Princess Diana....

All image credits:  Google Images

My love for Princess Diana goes waaaaaaay back.  I have loved and adored her since I was a very young girl.  I have always admired her giving heart, her compassion, and her generous spirit.  I was also very inspired by the kind of mother she was.  Simply put..I found her amazing. 

Since I was little girl I always wanted to just see her in person.  I knew the chance of ever meeting her was slim to none...but I thought that one day I could have an opportunity to just stand in her presence...to just witness her from a distance.  It was something I truly believed one day I would do. 

Then came August 31, 1997.

The day Diana died is, for me, a bit how many people describe the day Kennedy was shot.  I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news.  I remember what I was doing and who I was with.  I remember being glued to the TV.  I remember crying...and crying...and crying.

I was in utter disbelief.

Some may think it's a bit crazy (I'm sure my poor husband did!) that my reaction to her death was so extreme....but I loved her.  I honestly did.

After that day I obviously knew I would never see her in person...never be able to hear her talk or witness her amazing fashion sense with my own two eyes.  However, recently I was able to experience something that is about as close as I'll ever get to seeing her....I attended the "Diana: A Celebration" exhibit that is currently traveling across our country. 

This, for me, was the experience of a lifetime.  I was able to get up close and personal with many of Princess Diana's things. The part that really struck me is that nearly all of the exhibit was actual artifacts...not replicas.  I was able to see a lot of her childhood memorabilia, watch home movies of her, and read letters that she wrote.  Then there was this...

This is Princess Diana's actual wedding dress...not a replica.  It's the exact one she wore on the day she married Prince Charles.  This is the dress I have seen in more photographs and video than I can even recall.  When I walked into the room and saw that dress in front of me it literally took my breath away...and I immediately got tears in my eyes.  Again, sounds crazy I know...but to be standing in front of something so iconic that was treasured by someone that I admired so much was beyond belief for me.

For those of you that may be interested...the dress is not NEARLY as ornate in person as I expected.  In fact, aside from the puffiness and bows that were popular at the time, it's actually fairly simple.  She had diamonds sewn into the dress for good luck and the total cost of the dress AND the bridesmaids dresses totaled $1,900 (yes, I typed that correctly).  I was floored by that...women today spend THOUSANDS on wedding dresses.  Her shoes were hand painted on the bottom and had a lot of detail on them.  It was neat to see how they were "worn".  She also had a parasol in case the weather wasn't cooperating that day...however it was so she never used it.

Another room that really touched my heart was a room that had Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" playing in it.  There was a large screen with video footage of Diana through the years playing and below it were hundreds of dried flowers from her funeral.  The smell of the flowers (although dried) was soooo strong.  I was able to read rough drafts of her brother's famous eulogy and see hand written notes that Elton John wrote as he was creating the song.  Again, brought tears to my eyes.  Such an amazing woman...she had sooo much to offer this world.

We were able to see many of her dresses.  It was amazing to actually see them  up close and look at the detail.  I have seen so many of the dresses in photographs so to see them in person was unreal.  Her fashion sense was always so fun to watch and,  in my opinion, absolutely perfect for every occasion she attended.  It was interesting to see how she evolved her own sense of style.  So many of her earlier dresses were a bit frumpy and very conservative.  As she became more comfortable with her position she became more confident in her fashion choices and her dresses revealed that (I loved it when Prince Charles announced his infidelity and Princess Diana was on the news the same night wearing some hot-to-trot little black dress!  I just wanted to scream GO GIRL!!!!).  I loved how her boys would occasionally match her (they did have one dress with the boys matching coats on display).  I was beyond excited to see that some of my very favorite dresses she wore were on display!!

In all, it was simply an amazing and emotionally overwhelming day for me.  I know that it was the CLOSEST I'll ever get to seeing Princess Diana...and I am soooo very thankful for the opportunity I had.  It was also a fun day spent with my mom, Aunt Barb, my cousins' children, and my own two little kiddos.

On a side note, Eva and Jaden were beyond good while visiting this exhibit.  I explained to them ahead of time that it was "Mommy's special day" and I really needed them to be patient and understanding.  As we were touring everything they would look and ask questions.  Eva was especially very interested in it.  When we got to the "Candle in the Wind" room there was large picture of Althorp.  I mentioned to my cousins children that "that is where Diana is buried". 

Eva said, "What do you mean buried?"  I explained to her that Diana died long before she was even born.  Oh my word....my little girl just broke down into instant sobs.  She cried and cried.  She had no idea Princess Diana died.  The thing is, I felt those sobs.  I knew exactly how she felt.

Diana was an amazing woman and one that I am still inspired by today.  I  will be forever grateful that I was able to see, read, and hear the things I did while touring this amazing exhibit. 

"I do not go from the rule book...I lead from the heart, not the head."

--Princess Diana