Another Royal Wedding?!

At this point, there is no question that I absolutely love weddings, but a Royal Wedding can send me into a verbal frenzy in seconds.

And then there's Bhutan, a tiny country for which I have a lot of admiration.

Combine the two, and it's a very exciting day. I'm happy to report that the beloved king of Bhutan enjoyed his own royal wedding this week, and he, too, married a "commoner." Could this be a new royal trend? It certainly appears to be!

The bride is a pilot's daughter and has been treated to a tour of the country recently, as she prepares for her new role as Queen. She will be the King's only bride, he says, which is in stark contrast from his father, who has four wives. King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, is the son of the famed king who, in the 1970s, revolutionized the way leaders worldwide think about their countries' success by measuring gross national happiness, rather than gross domestic product.

Granted, this wedding was a far cry from the huge buildup and incredible excitement of the Royal Wedding of the century this past April, which saw viewers from around the world. This wedding only included members of the royal family and the country's onlookers.

Ahhh, weddings. They're such joyous occasions, and I love, love, love the benefits of modern media which make it so easy to follow the weddings of splendor that I'm quite sure I will never have as I don't have millions of dollars at my disposal. However, if it is possible to achieve some level of happiness through another's, I believe these two weddings have provided just that- a reason to celebrate a beautiful union, with full support of those around them--and around the world.

Oh, And One More Thing

While we're on the topic of the Royal Wedding, I should add that I fully intend on seeing Kate's wedding dress at some point. It is now number one on my List of Things To Do Before I Die. Anyone who could make this happen is strongly encouraged to inform me. Immediately.

Alright. I'll give it a rest, but only for now. As soon as the royal couple announces a pregnancy, you know I'll be writing about it. Don't say you weren't warned.

Today I find myself in the northern parts of the Motherland. It's the annual Grandma's Week, and it's our first full day at the little brown cabin that used to seem so big. You see, Grandma's Week is a special week. My grandparents only had granddaughters, so it was all very cutesy for many years. All the girls would head up to the cabin with Grammie and Poppa in the old blue station wagon, and once we arrived, we'd scurry across the busy highway to the beach and played on the rickety teeter-totters and metal slides. Those, of course, are now completely inappropriate in today's But My Child Can't Get a Skinned Knee, He'll Never Recover From Embarrassment society, and have since been removed, so you can rest easy knowing we won't have any skinned knees here.

Here's where it got fun those days. There were six of us a the time (my sister wasn't born yet. She's the first to tell you our lives weren't exciting until the day she graced us with her presence...) and since we were young, we washed our hair in the lake and all in all didn't mind only having one bathroom, which was primarily for the four adults. Now things are different. Now we're in our twenties and thirties, and we most definitely do care that we share (a much needed) second bathroom, because now there are great grandchildren. Don't get me wrong, they're adorable, I love seeing them when I can...but 16 people is a lot more than 10.

Grammie still asks about the "plays" we put on for the adults when we were kids (and teens), which ranged in both quality and subject matter (literally, from marriage to basketball stars on steroids). Needless to say, I feel at this point that I am a little old for parading around in old, beat up prom dresses from the 80s on the front porch of the little cabin for all to see. Traffic has been known to stop and watch these plays. I wish I was kidding.

I have no doubt that many stories will come out of this little excursion, so stay tuned. After all, who doesn't love the classic situation involving 15 (yes, there is 1 boy now) women, two bathrooms, and only 4 bedrooms? It can only lead to one thing: Thinking. About how much we really do need another bed.

Duchesses, Dreams, and Dresses

Today's topic? The wedding.

Don't get all excited just yet. Not my wedding. No, I couldn't subject all this thinking on a male-type full time just yet.


The Royal Wedding. The wedding with which I was (not so) secretly grossly enamored for the better part of the first 7 months of 2011. I'm sure anyone who knows me who happens to be reading this post is undoubtedly rolling their eyes as I have successfully found ways to mention the wedding, Kate, or Wills in almost any conversation (it's almost a talent, really). I won't go into the typical "but it's the classic princess fairy tale" routine, I promise (even though I totally believe every disgustingly sappy word).

I'd have to say that my ultimate, deepest, most urgent wish for a career is to be the official biographer for the Duchess. Heck, at this point, I'd be her official shoe buffer, let's be honest. I have a lovely picture in my mind of us painting our toenails and discussing the latest hosiery and hat trends. It would be perfect. I would love every acetone and nylon filled minute. Every. Single. One.

I suppose until I land this completely perfect job...no, career...I will have to settle for looking at photos of that perfect dress and all her other perfect outfits for hours on end.

So, here I sit. Dreaming of the Duchess Who Wore The Perfect Dress, as she is now officially titled...at least in my mind.