Monday, 31 August 2009

wedding.


the picture above is hands down the most amazing and ideal wedding reception i've ever seen. then again, all of the following photos are absolutely amazing. nothing like a truly southern wedding (granted these could be from anywhere) but it's exactly how i see my own.

hope my groom doesnt mind riding off on an old pale yellow bicycle because thats kind of what i've got my heart set on ;) followed by a vintage car, of course.

i've been busy concepting ideas for my mother's wedding this coming spring. i'm so blessed and grateful to be her maid of honor. i'm so so soooo incredibly excited for the rest of her life to be spent with Robert. i truly do love him and i know he'll be the one to walk me down the aisle one day. the next to last picture is from my friend Joanna's wedding earlier this month. i wasn't in attendance but i couldn't help but enjoy the simple but elegant chair arrangement in her own backyard.








Jen + John Engagement


Vivian


Sophia


camping.


i would like this to be in my very near future.

ampersands.

the science of sleep.



maybe this will be on my agenda this evening.

think.

Whatever it is you want, Kaelah, think about it.

Think and think and think.

And as surely as day follows night, that which you have thought about will be drawn into your life - be it answers, friendships, health, abundance, or love.

It's the law.

-The Universe



I love waking up in the morning and getting my daily ~Note from the Universe. They're written by writer & adventurer, Mike Dooley. I highly suggest signing up for them. It's just one email in the morning and it's a great way to start the day. Try it out, if you don't like it you can always unsubscribe.


xo

Sunday, 30 August 2009

little words.





confidant.


i apologize for the awkwardness of the above picture but i was tryin to show a friend the portrait on my inner arm. it's just the first layer and i need to sit again to get the finished piece but anyway... its my mother.

i've said it countless times before but she is a saint. she is who i run to. always. i can't go a full day without hearing her voice on the phone. its so reassuring. and today thats exactly what i needed. i started to venture down to hohenwald but i got halfway there, lost it listening to copeland, and i turned around. i ended up in college grove at adam's grandparents. we played with the horses and lazed around. two hours later i was en route to my house. so i called my mother. i really wanted to see her today because i've just been the host of a heavy heart for the past few days. even though i couldn't be there in body, she managed to come through for me via telephone. we had a wonderful conversation where i cried and she told me everything will be alright.

i know i just sound like i'm harping on a subject but today was exactly what i needed. the weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and my heart sits comfortably in the cavity of my chest. i know that things will be more than alright and i feel truly blessed to be able to look at things this way.

i've been thinking about where i'll be venturing off to once i graduate college. less than 16 months away and i'll be finished with this degree. theres no telling where life will take me. new york city. san francisco. maybe even staying here in nashville. i dont want to get too ahead of myself but i can honestly say that without a doubt, i'm so excited for it.

i feel like a brand new person. my faith has been restored and i want to make sure i'm doing the best i can to aide in the full spectrum of humanity. not to mention after i got home, i vented to Bryan and being the awesome best friend that he is, he took the last half of the day off of work and we just hung out. it was awesome.


with that being said, i'm going to go play some Mario Kart on the n64 with Bryan and Apple Jacks. hokay!

xo

truth.

You did it. You acknowledged the elephant in the room. You said what needed to be said and frankly, I’m proud of you! Now what? Well, I suppose we find a way to deal with the elephant. What were the reactions or non-reactions when you spoke the truth? Is this (A) something worth fighting for or did you (B) just want to clear the air? If the answer is A, awesome- keep fighting, I’m behind you 100%. If it’s B, then your work is done and now you can think about something else, like how unbelievably brave you are.


Today remind yourself: I speak the truth.

actions.

"You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter." — Nicholas Sparks, The Rescue

i like to believe everyone is good. that there is no real evil and that everyone is armed with good intentions. sadly that seems to be my downfall of the sorts. i trust people and i take their word. i judge them based on that word, rather than on their actions. can i just say, good and well, that i know exactly what nicholas sparks meant by that? i truly always want to give the benefit of the doubt and hold out hope that this time maybe it really is different... but it never is. its the same old charade. its convenient, its safe, and most of all, its not permanent.

i can no longer be your second choice, not when i've made you my first for the past three years. and i especially will not play seconds to a piece of plastic (aka your cellphone) and i sure as hell will not play seconds to your nasty drug & alcohol habit.

i've felt this way for a while... i've been over "us"... i just didn't get over "you"... but now i am. i'm ready to step out into the world and take it by it's horns. i will no longer let you be the excuse as to why i cannot let someone get close to me. i deserve to be loved, fully, unconditionally, and unashamed. it is not common practice to wonder who else you're leading on... it's never been okay. just because you practiced it for years doesn't make it right.

it's my turn to find someone who will reciprocate the 100% that i invest into them. he will hold me accountable, he will understand my sarcasm, and most importantly, he will be honest.


i'm sorry you couldn't be honest with me. but i'm finally being honest with you. when i walked away from you today, that was it. that was the final time i plan on seeing you. this will be best of us both in the end. no games, no bullshit. i gave you every ounce of emotion in my body today. you saw me cry, you saw me laugh... but do me a favor and just remember when you saw me walking away.

i'll never regret any of it, but i'll no longer spend sleepless nights wishing i had it back. because lets just be honest... you are not good for me. it's time for me to figure "me" out. invite only.


"As you become more clear about who you really are, you’ll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around."
— Oprah Winfrey

Antique Photo Album... Welcome to the 33rd Metamorphosis Monday!

My Met Monday post for today is a "reverse" Met Monday. I'm showing you the "After" first...then I'll show you the "Before." :-)

I came across this old, old Victorian style picture album around 20 years ago. I believe it may date back to the late 1800's. If you have any information about these type albums, please share it in your comment. I'd love to know more about them but have found very little information online.

When I found this wonderful old velvet covered album, I fell in love with it. It was in a run down, old house that sat just barely off the road of a busy Georgia state highway...waaay out in the country. I had just completed an appointment for work and was headed back to the "big city," when the "Antiques for Sale" sign caught my eye as I whizzed by in my car. Not being able to resist, I turned around and headed back.

The man inside the old house made me a great deal, only $40. I was thrilled since it was chocked full of wonderful old photos. When I'd stumbled on these albums in the past, they were usually more expensive and empty. I've since collected one more and I do so love to look through them.

This album looks as if it may have been a wedding gift for a newly married couple. The front shows a bell with a small mirror (maybe a wedding bell?) and a horse shoe with the words, "Good Luck."




Here's a little close-up pic of the top. Now you may be wondering where the "before and after" is in this post. Well, so far you've seen the after pics...the pics of what time and use will do to the exterior of a lovely, old, velvet, picture album. What if we could go back in time and see it when it was brand new.




Step into my time machine...and take a look at the before. The album opens up by unlatching the side and flipping the album downward onto a surface. There's a much larger mirror inside. See the beautiful, green velvet...that's what the whole album would have looked like when it was new...I'm guessing back in the 1800's.




Close-up of the interior velvet that has been protected from the elements. Old houses used to be very, very dusty inside. Windows were left open for cooling and the roads weren't always paved. It was a full time job trying to keep the home swept and dusted.




Both of the old albums I've collected are full of wonderful, old photos. I will do a post sometime in the future showing lots of pics from both albums. I love seeing the dresses and hats...along with the hairstyles.




A few of the pics from this album...notice in the pic below, the man is sitting while the woman is standing.




Look at her hair, her gorgeous blouse and that tiny waist!




Again, in the pic below, the man is sitting while the woman is standing...wonder why? I've noticed it's always this way in the pics depicting a couple. What do you think the occasion was for this photo? Maybe an anniversary...or do you think it was a wedding photo?




Do you like collecting the old photographs or albums? They are like little time capsules, giving us a glimpse of the past.



Looking forward to seeing your Before and After!



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flattery.

imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.



why am i not impressed?

breakfast at tiffany's

"You know what’s wrong with you, Miss Whoever-You-Are? You’re chicken. You got no guts. You’re afraid to say, ‘O.K., life’s a fact.’ People do fall in love. People do belong to each other, because that’s the only chance anybody’s got for real happiness. You call yourself a free spirit, a wild thing. You’re terrified somebody’s going to stick you in a cage. Well, baby, you’re already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it’s not bounded by Tulip, Texas or Somali land. It’s wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself."
— Breakfast At Tiffany’s



i couldn't have said it better myself. oh my word.

Saturday, 29 August 2009

A Lazy Sunday in the Garden...

(If pics appear cut off on the right side, please try adjusting your resolution to the highest setting.)

A lazy Sunday garden tour...


Mr. Bee is very busy...


Inspecting the Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne' (also called R. nitida 'Autumn Sun')


Around....


and around...


and around....


he goes....


Carefully inspecting...


every...


inch.


With his inspection all done...


It's time to move on to another flower.


Sedum, 'Autumn Joy'...just turning pink. Come fall, it will turn a russet brown...


Common Purple Phlox and Daisies are Leucanthemum 'Becky' (also known as Ryan's Daisy and named after Ryan Gainey)







Thanks for stopping by for a little Sunday garden tour...