Of rodeos, vintage copper accessories, and true love

Outfit details

Brown 1950s nylon scarf: Gift from a dear vintage loving friend ♥
Plastic peach rose earrings: Handmade by me
1980s denim shirtwaist dress: eBay
Vintage clear lucite horse head brooch: eBay
1950s tooled copper belt: eBay
1950s Renoir copper "flame" bracelet: eBay
Camel coloured faux leather cross body bag: eBay
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
Brown 1940s style round toe pumps: Consignment store
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red
Nail colour: Aco (from Ardene) Vintage Blue


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

This past Victoria Day long weekend saw the return of the annual Keremeos Elks Rodeo. Though a tradition for the last few years in the area, this was the first time I'd ever had the pleasure of attending and was the only rodeo outside of Calgary's world famous stampede ones that I'd been to in all my life.

For a day of good, old-fashioned wild west inspired fun, I knew that a thoroughly cowgirl approved outfit was in order. This denim dress is straight up 1980s to the point that, while still somewhat older looking, I stop just shy of calling it full on 1980s does 1950s, though some might do just that. To add to the southwestern charm, I reached for two beloved 1950s copper accessories: a gorgeous tooled rose pattern tooled belt and an eye-catching Renoir copper “flame” (as I've seen this design called before) cuff bracelet. Believe it or not, I don't actually own a cowboy hat (I have to remedy that for sure!), so instead I opted for a classic 1950s nylon (chiffon) scarf in a desert sand inspired shade of brown.

I've said it before (such as in this post), and I'll say it again here, I have a bit of an inner cowgirl and I flat out love those rare opportunities (since moving from Calgary back in 2003 at least) when she's able to burst forth in full force as she did with my outfit choice in these photos.

On a sizzling hot Sunday afternoon we headed south from Penticton to the small, and very charming, community of Keremeos, which long time readers may recall for its famous fruit and vegetables stands (such as Bear's Farm, which I blogged about back in October of 2012), stood in a lineup of plaid shirts and straw cowboy hats, got our hands stamped, and moseyed on over to the metal bleachers, front and center, to gaze upon the day's festivities.

Calf roping, barrel racing, bull riding, and plenty of humorous banter between the clown and the MC were amongst the rodeo's highlights, all set against the smell of fried onions, open beer bottles (from the beer garden), and popcorn being gobbled up by youngsters in every direction. Though the bleachers were anything but comfortable (we'll be taking our camping chairs next time we go for sure!), we still had a wonderful afternoon and didn't even realize as the sun was ramping up its fiery wattage that we were both getting just a wee bit pink on our cheeks and noses and dehydrated in the process.

Nothing serious, thankfully, but enough for me to notice as much when I look at the photographs we took after we returned to Penticton (the light was too harsh and the setting too crowded during the rodeo to do a shoot there). I see a lot more in these photos however, in no small part because one of them includes my darling husband's hand.

A few weeks ago, in the third entry in this year's delightful vintage honeymoon destination post series, I chronicled the fact that Tony and I began our life together in the Emerald Isle, including the fact that my beloved proposed to me in a centuries old Irish castle. He did so on July 6, 2004, which means that in just three day's time, I can officially say that it's been ten years now since we became engaged.

In the days, weeks, months and ultimately - as time is so keen to play out - years since then, we have faced as seemingly insurmountable numbers of challenges, curveballs, stresses, and worries, thrown at us my a universe so very often beyond any speck of one's control. Through it all however, our love for one another has never faltered. Like any couple, we've had our spats, our tiffs, and even a few blowups, but we've always quickly made up and moved on. We need one another. Always have, forever will.

We have a decade of life together, having gone from little more than mere babes (I was 19 when we meet in March 2004, Tony was 23), with heavy pasts and hearts full of hope about the future, to proper adults with a car, house, pets, businesses in our names, hefty tax bills, fewer hairs and considerably more wrinkles.

We've fought seemingly countless medical battles (most mine, but a few Tony's as well), mountainous debts, uncertain immigration processes (chiefly the long process of more than six years that it took for Tony to work his way through the immigration system and officially become a Canadian citizen in June 2012), floods, storms, rodents, nightmarish landlords, the passing away of cherished family members, tears that ultimately made us stronger, calamities, injuries brought about from accidents, periods of tremendous stain, great personal growth, and a billion other occurrences as husband and wife. And through it all, no matter how hard the forces of life may have tried to wedge themselves between us, we've kept on holding hands.

Tony is my rock, my light, my love, and my soul mate, and I am his. Whether we're tired, happy, sad, peeved, hungry, anxious, serene, frazzled, in pain, scared, worries, elated, uncertain, excited, or anything else, through the good, the bad, and the - most of all - through the seemingly unbearable, we have been there for one another. I have no greater blessing in my life than my husband, nor he than I.

We grow more in love with one another every day and couldn't fathom a world at this point without another. Tony has been there with me every day now for a full third of my life. The memories we've made together could fill the halls and shelves of a thousand universes. We know each other's voices anywhere, delight in the scores of insider jokes and references we've amassed and pepper our everyday speech with frequently, understand what makes one of us tick and what pacifies the other in any situation, and we never let a day go by without kissing, even if it means planting a smooch on a furrowed brow, sweat drenched head, or - as was the case on the evening following the rodeo - a slightly sunburned nose.

So often in today's world we hear only hear about the negative relationships. The brutal breakups, marriages that went off the track, and those who are woefully unhappy when it comes to romance. I share some of my passionate feelings for my husband here today as an antithesis to such tales. True love is real and so are happily ever afters. I know because I'm blessed to wake up next to mine each morning and hope with all my heart that I'll get to do so for many, many more years and decades of celebrating all kinds of anniversaries to come.