GreySkiesAndSilverLinings: irishblogger

The Groomsmen

13:07

Hello folks!

Hope everyone is well.

Tonight's bridal series post is one for the guys. It's all about....

THE GROOMSMEN!

So in my last post "The Bridesmaids", I had said how important these ladies are on the day. The Groomsmen are equally as important. Well, I think they are.

The day myself and Craig tie the knot, I'm sure he is going to want his closets friends by his side. These lads are as important to me as they are to Craig. My happily ever after is depending on these four. They have two jobs they have to do for me.

1. Don't get Craig twisted before he walks down to isle.

2. Make sure he gets down the isle.

(Lads, if ye are reading this, ye have been warned!)

I kid, our four groomsmen and our four bridesmaids are not just part of our wedding party, they are part of our lives. And there is no better eight to make sure we enjoy our day to the fullest!

So now comes the suit!

I'm pretty sure 99.9% of men couldn't careless what kind of suit they wear. So I'm not to worried about the suits. But we do have some styles and colors in mind. And obviously the guys will have a say in what they wear. I couldn't be that mean!

We have both decided that a black suit isn't what we want.

So here are some ideas of what suits we are looking at...

I am in love with the navy suit, brown shoes and a brown belt. Wow!

And the tie to match the bridesmaids dresses.

Now, if anyone knows Craig, they will know he is obsessed with superheros. You all ready know where this is going, don't you? And you would be right. The groomsmen, whether they like it or not, will have some sort of superhero theme going on with their suits. And to be honest, I don't mind at all. It makes for funny photos.

But this one is my favorite!

So there you have folks!

Thanks so much for reading.

Next weeks post is make up related!

Jamie May X

*Images are not mine. They are taken from Pinterest*

Follow Me

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

Snapchat- JamieMayBeauty

bblogger

The Engagement Party

17:33

Hello my friends. Hope you are all well. So I missed my last weeks "Wedding Wednesdays" as I was in bed with the flu. But here it is, the second instalment of my bridal series......

"The Engagement Party"

"Organising an engagement party is just as stressful!"

Ok for me, organising this party was just as stressful as trying to organise the wedding. Am I over exaggerating? Nope! & here is why..

Food- Having too much food, having too little food. There is never an in between. And unfortunately for us we had way too much food left over. We were giving trays of chicken to people leaving. Sure who needs a goodie bag & a bit of cake? Few trays of drumsticks, be grand!

Numbers- Alright this can happen at anything really, but trying to get numbers for a party is impossible, am I right? Hence why we had too much food.

Chatting- Trying to talk to everyone. It was so hard to get around to talk to everyone and thank everyone for coming. I can only imagine what it is going to be like on our wedding day.

The Dress- Obviously trying to find the right outfit for the night is important. Thankfully, I fell in love with my dress from River Island the second I saw it. I doubt it will be that easy for the big day!

Makeup- Thankfully this was the last thing I needed to worry about because I knew it would turn out amazing. Thanks to the fabulous Laura Dempsey Makeup, for making me look and feel amazing on the night. Such a talented MUA & who is also booked for my wedding day! Here's a before & after picture-

There were other little bits that stressed the life out of me, but I'm not going to go into it. That's another days work :)

Capturing the Moment

It was so important for me and Craig to have photographs taking on the night. Thankfully a friend of Craig's helped us out (Suzi Photos). Here are some moments captured that night.

The Bridesmaids

Peace n' Pout

The Boyband/ Groomsmen

Mama bear & her 2 cubs

The Maid of Honour/ the sister

Ah would ya look!

The best picture of the night!

Laugh's, Memories & Tear's

So it was a night of mixed emotions. For the majority of the night I was on a high, until it came to thanking everyone. I swore to myself all that week I was not going to cry when it came to talking over the microphone. Low and behold, I cried. But the reason I broke down was not because I was excited to get married (which I am), or the fact there was so much food left over, or my nerves talking in front of a room of people. It was because, even though we had our nearest and dearests there to celebrate the night with us, there was one person missing. My Dad. Looking around that room & not seeing him standing up with his camera mortifying me, was like someone had kicked me in the stomach. It made a lump in my throat & a knot in my stomach. Having so much excitement ahead in the next 2 years & not having Dad here to enjoy it with us, is so hard. But I know he's here egging us on & will be there the day I take my first step down that isle.

A picture can capture a 1000 words.

And there you have it! Our engagement party. I hope you all enjoyed having a read, if you did give it a little thumbs up on FB.

I enjoyed writing this one. A night full of memories.

Till next time guys!

Love J x

Snapchat- Gskies_Slinings

Twitter- Greyskiesjamie

YT- GreySkies SilverLinings

FB- GreySkies, SilverLinings

beautyblogger

Saying Yes!

16:58

Hi guys, so its been a while. This is my first post for my "Wedding Series". I have decided to start this series to bring you all on my journey to my big day!

So as you can guess from the title "Saying Yes", this post is about how Craig popped the question & how Craig, all those years ago, became part of my life!

Friends Forever

Does anyone remember being a kid and at home you had a group of friends who were like family? Ye spent every day of summer together. Hanging around the estate not doing a thing but it was best thing in the world. & if it was miserable outside, everyone huddled into the porch or front room of either of your houses. Those were the days! And that was the first time I met Craig.

Craig's grandparents lived around the corner from my house growing up & Craig was up there quite a bit, so that's how our friendship started.

Drifted Apart

As we grow up life & circumstances change. People go their separate ways. That's life I guess. So as we both grew up, Craig's grandparents moved, so Craig wasn't up to us as much. & then girlfriends & boyfriends came on the scene. Groups of friends changed & we kind of lost contact. I still always thought of him as a close friend, even though we didn't see each other everyday.

1 Vodka, 2 Vodka, 3 Vodka, Floor

I think the heading there may be self explanatory. To cut a long story short I had a little bit too much to drink one night. Went out with a few of the girls & we headed to "Ruby's Nightclub". Was at the bar, having more drink... When I turned around and the first person my eyes met were Craig's! I had not seen Craig in so long, my heart was pounding (that could of been all the alcohol I had consumed at this point). Now I would like to tell you this story is really romantic. We locked eyes across the dance floor, slowly walk towards each other, oblivious to our surroundings & had a long romantic kiss... But unfortunately for me that is not what happened. I rugby tackled him! Yes, you read right, RUGBY TACKLED him! Thankfully my clumsiness didn't make him run a mile.

Tough Times Never Last, Tough People Do

So that's where it all began, in a nightclub. But the road was never easy for us. We have had our ups and downs over the years, with me suffering with mental health to stress and pressures from outside factors. It wasn't always easy, but what ever is. I have suffered with mental health problems for a long time & at times it came between our relationship but Craig never left my side. I would never of blamed him if he did leave because living with someone who has mental health issues can be tough and straining on a relationship. But we came out the other side of it a hell of a lot stronger!

Saying Yes!

So being together nearly 7 years, people were always asking "oh when is the big day?" or when someone else got engaged or married, "Oh ye will be next". Getting engaged was something we only talked about recently enough but I never thought Craig would propose so soon (not that I'm complaining). I bet you're all dying to know how he did it, aren't ya? Well, even if you don't want to know, you're about to find out!

Ok, so this Christmas was our first Christmas living together and it was also the first without my dad. It was really hard not having my dad here to enjoy the holidays with us & Christmas did not mean much to me this year. But.... on Christmas day I opened on my present from Craig that was under the tree, opening it I had no clue what was in it.. When I opened the box, this is what I found...

Talk about a sweetheart!

I will be honest, I did sit on the ground for about 10 minutes bawling my eyes out before he got an answer ( I like to keep him on his toes). But as you know now, I said YES!!

Fiancée or Beyoncé

Is being engaged all its cracked up to be? Too right it is. It has made me feel so much more closer to Craig & knowing that we are planning the rest of our lives together just feels amazing. Oh and calling each other Beyoncé instead of fiancée never gets old.

Thank you so much for reading the first post of my "Wedding Series". I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.

Stay tuned for my next one.

Love J

Snapchat- Gskies_Slinings

Twitter- Greyskiesjamie

YT- GreySkies SilverLinings

FB- GreySkies, SilverLinings

bblogger

TMI Tag

07:04

anxiety

Love, Sincerely Me

08:02

Dear 15 year old me,

It's 24 year old you. How're you coping? Stressed out from studying for your junior cert? I thought so. It's a tough year for you. Couple of weeks now you will get that long awaited heart operation. About time, right? But don't stress, it will all be fine. And the junior cert? You'll fly it, trust me I know. But this is the year everything starts to change. That darkness you're feeling inside right now, it's creeping in a little bit more each day. Sleepless nights will start soon too. Don't try and fight it, there's no point. Being a 15 year old girl is tough but trust me, that's not the problem. Just remember I said that.

You're already waking up every morning and wishing the rest of your life away. But please don't. That metal object in your hand? Yeah that one, put it down. It might feel like it's helping but trust me, it's not. You are so much stronger than you think. I promise you that.

Boys? You are going to meet a couple along the way. But don't cry because it ended, smile because it happened. Think of every experience as a lesson. You'll get through it. And don't worry you'll meet the right one. He may be a lot closer than you think.

I wish I could say the next nine years of your life are going to be easy, but they aren't. The next 5 years will be tough but you need to ask for help. Don't be afraid or ashamed. It's okay not feel okay, I promise. But once you get passed that, life will start to seem a bit brighter. You are going to face some very dark days, but look, I'm 24 now and still here.

There's going to be some ups and downs in your twenties but you have now, and will have such fantastic people around you. Just don't forget about them.

Appreciate people more. Because trust me, I always thought the ones we love the most will be around forever, but they won't. That person who you tell all your secrets to, appreciate that person and show them how much you love and care about them each day. Promise me you will? Promise me you will live everyday likes its your last? Life is too precious and too short. Unfortunately you will learn this the hard way. You are so strong and you don't even know it yet. But you will!

Writing this letter to you and thinking back over the last 9 years of our life, I'm really proud of you. And I probably don't give you enough credit. You are going to go through so much and you will take it head on. But believe me, it will all be worth it. You do have a reason to be here, even though now you think you don't. Just remember, I'm 24 now and I'm still here. Still fighting.

Don't give up!

Love, sincerely me

blogger

Sticks & Stones

13:00

anxiety

Fighting A War Against Myself

15:07

The shouting and screaming matches that seem to happen everyday, give me a constant headache. It gets louder and louder, and never seems to stop. Some days she can be nice and she keeps her opinions to herself but some days she is a heartless cow. No one can hear the doubting prompts or the constant criticising she loves to do, only me. No one hears how she belittles me and makes me feel so empty. No one hears it because that she, is me. The constant shouting and screaming is me, in my own head. Doubting everything and criticising my every action.

Everyday I fight a battle, a battle I feel like I am never going to win. Around four years ago I was diagnosed with depression. I pretended for five years that I was okay and I was so good at it. Not a soul knew the struggle I faced everyday. But four years ago, I finally had the courage to go seek help. And I'm so glad that I did. People think there is some sort of weakness in asking for help. There isn't! Asking for help shows strength. It shows that you are finally brave enough to speak about how you are feeling. And that alone is a huge step.

Having depression is one thing but having anxiety as well, well that's a different ball game altogether.

Three weeks ago I was put on tablets for anxiety.

Anxiety has always been a part of my life, whether or not I wanted it to be. Being anxious 99.9% of the time is tiring. Constantly over thinking situations that have not happened yet and over analyzing every aspect of my life. Walking from my car to college is a huge thing every morning. Passing people on the street makes me panic. Even being in a situation with more than two or three people makes me feel ill. My chest gets tight and I feel like I can't breathe. It's such a horrible feeling and feeling it take over and not being able to control it makes it harder.

So for me, having anxiety is where you worry about the future so much, even though it that hasn't even happened yet. Feeling so overwhelmed around people and physically not feeling well. Then have depression, that is the opposite end of the spectrum. Feeling so low and hopeless, not being able to concentrate, finding it hard to see beyond tomorrow. The list goes on for both of these for me. But having both of these is so exhausting. Trying to deal with this everyday is so tiring.

But as most people know, I'm not one to just give up and throw in the towel. Yeah everyday is a struggle in it's self but I'm taking each day on and giving it the best shot I can.

Every morning when I wake up it's a battle and some days I am very close to surrendering but I can't! Because I'm fighting a war against myself, and I am going to win!

Thanks so much for reading everyone, this is just a brief post about my struggle with both anxiety and depression. Feel free to share.

J x

bblogger

Lights, Camera, Action!

14:49

bblogger

Maria Nila - Luminous Colour Masque

14:50

Cardiac arrest

The first 24 years of my life

01:09

How do I put 24 years of my life down in black & white?

Eddie was such an outgoing and positive man in every sense of the word. Anyone who knows him can vouch for that. He always looked out for number one, which to him was everybody else. He would drop everything to help someone, whether they were close to him or not. Always making sure everyone else was OK before worrying about himself. That was one of his traits that people loved about him. He was always there to lend a hand if things were tough or if anyone needed a shoulder to cry on, he was there. Eddie touched so many peoples lives and he probably didn't even know. A "true gentleman" is what people are calling him and that is exactly what he was.

Eddie was so passionate about politics as most people know. God, he used to drive me nuts at home about it, especially the water charges. But he wasn't afraid to have his voice heard and express his opinion. As so many people keep saying he "He was a fighter for the cause" and that could not be more true.

Eddie loved cycling. He started cycling to get back fit as his knees were fecked from road running for years. So he took up cycling to get healthier and lose weight. But over time it became such a huge part of his life. If I got home and he wasn't there, he was more than likely out on the bike. Last year Eddie started taking part in charity cycles and he just love it. He was doing two things he felt so passionate about, cycling and helping others. This year he even took part in "The Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford" & I could not have been more proud of him.

Saturday the 5th of September, Eddie went on a charity cycle "The GAZ Cycle" for the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young). Below is a picture taken at the Woodlands Hotel in Waterford before the cycle began. Eddie is to the right of the guy in the florescent top. He is wearing his cycling glasses, with his thumbs up. He could not have been happier.

But unfortunately Eddie never got to finish the cycle. On that beautiful Saturday morning my dad's heart took it's last beat. Eddie passed away doing what he loved and had an amazing friend by his side.

Eddie was known for all these things and so much more. But to me, he was my dad. My superhero. My problem solver. He was the best father anyone could ever want or need. He was right there for me and my sister and he supported us 100% in everything we did. So many people have spoke over the past few weeks about how much dad loved me and Robyn, how he never stopped talking about us. But the thing is we know. We both know how much he loved and cared about us because he showed it every single day. He was the person we both rang if something went wrong or we needed help to get through something. But it's now that we need to ring him and ask him what do we do now because he's meant to tell us what the next step is. Even now we both are still waiting for the phone to ring and he'll be on the other end.

Dad was Robyn's number one fan when it came to all the show's she was in. He was at every single one of them and made sure he had the best seat to see his incredible daughter on stage and now he does, he has the best seat in the house. Dad always told us he would love to be in panto. He would have us in the knots trying to do impressions, which to be fair weren't all that bad. He always wanted to be involved in Theatrebox stage school as much as he could. He walked in the St.Patrick's Day parade with the school taking photographs for them. Dad was also thinking about joining the adult acting classes. Now that would of been something to see. He was so proud of Robyn, watching her grow with confidence on the stage as the years went on. He supported her the whole way.
Dad gave Robyn an incredible and unforgettable 18 years of her life, that she is never going to forget.

As for me, what can I say. I've not only lost my dad, I've also lost my best friend. To be honest, i don't know what I'm going to do without him. Myself and dad were very similar as most already know. We used to be effin' and blinding at each other one minute and laughing about it ten minutes later. That's why I think we had such a close relationship because we were both so similar. And i loved that. Not many people can say their dad was their best friend, but i can and I am so proud to be able to say it.

In 2011, I finally came out about having a mental illness. Dad was the first person I told and he could not have been more supportive. He even came into the doctor with me when it all came out. And never left my side. Dad helped me so much, more than he probably ever knew.

In 2013 I had spoke publicly about suffering with depression in silence since I was 15. I wrote a blog post about what I went through and again, dad could not of done enough for me. He was 100% behind me and was so proud of me for doing it.
Last month I decided I would set up a new blog about my journey over the next couple of months in my last year of college and everything else in between. My dad was my biggest advocate when it came to my blog especially this one now. He brought me off one or two times to take photographs with his camera for it. He was the one who pushed me to keep going with it and when he passed away I was going to throw in the towel but I knew he wouldn't of wanted me to do that.
So here I am now typing up my first blog post in weeks and the irony of it is, that it's about him. My dad. When I choose the name of my blog "Grey Skies and Silver Linings" I never thought the name would mean as much to me as it does now.

So as I said before, how do I put 24 years of my life in black and white? The answer is, I can't. I could never do it because there is just so many memories that I am going to treasure for the rest of my life. That are too precious to put down.

I am not one to say goodbye, i never have been.

My whole life has been turned upside down and the pain is just as bad as it was nearly a month ago. But I know he's not far away and is with me everyday, giving me the strength to take on this tough journey.

So dad, this is not "goodbye". It's just "see you soon".

Sleep tight my angel. I love you to the moon and back.

J x

GreySkiesAndSilverLinings

Putting Me First

The Groomsmen

The Engagement Party

Saying Yes!

TMI Tag

Love, Sincerely Me

Sticks & Stones

Fighting A War Against Myself

Lights, Camera, Action!

Maria Nila - Luminous Colour Masque

The first 24 years of my life

About me

Follow Us

Press

Labels

recent posts

Blog Archive

Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook

Flickr Images