Weddings on the first of september

This weekend I was with my family again and on Saturday we had a big family day because our cousin was getting married! That's on the first of September and that date is kinda special to me. Because it's also the date on which my parents got married some 31 years ago :D. Isn't that something? But lets start at the beginning.

Family

Two days ago I watched my cousin get married. It was a beautiful wedding and she was so beautiful. I could use that word for her hair as well and her dress. It really was amazing. They had a service at city hall as well as in the church and afterwards we went to the reception. In 2009 another cousin got married, but unfortunately me and my parents, we were on holiday in England at the time, so we had to miss it. That's why we didn't want to miss a thing this time around. It was my first wedding to attend, so I was very curious. People always say that they cry at weddings and I wasn't sure if I would be one of them as well. The answer? Yes, I'm that kind of person. Well, a little. But how can you keep it together when two people promise to be with each other for the rest of their lives and when there is so much love in their eyes? Seriously! It was beautiful. And when the groom read his vows... Very touching. So I wouldn't say that I cried-cried, but I did have some teary eyes. Oh, and you also sometimes hear people about the wedding cake. How it's supposed the be good and represent something (no, I have no idea what)... Well, let me tell you, their's was DE-LIC-IOUS! So damn tasty, haha. They also had some cupcakes that were great as well, but that cake... wow! All in all, for a first wedding to attend, it was definitely a great one :). 

(Not the cake from the wedding, but it still looks very amazing)

Parents

Like I said, my parents got married on the first of September. In 1981. They have been together for two years longer, so we have sort of have a double party every year, haha. Last year we did this whole family vacation thing to the town where my parents got together for the first time, so it had a lot of extra meaning. Thirty years is a very long time and I'm just so immensly proud of them and very happy that they are still together. And now it's thirty-one. So if the date on which you get married is any inclination about having a good marriage, I'd like to think that my parents prove this. I really can't imagine being married for that long (then again, I'm not in a relationship, so that might have something to do with it). Because we had a big wedding this year, we didn't celebrate it that big, but we did go out to dinner after the reception and we had a wonderful evening.

(Not my parents, but still cute right? :P)

Fandom

Apparently the first of September is a great day to get married, because not only did my parents and my cousin get married on that date but also my favorite actress: Sarah Michelle Gellar and her hubby Freddie Prinze Jr. They got married in 2002, so a couple years later. Right now they are still together with a baby girl and another child on the way. Because I'm such a big fan of her, I just like to see her happy. Her work is such an inspiration to me and in that way she means a lot to me, so I also kinda share in her joy when I read articles about her personal life. I don't know if some people think that that is weird or something, but that's just me.

 (Freddie and Sarah on their wedding)

(Freddie and Sarah with daughter Charlotte Grace)

And talking about famous (married) couples that I love: Buffy-alums Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof are just the best. I mean, come on... Take a look at this picture! How cute are they with Halloween???

Another reason why September first might be a good date to get married (though it's kinda beside this glamour/American wedding), is the weather. Both my parents and my cousin had great weather. And to be totally honest here, isn't that what we always want on a wedding day? :P It's supposed to be the perfect day where everything runs smoothly. Unlike the weddings you see in a lot of sitcoms, like How I Met Your Mother, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Friends. I would have liked to share a vid from HIMYM here, but unfortunately I can't find a good one on YouTube. So you'll have to find it yourself. The episodes are 2x21 (Something Borrowed) and 2x22 (Something Blue). Enjoy!

Birthdays

A little over a week ago I celebrated my 24th birthday. Now, normally I do not think this is a big deal. People always ask you what you want for your birthday and I come up blanc. Seriously... I don't know. I don't really have any money and a lot of the time I just see things and wish I had them, but when that one moment a year comes I don't know what to say. There is another reason as well. That is that I think people are to materialistic. They always want so much stuff and I can't stand it. Sure, I also wish I had some things. I love reading books and I love watching movies. So if I have the money I would buy it. But it's a whole different thing if you ask other people for it. In a way I think its rude and shallow and basically it makes me uncomfortable and gives me a bad feeling. Like I'm doing something wrong. 

But it's not that I'm against presents. I love presents. I just don't really know how to act when I get them. In my previous blog I mentioned that I got a present, or should I say THE PRESENT? It was a Serenity DVD signed by Joss Whedon. I got this present in the train and I gotta tell ya. You wouldn't believe my reaction. I'm pretty sure I turned red and even cried a little. I couldn't stop staring at it and thanking the wonderful man that gave it to me. Because it means so much to me and it sooooo awesome ;-). What I guess matters most to me when I get a present, is that it comes from the heart. Around birthdays it's expected to bring presents. And maybe that's what's wrong with it for me. There's no surprise there. I much rather surprise my Mom or sisters with a present just because I saw it in a store and thought they might like it. The surprised and happy look on their face, that's why I do it. And no, of course it doesn't need to be expensive. Why would anyone even say such a thing? It would only make me uncomfortable, knowing that I'm holding something in my hands that's expensive. And possibly guilty, that someone spend that much money on me. I guess I just don't deal well with it or something.

There are some presents I got that I absolutly LOVE! For instance, in one of my previous blogs I mentioned a trip to a theme park called the EFTELING. This was a birthday present from my sister and her boyfriend for me and mine. It was an awesome day! Yes, I did feel a little bit guilty, because it was expensive. But it was so good and an outing is about the experience instead of something materialistic. I got to spend a day with the people I love in a beautiful place. What's not to love? :-). 

Moving on to my actual birthday celebration and the presents. My dear, sweet uncle gave me a book that I have been wanting to read since I started studying Film and Television. It's called Twentieth Century by Albert Robida. Kinda sci-fi about inventions that we would have in the 20th century. So I'm very excited to start reading it. It's the perfect present after waiting such a long time to get my hands on it.

My parents and sister also gave me great presents. A couple of years ago a movie came out with Sarah Michelle Gellar (yes, she plays Buffy) called Veronika Decides to Die. It took forever to come out here. In the meantime I already downloaded it (so sue me, I got impatient!) and bought the book and read it twice. Now I own it on DVD and watched it with my family. I finally got to share it. I really loved the movie the first time I watched it and I love it even more. It's so beautiful and sweet and just ... so GOOD. 

There is one more present I like to pay attention to. And that's the book How to Be Death - Yes, my family really thought there might be something going on there, but I don't think of the titles, I just love the work ;-). In October I went to this convention and I got to meet the amazing and wonderful Amber Benson. I know her from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I kept up with what she was doing. She made some great movies, not to mention great books like Death's Daughter. It was supposed the be a series of three books, but at that convention Amber was nice enough to share that there would be two more books. Safe to say that I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It came out in February I believe, but me not having a job or a paycheck... decided to do the smart thing and spend the money on food and rent. So I was very thrilled to get it for my birthday. I just started reading it and I can't wait for what's coming next!!!!! As an added bonus, I posted my happiness with the book on Twitter and shortly after I got a reply. By none other than Miss Benson herself!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D (I have to stop, but seriously, there are not enough smiley faces). She wished me a happy birthday!!!! How awesom is that for a birthday present, right? A very little thing, but it made me jump up in the air. And that really made my birthday. So honestly people, money isn't everything. 

Which leeds me to my other thing. To me the most important thing about birthdays or just any special kind of event is to spend it with the people you love. Birthday in itself, not so special. I don't really like the attention. But on my actual birthday me, my sister and my parents, we played games (cards, boardgames and Yathzee) and it was so much fun. In the weekend - the actual celebration - my uncle, boyfriend other sister and her boyfriend came to visit and we talked and had fun. So my perfect birthday would be spending time with family and friends. Just talking, nothing special. Well, maybe some kind of cake or pie. Because I love me some of those ;-).

I feel like there's a lot more I wanted to say about birthdays and presents, but I seemed to have forgotten most of it. So let me end with this:

- Presents? Sure they are nice, but much better when it's not from a list, but given from the heart.

- Attention? Not so much, though spending time with family and friends is definitely the most important to me.

- Aging? Not really a thing for me. Though I have to a admit, I thought around this time I wanted to have a job and maybe some more stability in my life. So maybe that's why I didn't want a whole big thing.

- Cake/Pie? Yeah baby!!!! One of the best things right?

--> Family and friends are what matters most. Without them, what's life even worth.

All in all I had a wonderful time on my birthday, not to mention the past year. Because I finally graduated. Wootwoot! It was fun and I loved the presents I got, not to mention the company I was in. Now I'm still enjoying the books and dvd :-). 

P.s. A while ago Eliza Dushku started her facebook page, which of course I liked (she played Faith in Buffy). I made a comment on here page and she 'liked' it, which also send me through the roof :-P.