One Saturday night last summer, my darling husband and I were watching the evening news on Channel 10, the Miami ABC affiliate, and Jacey Birch was the weekend anchor. When the weather guy, Trent Aric came on, there was some joking going on between the two of them, and we both commented on their chemistry! It was fun to watch!
I remembered seeing a picture on Facebook that they were "dating," and, then, for who knows what reason, it popped into my head ... Barbie and Ken!
I rooted around in the Barbie room for a redheaded Barbie (I have several in my collection) and found Suite Retreat™ Barbie®, one of the Silkstone dolls from 2005. Her hair seemed to be a very close match to Jacey's, so she was to become the chosen one. I had a beautiful hand knit red dress made by my doll friend, Vince Nowell, and it was exactly the same shade as her lips, so it seemed perfect for this little beauty! It was definitely something Jacey would wear!
Now, for that Ken doll! Where was he? I had purchased the first Silkstone Ken, but, I couldn't recall ever taking him out of the box. Hmmm ...
Sure enough! There he was! Still in the box at the top of the closet! The Fashion Insider™ Ken® Giftset from 2003! His dark hair was like Trent's, and they both had that great athletic build. The suit and tie would definitely give him the air of a TV meteorologist, so ... it was done.
After dressing and combing and primping, (although I never did get that tie to look right!) I took a picture of the Trent & Jacey Barbie and Ken dolls with my camera phone and tweeted it, tagging Jacey & Trent. I hoped they wouldn't be insulted or think it weird.
They weren't insulted and they didn't think it was weird! As a matter of fact, Jacey tweeted this picture back! These were my people, a couple with a great sense of humor! What fun!
It wasn't too long after that weekend watching them on the evening news that they went off together on an adventure to Thailand. They posted pictures of the places they visited, and it was clear from the photos they shared on Facebook that their relationship was something special ... it was clearly grounded in friendship and fun ... and, for all of us paying attention, we were so hoping they would fall in love with each other. We would be rewarded!
Before Thanksgiving last year, Trent accomplished a feat of magic! He proposed to Jacey on television. Or, rather, in the television studio where it could be filmed for the whole world to see. You can watch the proposal
here, and grab a tissue! You'll tear up!
Their fairytale romance took on new meaning for so many of us! We had a wedding to look forward to! We had our own "royal couple" to watch, and we knew these people. They had been in our living rooms and kitchens, talking to us about news and weather and traffic. They were part of our family.
On April 12th, Jacey and Trent were married on an island in French Polynesia. It was just Jacey and Trent and their officiant and, to be perfectly honest, that seemed like the perfect way to do it. So much of their romance had been shared with us, their adoring fans, and it was only good and proper that the most intimate moments should be between just the two of them. I applaud their choice.
They will be headed home soon. It's been joyful to watch their antics as well as their romance. That Trent Aric is quite a jokester! And, Jacey? She's just sweet and lovely and a formidable animal advocate, which is why so many of us love her! She's a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, and that's what makes her a noble princess to us.
Thank you Jacey and Trent for letting us in on the magic of love! We wish you happily ever after!
flowers and bees
water lilies
Everglades flowers
a moseying 'gator
kingfisher's lunch
flowering trees
