I am really thankful for my sweet sister. This girl is my heart. Five years younger than me, and I still look up to and respect her SO much. She is the most outgoing individual you will ever meet. She has a heart as BIG as Texas! Last Wednesday night we curled up in her BIG king size bed to dig through memory boxes of old cards from our friends and family. We were pulling out all the ones from my grandma-who has recently become very ill. We gathered up all the cards she’d ever given my sister and me. And I mean she never missed an occasion to send a card, so it was A LOT. Birthdays, graduations, Valentine’s, Christmas, other random holidays, honor society inductions, you name she sent a card. They were the sparkly, colorful, 3-dimensional, musical, fun cards too. So we filled Andrea’s bed with a puddle of “glittery tears” as we read aloud ALL of the cards. Grandma knew us both all to well. It was so special because every card for Andrea pointed out her cheerful spirit…after all it’s really contagious. If I just had an ounce of what she has. Not only did the cards bring light to our sprits, but to Grandma’s as well. She is a lady of grace and beauty. She always thinks of others before herself, and we especially felt that love as her only two granddaughters. It was such a blessing to have lots of time to spend visiting with my sweet grandma, and recalling wonderful memories.

And on another note. I have another wonderful memory that I will pass along to my grandchildren one day. It isn’t quite as touching, but it’s memorable. My dynamic duo and I here, along with my dear friend Amory, cheered AUBURN on to victory AND WERE THE FIRST THREE PEOPLE TO WELCOME THE AU TIGERS BACK TO THE LOVELIEST VILLAGE ON THE PLAINS. Yeap, you read that right the first. I’ll admit we did “act a fool”, but who cares, right? It’s hard to control your Auburn spirit. We were heading down College Street towards Toomer’s Corner, then heading to the Athletic Department to hang with the other fans who were out at 10 pm to welcome to team back home. Well, as we deceded the small hill to the side of the library, lots of blue sirens back flying up behind us. Our hearts raced, and then fell straight to our feet in fear, for a few seconds, before we realized it was the team escorts for the buses. However, we were “in the way”. So we pulled into the hotel and conference center parking lot. And by pulled I mean took a right hand turn on two wheels. Then basically all three sprung out of the car before we’d stopped, and sprinted to the curb where we jumped up and down and screaming “War Eagle” as the team passed by. We either looked like three hard core fans or three drunken girls. And that story will most definitely live on…

So as you can see I had a lot of extra fun on my Thanksgiving getaway back home. Not only did we have a turkey feast, we had family time and football extravaganzas!! Hope your Thanksgiving was HAPPY as mine!! Night, and have a Happy Monday as you enter a new week!

I am chomping at the bit to fly home next week. That cab ride to LaGuardia just cannot come quit enough! Although I am a little bummed that I will yet again be watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, when I could be there! Instead I will wake up Thanksgiving morning to a Turkey Trot 5k which I am running with my sister, and then a long morning in front of the TV watching the parade festivities unfold.

What are your Thanksgiving Day plans? Do you have any special traditions? We always have a post lunch/dinner football matchup! Cannot wait to recap for you next week! XO!

This awesome gal picked me up from the airport. Yeap, that’s my Mom. I could not of been happier to see her. It had been over two WHOLE months. Despite the fact that I talk to her two, three and sometimes ten times a day; I have really missed BIG hugs and face-to-face chats. As she waited at the top of the escalators by baggage claim in the Atlanta airport, she spared greeting Stan and I with smiley face balloons or large flower bouquets. Instead she left the alstroemeria bouquets scattered around the house. The flowers being a finishing touch on a massive renovation overhaul Mom’s been tackling over the past four weeks.

I am pretty sure she has been running on no sleep and WAT-AAH!!, which my sister and I found to be completely hilarious. We pretty much fell on the floor laughing. Why is this bottle so funny to me?? I told Mom I am not sure it can be water + extra oxygen. After all isn’t water to molecules of hydrogen and one oxygen? H2O. So added oxygen would not result in water according to my very basic knowledge of chemistry. But I will not argue. After all my professional training involves design, NOT ANY SORT OF chemistry or scientific hoopLA! I digress…

So my design soul was on complete overload when I walked inside “home”. Mom and I kind of play this game of guessing what has changed? What is moved?  New fabrics. New floors. New tubs. I was in complete shock honestly. Only my Mom could transform an entire floor of a house in FOUR WEEKS. That is unheard of in the coordination of construction workers, painters upholsters and moving help. All it took was Dad taking a sledge hammer to the old tub, and there was no turning back. Ready for the work being greeted by workers at 6 a.m. had begun. So what did I find? The entire exterior trim, painted. Refinished hardwoods. Fresh paint everywhere. New hardwoods  in the master. A reconfigured master bath. Sister’s room was changed. Pretty rugs, and other things. FOUR WEEKS. I am still shocked. I was completely surprised too. I only knew about the floors. Mom laughed and said every time I’d call she’d be at ADAC or driving somewhere in Atlanta to pick up faucets, mirrors, etc. So I am asuming life is calm and orderly, but in fact it has been complete disorganization and chaos. So when I arrived to the finished product, we tip-toed throughout the house after getting in at 11 p.m. from the airport, so that I could take it all in. 2:30 a.m. came way to quickly and decided we best make our way to bed.

Friday involved lots of treasured time.

7 a.m. coffee with my mom, and then again when dad got home at 8. At 11, sister and I’s usual walk from The Flower Store and through Grove Hill. The hunger pains were coming on about 12. We went for sister bonding time over Momma G’s a split order the famous nachos. Then to brother’s office for a long awaiting reuniting hug, accompanied by a sonic happy hour slushy. Later a trip to EarthFare Grocery. Then back home to reunite and rekindle a forever treasured friendship with Amory. After we chatted about everything under the sun, I got ready for dinner.

The table was set, and the drinks were being made. Our family reunited, and Stan’s family joined.

Us grown ups laughed and carried on entertaining conversations; while for the kids…we set a kid’s table with kid-friendly entertainment.

Day #2____________________________________________________________

I know greet you from the heart of the Loveliest Village on the Plains, a few miles from the home base we’ve been chatting about. Saturday at 2:30, well over 87,000 fans filed into be apart of the crowd that watched Auburn beat LSU’s butt. And it didn’t stop there. The eagle flew. The crowd put there hands in the ayer. We saw as Cam Newton set the SEC single-season record with 1,077 rushing yards for a quarterback.

And at the end of the game, Cam sprinted to the end zone to celebrate with the Auburn Fans. Afterwards he quickly made his way across the field to the student section where he showed off his high jumping skills. He literally jumped over a fence the separates the stadium seats from the hedges, and partied with his Auburn Family.

For now, I’m back in New York. The weekend was awesome. Auburn is now ranked #1 in the BCS poll. The trip was fast and furious with way to many people to see and way to little time. When I start to miss “community”, and feel like it is so very hard to meet people, I find myself comparing the “what is” to “what was”. Then I quickly remind myself that those relationship were built of 23 years. Things take time, and patience. God is allowing me to grow by leaps and bounds in the “patience arena”. As I reflect on my time at home a find that I am so much more appreciative and grateful of/for my Auburn “family”. You all mean the absolute world to me. Thanks for fabulous conversation, and a warm welcome to what will always be “home” to me. Yeap, some things never change.

::the gang ::

:: Don’t ya love auburn’s new signage? It’s Aubie on a bike ::

after a long hot afternoon…the attention to the camera drifted to “better things”.

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.

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!

Without even being consciously aware I pick up my cell and call speed dial #2 [only second to #1 being default voicemail]. It is my direct link to my Mom. We talk on the phone sometimes 6 or 7 times a day. She is my other half. She knows me all to well! Andrea and I would consider ourselves pretty blessed to be able to call our Mom our best friend. Between the three of us, more affectionately known as the “3 musketeers”, we share it all. We tell each other everything! The highs and the lows. All of our smiles, tears, laughs, joys, celebrations, struggles, problems, and usually birthdays. Not only that, we share SO many memories…from day trips to Atlanta time and time again to cramming begging the dressing room attendant to allow 3 people in a one person dressing room. Somehow we just cannot get enough of each other.

This year we will not be in the same place, but we’ll celebrate together in spirit! So this post goes to you Mom,

“HOPE YOU HAVE A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

Love Ya Always, Jewels

What’s in a name? As the Park is to the City, so the Word is to Life. Central Park is comprised of 843 acres– an area that constitutes less than 6% of the entire island of Manhattan. Despite its small bite out of the Big Apple, the Park has a huge impact on the lives of New Yorkers. Similarly, the Word is life-restoring for Christians. Despite its small size, the Bible’s impact on our lives far exceeds that of any other book on our shelves. In it, we can run about in joy, explore meaningful truths, and delight in God’s promises. The founder of Park Forum, Bethany is an email friend of mine. She has a BIG heart the is bursting with love for the Lord, and I encourage you to support her work in the city!

So, that is where is all began. You might be wondering what that little 125 x 125 pixel square geometric grid of green, white and black is on the right hand side-bar. Let me tell you, it’s your direct link to The Park Forum. Whether you’re a New Yorker of not, the site is worth subscribing too. Their daily urban devotional, Morning Walk, serves up a warm dose of inspiration to me everyday! These quick reflections don’t take a lot of time to read through, but ADD a lot of “goodness” to your day. It is for sure to be added to your blog feed after you visit, also serving as a reminder that…”in whatever we do (even in reading online blog posts), in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)!

[if you feel called to support The Park Forum, you can do so by mail or you can choose from their online donation methods here]

 Actually before you meet Jenna, first things first. Check out her and her husbands business: whimsy&spice, a Brooklyn confectionery. All of their cookies and sweets are hand rolled, hand cut and hand packaged using only the finest ingredients with no added preservatives or artificial flavorings. Take a look for yourself at these little exquisite works of confection! Pictured are some of the seasonal cookies below. They are absolutely splendid! Forget chocolates in a box this year…send you Valentine something special:

 Where did you drink your morning coffee? on the couch with the computer on my lap.

Is that my favorite room? I don’t know, but I’m on the couch a lot.

…well, considering that the couch is where I end up working, I guess the answer, actually, would be yes it’s my favorite room.

How do your balance being a mommy, and your growing design & confectioners bakery, whimsy & spice? I don’t…still not yet. We’re learning, but most days, life is chaotic. [check out Jenna's talent here]

What part of your job is the most enjoyable? I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of cool people through the business.

When did your design/creative obsession begin? I’ve been drawing since I was small. It’s really all I did in high school, and I spent most of my energy my junior year getting scholarships to art school. Oddly, though, once I got to college, my interest waned and took a backseat to just experiencing life and living on my own. I regained my interest and commitment when I switched to another creative medium – studying music.

What’s influencing your design these days? My friends, other designers and artists.

What are your favorite creative trends in the art & web world“? Not a trend follower. I have no idea.

Fresh, bright, and beautiful OR warm, cozy, and rustic? fresh, bright and beautiful

What is the best gift you’ve ever received from anyone? I was a few thousand dollars away from paying off a 60k student loan debt from grad school. My mom cut me a check to pay it off. I felt like I had a new life. I am so grateful.

What is a must-have recipe for ever home? pancakes

Favorite splurge?? bags or shoes.

Best place to getaway? Hawaii or Paris

What thing in your home do you use the most? other than my computer? the coffee maker.

Leave us with one word: breathe…

Thanks Jenna for taking time out of your BUSY schedule!    x, julie

*images courtesy of sweet fine day