We luckily managed to dodge all traffic as we scooted all over the city. Why? Wasting time until we took two special girls to rendezvous with a camp friend at the airport.

Our first stop…a late lunch. Can you see the smile on that girls face on the far right?

For those familiar Houston junkie friends of ours, you’ll recognize this outdoor patio and instantly identify the restaurant.

Houston’s is a all-time favorite. Nothing quaint and special about the location, but the food is fabulous. We passed on the spinach-artichoke dip it is not a summer figure friendly dish, but definitely indulged in other scrumptious delights.

You can see it in our smiles…

And afterwards. Shopping at Phipps and Lenox. Then to top it off a quick trip to Bodies :: the exhibition @ Atlantic Station.

The poster does this exhibit NO justice. It is full of fun-filled facts. Like :: We do not yawn due to a lack of oxygen. In fact, scientist do not know why we yawn. AND If all of our muscles worked together in our body we could lift approximately 10 tons. The exhibits are all REAL. Like REAL human bodies donated to the “sciences”. The most fascinating to me was really seeing the intricate details God used as he knit us together one by one. It really puts a look of awe on your face. The high ticket price is worth every single penny.

We gave our visit two thumbs up!

And finally the real reason we drove almost two hours…to pick up  another camper at the airport. These two gals are Colorado camp friends. One from Alabama and one from Texas. The reason the be at the airport…meeting another camp friend from Indiana.

They made a last minute sign (hence the lack of creativity) and decided to try to throughly embarrass their welcomed guest. Unfortunately these two girls beauty required them to keep the sign rolled up the majority of there wait. They unfortunately were receiving request from randos claiming, “I am Mark, I’ll be whoever you want me to be”. Even and old man walked over, while the sign was not visible, saying, ” Who are your hear for? I am looking for somebody here to pick up somebody.” Really? These girls are 17 years old. Come on. People these days. You see it all at the Atlanta airport. All walks of life. All sizes. All heights. and ALL STYLES.

and finally the real Mark arrived. 9:30 PM. It was a long day, but we were entertained by their laughter on the way home.

Now for a side note :: I am taking advantage of every single moment I get to spend with my sweet sister and Mom these days (and Dad, brother, sister-in-law, friends, and extended family). As excited as I am about going to NYC, I will miss seeing there sweet faces whenever I like. Even Birmingham was only a short two hour drive away. My family and friends are a wonderful blessing in my life, and they mean the world the me. With that being said, Mom and I would like to issue a weather advisory in the upcoming weeks. There will be Flash Flood Warnings streaming from the Deep South to the BIG Apple. Why? Tears. Lots of tears. There will be tears of laughter, memories, anxiety, excitement, and fear all wrapped in one car. The BIG stuff will be delivered, but us two are going to spend quality time together road-tripping it up the East Coast. With some wonderful and exciting stops along the way. But just FYI…beware of flooding. Seriously. Oh, this is so so bittersweet.

the fun begins at the atlanta airport…

camera in hand the entire trip just so that my lovely readers can feel like they are in the warm weather Caribbean with me!

Musketeer#1 wasn’t so sure about my endless camera shots. she’d assured me she felt as if the paparazzi was after her.

after we’d checked all of our bags, – $92 dollars later – (yes for only FOUR bags=ridiculous) we basically stripped down to nothing to make it through security AND finally we made it to our gate…and tummies were growling.

now I don’t know about you all, but airport food just doesn’t do much for me. there’s usually a lot to choose from. For me, choices are overwhelming. smoothies. friend chicken. pizza. snack food. coffee. hot dogs. sandwiches. chinese. AND I MEAN PEOPLE EAT IT ALL NOT MATTER WHAT TIME OF THE DAY. I just cannot eat pizza at 9 am, but whatever suits your cravings.

we settled on a strawberry-banana smoothie.

and for the celebrity I enjoyed photographing – chex mix BOLD FLAVOR!

finally boarded the plane. two movies later, and after my choice of pretzels,peanuts or biscoff cookies with a soda; I saw it.

ST. THOMAS – U.S. Virgin ISLANDS!!! We’ve arrived.

after a 25 minutes ride on the WRONG side of the road + a handful of what I thought of as near death experiences.

WE MADE IT TO THE RESORT! greeted by luscious, green beauty and…

tropical beverages. What more could you ask for, it’s an oasis of heaven on earth!

we enjoyed LOTS of sundresses, sunshine and sun-kissed cheeks!

Not to mention way to much pool-side + beach-side lounging. it took me a while to not feel guilty about

…s    l    o   w    i    n    g   down a little

mr. iguana even graced us with his presence pool-side.

andrea + i quickly fell “in love” with the peaceful, island life!

we ate pool-side lunches on bright + breezy + tropical-inspired outdoor fabrics.

surrounded by amazing tropical landscaping

and MORE and MORE and MORE tropical beverages!

there she is again, giving me the EYE!

:: the pool ::

:: the fam ::

:: the favorite part of my dinner – my mini coconut vanilla milkshake ::

And as for activities go. Andrea and I did a lot of kayaking. Which I still have super sore triceps from. We got in a battle with the winds, and a coral reef being in our path home. Needless to say we killed ourselves trying to make it back to shore. And next we decided to torture ourselves some more. We did give our arms a rest, and gave our legs the next working. So what did we do? Got in a paddle boat. We peddled all the way out to a little white buoy that resembled our volleyball friend from Hollywood “Wilson” – whom we all know from “Cast Away”.

I thought about taking Lil Lady out too, but we decided to rent a motorized boat instead. Afterall, this is suppose to be a relaxing vacation, RIGHT?

So that is just what we did. We rented a boat (which came with Captain Dan), and we went island hopping and snorkeling.

We saw lots of boats.

and wildlife.

and beautiful park land. this part of St. John was bought by the Rockefeller’s in the ’50s for $50/acre. What a steal! The family later sold it to the government, but with the promise it would forever be preserved as a natural park. And today two-thirds of the island boasts private beaches, pristine foliage and turquoise waters.

As the Caribbean drops off into the Atlantic – the waters become a deeper blue. It’s stunning!

What did as our boat rounded the corner?

the island home of Kenny Chesney. Our boat captain uses the same marina as our Country singing friend, Kenny. They bring him his boat from the St. Thomas marina on a regular basis when Kenny is vacationing. He shot one of his album covers on the beach below his home. The white sands of Trunk Bay are located the one side of the peninsula property his home is on, and on the other side – Cinnamon Bay. He sings about the area on St. John in his album, The Old Blue Chair.

and three doors down…

Presidio Del Mar. This might be one of the most beautiful architectural works I have EVER seen in my life. While studying architecture, we were constantly reminded how important it is for the “architecture” to move beyond the exterior wall. It cannot stop at the stone/brick/etc, but MUST celebrate and respect the context. This house is a perfect example. It completely blends in with it’s surroundings and enhances views to and from. It is situated perfectly on the peninsula point of 1.63 lush acres, and completely takes my heart away. It took ten years to build. The stone was all brought in from Italy. There is a fabulous hand-laid cobblestone driveway, six suites, outdoor showers with FABULOUS fixtures, and everything in between. (some of the decor is a little over the top or  I might say not “island” appropriate, but the home itself speaks design wonders)

Oh and I forgot to mention, it can be yours for about $38,000 per week – which includes maids and cooks!

Toward the end of our boat outing the skies turned a little gloomy. If you look hard, you’ll see a faint rainbow in the background. There is still beauty in the sky after a storm. I was taken away by the stillness I felt when the afternoon shower subsided. It was so peaceful, and I felt completely surrounded by God’s beauty!

too bad…the paradise vacation part one was over. off the the “concrete jungle” as Alicia Keys would say.

We packed up again and tackled another long day traveling through airports.

STT (St.Thomas) – ATL (Atlanta, GA) – LGA (New York City, NY) to take a second look about my soon to be new home. One month, five days, and counting…

then this door will be the entry to my new home!

we are getting measurements, locating outlets and making lots of mental notes. next time we arrive as movers! We further discuss rug sizes. I have come to the conclusion that the NYC design standard is a light wood pine color parquet floor. Every single, and I mean every single apartment I looked at in my search had the exact same floors. UGH!!!

Stan even joined us from work to take a look. After our design note taking session we ventured up to the roof deck for a few before we headed out.

and and just for kicks…the mailman. What can I say my grandma likes details, and I do as she asks and give her details! He’s got a snazzy style for his mail carrier uniform, wouldn’t ya say? I’m diggin’ those tube socks!

An after a long morning, and HOT weather we opted for something lets say, “rather nutritious”.

Please excuse the vulgar language used below, but as the sign reads in a version for “tender ears” be ready to enjoy if you are going to enter the front doors.

And afterwards, a few blocks west, me and my two partners in crime ran into Kelly Ripa. I am kinda a BIG fan of her. Maybe just because I love watching the show in the morning when I am working out at the gym. She was fabulous to talk to. She kindly referenced me to her architect she’s used in NYC. [A fabulous designer I should note] She was waiting for her kids to get off the bus near their SOHO family apartment. Her and Mom’s conversation was precious because it was a true mom to mom chat. She told mom she must be so thrilled post my college graduation, and couldn’t imagine how that felt as a mom because she was completely “mom proud” of her son’s 6th grade graduation.

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:: change of direction ::

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i feel compelled to share a picture just merely for the fact that I thought it was fun and whimsical for a chocolate plate. oh and the story behind my fabulous chocolate plate. 8am up for a long run outside, finished off my a coffee outing, and on the way home a light rain. Needless to say, you can imagine I wasn’t looking so very hot. I get back up to the hotel room, and head straight to the shower. Strip down, open the door, grab a towel, reach for the lever to turn on the water, and NOTHING!!!!! What???? It is 10:45 and I have a meeting with the executive director of the AIA New York City at noon in a completely different neighborhood. SO I unfold the towel and swing it around myself, run into the bedroom, pick up the phone, and Front Desk button…pushed. Ring, ring, ring…

Front Desk :: “Hello and how are you doing this morning.”

me :: “Um, yes, is there a problem with the water in the hotel?”

FD :: “Oh yes, in fact the City has just contacted us and let us know that they have turned off the water in this area of Lower Manhattan in order to do some work”

me :: “Really?”

FD :: “Yes, and we do not know how long it will be. Would you like for us to bring you up a couple bottled waters?”

me saying to myself :: “Yea-right I’ll shower with two 16.9 fl. oz. bottles of water” (the thought crossed my mind, but I wasn’t rude after all it wasn’t their fault)

me :: “No I appreciate the offer, but I needed to shower because I have to leave for a meeting in an hour, and I have been our running. Thank you though.

FD :: “We are inquiring about how long it will be off right now, and will ring your room when we know”

me :: “okay, thanks”

CLICK.

What the h!@#$%^&* am I going to do?? I cannot go like this. Praise the Lord I had a key to Stan’s apartment. I text him at work to let him know I am “breaking in” for water! Sure enough the minute I left the water probably came back on, but with my luck if I’d stayed I would of been one nasty girl at a meeting.

Now you think okay…problem solved, right? Well he lives in a total different area. So I load my purse with make-up, flat iron, hair brushes and other showering products. Guys bathrooms aren’t quite stocked like a girls! Catch a cab. Race to get ready. Re-load all of my junk in my bag…and race 1.7 miles to the AIA office. Whew I made it. Our meeting was fabulous. An even included an impromptu jaunt to Midtown for an NBC interview about the a controversial blog post on the New York Times Building.

So about the chocolate plate. I guess the hotel felt really bad. Most people aren’t showering at  almost 11 too, so I was probably the only one who called down. This was in my room, with the kindest note apologizing for the inconvenience (reminder :: they had no control of the issues) when I returned the hotel that night! How thoughtful.

Today was a long travel day to. I have bags to unpack, laundry to tackle and life to return to. And I can definitely say 9 days living out of a bag is just not my style. There is nothing like home sweet home!

we loaded up our pallets with paints, and grabbed a few clean brushes.

uncorked the wine…

and the birthday girl began…

with a blank canvas. So we painted, and painted, and sipped…

well not the under-aged ones, but lets just say, they focused a little more.

…with a few hours of hard work, the canvases were bright and beautiful.

with flowers in all sorts of variety!

What a fun night! Happy Late Birthday Stac!

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap on a rope.

Bill Cosby, Fatherhood

t’s only when you grow up and step back from him―or leave him for your own home―it’s only then that you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it.

Margaret Truman, in an address to a joint session of Congress (1984)

Your father, Jo. He never loses patience―never doubts or complains―but always hopes, and works and waits so cheerfully that one is ashamed to do otherwise before him.

Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get.

Tim Russert, Big Russ and Me

I’d love to have a beer with you, Dad.

Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane on Frasier

One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.

George Herbert, Jacula Prudentum

To her, the name of father was another name for love.

Fanny Fern, Fresh Leaves

No music is so pleasant to my ears as that word―father.

Lydia Maria Child, Philothea: A Romance

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.

Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents

[He] adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector.

Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

-I agree with Fanny Fern, “the name of father was IS another name for love. My Dad is the most self-less man, and he loves our family unconditionally -always expressing genuine love. He taught us the value of hard, and how important it is to pair that hard work with humility. He’s shown us were faith takes you, and how important it is to have a positive attitude and find strength in the Lord.  He has a tender heart to his girls, and shares his shoulder to lean on. Love you Dad, Happy EARLY Father’s Day!

WAKE-BOARDING! 

[the boat driver in training :: andrea]

[the photographer :: me]

When it came to wake-boarding, some of us were professionals. And some of us were newbies.  We definitely used our talent t show off our tricks.

For me that meant making it over the wake. 

For girl boarder #2, Andrea, that meant getting up for the first time, and conquering her fear of that “bump” in the water.  

And for “brother”, it meant catching some air.

…followed by a “hard”, but successful, landing. 

This morning I woke up in complete soreness. A total muscle confusion for my body, I used muscles I never knew I had. Hope you have a Happy, “Pain-free” Memorial Day Weekend!! Off to bake a red velvet cake for a dinner celebration tonight! YUM if it was not 7:52 in the morning! 

Love you beautiful!

I like to call myself the family paparazzi, chasing everyone around with my camera in hand. Especially this little one…

and his partner in crime [aka twin sister], meet Miss Lily.

They were rather intrigued at their brothers bull riding skills

and decided to give it a try themselves.

Surprisingly Whit made it up there all by himself, while Lily opted for some time to be held by her favorite cousins.

Whit found it to be lots of fun! For those that do not know, bull riding is one dangerous sport. Whit’s attempt to stay mounted for at least eight seconds while the bull tried to buck him off  is claimed to be ”the most dangerous eight seconds in sports”. AND HE SURVIVED. [I am totally kidding. You know that right? This bull is completely stationary and we are NOT abusing 2 year olds out here.]

Some of us here enjoy the more recreational and proper horseback riding sport.

Or better yet…hula hoop competitions.

remember, it’s all in the HIPS!

Or maybe just being an onlooker?

We have pretty much covered all the bases, so you thought. We also had baseball games,

sandbox time,

football throwing,

lawn mowing,

easter eggs hunts [more of a easter egg "pick-up"...they're not really hidden]

bubble machines,

and even a tooth-pulling session.

Sara was bound and determine for this tooth to COME OUT, and COME OUT TODAY! She so dearly wanted to lose it last night, but her dad assured her that was not a good idea. The easter bunny and the tooth fairy coming on the same night just might not play out very well. He had totally convinced her that they’d have a brawl on their front porch. So she gave it up yesterday, but 24 hours later – post “bunny visit” – the tooth is OUT.

While ALL these fun and games were going on, I decided to check on the hamburgers and hotdogs. We had lots of little tummies to feed, and the smell of grilling out filled the air.

In reality, maybe the real reason we were dying hoping to eat was because we knew what was coming for dessert.

5 gallons of homemade ice cream!!!!!!!!!

The ice cream maker was our new hand crafted, 5 gallon wooden bucket – powered by an old John Deere motor.

When time was up, dinner had been eaten, tummies were still talking, and hands were coming from all directions.

that stuff was PURE heaven……and these two WILL MOST DEFINITELY agree. They walked away HAPPY!

With that, “Happy Easter Bloggers!”

Hope your Sunday was swell like ours. What did you do? I hope it was filled with family, friends, pretty weather, yummy food, chocolate, and a celebration of the resurrection of our LORD and SAVIOR!

Ever since that shopping day I’ve been looking forward to stampin’ out some cookies!!! Look out for a post on how well they actually turn out! Happy Holy Week!!

i just created a snapshot “stick figure” sketch to give you an idea of what my precious family is like [via +], the internet is oh so entertaining! 

**please not that my sister doesn’t really have crazy hair like the picture suggests. what can i say, the choices were limited. i choice the crazy hair girl for andrea because it seemed to best fit her “fun” personality!