To Grandma with Love

Dear Grandma,

I was driving to work this morning and realized that it was your birthday! And not only is it your birthday, it is your 100th birthday! This day is indeed special!  I continued driving to work wondering what I would do to celebrate you, and I figured that I'd write you a letter to let you know what has been happening in my life these last thirteen years.

 I went to college and received a Masters degree.  No, it is not the medical degree that I promised I'd get, but I've told mom and dad that maybe I'll go for a Ph.D later in life, and that is almost the same... almost. Instead, I am a teacher, and I love what I do!

 I got married.  I think you would like Zack. He tends to be very serious and is a great provider.  We had a nice wedding downtown, and all of the family came. We kept things simple.

 We later bought a house and had the most beautiful, little baby boy ever! We named him Charlie. Grandma, he is absolutely amazing, and I know that you would adore him. He is eager to learn, and he learns so fast! I tell him how great a grandmother you were and how mama shares the same love with him as you did with me. She is a fantastic grandmother, and Charlie loves her!  

 

The only difference between you and mama is that she doesn't make biscuits from scratch, nor does she make quilts by hand. She is, however, in the process of sewing together a Thomas the Train blanket for him. You'd be very proud of her. I know I am!

 I miss you so very much, and I thank you for being such a wonderful woman and matriarch.  I try so hard to have your patience and understanding.  I often (like, very often) fall short of that, but I try, and I know that one day, I'll finally have the same grace you exhibited. I love you. I love you. I love you. More than you ever knew... and I will love you forever.

A Friendship in Pictures

(2005)

 These ladies and I met at Mercer University more than ten years ago, and we became close.

We lived in the same dorm: one my roommate, the other our RA.

We talked about parties, gossip, boys, and food

We had a great time; then we "grew up".

(2007)

 I married,

(2009)

 J married,

 

 (2012)

and C was married this past Sunday! 

(Don't worry... there is a group pic of the three of us at C's wedding, 

but it was taken with someone else' camera)

These ladies and I met a lifetime ago, and we are still close.

Now, we discuss homes, husbands, and kids.

 I love these women more now than I did.

We still have great times... because we grew up.

Inspiration Monday

When I saw this picture on Two Birds, I knew exactly what I wanted to wear! I knew in an instant that I would wear the bright green blazer that I thrifted from the Salvation Army this summer.  I remember showing it to a good friend of mine after I had purchased it, and she looked at me and laughed because the jacket is so bright and old.  Well, the joke is on her because I totally pulled it out of the closet for this inspiration! *high fives myself*

I also wore green to a good friend's wedding yesterday because it is her favorite color!

(excuse the blurry picture... my husband apparently wasn't feeling well enough to focus the camera.  *grrr*  Those men... they swear that the world is ending when they get tiny little colds.)

Wednesday Wishlist

I was just flipping through the Lucky magazine and saw this... how exciting, right?! I've been waiting for Coach to come back out with their classic bag, and now my wish has come true!!! Not only do these have the classic style, they are also small with cute little tassels! I want the green one!

I have also been drooling over these Minnetonka Moccasins boots!   Over the summer, I had several Youtube thrifting video binges, and I came across Philly Diva raving about a pair she had just purchased. When I stumbled upon a pair of the regular "peace" moccasins in Plato's closet, I HAD to buy them... and they are awesome! So... my next purchase will be these boots because they lace up the back and will fit my legs, and they are so darn cute!








 

Back in the summer, I came across Indosole.
Their mission is to significantly decrease the number of tires that are placed in landfills in Indonesia. I think the concept is cool and unique. Just think... not only are you helping take care of the planet, but also taking a sweet stroll on the beach will leave really neat tire prints! How cool is that!

Inspiration Monday

I love Eva Mendez! I absolutely think she's hilarious... from All About the Benjamins to Hitch... she is just awesome! I'm glad to see her as the inspiration over at Two Birds this week.

Her outfit is so cool and relaxed.

Hers is exactly the type of outfit I'd like to wear to work because it is so simple and.... frankly, as close to sweats and pajamas as you can get for professional wear. That mentality is probably why I have had these pants for so long.  They are linen and are worn to perfection... In fact, they are so worn that they don't even feel like linen anymore... they feel like plain ole cotton pants.  They are the only pair of pants that I wore before, during (with the help of a belly band), and after my pregnancy.  I literally went through my closet and got rid of all the non-maternity pants and shirts that I wore during my pregnancy except these pants and a few cardigans.  I refuse to let them go!

I really wanted Charlie to be in the picture, but as I pulled him close, I noticed that he didn't have on a diaper because he had just gotten off the potty.  But... as you can see, he's carrying his beloved trains.  He insisted that I see his choo-choos... That kid LOVES his "Tahnnas" and "Pershee".  My husband and I intend to take him down to south Georgia to ride the real Thomas the Train... I'm actually very excited about meeting Thomas and Sir Topham Hat myself! 

Inspiration Monday

This week is a model named Jessica Hart. She is wearing animal print jeans and a rocker tee... none of which I have in my closet.

 

I do, however, have a shirt that is similar to the print of the jeans, so that is what I wore. I had high hopes for being able to do this week's Inspiration Monday, but I fell short of accomplishing my goal since I didn't get a picture of just me and the outfit, but I cropped it so that I can feel like I actually took a picture of it.

My kid's expression is a depiction of how we both felt at the time.  He was sleepy and hot, and I was frustrated that he wasn't able to control himself the entire time we were out with my friends.  Unfortunately, he woke up at 6:30 that morning and did not go back to sleep, so when we got to the restaurant at 10:00am, he was sleepy and fussy.  His behavior became so embarrassing that I had to take him out of the restaurant and sit outside so that we wouldn't be a problem for any of the other people. Luckily, we were in the Highlands (a very trendy, hip, "granola" part of town) and there was an outdoor farmers' market next to the restaurant.  We walked around a while to relax although I desperately wanted to be with my friends since Kim was in town, and we were celebrating her birthday. *sigh* We made it through the brunch and post-brunch snack, and this is the picture we took just before getting in the car.  Even though he was crazy the entire time, we did get a picture of him flying at Alon's bakery where we shared an apple danish!  I look forward to shopping there in the future for fresh bread and local jellies and honey.

All in all, Charlie handled himself as best he could, and I'm proud of him for sacrificing his nap time so that I could hang out. Brunch was good, and my friends were awesome! I love these girls, and I'm so happy for having them in my life!