A Second Chance at Love

bride3_102116043238There’s so much to love about the wedding of New Jersey couple Millie Taylor-Morrison and Harold Morrison.

For starters, they have the most Notebook-esque award-winning love story ever!   Millie, an 86-year-old proud mother and grandmother, was married to her first husband for 41 years before he died in 1992. Years later, she reconnected with Harold, 85, who was actually a guest at her first wedding in 1952.

 “I used to sing in the choir and Harold attended my church,” Millie tells PEOPLE. “I would be standing with the other choir members, waiting to walk out and he would come over and kiss me on the cheek before sitting down for the service.”

“Then when I got married [to my first husband], the whole church was invited and Harold was there,” she told People Magazine.

When Harold became sick, Millie and other church members would visit him at his house and she offered to drive him back and forth to services.

When he got better, they continued to see each other. Eight years later, he became sick again to the point where he couldn’t live alone.

“I asked him if he wanted to live with me instead of a nursing home,” Millie says. “And he said, ‘Definitely.’ ”

When Harold recovered a year later, the couple set a wedding date for earlier this month and tied the knot in front of 200 close friends and loved ones at Zion Hill Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.

And she was the textbook definition of a glowing bride – carrying a bursting bouquet of what looks like lilies, roses, and baby’s breath; and wearing an off-the shoulder purple custom-made gown that she designed herself.  Ms. Millie approached the designer of the dress, Marco Hall, with a sketch of the dress in hand and when she stood in front of the mirror for the first time, she “couldn’t believe it,” she says. “It was exactly what I wanted. I felt so wonderful.”

[And THAT ladies and gentlemen, is how a bride is supposed to feel in her dress and on her wedding day!!]

When asked about her life as a newlywed, Ms. Millie says she’s happier than ever, proving that there’s someone out there for all of us and that no ONE is ever too old to fall head over heels, in love.

Check out all of the photos that she’s made public on Facebook from the elegant affair with her beautiful family!

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Easter Traditions Around the World

Easter is recognized around the world as one of the holiest holidays on the Christian calendar and while the religious observations follow the doctrines of the Christian church, the basic contours of Easter celebration may vary depending on where you are.  Thanks to an IKEA ad that popped into my inbox this morning, the focus of today’s Easter Celebration lesson lands us in Sweden.

In Sweden, common Easter traditions include egg painting as they do in Western cultures however instead of having the children don their Sunday’s best, children dress up as Easter witches with long skirts, colorful headscarves and painted red cheeks to go from house to house, present their neighbors with paintings and drawings in the hope of getting sweets in return.

Homes are decorated with small branches and twigs of willow or birch which are then placed in vases throughout the home and decorated with feathers or other small decorations.

Families come together on Holy Saturday for a feast which usually includes herring, salmon, potatoes, eggs and other kinds of food.

Interested in learning about other Easter traditions throughout the world?  Check out your favorite locations from the list below…

Easter in Australia
Easter in Brazil
Easter in Bulgaria
Easter in Canada
Easter in Czech Republic
Easter in Denmark
Easter in England
Easter in France

Easter in Germany
Easter in Greece
Easter in Hungary
Easter in India
Easter in Israel
Easter in Italy
Easter in Mexico
Easter in the Netherlands

Easter in Norway
Easter in Poland
Easter in Romania
Easter in Russia
Easter in Spain
Easter in Switzerland
Easter in USA

Oh by the way, the IKEA email was promoting their $9.99 ($2.49 for children under 12) all-you-can-eat Swedish Easter smorgasbord on April  15th from 5-8pm.  Tickets should be purchased in advance.  Find an IKEA near you.

Swedish Easter Smörgåsbord Menu

  • 1st Course includes: Assorted herring; Hardboiled eggs with mayo and shrimp; Hardboiled eggs with lumpfish roe; Shrimp with cocktail sauce; Marinated salmon with mustard sauce; Smoked salmon with horseradish sauce; Poached salmon
  • 2nd Course includes: Cheeses (Västerbotten, Grandfathers and Herrgård and/or Fontina); Tossed green salad; Cucumber salad; Red Beet Salad; Breads (Crispbread, Crisprolls, dinner rolls)
  • 3rd Course includes: Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes w/dill, lingonberries; Swedish ham; Prinskorv; Janssons temptations
  • Desserts: Assorted Swedish desserts and cookies
  • Beverages: Fountain beverages, hot beverages