Memories Brought back by the Bachelorette

I am not one to do weekly recap posts on television shows and my husband will probably skip reading my blog today once he reads ‘bachelorette’ mentioned. I began watching with season two of the Bachelor and then with season one of the spin off, the Bachelorette while I was engaged. Fast forward to today and that is a decade of watching a show with generally the same plot, just new characters.    To be fair I would rather watch the Bachelorette over the Bachelor any day. Guys all vying over one girl  vs a season full of catfights.  No competition there. Why do I get sucked into it every season?

The dates?  The romance? The premise that you can find your soul mate?  

 My favourite thing about the show is watching their dates in far off countries. Especially when they go places where I want to travel, places I have been, and those that hold a special place in my heart. The last two episodes of The Bachelorette have touched me because of the locations.  Since this blog highlights on travels I would like to touch on the two places and why they mean so much to me.

On the Bachelorette Season 9 Episode 4, Desiree goes to Seaside Heights on a date and gives her date to a lovely couple whose house was hit by Hurricane Sandy.  I actually stopped watching this episode when it got to this point.  I continued watching it this week before starting the new episode.  It was hard to watch.  Seeing all the devastation from their view up in the helicopter.  Harder to imagine that we were just there for a summer vacation with my family last August.  We had gone there a few times growing up as my father’s dad lived nearby in Newark. He loved to take us to the boardwalk when we visited every few years from Europe.  You may have even read my posts about Seaside Heights and the Jersey Shore.  My husband has yet to go to New Jersey and my sons really want him to experience the summer staying at the beach house, walking minutes to the ocean, and enjoying the the fun, food, and games on the Seaside Heights board walk of the Jersey Shore.  I hope that despite the tragedy this wonderful place can be restored to an even better state than it was before. So that many more can cherish the same memories at the shore. 

This week’s episode Desiree took the men to Munich, Germany.  A city I love so much and a country I used to live in for a few years. I was watching every second with a huge amount of wanderlust.  I have been on that same mountain top that they were on and have been snowboarding in the Alps many times.  It is the place of so many happy memories with my father and going on snowboarding adventures together as a family and with our friends.  It was actually my first location choice for our vow renewal because of how special of a place it is for my family. I honestly cannot wait for the day that my husband can whisk us away to southern Bavaria. 

Being married for just about ten years with eight and six year old sons, date nights with just my husband and I are few and far between.  We have had friends watch our kids or have had arrangements set up when we were both working.  But we have never had an actual babysitter who we could regularly call up so we could go on frequently schedule date nights.  It is something I wish could be changed in the next ten years.  My husband by far wins with who has gone out with other adults more during our time here in England.

I have been out with my husband for his Uni function (so not a one on one date), once with his Uni friends without Ryan (to get me out of the house), a girls night out with my friend from  Hawaii who was visiting in London, and a girls night out in Bath with a fellow expat.  Other than that if I go out it is with the whole family in tow.  I think that is why I still watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette because I live vicariously through their dates.  I know not everyone gets the London Eye shut down for their date or a famous band to serenade them for dancing in the city streets, but I still like the idea of sweeping a girl off her feet.  That and who would not want to just jet across the world to visit a new country just for a date?  

***
I cherish my photographs from our vacation last summer at Seaside Heights on the Jersey shore even more after Hurricane Sandy hit and destroyed a place of such found memories.  Since the passing of my father I take photos of everything because I never know what I will not have the chance to photograph again. Even now going through old photo files on external drives, you will never hear me say ‘I wish I took less photos’. If anything looking back at old photographs I wish I knew back then what I know now about photography, composition, and lighting.  I definitely wish I had more photographs of my father and more photographs of all the places I have lived and travled through out the world.  While majority of those I can not or not easily take photos of now, I have also realised I do not have a lot of photographs of my husband and I together.  Since that is something I can change I have been working hard and on making sure we tackle that feat this year.  Photographs are truly precious to me.
Question:  What past moment in your life would you most like to have a photo of?
I asked this same question to my sponsors and here were their answers:

Jessica Lynn: “If I could have a photo from any past moment in my life it would definitely be one of me, my mom, and my week-old daughter together. It was just three months ago, but I regret not taking a picture of the three of us when she came out to visit.

Tara: “I can’t think of one specific moment, but in general, more photos of me and my parents. I lost both my parents last year and it was sad to realize I could count the number of photos, after the age of 14 (and I am 27, by the way), of me with one or both of them on one hand! I photograph
EVERYTHING now!

Rachel: “I’d love to have a photo of the first kiss between me and my boyfriend.”

Tammy:  The moment I met my hubby. :) that moment our eyes locked on each other.

Melyssa: “I’d like to have a photo of my nana making me mac & cheese. I don’t even really like mac & cheese, but because she always used to make it for me, I associate that memory with the feeling of home. It was never about the mac & cheese, it was just about her love. I’d like a picture of that.

Lisa Ng: “I would love a photo of the first time I held my son. I have plenty photos afterward, but just not the very first time.

Thank you to my lovely sponsors for taking the time to participate today. Make sure you check out the blogs of these wonderful ladies and I’ll ask the same question to you, my reader, below:
Q:  What past moment in your life would you most like to have a photo of?
XX
B.


  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/08404184287815243972 lisacng @ expandng.com

    I live vicariously through you, who has traveled the world! I hope the NJ shore will also be restored to its past beauty and livelihood. I often hear commercials sponsored by NJ welcoming back visitors, it’s so wonderful. Thanks for sharing the sponsor answers. I think having more photos of aging parents is something I want more of too, especially them with their grandson.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17739295507898824699 A Country Girls World

    I love seeing places that I have been in Movies or TV, it always brings back great memories. There are a million things I wish I had pics of but I wish I had gotten more of me and my friend Brent, he passed away in July of 2009.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13108277504908086831 Quinn @ Kimchi and Sweet Tea

    I have thought about this many times. I would love to have a video or photo (but would LOVE a video) of me singing my daughters to sleep. It’s one of those sweet moments that you never capture on film, but you’ll always remember :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272084999047348773 Ginny @ Buttergirl Diaries

    Hey! My name is Ginny and I blog over at Buttergirl Diaries. I found you through your comment you left yesterday on Dysfunctional Ever After. That was the best post I read in a long time! And I saw from your comment that you agree as well. It saddens me to know what blogging is becoming. Similar to myspace in a way….just full of trash. We need to re-focus, clean up, and get move back to what blogging is all about, sharing stories and writing more heartfelt content! I am so glad I found you through her comments. I can’t wait to start following your blog too! 

    Ginny
    http://www.buttergirldiaries.com

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/10036538328836365926 Jade

    That is such a hard question, Bonnie! I think I would have to say it would have to be a photo of the very first time I met my husband, just to see if sparks really did fly!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/16639909668404009769 Daisy Bisley

    This is going to sound all sad and I don’t mean to bring anyone down, but your post has struck a somthing in me that has been playing on my mind very recently.

    Lately I’ve been wishing that there were more photos of me and my brother as kids with our Grandparents so we could remember happy times. My other half’s family have hundreds of photos and videos of him, his brother and his sister as kids and everytime they get the box of pics out they reminisce about happy times on holiday and at home. Both because my parents were never really photo-takers and because they split when I was 12 this is something I really wish my brother and I had.

    Sometimes I feel a great well of sadness that my brother and I lack this little bit of joy in our lives and instead find ourselves reminiscing about the arguments and shouting and things that went wrong. In a way though, all that negativity in our childhood (that still continues to this day) has made us so much closer than I think any of my cousins are with each other and certainly has made us stronger and more forgiving people. We had positivity and stability delivered and shared with us through my Grandparents and I thank God that we had them, My grandma especially as I think we would be two very different people without their love and understanding.

    Sorry for the long post, but you have no idea how good it has been to finally get this off my chest and out in the open. Thank you so much for this post/therapy session :)

    DaisyBisley
    xoxo

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/14267099775773762465 Kelly S

    I wish I had more photos of me and my husband back when we were young. So then I could show my kids and say, see? I was normal once… Just kidding… Kind of.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06058056977783867772 Sara Louise

    Hmmm… I wish I had a photo of my Dad and me at my wedding. I never got a good one.

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