Tyler and I first met through our fraternity at SMU and reconnected when I moved to LA after competing on The Amazing Race. At the time, Tyler was recovering from a long battle with alcoholism. It was while he was battling his inner demons that Tyler re-discovered a love of painting and began passionately throwing paint on canvas and using his fingers to create wild designs and textures.
Tyler will forever have a place in TOMS lore. Only Tyler would.... grab the mic at a Style Your Sole party held at the hottest boutique in LA and proclaim himself to be the "ranch dressing of TOMS Shoes".... agree to paint 3000 shoes in a single day outside of TOMS HQ, perhaps setting a world record in the process... get excited about living in a garage for a month and painting shoes on-demand via webcam (this idea got nixed as the last minute, probably for the better for both TOMS and Tyler's health)... splatter his truck and all of his clothing in paint... and insist on leading a "hip, hip hooray" cheer at our buddy Court's wedding in front of Dallas' most influential families.
If Tyler is truly one-of-a-kind, his wedding this past month was no exception. Tyler had everyone in the wedding party wear dark blue ties, seersucker pants, and his very own splatter paint shoes (the outfit was nautical enough that with Tyler's approval, I even wore my favorite captain's hat). Everything about the day had a dash of style about it - from the service being held along the beach in Santa Barbara, to the ring bearers wearing painted Tiny TOMS, to Tyler's open shirt and all-white suit.
If you're reading this Tyler and Jacqueline, I'd like to wish you years of love and happiness together. It was truly an honor to be included in your special day. We're proud to have you in the TOMS Family :)
2 comments:
What a beautiful weddingstory, and a wonderful respect you have for your life and everybody in it. People in your life is so blessed to have a soul like yourself, giving joy and happiness to them. Most of us is just dreaming about living the life you have.
Giving all that to other needy human beings. It is so strange, because many times the more we have, the more miserable we feel. We should live a little in the present, feel all the goodness that is around us..if we stop for a minute to see. Thank you so much for inspiring me with you fantastic thinking and philosophy. It is really unique!!
All the very best to you, Rine:)
Sounds amazing. LOVE everything that you're doing. Greetings from Madison, WI.
~James
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