Visible Monday: A Fun Bridal Expo

What is more fun, more girly, more appealing to our romantic natures than a bridal fair?

You know, having a job in radio really does include some fun perks sometimes.  I was asked to help m-c the fashion show at Rockford's Own Bridal Expo yesterday...what a blast!

First of all, I got to pick out a dress to borrow from David's Bridal for the occasion.  This is what I chose:

By the way, if any of  you ladies are going to be mothers of the bride any time in the near future, I can definitely tell you that David's has a nice assortment of styles, shapes and colors for that important day.

Then, on the day of the event, I got my hair done by  the wonderful Gail from Fuzion Salon and Spa.  Here's what the back of it looked like:

I actually did my own make-up, but did sport some MAJOR false eyelashes with the help of Fuzion's makeup artist, Kayla.

My jewelry was provided by a wonderful company called Your Jewelry Dreams.  Here's a close-up of the stunning necklace (before I put my dress on)...

Unfortunately I couldn't take pictures during the actual fashion show.  The dresses and the models were stunning.  Here's a couple of girls I managed to photograph before the show...

Olivia

Molly

Relaxing after a fun show!

Thanks so much, Mickey Rosenow and everyone connected with Rockford's Own Bridal Expo for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful event!

I'm linking today with Visible Monday, hosted by Not Dead Yet Style!

'Tis "Talk Like Shakespeare" Day--Didst Thou Know?

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Today is Talk Like Shakespeare Day. William Shakespeare, "The Bard of Avon," was born on April 23, 1564, and coincidentally he died on the same date in 1616.

 As someone who was raised on the King James Bible, I have little difficulty "talking like Shakespeare"..even without the instructions of rappers The Q Brothers:



(If you don't want to subject yourself to that little ditty, it's OK...I'll give you the tips right here, courtesy of TalkLikeShakespeare.org:)

How to Talk Like Shakespeare

Instead of you, say thou or thee (and instead of y’all, say ye).

Rhymed couplets are all the rage.

Men are Sirrah, ladies are Mistress, and your friends are all called Cousin.

Instead of cursing, try calling your tormenters jackanapes or canker-blossoms or poisonous bunch-back’d toads.

Don’t waste time saying "it," just use the letter "t" (’tis, t’will, I’ll do’t).

Verse for lovers, prose for ruffians, songs for clowns.

When in doubt, add the letters "eth" to the end of verbs (he runneth, he trippeth, he falleth).

To add weight to your opinions, try starting them with methinks, mayhaps, in sooth or wherefore.

When wooing ladies: try comparing her to a summer’s day. If that fails, say "Get thee to a nunnery!"

When wooing lads: try dressing up like a man. If that fails, throw him in the Tower, banish his friends and claim the throne.

Mel Gibson contemplating a skull in the movie version of Hamlet

Seriously, that Will Shakespeare...

Could he write, or what?

When I was a little girl and my family spent some time in New York City waiting for a longshoreman's strike to end so we could sail to Lebanon, we spent some time in bookstores.  Among the books my parents bought was a handsome volume of the complete works of William Shakespeare.

I confess that I didn't read them at the time (I had just been introduced to Louisa May Alcott), but I spent a of time in that book...scanning the pages and looking at all the pretty names. (I was fascinated with names even then.)

Knowing that William Shakespeare was a great writer is a given...even knowing that we owe a lot of sayings to him.  But you never really realize it until you actually read or see one of his plays.  I remember how that fact really hit me when I watched "Hamlet," with Mel Gibson.

Elizabeth Taylor in "The Taming of the Shrew"

Instead of just talking like Shakespeare, why not try reading one of his plays or watching one of the many movie versions?

Here's a list of the best Shakespeare-to-Screen adaptations.

A beloved Christian writer finally gets her due

On my now "paused" book blog, Cindy's Book Club, I posted about a book I loved when I was in high school: Not My Will, by Francena H. Arnold.

I included "Not My Will" is a list of 15 Books That Will Always Stick With Me.

Here's a description of the book from the Moody Publishers website:

Eleanor's secret love for Chad could mean losing her inheritance and giving up a life long dream. Will she follow her own will, or make the hard choice to submit her life to Christ's leadership? Now available with a contemporary new look, Not My Will is a classic story of love, loss, and surrender, with more than 500,000 copies sold.

Interestingly, I just got this comment on my original post:

I am Steve Buttry, Francena Arnold’s grandson, and wanted to thank you for including "Not My Will" in this post. I cited it in Grandma’s Wikipedia entry as an example of the enduring impact of the author's work, four decades after her death. I also told more about Grandma in a longer version that I used on my own blog. 

She was a remarkable woman and an outstanding writer. I'm pleased that you have honored her by inclusion on this list.

Steve's blog post is particularly interesting, as it recounts how he and his family decided their grandmother really should have her own Wikipedia page...and everything he had to go through to make that page a reality.

Francena Arnold as a young bride, with her husband Frank in their wedding photo

An Enduring Tale

A few years ago, I re-read "Not My Will."  Yes, it was originally written in 1946, so you can't read it expecting it to feel or sound like a current novel.  But I  found it just as engrossing and inspiring as when I originally read it as a teen.

I also enjoyed the sequel, "Light in My Window," and a few other of Arnold's books, including "Then Am I Strong."

Another blogger, Jendi, wrote this in 2010:

I got to thinking while searching for information about Francena Arnold. She does not have a website, and only an empty Facebook fan page. There is not a lot of personal information about her, but her first book [Not My Will] which was originally written only for family is all over the web and the world. Her encouraging and thought provoking stories have endured the test of time.

I couldn't agree more.

At least she does have a Wikipedia page, thanks to her persistent grandson. And if you really would like to know more about this remarkable writer, I suggest you read Steve Buttry's original draft for the Wikipedia page.  It's rich with detail, insight and even writing tips from Francena Arnold.