party in uganda!

To the best dad I could ever dream of,

I am sure that the whole country of Uganda is celebrating your life today. But, I wanted you to know that America is celebrating too. Phillip and I partied with a heard of elk in Colorado...in honor of you. I'll show you the pictures later. 

I love you so much and wish that I could be there to celebrate with you today. We will do quite a bit of celebrating come mid-December. Want to go on a safari? Cool, lets do it.

I hope that you feel very loved and celebrated today! 

no, it's RIBBONdancing

just a few more pictures from the weekend of bliss. 

 

up next: weekend in denver with phillip, emily, chris and annie.

my soul is riverdancing

this past weekend, holly, traci, a new friend alvin and I went hiking up at max patch in north carolina. (mom and dad: in all our years of living in north carolina, how did we never find this place?) hands down, the most beautiful spot i've been on the east coast. 

to start the weekend off right, we got lost in the woods on an almost empty tank of gas and passed a small boy walking along the dirt path carrying a gun. he looked freakishly similar to this...hello, backwoods appalachia. ya'll--it's not just in the movies. 

a few indigo girl songs (...or albums) later, we landed in the right spot. the rest is history...!

a few more pictures to come!

today

I don't really know what the climate is like in Paris, but on these rainy melancholy days I imagine myself as a frenchwoman. Today, instead of going to work (probably at a street flower shop or an old bookstore) I would call in sick (on my black old-timey wall-phone). Then I would walk to get a chocolate croissant, carry it to the Orsay and look at impressionist art all morning.

Then for lunch I would go get another chocolate croissant, and it would be the best day ever.

i'm a girl

kissssing, a love blog.

yes!

you know my thoughts on october...live it up before its gone!

good suggestions from lox papers

life themes. life dreams.

thank you, meghan, for providing my daily dose of beauty. 

how we feel

We are going to Denver the last week in October to visit Phillip, Annie and Chris, and this morning we convinced Emily to come too.

Remember this morning when I woke up and wasn't going to Denver? -Emily

This is how we feel about impulsive decisions, hiking on snow mountain peaks and being young and irresponsible:

*It's not every day that every one you reference has a blog. Take note.

on the road again

We've been on quite a few road trips in our day.

And we've seen some really amazing places.

One of those trips from Auburn to San Francisco even resulted in the birth of our first blog almost three years ago, but none of those trips are as important as the one we are on right now.

We're currently on a tour of the southeast raising money to support our work with Children of Grace, and what a wonderful tour it is! Atlanta, Birmingham, Huntsville, Auburn, Charlotte--we love these cities, and it is such a joy to see old friends and family and hear their excitement for what we are getting to do.

We will keep you posted on our progress! Right now we're in Huntsville chowing down on Samoas.

Please pardon our appearance. There is little time for grooming in the life on the road. And note Jesus in the Wilderness on the wall behind us... welcome to my home.

hello, procrastination

computer nerd, here.

but look at my pretty new dock. thank you, jessica

swoon

Tell me this picture doesn't make you swoon. What do you think they are dancing to? "Walking After Midnight" by Patsty Cline? "All My Life" by KC and Jojo?

Also, I'm sorry, when did this blog turn into the romance column of the internet? Really, I'm sorry.

*photo from Kissssing

today

...but my love is frost and cold, ice and snow;

let his love warm me, lighten my burden, be my heaven;

Let the mighty tide of his everlasting love cover the rocks of my sin and care;

Then let my spirit float above those things which had else wrecked my life. 

Make me fruitful by living to that love, 

my character becoming more beautiful every day.

If traces of Christ's love-artistry be upon me, 

may he work on with his divine brush

until the complete image be obtained 

and I be made a perfect copy of him, my master.

-valley of vision

image by jose villa

fact

"Adrenaline was invented for two reasons: so girls can do moderate physical activity and keep up with boys, and so boys have courage to kiss girls." -Grace Anthony

the time i cried in the kate spade store

From 2006-2009, I used the same series of Kate Spade planners. Perfect 5x7 size, seven-day spreads spanning two pages, hourly time slots, bright-colored pictures, clever isms. And if there's one thing I love it's clever isms. One year's planner was themed around road trips and listed facts about different states and famous roads. If there's another thing I love, it's road trips. Another year listed uncommon idioms, what they meant and what there origin was. If there's another thing I love, it's idioms.

But today I want to tell you a story about something that happened in 2010.

It actually all begin in 2009 when I went home for Thanksgiving and the pages were dwindling in 2009's planner. Dates for 2010 were starting to pile up, and I NEEDED TO WRITE THEM DOWN. So, I took a trip to the Kate Spade store in Huntsville to find that it has closed down. Which was sad, but fine because I was sure I would be in Atlanta at some point before 2010 actually came.

That didn't happen, but I did make it before class resumed.

I walk in the store, go straight to the paper section, note some of the cute laser-cut stationary then it's down to business. Where are the 2010 spiral bound planners? What's this year's theme?! What does the cover look like?? Not on the shelf. NOT ON THE SHELF.

"Excuse me. Where are the 2010 spiral bound planners?"

"The paper refills are right under the stationary."

"No. The free-standing spiral bound planners with seven-day, two-page spreads. Are you out of those?"

"Oh, no. There was actually an adjustment to those this year. We don't have any in the store, but they don't have seven-day spreads anymore. Now they're whole month spreads."

"Whole month spreads? How does that all fit on two pages? Does that mean there is only 12 pages in the book?" I start to cry.

"No, the rest is just notepaper."

I can't say anything else, so I just look at the woman who has told me the worst news I have heard in 2010 and hope she feels guilty.

First off, Kate Spade, let me just say that a book filled with notepaper and 12 pages of month spreads is not a planner. It's a notebook with a "calendar section." Also, Kate, let me tell you why you couldn't support your Huntsville store. You altered your best product and made it completely void of any usefulness.

-------------------------------------------------------

The reason I bring this up is to call attention to the new kid on the block. I know where my first $25 of 2011 are going.

Welcome back, paperly bliss. Kate Spade, you are dead to me.

*thanks you are my fave and frankie

blowing my mind

the day we've all been waiting for!

Happy first of October! 

This is officially my favorite month of the year...the leaves, the cinnamon, the pumpkins, the sweaters!
Sensory overload. 

In my perfect world, I would be making apple butter right now and waking it straight to your doorstep...Or, I would be camping...

...here

and of course i would need camping gear...

 Fall also marks the onset of my annual longing for these shoes. this is the third year i've been eyeing them hoping that next year they will less expensive. maybe next year...

ah, what a wonderful day! embrace the season, my friends.

images: design crush and bret cole