At one point or another in our life we all experience a moment when we know deep down we are exactly where we are supposed to be. It could be a job, house, future spouse or any number of things. There are also those moments that take a long time to cultivate and when we look back over the journey, we realize that there is no mistaking that we are on the right path. Well, we would like to share the journey of Fae’td Threads. It’s a story about three women who came from different states/countries, had different personalities and life experiences, yet managed to forge a friendship deeper than any in the past and fill it with outrageous laughter, crazy stories and undying love and support for each other. If you want to know how fitting it is to call us the “The Three Fairies”, read on and enjoy!
In 2001 none of us had any clue where our life was heading. Mel was immigrating from Wales with her entire family, Shanon was raising her young daughter, and Gretchen had just had her second child. At this point we had never met, but all of that was about to change. It turns out it was our children that brought us together. Shanon’s sister was Mel’s son’s Kindergarten teacher. Not surprisingly, Mel’s charismatic personality broke the traditional confines of the parent/teacher relationship because not only did she draw the teacher into her life, but also the teacher’s sister. Over the course of the next few years a very strong bond developed between Mel and Shanon, and the kids being only children, stepped in as each other’s sibling.
It wasn’t until 2005 that Mel and Gretchen’s paths crossed. It was actually in the waiting room of a chiropractor’s office. Mel had been in a car accident and Gretchen had thrown her back out in karate. (In case you are wondering, yes, we are completely accident prone.) What’s interesting is that Gretchen was very intimidated by Mel. Here was this woman who is larger than life when she enters the room and is not afraid of anything (except bees and spiders). As for Gretchen, she was practically afraid of her own shadow wanting to make sure she did and said everything correctly. So how did these two seemingly opposite creatures become best friends? A conversation in the waiting room between their two sons and a wrecking ball named Mel. It started slowly at first, kind of like dipping toes into a pool to check the temperature. Then within a year or two, Gretchen’s walls of fear crumbled which left controlled chaos in their place.
When Mel first arrived in the US it was a tumultuous time as the World Trade Center attacks had happened just a few months before. Because of that, the immigration process did not play out as it originally should have so Mel had a lot of free time. Her circle of friends grew very rapidly and she had a great house for entertaining. This led to several parties that were designed around elaborate themes. Now, if you have ever gotten to know a Welsh, not only do you love to hear them talk, but these people are certifiably crazy which makes them a whole lot of fun to have in your life. Therefore, these gatherings became events that were not missed. Not only was the house insanely decorated by her sister, the costumes Mel created were jaw dropping. As it turned out, not only did Mel bring a really cool accent with her, she had also developed a talent as a seamstress on the other side of the pond. Eventually all three of us began spending more time together. Those early days were all about tea, wine and chocolate - we have since added martinis to that list, but more about that later. Anyhow, what happens when you put three women together who love Halloween, exploring the meaning of life, and doing whatever is necessary to make each other laugh? You make costumes. Over the next few years we would plan out costumes for Halloween and renaissance fairs. At that time, it was just to have some fun together as we all have an affinity for fantasy. The real world can wind us up so tightly that escaping into another realm was always enjoyable. Looking at the three of us, Mel had always dabbled in the other realms, whereas Shanon and Gretchen were more straight-laced so they had to be coaxed by their favorite bad influence - Mel.
As the kids grew we found that we had more time to spend together and realized that no matter how much time we had, it was never enough. So in the fall of 2016 Mel saw a link to a Goblin King Ball scheduled for February 2017. She had reached out to her girls and some other members of the crowd and asked if they were interested in attending. The answer was “of course”, but at that point we had no idea our life was about to take a major pivot.
