Pucker up!

I love being in love. I love the idea of love. I love it when I hear others are in love. I am a romantic and love happy endings. I love love. I recently went to a bridal shower for a friend who looked for love for a very long time and kissed a lot of frogs in the meantime waiting for her prince to arrive. The guy she is marrying is perfect for her and it was worth the wait. Going to bridal showers (and baby showers for that matter too) are much easier for me to endure and enjoy knowing that I've found my prince too and my life has gotten on a great track moving forward in the right direction. This particular bridal shower I went to was nothing like anyone has ever seen before. The theme was Mad Hatter and the bride's sister's house, where the party was held, was transformed into a flawless, over-the-top Wonderland from "Alice in Wonderland". The amount of work, creativity and time planning and executing this bridal shower was nothing short of amazing. I can't even begin to do it justice describing all the little and big touches seen throughout the party.

Overall, the bridal shower was very nontraditional and not one toilet-paper-wedding-gown or gift bingo game could be found. However, upon entering the house, the host did have us write down two things on separate cards -- advice for the bride and jot down one of our favorite memories of Karen (the bride). All the cards were collected and Joanne made opening the presents a much more livelier event by reading aloud the advice and memories while Karen opened gifts.

There was one piece of advice offered by one of the guests that I am putting into action at home. It was to give your partner A 10 SECOND KISS EVERY DAY. There is something that I find so appealing about this idea. Amidst all the craziness and chaos, taking a few seconds (10 to be exact) and stopping what you are doing to have more than a quick peck on the lips is fabulous. Downright scrumptious. I love this reconnecting. It doesn't cost anything and it is a special moment with the one you love. Apparently this idea originally stemmed from an Oprah show. I can't believe that one slipped by. I highly recommend every one reading this to put this idea into action too. And, please give it the full 10 seconds the kiss deserves. It doesn't need to be scheduled in advance and the kiss probably 99.9% of the time won't lead anywhere. For me, it makes me fall head-over-heels in love with Jeff all over again.

Even if you hate going to bridal showers or didn't even have a reason to be there because you didn't know the bride, seeing the Mad Hatter theme executed made it worth it alone. What an experience it was and Joanne could have a wildly successful career in event planning if she ever wanted it. But I do enjoy bridal showers because it is showering the bride-to-be in good wishes and presents for the upcoming wedding, which is celebrating two people getting together who are in love. And I love love.