The Way You Look Tonight

Everyone has a "type". From my earliest memory my type was.... boys! Absolutely boys. Not all boys mind you, but most boys. Dark haired. Light haired. Skinny. Muscular. I really, really liked boys. And as I got older I began to hone in on the attributes I liked best. My "boys" were almost always driven. Really driven. Kind of to the point of obsession. (It one of those weird traits that both attracted me and drove me crazy. Maybe I'm a bit masochistic!) And cute. Not in a classic way. (I did that, dated a few models, and let me tell you.... BOR-ing!) But even featured and usually very charming. They were all very different but these were the things that they had in common. All of them. (In case you're wondering, this includes the one I married of course!)

So, it was not entirely surprising to me to realize that Dashell seems to have a "type". I'd noticed it on and off over the past year, but it was never as clear as it was while we were traveling over the last couple months to a few family weddings. First we flew to Arkansas to attend a wedding reception for Dave's niece Amber and her husband Glenn. (Yes, only a reception. The bride and groom snuck off to Jamaica for a private, romantic oceanside wedding first. The stinkers! We SO would have flown out for that!!)

Bride was stunning... (oh, and, of course, so was the groom)

But it wasn't the star of the show that Dash was interested in as much as the cool drink of water he spied across the room. His eyes lit up the minute he saw her and he was off like flash! Standing almost toe to toe with her (but definitely not head to head!) he stared up, up, up and tried to get her attention and grab her hand...

Once successful, he promptly led her over to the wall of windows so that they could stare out at the lake together. Ah, romance!

Unfortunately Dash did get a little obsessed and every time his cousin April tried to make a break for it, he tracked her down again. All in all, though, she was a very good sport!

A month or so later, we flew out to New York for a wedding on my side of family. The bride had sweetly asked if Dashell would be a ring bearer. My first reaction was what fun! And then I really thought about it and decided to warn her that kids at this age (2 years old) can be VERY unpredictable to say the least. But Jess was willing to give it go and understood that there might need to be a back up plan in place.

So when the big day arrived, we all donned our finest wedding attire and headed over to church...

I got in position, with Dash, at the back of the church and we talked about how he would need to walk up to the candles at the front. He said that he thought he could do that and then he got distracted by the women playing piano and cello right behind him. Well, finally the moment of truth was before us (actually Emily the flower girl was before us and then the moment of truth!) I handed Dash the pillow with the rings, and, well... hmmm... see for yourself...


Not exactly without a hitch, but pretty good, huh?!

Later that evening, at the reception, Dash was asked to walk in with Emily during the part where they introduce the bridal party. He already had eyes for her and so thought that it was grand idea, especially when she suggested that they practice first! So, hand in hand they paraded around the lobby waiting for their turn to be introduced. When the time came, they made a beautiful entrance and then waited patiently while the bride and groom were introduced and had their first dance.

Obviously Dash took his responsibilities VERY seriously!!

Don't the bride and groom look stunning?!

After they finished their first dance the rest of the bridal party was asked to join in and dance too. And Dash got swept up in moment...

Ummm.... as did Emily! Here's a little video of what became a landmark event... (just wait, you'll see what I'm talking about)


Yep. You saw it! After that Dash was a total smitten kitten!! (Did you see that happy dance at the end??!!) He chased Emily around for the rest of the night demanding to "hold hands". We had to talk to him more than a few times...


But don't worry, by the next day they were all smiles again at my grandmother's 90th birthday brunch...

(I just have to sneak in a couple photos of the birthday gal and the rest of the gang. It was so wonderful that so much of the family could make it out. Josh, Letitzia and Londyn, we missed you guys!!)

So there you have it. Dash's type: tall, blond, and... older. I guess you could include "cousin" in that list, since both April and Emily are his cousins but we're hoping he'll eventually veer from that path (even though he does have some Arkansas hillbilly blood in him!) It will be interesting to see if his type changes over time. Who knows what he'll end up with. I personally never thought "artist" for myself, but I'm sure glad I gave one a shot!