A Formal Affair to Remember

I had a date with James Bond, so why was I wasting time bargain hunting at Chico’s?

One of the most enjoyable kinds of journaling is anecdotal—the interesting stories that give you behind-the-scenes facts, especially the kind that make you grin.

A short anecdote often tells more about you or a loved than straight journaling.

For example, if I simply told what we did on our 29th anniversary, it would remind us of the day, and the photos would add another dimension, but it wouldn’t give a true picture of what really went on.

I would venture to say that future generations will read the anecdotal stories much more readily than straight facts journaling. Use the title to rope your readers in, then keep it snappy and to the point — you’ll have them turning the pages of your scrapbook for more.

So, as Paul Harvey was fond of saying, “Here’s the rest of the story!”

*****

It was our 29th anniversary, and Charlie and I were dressed to kill, having just finished a photo shoot with Rachel Hadiashar. He wore his tux and I wore a deep blue Laura Ashley dress with strappy, bronze heels.

The next stop on the agenda was a late lunch at Limo’s, a restaurant that has been featured in the national magazine The Week as one of the best ethnic restaurants in Portland.

We arrived at 1:58 p.m. only to discover that Sunday hours started at 3:00. Drat! We either had to find another restaurant or kill an hour. Since Chico’s was across the street, we decided to wait it out.

My attendant at Chico’s was very accommodating. She showed Charlie a comfortable sitting area, complete with newspaper, and proceeded to help me find clothes to try on. The hour zipped by while I snagged a couple of bargains for my wardrobe.

In the meantime, another shopper took her 10-year-old son over to the sitting area and matter-of-factly said, “Sit here with James Bond while I shop.”

Come to think of it, Charlie DID look a lot like James Bond in a tuxedo. Maybe even better. So why was I wasting time bargain hunting at Chico’s?


Comments (32)

  1. Janet Hays

    What an amazing story and one your children will certainly remember – – “my dad as James Bond”. Thanks for sharing this, Linda!

    March 10, 2011 at 3:14 pm Reply
  2. Judy Treuge

    Great fotos, fun story. Love the dress 🙂

    March 10, 2011 at 9:19 pm Reply
  3. barb_b

    Such a heartwarming, entertaining story! When I saw this in the newsletter I wanted to know more! I was delighted to find that you had written about it here on the blog. Fantastic shot of both of you and, well, James Bond – very dashing!

    March 11, 2011 at 6:45 am Reply
  4. Fox57

    You both look fantastic!! Charlie is quite dashing in that tux and your dress is so pretty. The photo’s are wonderful. You two are such a cute couple!

    March 11, 2011 at 6:32 pm Reply
  5. Vivian

    Love the tux, love your dress, loved the journaling. You two make a perfect couple!

    March 13, 2011 at 8:32 am Reply
  6. Linda Sattgast

    Thanks, everyone! I just got the rest of the photos from our fab photographer, Rachel Hadiashar, and they are wonderful! Don’t you love it when a photographer makes you look really good?

    We were the first customers of the day at Limo’s restaurant, and no one else showed up while we were there, so it felt like we were being totally pampered. It was great fun. Since they didn’t have desserts, we were forced to find another restaurant (Italian this time) that served a huge, decadent piece of chocolate cake.

    Hey—an anniversary only comes once a year!

    March 13, 2011 at 4:02 pm Reply
  7. And what a wonderful “after story” too! Great day. Hope we’re gonna see some more pictures.

    March 13, 2011 at 7:36 pm Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      Yes, you will! These pictures will be part of an album we feature in Premier in the near future!

      March 15, 2011 at 10:43 pm Reply
  8. Suzanne Scriven

    And now, may we see the video of you and Charlie dancing? Your attire just calls for a lovely walz or Fox Trot!

    March 14, 2011 at 11:30 am Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      Uh, oh! We totally forgot to have Allison take a video of us! LOL! However, we are just now learning to ballroom dance, so perhaps we’d better wait a few weeks until we get a little better at it! 🙂

      March 15, 2011 at 10:44 pm Reply
  9. Kimmer

    I love your story! Journalling is my weakness, as I have more a “just the facts mamm ” kind of style. Thanks for the tips :-). You’ve inspired me.

    March 14, 2011 at 2:30 pm Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      That’s wonderful! I bet you’ll have fun writing up stories like these!

      March 15, 2011 at 10:45 pm Reply
  10. Happy Anniversary, you two! What a great idea for celebrating and I am so with you on finding bargains!

    Michelle

    March 15, 2011 at 6:16 am Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      Thanks! Yes—LOVE those bargains!

      March 15, 2011 at 10:45 pm Reply
  11. I love using this style of journaling, too! I LOVE to “snag” them with the title! 😀

    Fantastic story! I have my own “Bond. James Bond.” when he is in his suit! 😀 To me, anyway! 😀

    March 15, 2011 at 6:32 am Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      Don’t they look like total hunks when they’re dressed up like that?! When we paid for my purchases at Chico’s, the gals that work there actually thanked us for coming in and raising the bar a bit just by being there!

      March 15, 2011 at 10:47 pm Reply
  12. Happy Anniversary to you! You both look fabulous and James Bond and his “Bond Girls” should be envious! You are absolutely right that the “rest of the story” is what people seem to read. I make photo books each year for my family and they read the silly stories behind the scenes – no one ever mentions the facts I add about the places we’ve been!

    March 15, 2011 at 7:55 am Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      That is wonderful that you are the story teller for your family!

      March 15, 2011 at 10:48 pm Reply
  13. Sharon M

    Actually, I think you hubby looks like the father on Family Ties…LOL.

    March 15, 2011 at 8:06 am Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      Uh, oh. I don’t think I’ve ever watched that show. I love movies, but I almost never watch network TV. However, I’ll take that as a compliment for Charlie. 🙂

      March 15, 2011 at 10:49 pm Reply
  14. MzM

    James “bonds” with Amelda.
    When do we get a peek at your strappy, bronze heels?
    Now that’s worth a story and scrap of it’s own!
    …unless it’s Top Secret!
    Happy Anniversary – thanks for sharing. MzM

    March 15, 2011 at 9:55 am Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      I’m sure they’ll show up in one of the photos when they get used in a Premier album, so stay tuned…

      March 15, 2011 at 10:50 pm Reply
  15. Very inspiring post Linda… got me thinking about what BTS stories I’ve got to journal!

    March 15, 2011 at 12:33 pm Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      Took me a minute to figure out what you meant by BTS—until I looked at the beginning of my article—lol!

      March 15, 2011 at 10:51 pm Reply
  16. Colleen

    What a wonderful story and a wonderful way to celebrate. Happy Anniversary (a little late) and I hope there are many more with many interesting stories to tell.

    March 15, 2011 at 6:33 pm Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      Thank you, Colleen! We’re actually stretching this celebration out for weeks. On our actual anniversary day (the day before the photo shoot) we snowshoed on Mt. Hood, and in a little over a week we’ll be taking our annual anniversary trip to our favorite hotel at the Oregon coast. Talk about making the most of this anniversary!

      Next year is our 30th. We’ll have to think of a way to top this one…a cruise to somewhere warm, perhaps? Yes, I like that idea!

      March 15, 2011 at 10:54 pm Reply
  17. JobaScraps

    Thanks for sharing all this with us.It is so fascinating to me.I can hardly wait to see those shoes!

    March 16, 2011 at 7:08 pm Reply
  18. jean Phillips

    Good for you for learning Ball Room Dancing!
    I met my husband Jim at a Ballroom Dance.
    I had a theory that if I went enough times, I’d meet the Man and I did, 39 years ago last Feb. 1,2011. our 1st quarrel was over a dance step.

    March 17, 2011 at 10:16 am Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      Oh, how fun to hear how you found your Man! It’s easy to disagree about dance steps—especially if neither of you are really good yet and are just learning, like we are.

      May 2, 2011 at 11:55 pm Reply
  19. Andrea Graves

    You guys are the cutest couple! I love that you’ve taken time out for you both to do something together, I swear, life get so hectic, it’s easy to forget to just take the time to spend with the love of your life! We booked our anniversary getaway a few weeks ago. Ours is in April, and we’re both very excited! I can’t wait to see more of these pictures from this day, you both look amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this fun story with us! 🙂

    March 18, 2011 at 8:52 am Reply
    • Linda Sattgast

      So, Andrea, have you scrapped your anniversary getaway yet? 🙂

      May 2, 2011 at 11:56 pm Reply
      • Andrea Graves

        haha, Linda! I fully need to do that still… I was lame and only took some iphone photos, but, I think I will scrap a page about it and just use those photos anyway! It was a fun time! 🙂

        May 3, 2011 at 7:32 pm Reply
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