Hall of Fame??

Each year the American Association of Certified Wedding Planners holds an awards banquet in which they give their favorite vendors a trophy in seventeen categories--such things as favorite photographer, DJ, wedding venue, etc. The award is called "The Vendi's". One category is favorite minister.  I have been blessed to take home that trophy the past five years in a row. This year's ceremony was held at Union Station in downtown Dallas in early February with about 500 people attending.

Their rules are that after five wins, you move into the Hall of Fame which is even further blessing, and says that they appreciate the way I take care of the couples getting married. It also says they recognize that I so love what I do. Getting to stand there so close to a couple during a ceremony is a  precious thing to me.

Thanks to all the wedding planners at AACWP

Blessings,
Ken

Christmas Wonder

...by Handsome & Gretyl

If you're looking for something new in Christmas music, this young couple from Seattle has released an EP (5 songs) entitled "Wonder". Brett and Gretyl Baird introduce a couple of new songs, plus put their spin on some classics. I ordered several copies as stocking stuffers. Give a listen.

Blessings,
Ken

An Embarrassment of Riches??

The American Association of Certified Wedding Planners is a prestigious organization dedicated to the highest standards and training with regard to wedding and event planning. They have my utmost respect. As I have said many times to various folks in their membership, any time I walk into an event and see an AACWP member, or one of their trusted vendors I mentally relax as I know everything will work as planned and there are no details for me to worry about. 

Each year they have an awards banquet--originally called "My Favorite Vendor", but more recently changed to "The Vendis". I am honored that, for the third year in a row, they have given me their trust in the form of the Vendi for Favorite Minister. 

I am grateful for their trust but I know I have to earn it at every wedding. 

Blessings,
Ken

Two Years in a Row

For the second year in a row the American Association of Certified Wedding Planners has voted to give me their annual award for favorite minister. I am honored and humbled.                                                                I do what I do because I love it and I love being part of any couple's wedding day. AACWP is an association of wedding professionals; getting an award for doing something I love is truly icing on the cake.                                                                             Thank you, wedding planners for entrusting your clients to me. You are part of what makes my life wonderful.                               Blessings,                                                   Ken

Thanks to AACWP

...for your trust


Recently, the American Association of Certified Wedding Planners held their annual vendor appreciation banquet. It was a humbling moment to be given the 2016 "Favorite Minister" award. I am so grateful to the many planners who have entrusted their clients to me and my colleagues at LoveNotes. 

While I appreciate the vote of confidence, I know that I must earn that trust each time I walk into an event. 

Blessings, 
Ken

Happy Heaven Day

...Mom

Eighteen years ago today, March 11, Mom stepped out of this life and into eternity. I miss her every day of the world. Today, I visited the cemetery and took her drink of choice--2 fingers of J&B Scotch, rocks, no water.

Blessings
Ken

Sydney Grace

...lives in Heaven

It's been eight years since I got that phone call telling me that our granddaughter, Sydney Grace, would be born still. The years since have let me bear the pain, but haven't lessened the intensity. If it's that intense for me, I can't imagine how it is for Ian and Alyssa.

On November 30, I will celebrate Sydney's "heaven day". Listen to this song about her and celebrate with me. 


Blessings,
Ken

Falling In Love Is Like Owning A Dog

Copper D. Byrd

 First of all, it's a big responsibility, especially in a big city
So think long and hard before deciding on love.
On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security:
When you're walking down the street late at night and you have a leash on love
Ain't no one going to mess with you because crooks and muggers think love is unpredictable.
Who knows what love could do in its own defense?
On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.
Love doesn't like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
But you can never be mad at love for long.
Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.
Love makes messes. Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after.
Sometimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper
And swat love on the nose, not so much to cause pain,
Just to let love know, ‘Don't you ever do that again!’
Sometimes love just wants to go for a nice long walk. Because love loves exercise.
It runs you around the block and leaves you panting.
It pulls you in several different directions at once, or winds around and around you
Until you're all wound up and can't move.
But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love stop and talk to each other on the street.
Throw things away and love will bring them back, again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.
And in return, love loves you and never stops.

(this piece written by Taylor Mali)

Blessings,
Ken

Sealing the Deal

...for Carole and Chris 

Some weddings, some couples stand out more than others in my memory. A particularly memorable one in 2014 was the Colleyville ceremony of Carole and Chris. The groom and four of the groomsmen are decorated Navy Seals. Don’t think I've ever seen five guys that fit and clear eyed—pretty much exactly what you’d want protecting our country. At the end of the ceremony, the four groomsmen drew their sabers and formed the traditional arch for the couple to exit. However, the thing that really made this one stand out for me is the way that Chris looked at his bride—so tenderly, totally in the moment. Granted, she's a beautiful woman but I think he was looking much deeper than that. Look closely at the picture above. 

They met in 2012 within a few days of each arriving at the US Embassy in Nigeria. She’s in the ambassador corps, and Chris was assigned there with the Navy. Here’s how you know how tough this couple is: she voluntarily goes to embassy assignments in countries that would scare most people. And Chris? Well, he traveled all the way back to Texas, alone, to ask Carole’s parents for her hand in marriage. That’s a tough guy!

Being married and in the military is not just a one person issue, however. It takes two. In this case, Chris is serving his country, being deployed for months at a time, while Carole is back home awaiting his return, giving him the reason to keep on keeping on, looking forward to the day he can come home to his love. It definitely takes two and I appreciate their service. We are the land of the free because of the brave like Carole and Chris.

 Oh, one more thing. Not sure if was intentional, but the ceremony start time was such that no diehard Longhorn fans would miss the football game. Carole and I share the love for our Texas Longhorns! 

Blessings,

Ken

Miss Stella

Miss Stella...the help in many ways

When we moved to Wills Point in 2013, we bought a property on the north end of town, still residential (sort of) but not that far from the county line. Across the road from us is the home of Glynn Ellis, a long time resident, businessman, civic leader and philanthropist. Our half acre property is modest compared to his. Mr. Ellis and Mama June are in their 80’s and no longer in good health; he is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s and their children have arranged 24/7 care.

The constant is Miss Stella. She has been the housekeeper/cook for the Ellis family for more than 35 years. Think “The Help”, but without the bad stuff. We’ve passed a few words with Stella over the last 18 months. She’s a nice lady and as we sit on our back deck, whether morning or evening, we see her coming and going and she always waves to us. Somehow it’s just comforting to know that she’s over there.

Having just lost my father back in October, I’ve been thinking of the temporal nature of life and that we shouldn’t leave things un-said. Whatever you need to say or do, get it said or done sooner rather than later. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. The last couple of days, I’ve thought about taking a little gift of some kind over to Miss Stella to express our feelings. Most days she leaves promptly at 6pm but today I saw her headed to her car around 5:45pm so I took my little token over and waved her down. She rolled down the window, said hello, but she was obviously upset with tears rolling down her cheeks. I asked her if she was okay.

Through her tears, she told me that her 27 year old nephew had committed suicide two days ago and that she had arrived with the police and found the young man. She was not able to “un-see” the horror she had witnessed. I took her hand and prayed with her. She went on her way and I walked back across the road.

My point? Go read the above. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. If there’s something you need to deal with, something that needs to get said or done, do it now. You may not have the opportunity again. I’m so grateful that God prodded me to walk across the road, join hands with a kind woman of a different skin color, and ask Him to give comfort to the family.

God brought us to this little corner of Van Zandt County for many reasons. This was just one of them. 

Blessings,

Ken

Happy Birthday

...Mom

Mom is 87 years old today and lives in heaven. Her spirit remains forever in my heart. She was without question, one of the most fun people on the planet. I miss that. 

This pic was taken on their wedding day, March 29, 1946.

Blessings,
Ken

Happy Birthday, Dad

Ninety Years!!

Dad almost made it to his 90th birthday. We had been planning a big birthday bash (at his request) for over a year. We're thinking that sometime this winter we're going to have a celebration of his life with a bunch of friends and relatives and relate our favorite stories about him.

Here's my favorite story in recent times: About four years or so back, Dad decided he wanted a new car and asked me to take him to the Dallas Auto Show. He's a traditional kind of guy, but there just aren't many cars left like his favorite Lincolns and rear-drive Buicks. So I steered him to one of the last remaining front engine/rear drive cars, a Mercury Grand Marquis Ultimate Edition. He liked the car a lot but expressed some concerns. When I questioned him about it, he replied, "well, the Mercury brand has been discontinued and I'm worried about resale value".

I said, "Dad, you're 85 years old. Why would you care about resale value". He bought the car.

Blessings,
Ken

Christmas Music

...by Handsome & Gretyl

If you're looking for something new in Christmas music, this young couple from Seattle has released an EP (5 songs) entitled "Wonder". Brett and Gretyl Baird introduce a couple of new songs, plus put their spin on some classics. I ordered several copies as stocking stuffers. Give a listen.

Blessings,
Ken

Veterans Day

...honoring my dad

My Dad served in the US Army during World War II.  Stationed in California, he was about to be sent overseas when he got a serious bronchial infection and his unit shipped out without him. Not long after, with things winding down, he was ordered to serve out his enlistment at Fort Ord in California. It was during this time that he met and married my mom. After discharge from the Army, he went to Auburn University on the GI bill. I was born before he graduated. 

Today we went to the cemetery to put American Flags on his grave.

My thanks to Dad and all the other veterans who serve and protect our country. 

Blessings,
Ken

November

...30 Days of Grace We're approaching the anniversary of the loss of our grand daughter, Sydney Grace. November 30 six years ago she was born still and a dream for our son and daughter-in-law died with her. Over these six years we've all found many ways to honor and remember her. I still think of her in the present tense. This year Alyssa began a "30 Days of Grace" on November 1, finding ways to do random acts of kindness and generosity to honor Sydney. My wife and I have participated and haven't said much about it until today. Today, as we drove along Hwy 80 in Wills Point, we saw five young people conducting a car wash in front of a local business. We pulled in and inquired if this was a club or something. It wasn’t. Seems that the two holding signs and the three doing the car washing are friends of a young man whose sister was killed in an accident last week. None of them knew the girl who was killed. These five wanted to help the family with funeral expenses. No charge for the car wash, just donate what you can. Was my car squeaky clean after the car wash? No. It had streaks and water spots, but I drove away with an empty wallet thinking it was the best wash I ever had. Five kids doing a kindness for the memory of a friend's sister--someone they never met. Sydney's Grace. Blessings, Ken

Mother's Day

...remembering me and mom in the kitchen

My mother has been gone for 15 years now but even so, I think about her every day. I remember the fun that she was at any family gathering, and I remember all the things she taught me. Since this is mother's day weekend, I want to re-post here an article I wrote about her that was published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram a few years ago.


Mom and Me In The Kitchen

Even though I didn’t think it great at the time, my mom taught me to cook—and clean, and iron, and wash clothes (neatly separated by colors, of course)—and handle all the other chores one needs to know to run a household. As far as the ironing goes, I managed to keep that a secret from my bride, at least until mom came for her first visit and spilled the news. The fact that I could operate a sewing machine, mend pants and sew on buttons remained hidden until the wife and I had been married a few years. She still distrusts me over that issue.

Learning to cook was fun because mom made it so. Even Sunday dinners after church took on a festive atmosphere for me and my two sisters, and that was only due to our mother’s efforts to turn mundane ingredients into a feast. Then we’d sit around the table, stuffing our faces as we offered critique on the preacher’s sermon that day and laugh about how he seemed to dredge up the same illustrations several times a year. One of those stories involved a little girl in an orphanage surrounded by an iron fence. Having few friends and no one to play with, she would write notes and slip them through the iron bars or hang them from a tree limb bordering the property. Most of those notes went unnoticed, or just blew away, but one day a passing gentleman picked up the note while out on a walk and was touched by the sentiment he read, written by a lonely child just reaching out to someone--anyone. It said, “Whoever reads this, I love you”. That touching, yet amusing story came to be a running joke in our family, and we’d occasionally put those six words at the bottom of letters, grocery lists, post cards, etc.

The years came and went; I headed off to college as did my sisters. While in college, I realized the value of what mom had taught us about handling household chores. Her lessons served me well, and even later on I realized that I could use my culinary skills to impress the ladies. Yes, indeed, mom knew what she was doing! To this day, my wife still loves it when I cook for her; it’s one of those little things that say “I love you” without having to utter a word.

As our children grew up, we made sure they learned those same lessons and as our sons got to high school age, the four of us took delight in cooking for my parents, sometimes even going to the extremes of packing up food and utensils, making the hour drive to their home and preparing a meal for them. It was on one of those trips that I left my favorite apron behind, and this wasn’t just any apron. It was custom made to my specifications by my sweet wife and was even stenciled with my name on it. Great apron, too. Has two pockets, adjustable neck strap, multiple loops for holding towels, and is, in short, the perfect apron. No worries, though, as I knew I’d retrieve it on our next trip to East Texas to see mom and dad.

Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out that way, as in mid March of 1998 while being treated for pneumonia, mom went into cardiac arrest. After being in a coma for two days, she passed peacefully out of this life and into eternity. Some weeks after the funeral, as I was helping dad go through things so he could reorganize his house—and his life—I came across my apron. It had been washed and was neatly folded so I put it into the stack of things my wife and I would take home. Helping dad do this task was a sad duty, but he truly needed help as he was not accustomed to surviving without his love and best friend of 53 years.

A couple of weeks later, I was preparing to spend a Saturday afternoon cooking up some Cajun dishes for dinner. Our whole family (including mom and dad) always enjoyed my fare from southern Looseeanna and we’re all fans of the late humorist and Cajun Chef Justin Wilson. As I began the slicing and dicing, my dear wife reminded me that I needed my favorite apron and she went to retrieve it from its normal place, hanging on a hook in the pantry. Slipping it over my head and tying the sash, I felt totally prepared to feed the masses, or at least our family of four. Stepping towards the sink, and reaching my hand into one of the apron pockets, I pulled out a folded piece of paper. Upon straightening out the note-sized page, I recognized my mother’s handwriting on one of her monogrammed notes. Through increasingly blurry eyes, I read the words, “Whoever reads this, I love you”.

It’s been eight years since I found that note and it remains in the left pocket of that apron. Sure, I look at it occasionally, but now instead of making me teary eyed, it puts a smile on my face as I realize the favor mom did me not only by making me learn to cook but in taking those kitchen opportunities to enrich our family memories. That little slip of paper now has various food stains on it and has started to yellow but that’s okay. I’ll pass it, and the apron, on to my two sons. Maybe I’ll write my own note to go with it.

I miss you, mom.

Blessings,
Ken

Dallas World Aquarium

 ...as a wedding venue??

Absolutely. The last few years I've had a number of wedding ceremonies at the Dallas World Aquarium on Griffin Street in downtown Dallas. Sea creatures and rainforest creatures are everywhere in this three story facility. One of the more stunning areas is the glass tunnel you walk through and discover that there are ocean creatures (including sharks) swimming on three sides of you.

For special events, you can arrange some up close and personal time with Leno, the three toed sloth. He is very sociable and likes being held, as Pei and Beth found out after their wedding ceremony last weekend. Some of the creatures, such as the snakes and crocodiles, you don't want to get personal with .

Check out the DWA website at http://www.dwazoo.com/  If you go, be prepared to spend a few hours. This isn't something you can see in a 30 minute walk through.

Blessings

Ken

Vi and Joseph

...at the Meyerson

Last November Vi and Joseph had their dream wedding at the Meyerson Symphony Center with about 300 guests looking on. Meredith Commender (www.significanteventsoftexas.com) was the planner extraordinaire. You should see the detail work that Meredith and her team put into an event.  The picture was among the spectacular work by Ivy Weddings (www.ivy-weddings.com)

Recently, they sent me a highlights video from the ceremony and reception (held at the Fashion Industry Gallery). Take a look:

http://vimeo.com/56713540 

Great day all around. Congratulations Vi and Joseph.

After the ceremony I found out that Meredith carries jumper cables in her car. Don't ask why I needed to know that, except that she saved my day!

Blessings,

Ken

The Knot Pick

...best of weddings for 2013

Love Notes is honored and humbled that we have again received the 2013 Pick, Best of Weddings from the Knot.  What a great thing, to get an award for doing something we love.

Blessings,

Ken

Five Years...

since that phone call

It's been five years since I got that phone call telling me that our granddaughter, Sydney Grace, would be born still. The years since have let me bear the pain, but haven't lessened the intensity. If it's that intense for me, I can't imagine how it is for Ian and Alyssa.

Today, I celebrate Sydney's "heaven day". Listen to this song about her and celebrate with me. 



Blessings,
Ken