Find Your Local Florist:Everything you want to know about flowers!
Bid Day is that happy day when sororities welcome new sisters into their chapter. Bid Day begins a countdown to the most glorious week for all new members, Big and Little reveal! Big and Little reveal comes once a year, and with as many presents as these Littles receive – license plates, t-shirts, jewelry, pass-downs and many more – it’s no wonder they call it Christmas!
It’s easy to spoil your Little before you know her. But I am here to help you do it RIGHT!
As we grow older, our summers are no longer long days in the sun, and we tend to hope that time will slow down. Now that our youthful days of running around, picking flowers and rope swings by the lake aren’t what they used to be, it’s time to relive these memories by arranging a picnic.
Work and school is stressful, but if there is still some sun left in the day, why not enjoy it?
Plan a surprise date under a shady tree. Picnics combine our favorite things all in one: food, beautiful weather and conversation. You could even surprise your friends with a pop-up picnic! Who doesn’t love a surprise? This is especially good for a quick, yet romantic date. There are several ways to plan a picnic, but for those who are picnic planning-impaired I have a checklist prepared for you.
For an extra special touch, surprise your significant other with flowers at work with an invitation to a surprise dinner after work. She will be so surprised by the romantic gesture, the picnic will be easy to keep hidden.
Don’t let this summer fly by without creating memories that will last a lifetime. Make a spur of the moment trip to your favorite shady tree with your favorite person and a bouquet of flowers.
Growing up can be tough. Though I was blessed to have an amazing childhood, there are many emotions you cannot live without experiencing. The bittersweet hurt of a crush on a boy who does not feel the same can seem like the end of the world to a young girl. Luckily, I had a hiding place where I could really find the truth I was looking for: truth by the ole’ “he loves me; he loves me not” game.
My mom worked hard on her roses in the backyard, so to really know the truth about my 7th-grade love, I had to be sneaky. I would walk outside in my backyard. So what did I do? I would venture to my Secret Place in my own backyard, using an arbor in the back corner. It was decorated with mom’s prize roses, and sat right beside the roof. After finding a spot where my hands could get a good grip (without thorns), I could pull myself up on top of the arbor.
The best view of the sunset was just over the trees, and I was almost there. There, I would gather as many petals my hands could hold and I would begin my climb quietly onto the roof. My mother was always a stickler to my climbing routines; being caught was not an option. As I reached the peak, I could slow down. I had reached my destination.
A Whole New World
My Secret Place might have been on the rooftop of my house in small-town Lonoke, Arkansas, but from the view of the peak, I was in another world. I was Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind.” I was Elizabeth in “Pride and Prejudice.” Most importantly I was a rebel without a cause. I would spend hours on the peak watching the sun slowly make its way down the sky for the night. Those were times I did not need music. I could create it in my head, humming while rubbing rose petals between my thumb and index finger repeating “he loves me; he loves me not” until the results came out to my liking.
Before the sun fell to darkness, I would slowly make my way down the roof. Giving the rose petals one more squeeze, I would release them with all the left-over stress of middle school, and head for the door.
My Secret Place Today
Several years down the road, I was graduating, my parents were moving to Dallas, TX and my house would be put up for sale. Of all the memories I have from growing up in that house the one thing I miss the most is my mother’s prize roses, and the lessons they taught me. I should not be picking apart flowers, but receiving them instead. The wait was well worth the love I have now.
Are there flowers that remind you of home? Recreate old memories by planting them, buying them for yourself or sending to a friend. Memories can last a lifetime; it just takes someone or something to rekindle the spark.
Living with four sorority girls that are in serious relationships can lead to many “When I get married…” conversations. While discussing our dream wedding dream wedding plans, I asked “When would y’all want to get married?” Of course, we all had some idea, but one roommate had only one thing planned — her flowers. “I just want sunflowers, so my wedding will be planned around their season. My fiancé will just have to understand.” I’m sure he will.
Sunflowers are typically warm-weather bloomers. If you are in the same boat as my roommate, it’s best to plan your wedding between May and October. Although most florists are able to order sunflowers year round, they are usually much more affordable when they’re used in season. Sunflowers have a long season which allows the flowers to be used for summer and fall weddings. The sunflower is the perfect statement piece, and the placement is all up to the bride. Sunflowers are great for bouquets, arches or center piece. With so many placement options, they make flower planning a breeze.
Planning a wedding can be (and most likely is) a difficult task, but why? My theory is that, as women, we want it all. I want a country wedding, but then I also want a beach wedding. It only happens once, and it’s hard to choose. Sunflowers can be used in many different themes, such as: southern rustic charm, country elegant weddings, beach weddings and outdoor weddings.
The scent of roses at a fresh market or at the table of a nice restaurant sends me back to Valentine’s Day in third grade when I received my first bouquet of roses. Psychologists believe that specific words can evoke certain emotions in the reader. A simple word like “smile” can make one think of a sunny day in the park. I believe flowers can do the same. Red roses remind me of my first hand delivered bouquet of flowers.
The bouquet was given to me by the most important man in my life, my father. Dad was a pilot for Children’s Hospital when I was younger. His usual mornings started at 5:30am, when I was long asleep in my bed in the next room. On this particular morning I heard the blow dryer, part of my mom’s usual morning beauty routine, and the coffee maker’s sizzling drops. To my disappointment, I did not hear Dad come in and say goodbye.
Mom woke me up with her usual perky singing of the “Green Acres Theme Song.” I asked for my usual five more minutes, but that day Mom quickly flicked on the overhead light. She jumped out of the doorway to reveal my Daddy holding a bouquet of twelve beautiful roses. I can still feel my cheeks cramping from the delighted smile.
“I will always be your Valentine…”He knelt beside my bed and whispered in my ear, “I will always be your Valentine. No matter who walks into or out of your life; remember that.” After eleven years, Dad still sends me a bouquet of a dozen roses each year. The sight of a bouquet takes me back to that morning.
It’s your turn to start a new tradition in your family. Deliver your next memory with the help of your local florist.
