Royalty

In light of the upcoming Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, I was reminded of the wedding of William's mum and dad, Charles and Diana.
If things had worked out differently for them, they would be celebrating their 30th anniversary this July. I know this, because Jim and I were married just four days earlier. In fact, we watched their wedding in the early morning hours on our honeymoon. I always felt a bit of a connection with Diana, and thought it would be fun to
see what made us similar. You might not even be able  to tell the difference. Or then again, maybe you will.

They had a lovely cake at their reception. With flowers on top.

We had a lovely cake at our reception. With flowers on top. Too bad it fell off the table before we got there, and was just a bit shorter than we had expected.

They shared a kiss after the wedding on the balcony in front of thousands of cheering well-wishers.

We shared a kiss in the back of the church. In the narthex.

They rode away in the magnificent horse drawn carriage.

We drove away in Uncle Shel and Aunt Elizabeth's Cadillac.

The next year, we each gave birth to a son.

Prince William wore an heirloom christening dress for his baptism in the music room at Buckingham Palace.

Our son, Prince David, also wore an heirloom christening dress for his baptism at Covenant Presbyterian Church in West Lafayette.

Although our family grew a bit larger than theirs, I think we might be wearing the same dress here.







And we definitely had the same taste in dressing our little boys. Yes, that's our sweet little Jonathan on the right. Hard to believe, I know.

I think I had that dress too, but I would be more likely to locate the actual dress than to have a photograph of me wearing it.


It's fun to remember those special days planning our own Royal Wedding, and I'm sure there are young brides today who are eagerly watching as details unfold about Prince William's wedding to his princess, soon to be Princess, Kate.

It's sad that his beautiful mum won't be with them on their special day, but I am sure he holds tight to sweet memories and all that she taught him. And since we were practically twins, I know I could be an excellent stand-in on the big day.

I'm betting my invitation is in the mail.

King George

Bryan and Jennifer got tickets for the George Strait concert for Christmas. Jim thought it was such a good idea, that he got us some too. Earlier this week, we found out our friends Beth and Gordon were also going, so we all got together for dinner before the show at Weber Grill. 

Bryan and Jennifer.

Beth and Gordon. I especially like the cute little boy looking over the the booth next to us.

And Jennifer even took one of Jim and me.

After dinner, we headed over to Conseco. It was such a mild evening, that we didn't even need coats. Big change from a couple weeks ago when we were covered in ice and snow. We saw the WFMS truck on the way over.

We stopped for a quick group picture before we headed inside. Since we didn't purchase our tickets together, we were seated in different sections of the arena.

Bryan and Jennifer.

First up, was Lee Ann Womack.

She was very good, and sang my favorite song of hers, "I Hope You Dance."

Andrew and I danced to that one at his wedding.

We even spotted Kirsten and Tom in the crowd. They were just a few rows behind us.

And way across the arena, we could see Bryan and Jennifer. I think Jennifer was singing along.

After Lee Ann, it was time for Reba.

She was awesome and sang lots of her great songs,

including "I'm a Survivor" from her TV show. I always loved that show.

One of the most touching songs, for the whole audience it seemed, was the one about her dad, "The Greatest Man I Never Knew."

She gave a great performance, and headed off stage, only to return in a miniature yellow cab to do one more song...

her signature, "Fancy."

And after Reba, it was time for the main event, George Strait! If you're not a fan of George, you should probably click away since there are, um, several photos of him from here on. :)

He sang lots of our favorites.

Blue Clear Sky.

Check Yes or No.

I Cross My Heart.

Breath You Take.

How 'Bout Them Cowgirls.

The Chair.

And of course, I had to get a shot of the back.

The Fireman. See the flames around the arena?

Can Still Make Cheyenne.

He headed off the stage with a wave.

But returned for an encore and had some fun with his band. 

Then he shook hands all around the stage.

The Cowboy Rides Away.