Congratulations October Brides and Fiancées

It's time to say congratulations to all you October brides and fiancees. May your weddings be as memorable and engaging as you planned. The October birth stone is Tourmaline:Opal. 

The October flower is Marigold. Marigolds make excellent cut flowers for both live and dried arrangements. For live bouquets, cut newly opened blooms early in the morning and immediately set the stems in a jar of warm water. Marigolds are great for dry arrangements as well and therefore make the ideal keepsake flower.

Brenda and I will enjoy our October wedding anniversary at Virginia Beach. We look forward to the October festivals, harvest fruits, desserts and cuisine. 

Great October activities include: A fun fall foliage country driving trip. Head due north to see leaves of gold and orange, red and purple. Stop for a fresh-pressed apple cider, caramel apple treats and tasty pumpkin or sweet potato pie. This is a great time of year for wine tasting, cheese olive and crackers.  

Each Fall (usually in late October), Farmers Market celebrates the harvest with a great, family-friendly festival. In addition to crafts and entertainment, these festivals features several bands and special acts for children and the young at heart. Fall Festivals offers very special activities including a petting zoo, balloon and wood sculpting, reef making, baking contests and more. Find the best warm eggnog at country cooking restaurants and festivals. enjoy the seasons bounty together.

Congratulations To April, May and June Brides

A special shout out and congratulations to all our April, May and June Brides and Fiancees. 

It's a season of love, growth, giving, letting go and coming full circle. As you plan your wedding remember to capture the essence of guidance given, wisdom shared and nurturing from parents, guardians and all those special supportive people in your life. With that sentiment here is a gift from me to you. My newly released musical score, "On Your Special Day."

"On Your Special Day" by Mark Askew

On Your Special Day

Last year I composed a musical score, "On Your Special Day", for a family drama, It centered around a celebrated relationship between a father and his daughter. On the eve of his daughters wedding day a father sits at his piano reflecting on giving his daughter away. The score would carry us through the life of the child leading to the father daughter dance. This music video of real people and events in my life conceptualizes that. 

I had the pleasure of playing the musical score and similar video for a group of 60 last month. The tears and smiles told me it struck a cord in them as well. I hope it does the same for you.

Like making wedding keepsakes, family slideshows and scrapbooks? Get My Keepsake Wedding Planner available on this blog page.

Congratulations February Brides and Fiancées

February is the month that stands in between promises made and then fulfilled. It stands between two seasons, winter and spring. Between resolutions spoken and those acted upon. Between the seeds preserved under a blanket of frost and snow and the sun and showers that beckons them to sprout.  

It's a month of renewing vows and commitments. It's a time to fondly look back and reminisce all the while making more warm memories. It's a season for contemplation, seeking guidance and direction. It's the month for planning out the year or a lifetime. 

If this is the month he popped the question or the season he said I do, congratulations to you. May your marriage be prosperous and forever new. Our gift to you is the 7 Day Countdown Wedding Planner Bookmark. Enjoy these practical reminders leading up to the big day. 

For those who want to plan from start to finish and beyond we wrote the book on wedding planning. Get the book My Keepsake Wedding Planner, everything you need to know to plan a memorable wedding ceremony, reception, wedding night and honeymoon.

Congratulations January Brides and Fiancées

It's the month of January and many are starting off the new year with  a "Yes" and an "I Do."

If that is the month he popped the question or the season he puts a ring on it we want to say congratulations to you. Now's the time to start planning for the next twelve months be it a wedding or a wish of marital bliss. That said here is a wedding gift just for you. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/502221795917841983/

Take your time reading the articles on this blog and you'll have everything you need to get off to a good start.
Not sure where to start planning your wedding? We wrote the book on wedding planning so you have everything you need to plan a memorable occasion. Find the book at Google Shopping.

Looking for great wedding ideas? Start with the addicting wedding idea presentation boards at Pinterest. You'll find gowns, photo ideas, beautiful cake designs and wedding decor and attire color swatches that bring it all together very nicely. http://www.pinterest.com/bestweddingbook/.

What Kind Of Love...

Last month a dear friend of mine celebrated 60 years of marriage.  I remember him saying not long after that he was still getting to know his wife. What kind of love has that much staying power? What kind of love goes beyond just sticking around or tolerating each other? What kind of love keeps on loving right to the end? 

This proves that every couple no matter how long they have been together must take the time to break new ground.  Not just finding and defining some new characteristic trait or quality about the other, but applying what has been learned to better the relationship and strengthen the bond.

Over the past 7 days Brenda and I took the time to talk about our lives together and the direction it has been taking over the past 10 years. Much has been accomplished helping newly married loved ones remain grounded and their households become more functional. We've encouraged them to take an individual assessment of themselves in order to determine if they are really being true to self and to their union.

There comes a time when we all must decide to do an about face, look back from where we have come and look ahead to where we are going and adjust the sails and point the rudder toward our intended destination. What else is there but to stand at the helm and drive on undeterred and undistracted until the goal has been reached?

The Lesson: Instead of going with the flow, which is so easy to do, we at times have to cut through the oncoming waves. Swim upstream against the tide. Break against the wind. Ride into the storm in order to break new ground.  We come out of it realizing that what we thought we had is nothing in comparison to what we now have because of what put into it. An ancient book filled with conventional wisdom calls it loyal love. 

What is loyal love? It's the kind of love that is aware that it must be tested. It prepares itself to be tested in order to learn to endure. And as it is tested it seeks to prove itself loyal. With each storm it is like a barnacle that remains attached no matter how fierce the weather. It is like the entangled weeds of the sea. Unshakable. Loyal love holds on in order to complete a well defined task and purpose in relationship to the object of love. 

Congratulations November Brides and Fiancees

If you were proposed to this month or were married congratulations November brides and fiancees.

Who doesn't like a warm sticky cinnamon bun fresh out of the oven. A hot brewed aromatic coffee made from roasted coffee beans. A fluffy blanket and a warm body to cuddle on a cold frigid night. A hand to hold and arm to cling to during a noon stroll. This month is all about true commitment and the little things couples do that add warmth, spice and stickiness to their union.  I'm 52 years of age and my wife Brenda is 53. We have been married for 33 years. No previous marriages. We recently celebrated our Anniversary October 25th 2013 surrounded by the most beautiful fall foliage ever.

While we both enjoy event planning like reunions and family night as well as speaking and officiating weddings ceremonies. Brenda is the more outgoing free spirit and organizer. I am the creative one who happens to like to write. I enjoy working on projects and parties with her, but I don't mind spending long hours working alone in the home office. My wife on the other hand is the kind of person who likes to get out and go. That said, we could easily miss spending meaningful time together. To remedy this we make it a  point to call each other each day and ask how the day is going and explain what we are doing and the progress  we're making.

We plan our meals and exchange an expression of endearment before ending the conversation. She calls me Booh. I call her Baah. In addition we don't let anything get in the way of our Friday evening date night. Because we are both frugal we will plan something simple like a picnic and stroll around the reservoir or listen to oldies but goodies in the car with the top open. Or watch a movie or two at home sharing a bowl of popcorn or chips.

Brenda engages in secular work in addition to community work. She said, " I deeply appreciate it when Mark does the cooking, serving and dish washing. It makes me feel that I'm cherished and appreciated and that my share of the work is not taken for granted. Our little dates keep the tenderness, closeness and warmth in the relationship. I love it when he holds my hand even if he's just walking me to the car."

Mark runs an online business and does much in the way of ministering to a local congregation. A work spanning three generations. In addition his parents are dealing with the challenges that come with aging.  He said, "My aging parents have been ill for some time now, requiring multiple operations and ongoing nursing. This can take a toll on a person. I really appreciate it when Brenda accompanies me to visit my parents. She contributes a lot in the way of being empathetic and upbuilding. It makes me feel supported and that I'm not alone dealing with this challenge."

Mark and Brenda are also authors of the book Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Guide and Keepsake and the book My Keepsake Wedding Planner.  Mark says, "Brenda does not know it but she started these book by compiling event planning notes useful templates and documents for her  gatherings. I just added content based on our life's experience.  The fact that we both worked on several projects together makes me feel that we did not come together based on mere attraction put to make two parts a whole. Focusing on our similarities and being empowered by our differences gives us a kind of oneness. I love that about us."

Congratulations October Brides and Fiancées

Happy 33rd Anniversary Brenda. October. It's the most beautiful time of year for us. A time to get warm and cozy by the beach or snuggle up by candle light at a secret hotel suite. This past weekend by wife and I celebrated out Anniversary and took a meaningful walk down memory lane by way of video, music and nostalgia. But what made it so enjoyable was remembering a request.

Remember The Request

Some of the best gifts ever given were of requests long forgotten. I remembered brenda's request to make a video of the family growing up. She remembered my request to make a playlist of our favorite oldies from the time we first met to the present. And then we sighed, snuggled and as is said in Africa our hearts laid down. At the moment that's what Scamper our cat and distinguished member of the family seems to have in mind while I multitask on two computers. One to write this blog entry and the other to create a family video scrapbook - Part II, Our Granddaughter. It's something Brenda has been asking for and I refuse to put it off a day longer. As mentioned a few days ago I completed the first of these video scrapbooks.

The Book of Life

The first was an anniversary gift to Brenda.  I call this series of video scrapbooks 'The Book of Life' series. When completed it will take the viewer from my family heritage in the motherland to our life in america. I hope to share it with the next generation and those to come and leave a trail of identity, hope, reunion and assurance.

What I love about this project is you can create it to play on your lightweight iPad or tablet. Here's an idea... You can prop up the tablet on the candle lit dinner table for two and let the video say it all and then when the video is done play your favorite tunes while sequencing through family photos and memorable scenic spots enjoyed then and now.

Anniversary Commemoration Ideas

This project will be an ongoing one to say the least. The first edition was an anniversary commemoration presented to my wife of 33years.  It will be shared again with the rest of the family on my fathers next wedding Anniversary and an update later on my next anniversary. It will include interviews, maps, home video, news clips, newspaper clippings and photos as backdrop to narration and my own music compositions. That said take the time to create a playlist of music that marks special times in the life of your relationship together.

She Said Yes

Brenda played the music playlist of our lives and added memories of the times when we first heard or danced to each song. There is a country song on the list titled "She Said Yes" and "We Danced."  Although I introduced Brenda to slow romantic country music, I had not heard these two songs in a few years. It was a real surprise.  Brenda said yes under the stars just outside her front door after I walked her home on a warm summers night and proposed.  It was then that our dance of life together began. On October 25th we both said "I do".  To all of you who said Yes or "I do" in October, congratulations and happy anniversary.

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