. “Ahh I guess I did deserve that huh. At least let me cuddle with you, I didn’t get to do that last night.” Opens his arms running after you in the dorms.

I wanted to ship you with Jeno too, but Jaemin just fit the picture.

From Got7, I ship you with...Jinyoung

Positive Side: The iconic couple in the music industry. You were Jinyoung’s secret girlfriend that no one knew about of course except for the got7 brothers. Your both very flirty yet friendly towards each other which makes everyone wish they had your kind of relationship. Not to mention your visuals together are insane. You both share you knowledge of literature and read on topics that are beneficial amongst yourselfs. Just like you, he’s willing to research on the latest news that’s going on in the world and later have a intellectual discussion on the topic. I can imagine him reaching out for your help on practicing his lines for his movies/dramas and would even try to reenact kiss scenes with you. With him being the gentleman he is, he naturally wants to save you from your clumsy moments. When your tripping on the carpets, forgetting your umbrella on a rainy day or even have hair in front of your face, he’ll become your fixer upper and provide your needs. He doesn’t mind lending you his umbrella, sliding your hair behind your ears and catching you from falling he’s happy to be your anpaman. He’s so understanding of how much you cherish your privacy because he’s not a clingy person himself, but every once in a while he would love to hold hands with you, pat the top of your head and let you know through words how much he adored you.

Negative Side: In the beginning, it was a challenge to have Jinyoung fall in love with you because as I mentioned earlier, he doesn’t seem like a person who would fall in love easily. He first thought of you as his innocent sister that he wants to protect from all harm and would scare away guys that would try to date you. He’s also very savage when it comes to expressing his love to you so it might come out cold, but that’s not his intentions. For example, if you blow his a kiss, he would act like he’s disgusted and flick it away. He actually loves you blowing kisses at him and would want you to keep doing it. He express his love in a different way even though it might not be the best through his actions.

But...: This man is a living poet and very talented in the arts. Once he realized how much he loved you and wanted to make you his girlfriend, he returned your feelings through a song he written, produced and sung along with his members. He even made a music video about it sharing all the pictures you took of you two together with your permission of course and expressed through his song how happy he was to have you apart of his crazy life and that your the only girl on his life that only made him feel this way. It was your favorite gift from him ever since you made it official.

Out of everyone, I ship you with...Doyoung

@starrdustville I know this was super long, but I hope this somewhat made your day/night. Thanks so much for your patience love yaa.✨💗

#submission #kpop ships #written ships #got7 ships #nct dream ships #nct 127 ships #nct 127 #Doyoung #Nct Dream #jaemin #got7 #jinyoung

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beanfic · 5 years

Text

New Roommates - Ch.4

Word Count: 1971

Warnings: Language and fluff!

Author’s Note: Here is chapter 4! Enjoy! :))

“Sav!” Josh’s voice called out as he knocked on my door. I slowly opened my eyes as I woke from a deep slumber.

“What?” I mumbled, closing my eyes once again.

“Time to wake up! Get dressed and come to the kitchen!”

“Why?” I turned over and checked the time on my phone.

8:27. Way too early for a Saturday morning.

“Just do it, and don’t ask questions! If you don’t come out in ten minutes then I will go get Tyler and Mark to drag you out.”

“Okay!” I shouted back. I listened as Josh’s footsteps got further away. I stretched my arms and made sure to pop and crack all the necessary joints to start the day.

I threw on a pair of Adidas sweatpants and a black t-shirt. My hair quickly got thrown into a messy bun and I shuffled out to the kitchen.

“Happy first week of living with us!” the boys cheered in unison as I turned the corner into the kitchen. I jumped as I was not expecting them all to shout at me this early in the morning.

“I made us waffles!” Mark smiled down at the plate that was piled high with a stack of fluffy waffles. There were bowls of different fruit next to it, along with a bottle of whipped cream.

“What is this all for?” I nervously laughed.

“To celebrate that you have been living with us for officially a week now!” Tyler explained.

“This is kind of odd, but I will never pass up waffles!” I sat down on a stool and plopped a waffle down on a plate. They were still warm. “Thank you, guys!”

“Of course! Nothing but the best for the best roomie!” Mark teased. I let out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m surprised you’re actually awake,” Josh noted. I glared over at him and crinkled my nose as I took a bite out of my waffle.

“I didn’t feel like being dragged out of bed this morning.”

“Fair enough.”

“So, Sav, now that you have been living here for a week, what are some of your favorite memories?” Tyler asked with a mouthful of strawberries.

“My favorite memories?” I pondered for a second while the boys shoveled waffles down their throats. “The first one that comes to mind is when we all played rage cage a few days ago.”

“Rage cage?” Josh asked and I nodded.

“I never really played drinking games with my friend back at home and it was really fun! Especially seeing you guys tipsy! Plus Kae was a good supervisor.”

“We need to get Kae to play, but I can drink for them!” Mark said.

Tyler shook his head, “Have you seen them throw a ping pong ball? You would get drunk so fast.”

“Hey! Don’t roast Kae when they aren’t even here to stand up for themselves.” I balled up my napkin and threw it at Tyler’s chest.

“I’m just speaking the truth!” he giggled.

“Another one of my favorite things about living here is having almost every meal cooked for me! Thank you chef mark.”

“My pleasure!” He pretended to curtsey.

“How does your head feel?” Tyler asked Josh as he tossed some Tylenol in his mouth and washed it down with orange juice.

“I’m not as hungover as I thought I would be, and to be honest, I am surprised I was able to wake up this early.”

“You woke up with a hangover just to surprise me?” I asked, putting my hands on my heart and sarcastically acting flattered.

“It was because I wanted the waffles, obviously.”

“Sure,” I teased back. Josh gave my shoulder a little shove as he walked past me and went to sit on the couch. I smiled to myself and looked up at Tyler and Mark who were exchanging glances.

Once I ended up finishing my plate of waffles and cleaned up, I headed back into my room to edit the photos I had taken at the football games from Friday night. I was really excited with how my photos turned out, and I was hoping to send some to the local newspapers and news sources for them to use.

I continued to edit my photos, occasionally getting distracted by Pinterest and Tumblr, while I waited for Kae to come over. We were going to go thrift shopping in downtown Columbus this afternoon. Kae said that they knew of the best thrift shops with the best finds, and they mentioned there is this really chill coffee shop that we could stop at as well which sounded perfect since today was such an overcast day.

“You ready!” My door flew open as Kae came rushing in and shouting at the top of their lungs.

“Holy shit!” I jumped out of my chair as they scared me. “You scared me!”

“Ha!” they cackled. I turned around and grabbed a pillow and chucked it at them. It landed right into their stomach. “Ouch!”

“That’s what you get!”

“It’s not my fault you get scared easily!”

“Just give me one second to put my shoes on and then I’ll be ready to head out!” I said and Kae nodded. They left my room, probably to go talk to Tyler, and I quickly tied my vans and grabbed my coat.

“Welcome to my crib!” Kae joked as they opened the door to their Red Kia Forte. It smelled like fresh laundry. They plugged their phone into the aux cord and started to play a playlist which consisted of Panic!, Queen, Paramore, and the occasional Fall Out Boy song.

“You have such a good music taste!” I complimented.

“Oh my gosh, really? I’m so self-conscious about it.”

“Why?”

“Having a boyfriend who is a musician makes you more aware of how others can be judgmental! But I am glad you like it!” They reached over and turned up the sound as Nicotine by Panic! blasted.

“Downtown Columbus is so pretty,” I said in awe as Kae found parking on the street.

“Have you been down here before?”

“LIke three or four times when I was younger and was visiting my grandma and aunt!”

“I love it down here!” Kae locked their car and started walking down the street. I followed close behind. We exchanged conversation about different movies we like, and hobbies that we both enjoyed while we looked in different thrift shops.

“I love this shirt!” I whispered to myself as I pulled out an old Death Cab for Cutie concert shirt. It was a little large but it was perfect because I enjoy oversized shirts.

“That’s awesome!” Kae said as they looked through jackets. “What do you think of this?” I turned around to see them holding up a vintage Levi’s denim jacket.

“Try it on!”

“Okay!” They slipped their arms through it and shrugged it on. It was a perfect fit.

“It looks so good, you have to get it.”

“It’s so comfortable! I can also put some pins on the pocket right here,” they pointed to the pockets on the chest. It looked really good on them.

“You get a jacket and I get a t-shirt!!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Kae and I headed over to the register to pay. My t-shirt ended up only being six dollars which was a huge steal. Kae’s denim jacket was thirty bucks, which is super good for a vintage Levi’s jacket.

We both ended up ordering the same exact thing at the coffee shop, and that was a mocha with whipped cream. We sat next to a window so we could look out and admire all the doggies that would pass by us.

“Hey, Sav, can I ask you a question?” Kae took a sip of their drink and set it down in front of them.

“Sure!” I shifted in my chair as I anxiously awaited their question.

“Do you like Josh? Like, like like?” They whispered.

“What?” I nearly spat out the mocha that I had in my mouth. “Who told you? I mean, yes, i mean, no, what?”

“Sav! It’s okay! You don’t need to get flustered.” Kae giggled as they handed me a napkin to clean up the mocha.

“Yes, I might have a little crush on Josh, but why are you asking? Is it obvious? Did the boys mention something?”

“Yes, Tyler mentioned that he might have thought you and Josh were flirting so I decided to get to the bottom of things!”

“Josh and I flirting? Like he was flirting with me too? I never noticed that.”

“I don’t really notice it but I guess Mark and Tyler do! Nothing is wrong if you like him, Sav.”

“Yes, there is! He is my roommate. I can’t fall for my roommate, haven’t you seen those movies?”

“This is real life, unfortunately, but I don’t think there is anything bad about it. You can’t control your emotions!”

“That’s exactly what my other friend said to me,” I sighed. “I just don’t know if I even want to pursue these feelings because what if he doesn’t feel the same about me? He has so many girls over all the time anyways.”

“I suggest just continue living your life, and just become closer to him! Friends, roommates, or even more. Don’t force it and let it come naturally!” Kae wrapped their arms around my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze.

“Thank you, Kae. It’s actually really nice to talk about it with someone who knows him, I feel a lot better now.”

The car ride back to the apartment was longer because of traffic so Kae decided to show me different car games they like to play. One was the original slug bug, but then they also showed me popeye and happy slappy. Popeye is when you punch the top of the roof anytime you see a car with only one headlight, and happy slappy is when you slap the other person when they spot a yellow car.

“Ow!” I squealed as Kae’s fist came into contact with my shoulder.

“Happy slappy, yellow one!” they shouted. A yellow slug bug came passing us on the left side.

“You’re too good at this game,” I mumbled. I made sure to keep an eye out for any yellow car or slug bug the entire way home, but I ended up losing that time very badly.

Once we got into the house we were welcomed by Tyler and Mark who were in the middle of an intense Mario kart race while Josh was busy reading a book on the couch.

“We’re home!” Kae announced. “You like my jacket?” They did a 360 turn for the boys to see.

“That’s sick!” Tyler said. “Dang it! You distracted me, Kae!”

“Sorry, but sometimes I am more important a game,” they snickered and headed over to sit next to Tyler.

“Did you get anything?” Mark asked me and I nodded.

“I found this old Death Cab for Cutie concert tee!” I pulled it out of the bag to show everybody.

“Did you buy that because you know it’s my favorite band?” Josh teased as he looked up from his book.

“Not everything is about you, Josh.” I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Do you even know how to read?”

“Yes, in fact, I do! This book is about-”

“I don’t really care.”

“Well, in that case,” Josh closed the book and chucked it at me, barely missing my shoulder.

“Joshua! What if that hit me?”

“Then I guess would have needed to call an ambulance, huh?”

“You’re so annoying!” I rolled my eyes and turned to Kae who was raising their eyebrows at me. They definitely had a point that Josh was flirting with me, but I knew better than to get my hopes up.

********

Tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper @myjourneystartsnow19 @wearebxnditos @gaiatheroyalrabbit

#ks youau wc #tyler joseph #josh dun #twenty one pilots #tyler joseph fanfic #josh dun fanfic #twenty one pilots fanfic #twenty one pilots fanfiction #twenty one pilots fic #josh dun fanfiction #josh dun fic #tyler joseph fanfiction #tyler joseph fic #tøp fanfiction #tøp fanfic #josh dun angst #josh dun fluff #tyler joseph fluff #beanfic

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greggreaen · 6 years

Text

I GOT MARRIED!!! How I Planned my Wedding | Enchanted Oasis Part 1

AHHHHHH!!!!! I am officially married to my best friend, the love of my life, and my partner in everything…Sam Livits! After 10 years of being together, we walked down the aisle, said our vows in front of all of ur friends and family and had THE MOST MAGICAL day of our lives! The ceremony was so emotional for both Sam and I. I don’t know what it is about weddings, but it heightens all the feels. I was laugh-crying (but like a different kind than I had ever experienced) as I was walking down the aisle. I am so grateful to have found my soul mate and am soooooo happy that we got to spend our day with the people we care about most.

I am currently in a state of bliss but also majorly crashing from the high. No one tells you about these post wedding blues. Ugh. I never wanted it to end!! So that’s why I NEED to do a lot of blogging – to keep the happy feelings alive!

So, this is part 1 of the Enchanted Oasis Wedding series! In this post, I will tell you everything I did to plan the wedding of my dreams! And let me warn you…I let my creativity and extra-ness run wild! Ready!!???

#1. FINDING THE DRESS

As soon as I got engaged in Kauai, my sister IMMEDIATELY booked some bridal gown try on appointments in LA! OMG I cannot tell you how fun this was. I truly felt like all my princess dreams were coming true. Like, can I just do this for fun all the time as a hobby!!???

I decided to keep my “audience” small for this. Low drama. Not too many opinions. So the only people in attendance were me, my sis, and the person helping me put on the dresses! The mission? To find 2 gowns. An ultra grand one for the ceremony and a whimsical, romantical one for the reception!

The designer we ended up choosing was Galia Lahav! Walking in to her store was like walking into a haute couture dream. Here are some of the stand outs I tried on!

This is the Gia. I was so close to getting this one! The corset fit so well and the skirt was just so flowy.

Okay, I just had to try this on. A bridal cape!!??? Why not!!!

As soon as I put the Lidya, I knew this had to be my reception dress. I loved the little polka dots and how the dress hugged my silhouette. It was the definition of romantic. I ended up customizing the dress by adding fluttery drop sleeves to soften the look.

The train on the Ms. Elle was DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA and I LOVED IT. I mean, when else in life can you really drag a huge train behind you?!!?? I loved how the exquisite little beaded details on the dress elegantly complemented the low back before it waterfalled out into a longest tulle train I have ever seen!!! This was TRULY GRAND.

To customize the gown, I ended up changing the color to blush, I added in a dramatic low V detail to the sweetheart in the front, changed the low back to a V shape as well (to help make my booty stand out!), and then added fierce side cut outs to accentuate my waist.

Then I waited several months to even get a first look at my gowns! They were all hand crafted in Tel Aviv!

#2. FINDING THE VENUE

This was really hard. We spent several weekends driving all over California trying to find the most magical, whimsical venue that “hadn’t been done” before. I basically wanted a modern day castle on the West Coast. So, my sister and I looked into renting out private estates.

The problem? Well, at first, a lot of the listings we ran into were fake! Some websites collected pictures of gorgeous venues in Italy and France and then put it in a gallery to trick brides! Then when contacted, they told me to pay a fee to see the venue. Like…what!!??

So after running into a bunch of those scammers, scouting numerous hotels, countless wineries, and some beautiful homes – nothing felt right.

I was exhausted from looking, so I took a break for a couple months.

Then one night…I came across a random real estate listing that ended up leading me to the PERFECT venue: The Solomon Estate in Rancho Mirage, CA.

When Sam and I first walked onto the property late January 2018, we fell in love!! It oozed glamour, class, and Gatsby vibes all with a west coast feel.

The best part? We found our dream wedding planner. When I first met Laurie Lund of The Events Department (she’s the planner for this specific estate), I was drawn to her positivity and her energy. She’s such a happy person!

I told her everything I wanted to do (which included miniature horses and other crazy wild ideas at the time), and she was ALL IN. To be completely honest, I do not think our dream Enchanted Oasis wedding would have happened as seamlessly as it did without Laurie. Not only is she an experienced veteran in the wedding planning business, she’s so giddy and happy about all the details as if it were her own wedding! The woman is amazing and truly made my journey to wedding day as fun as can be.

(Oh yeah, and just for fun, there’s a “mini” lake in the front :P)

Finding the venue is what set the tone for the wedding theme. Three themes that really stuck out to me were “Enchanted Forest”, “Boho Desert” and “Tropical Jungle”. I cannot tell you how many hours I spent on Pinterest (probably thousands) trying to figure out what I wanted. When I couldn’t find a theme that was exactly what I was going for, I decided to mesh them all together to create our own: “Enchanted Oasis”.

#3. THE INVITATIONS

Now that we had our venue, and we knew what the theme was going to be, the next step was to create the invitations! I wanted to set the tone for Enchanted Oasis RIGHT AWAY so that our guests could start dreaming up what was waiting for them!

I knew from the beginning of time that we HAD TO have acrylic invitations! (Thanks Pinterest.) I also wanted it shipped in a classy box so that the whole opening process would feel luxurious.

The logo you see of “Sam & Cassey” came to be from a bunch of doodles I was making back in February. I had an issue with “Sam” looking like “Jam”. It took a while to figure it out!

I am fortunate to have learned graphic design and how to use Adobe Illustrator back when I was an intern at a fashion design company in college. Those are the same skills I use today at work! And the same skills I used to draw the custom monstera leaf cut out for the acrylic. (The leaf was my sister’s idea by the way.) There wasn’t anything like that on the market (boy don’t I just make wedding planning so easy on myself…LOL) so I had to find someone to custom laser cut the acrylic leaf shapes for me!

Then I ordered supplies, DIY’d hard, and made an assembly line at home. My sister became a pro at folding cardboard boxes and I fine tuned the art of stuffing small boxes with live moss. It was tedious labor.

Though oftentimes unsure of why I have to make things so complicated for myself, Sam understands my hunger to embrace art and design. He’s always so supportive! I am proud to say that Sam and Jackelyn’s boyfriend Nick helped on the assembly line too!

#4. THE FOOD

Sam and I are foodies. We love eating. A lot. In fact when we first met, we both gained so much weight because we explored restaurants and even fast food joints as a hobby. Hahaha.

Since Sam and I are of two totally different cultures, we wanted to unite our guests through food. So, we worked with Fusion Flair to create a totally authentic menu that would represent both the Chinese and Vietnamese flavors for my side while also paying tribute to the Israeli and Jewish side for Sam. Instead of doing a sit down plated dinner, we got everyone up and tasting “cultural tapas”!

Ah yes, the tacos. No they are not Asian or Mediterranean, but they were there to represent our life in LA okay!!??! And we didn’t end up going with the tomato soup and grilled cheese (though it was super good) and opted for a vegan gazpacho instead to be more veggie friendly!

The tasting was SO MUCH FUN and we were SO FULL. Chef Heng did an incredible job with the food. Everything was extremely flavorful and delicious.

#5. THE CAKE

The one cake that Sam and I both equally love is Blue Velvet Cake. Have you ever tried? If not, YOU MUST. We first discovered it at MILK in LA when we first moved here together. It’s so buttery and dense! With fresh blueberries and thick cream cheese frosting (ugh I am salivating as I write this), you cannot go wrong!

So we knew even 5 years ago that our wedding cake HAD TO be blue velvet! I called up MILK to ask if they could make our wedding cake, but unfortunately they’re not in that business. So we asked our wedding planner to help us find a bakery out in Palm Springs that could help make our cake. Laurie recommended Exquisite Desserts and they did not disappoint!

Here’s what our tasting looked like. All sorts of cake flavors and a wide variety of frosting flavors. Everything was SOOOOOOOO GOOD. But nothing beat the blue velvet. So, we decided to go all in and get the ENTIRE 4 tiered cake all in blue velvet with cream cheese frosting!

#6. THE MATCHA BAR

Sam and I LOOOOOOOVEEEEEE matcha!!! So much so that we even made a shirt that is one of our best sellers on POPFLEX:

Since I don’t drink alcohol, and I know some of our friends don’t either, I wanted to create a unique bar experience. We thought that in addition to the regular bar bar…why not also have a matcha bar!!??

I reached out to my friends at Midori Matcha and asked if they’d be down to make this happen. They had never done a matcha bar for a wedding before, but were excited to make it a reality for our cocktail hour!

Midori also catered the matcha desserts table for the reception! Above is a photo from our initial tasting. OMG everything was SOOOOOOO GOOD – but ESPECIALLY that matcha croissant. I basically LIVE for it.

If you guys are ever in Southern CA, check out their newest Midori Matcha Cafe location in Old Town Pasadena at 165 S. De Lacey Ave #1049, Pasadena, CA 91105! They also have a cafe in Little Tokyo and Orange County!

#7. THE FLOWERS

Did you know that the amazing person who did the flowers for our wedding also did the flowers for the Bridal Bootcamp series?

Jeany, the owner of Lovesome Blossoms is also a POPster and she reached out when she found out that I got engaged! It was so special to have a florist who I felt connected with!

The photos that inspired everything floral for the wedding were this cupcake photo from Baker P (OMG look at that color palette)…

…and this whimsical chuppah photo from Mark’s Garden.

To create the “oasis” look, we decided to incorporate some tropical greenery! We specifically chose to decorate with the Monstera leaf – yes, the same leaf that I drew out for our acrylic invitations – to bring out the tropical-ness!

#8. THE LIGHT BOX TENT

In 2016, Sam and I went to Australia for my POP Pilates tour and while there, we walked through one of the most beautiful structures I had ever seen!

This light tunnel was so magical. It never left my thoughts. So when it was time to design the outdoor tent for our dinner reception, I knew we had to recreate some version of this!

Here’s a picture of me admiring the tent construcuted by BRIGHT 2 nights before our wedding. At this point, it was totally still in progress and did not have the hanging florals and glass orbs that Jeany would later suspend from the top!

#9. INCORPORATING PETS

Before we got our puppy baby love Sir George the Magnificent, I wanted to have a miniature horse walk down the aisle with our flower girl! Yes, totally leaning in to that magical theme. But then…in January 2018 we were blessed with our first puppy, so we canceled the horse idea and began thinking of interesting ways to have Sir walk down the aisle!

(Don’t mind his back arm – he just got a shot at the vet and they had to shave him!)

At first I was like, maybe he should float down the aisle in a hot air balloon! Then we deemed it too dangerous.

Next, I was like, let’s have 4 men in tuxedos carry him down the aisle in a Cleopatra style bed! Jackelyn and Sam were like NO.

I thought I was close when I decided that we should construct a mini rose parade float for him to ride on! But there was no way we could find someone small enough to “drive” the car beneath the float.

Finally, Jackelyn had the genius idea of having him drive down the aisle in a fancy car.

BOOM. So that’s what we did.

#10. THE FIRST DANCE

Sam knows I love dancing, so when it came time for first dance discussions, there was no negotiation that it would be a choreographed number! I was so surprised at how much Sam embraced the lessons and the rehearsals. In fact, most of the time, it was HIM who initiated dance practice at home!!!

“New Light” by John Mayer was our song of choice. Why? We just liked the song! We learned a fun two step by our dance teachers at Your Night Choreo!

#11. THE CALLIGRAPHY

My goal for 2018 was to learn how to do calligraphy. I NEVER expected to do it for our wedding, but when the person who was supposed to do the calligraphy bailed on us, I was left with no choice but to do it myself! Through numerous YouTube videos, one live class, and tons of practice, I eventually got here:

Not bad, eh!?

I am still trying to find my style, but I am proud of how far I’ve come in less than a year! I’m glad that person bailed because the situation made me a better calligraphist!

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#12. THE SURPRISE

Concerned with cocktail hour (I’ve been to so many weddings where this time period is just so awkward and boring), I wanted to have an activation that would get everyone talking and having a good time!

First I thought…tethered hot air balloon? We tried, but then found out we didn’t have enough space.

Ferris wheel? Eh, but then kinda scary.

Maybe a rotating swing set!? Someone’s gonna be whacked.

Then I thought…wait a minute…a carousel!!! A carousel would be so whimsical and magical! The imagery of our friends in their evening gowns riding the horses with their legs swept to one side was all I needed to lock down the idea!

This was no easy feat though. The Solomon Estate did not have a carousel. We had to bring it in. It was almost impossible at first because we were told that the big semi truck could not fit through the side of the house to get to the backyard.

But then Laurie had an incredible idea. Bringing in the pieces one by one, by hand. Amazingly, Christiansen Amusements agreed and made it happen!!!!

YESSSSS now that is the level of commitment to excellence that I’m talking about!!!!

Oh boy.

That concludes part 1 of the Enchanted Oasis Wedding series! The planning!

If you loved the visuals but want EVEN more, watch me and my sis talk ALL wedding deets with over the top giddy-ness in my latest YouTube video!

youtube

Until part 2…tell me…what would your dream wedding be like?

The post I GOT MARRIED!!! How I Planned my Wedding | Enchanted Oasis Part 1 appeared first on Blogilates.

I GOT MARRIED!!! How I Planned my Wedding | Enchanted Oasis Part 1 published first on http://www.blogilates.com

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ouraidengray4 · 6 years

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