I'm feeling rather down and very sentimental today. While I still try to soldier on through this latest "Flare Up" that started after a very emotional and angering phone call a couple days before Christmas, it looks as though the New Year is going to greet me with my new reality. "Enough of that!" I think to myself. "You're going to put on something pretty, put your face on, do your hair, and Welcome in the New Year even if you are alone! (Shweetie has to work, of course. 17 years together and I can count on one hand how many New Years we've kissed in.*Shaking Head*)

What keeps me going are the short and long term goals, and Ackergill Castle for our 7 day 20th Wedding-versary Fete is a *Loch* in!!!! I think I may have heard the tiniest of groans from the one person I think reads this sight. Might help if I told my "My People" as it were, about this sight, (the Shweetie doesn't even know the web address, though I do read him some of my entries) but for some reason I just can't do it. It's at times too raw, too frenetic, too all over the place, too me, too too. I think what I need to do is create another blog that is strictly for my health updates, be it daily, weekly, bi-weekly.

*This thought train derailment brought to you by Morphine! Morphine! It's not just for pain anymore!*

Now, for the the reason I started this entry. I have seen a vast and massive drop off in couples who want a video for their weddings, which I have to agree with. Spray Cheese on a Ritz Cracker, STAT! But now, I'm seeing them making a come back with what I feel are (depending on the artistry and videographer's love of their craft) fresh, to the point, a peek behind the scenes, and really lovely, and when set to the right music, truly moving DVDs of the day. The move back to real Super 8 (not the computer generated stuff, which I can spot from a mile away! or at least I think I can) is giving couples an opportunity to really capture a timeless look of THEIR day almost instantly! How wonderful is technology and the people who embrace it and turn it into an art form?

I saw this one, and because of my mood, tears were a flowin'. I LOVE Peter Gabriel's music, but for some reason had totally forgotten "Book of Love". The video on it's own would be...nice...but you add "Book of Love" to it, and it turns me into a puddle of sentimental tears of joy, and hope for yet another couple I don't know. The videographer placed a voice over of her vows (would have LOVED to have heard his, and some laughter that can help humanize such a sacred, solemn, and beautiful sacrament. (BTW, these two will have stunning children, should they choose that path.)

Our "Song" is the UB40 version of "Can't Help Falling (In Love)". As whirlwind as our meeting, courting, living together, and then marrying was, it's just the perfect encapsulation of our pledge of love to each other. "Book of Love" fits us quite well, too (I used to read to him and sing to him (in the car along with a song) all the time, and when we married, didn't have the money for proper wedding rings. We used a $29.99 garnet and diamond chip yellow gold ring (bought as a consolation "prize" after he spent $50 bucks on new hockey pants...he spoils me, now) and was meant as a pinkie ring. Shweetie could only get it up to my second knuckle. Why I stopped reading to him, I'll never remember, but what a beautiful gift to give him for his 40th coming up in Feb. A narration of "Our Book of Love".

I hope you enjoy the video. There are some things I would have done differently, but I love the direction that wedding videography is taking!

As Always, I'm your Una *Unabridged*

Dornoch Cathederal - Christen & Mark from Alastair Brown on Vimeo.

Why it's not "Just a Piece of Paper"

The joy that flows from this couple, and the incredible artistry of the photography just made a very rotten day, feel a whole lot better!

Enjoy!

As Always,

Una *Unabridged*

it’s the little things stillmotion#comments: "this is what makes a wedding day – for me anyway.


liam proposed to liz exactly a year before their wedding day in florence, italy.
the tux he wore on the Day was the same tux he wore when he proposed.
the jewelry liz wore was left to liam’s future bride by his mom before she passed.
the watch that liam wore was the same watch that his mom gave his dad on their wedding day.
the battery in the watch died shortly before the wedding, so liam changed the time on it to say 2:00, the time of their ceremony.
it still says 2:00.
as a wedding gift, liz gave liam two things:
-a pocket square she made out of a piece of her dress
-a pair of cuff links made out of two pieces of map. one had a map of florence, the other a map of st. catharines.
liz and liam got married in st. catharines.
and they are so happy.
-amina"

Moved to Tears by People I Don't Even Know

I was pulled in.

I was enthralled.

I was moved by the images and the music

I was still.

I felt the tears.

I laughed.

I felt the yearning of wanting to know their story.

I feel hope, for these strangers I will probably never know.

I feel hope that their vows to one another will forever be sealed by them.

Bride and Groom Cinema-Style Flip Book, Aves Photographic Design from Lauren Aves on Vimeo.

Behind the scenes in a real world Vogue session

Photography is a great love of mine, and since I've been on this quest to find the perfect photographer for our 20th WeddingVersary, I have found a whole new world has opened up since I was a photography major! This video, to me, has to be one of the freshest, and most beautiful pieces of self marketing I have ever seen. I'm all about self marketing, as a voice over artist, you have your Demo, your business card, and now, your website that doesn't show you, but shows what you do. Not an easy task and a eye watering $3500 life lesson. Let alone that this guy has an incredible talent, his pictures are really beautiful, it gets to show you, the person in front of the camera, what you might experience during your photo shoot. Enjoy!

As always,

Una

*Unabridged*

Metrophoto by Jason Magbanua from Oly Ruiz on Vimeo.

I USED TO F**CKING LOVE YOU! NOW? I WANNA CHERISH YOU!

Sorry about that. What sat here before was a really fantastic video of a rather dark and creepy "Trash the Dress" session. For some reason, it was OK to copy and embed a few days ago, now, it's not. Ah, the fickleness of arteests. What I don't get is why a business would turn down free advertising. If they took a few minutes to actually look at my blog, they would have noticed that any follower of mine would have gotten excited about it too! Say Lovey.

This small group has done some of the most amazing, beautiful, fresh, exciting, and gorgeous work I've seen!!!! My hope is that they won't deny anyone who might read this blog, the sheer delight in watching their work, let alone that it's FREE advertising. FREE.

I can only hope that there is enough money in the coffers to fly a couple of 'em to Scotland for our T.T.D. session that I want to turn into an amazing shoot for all our guests to participate in!

I want our beloved family and friends to let loose, seize the day, and do a little trashing of their own!

Griffen + Curtis' Trash the Dress Shoot in CA from stillmotion on Vimeo.

There's a buzz in the air!

This is a cause that we should all care about, and while this is a bit "Fashionista", it holds this cause up to the light and says, "Shit, if a jewelry maker cares enough to give 10% of the proceeds to helping the bees, I better give a shit too!"

That lovely Pinot/Cab/Chard/Reisling you may be sipping at the moment will never exist if we don't figure out why, worldwide, honey bees are dying off in massive droves.

So bee sweet *rim shot* and start joining in the cause. It's can bee as simple as buying Haggen Dazs's Honey Vanilla Ice cream.

Remember, no bees means no pollination. No pollination means no food, no food means global famine. Are you ready to experience what it is to be truly starving? Didn't think so.

As Always,
Una *Unabridged*


Alex Woo Jewelry Little Seasons Bee in Sterling Silver

Feeling like a jerk.

This one's going to be short and sweet because I, honestly, feel like I've been hit by a Mack Truck, immediately followed by the asphalt flatten-er thingy (you know what I mean). On the 1-10 scale, I'm at a lovely 7.6. So why am I even writing, you may wonder? Well...it has to do with family, and how seriously badly I've dropped the ball. My shweetie has a brother who has two amazingly beautiful/handsome, polite, smart, and very pleasant to be around teenagers.

Our Niece, Jessica, was born the day after I met my shweetie, August 13 (making her 16 now) and our Nephew, Calvin, was born 13 years ago just days before my birthday. His being Sept. 27th (I'm almost positive...see??? I suck) and mine being Sept. 29th. They've both been through some pretty rough stuff with their parents getting divorced, moving all over the place, and then become a "blended" family when their mom remarried, and then their dad (no kids from their dad's partner, but it still is a hard adjustment. These two, from what little I can garner, Facebook being a place that brought us all back together a bit...it's easier to connect with my niece because 13 year old 6' foot tall boys are not my forte.

OK...let me just lay it out there...Kids...from about newborn to 29ish *snort*...are Not. My. Forte.
I have my little 18 year old 5'11'' sister, Mollye, whom I would give me life for, but she's different somehow. I don't know why, but she got a free pass on the "Kids get on my freakin' nerves" train. I still drop the ball. I don't call enough, write enough, remember important dates enough, and I do the same thing with my god-daughter, Ashley, as the same thing with our niece and nephew....and I haven't talked to my cousin Vanessa who is 16 years my junior, in YEARS.

Here's the kicker...I LOVE to spoil them when I'm with them, and it ends up looking like a feel all guilty so I'm over compensating. It's not that black and white. If they were in my daily life, I would spoil them rotten every day I could. I LOVE buying them gifts...but it's almost an out of sight out of mind thing for me, especially now with me being so sick and unable to keep up on email and facebook.

These are all amazing, beautiful, precious creations of this Universe...and I'm just a big honkin' jerk that forgets to show them that they matter. Not just with material things, but with my time, my wisdom, me life experience, my ears open.

J.E.R.K.

Well...so much for a short and sweet post. I feel worse now. I hope they know that I do care...it's just a different way of showing it.

Till next time,
*Una*bridged.

WARDROBE!!!! NOW!!!!

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