still.

(serenity?)

i had monday off from work this week in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and what a beautiful [understatement!] day it was. unfortunately, kevin had to work, but i spent the day with my 2 best furry companions: riley and pete.


after sleeping in a bit and a tasty breakfast of toasted wheat bread with almond butter and agave nectar (yummy), we ventured out to ft. pulaski: one of my favorite unwind-and-drink-in -the-salty-air kinda places.

it was simply lovely.

but, to my surprise, VERY tiring.

i think i'm slowing down a bit. i suppose being 8 months along now will do that to a gal. but it's just so crazy to me-- i was pooped before we even made it to the beachy area where the dogs swim. how was i tired?!

but that certainly didnt keep them from racing around, getting muddy as possible, shaking to dry off while standing right next to me and loving every minute of it.

so they played. and i sat on some smooth and bleached out driftwood, basked in the vitamin D, took some deep breaths, and enjoyed every minute of just being still.

(ahh, sitting still. who knew it could be so wonderful?! i highly recommend it.)

yoga tonite with all the other expecting ladies-- yay! more stillness to savor.

takin' it back 10 yrs...

ha!

came across this today-- taken the first time kevin met my family in NC. (i love my my mom's pretty handwriting labeling it just so!)

aww... the summer we fell in love.... crazy kids.

who'd a thunk we'd be here, 10 yrs later, with a little one on the way?!

we did. and it somehow happened. :-)

green pizza

scrumptious!
(i called it white at first, but kevin corrected me).

whole wheat thin crust, olive oil and pesto, spinach and more basil leaves, red peppers, green olives and cheese-- yum.

but besides this tasty concoction, today is truly a good day. had my first appointment (finally!) at the Midwife Group and Birth Center.... phenomenal. i can't wait to see how different and hopefully wonderful my delivery will be... water birth?! maybe!

and then this afternoon, i sat on a park bench for a bit and soaked up the sun, just breathing in and out slowly and loving the warmth on my face-- 70 degrees in January, after this horrific cold spell. savannah, gotta love it.

happy weekend!

i appreciate...

A cup of warm green tea in my cozy little house.

My 'growing nook', with all our healing aloe (and other) plants.

and these 3 jokers.

My thoughts go out to of all those in Haiti right now-- whose suffering and loss is staggering and truly unimaginable...

it makes me look around and realize, again, not to take for granted how fortunate I truly am.

fancy new look...

thanks to my dear friend jessica, i now have a snazzy new blog header.

isn't it super?!
(jess, you're the best.)

have a fantastic weekend!

yes, that is my husband wearing a camouflage coors light hat. you arent seeing it wrong. i married a redneck and i might possibly be the last to have figured that out...

(the for-sure proof)

my first "sale"....

the other day, i finished the quilt my sister had "commissioned" me to make a good friend of hers, who just had a baby girl: tatum olivia.

i'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

in fact, it kind of pains me not to be able to keep it....

it scrunched up nice with lots of good texture after one wash. i can only imagine how soft and snuggly it will get after repeated trips thru the dryer. i wish it weren't so difficult for me to part with my quilts-- there's just something about the time and care that goes into them that makes me want to keep them all. but that would be selfish of me..... :-)

i had a professor (the fabulous pamela wiley) tell me once that there's something truly wonderful about quilts, particularly those that are hand-stitched: they are infused with the patience and spirit of the maker.......

i hope little tatum can feel the love that went into it's creation!

(on my new glider chair, which mom and dad gave me as a christmas gift. nice isn't it? me and ellie are 2 lucky gals)

an out-of-town visitor!

yum!

between christmas and new year's, kevin and i were thrilled to have my cousin anne come for a visit. i don't even remember the last time i got to spend 3 days with her-- such a tragedy (!) since we have so much in common and have such a great time whenever we're together. anne is a graduate student at UC-Davis, studying public health. she's also a certified yoga instructor, which was fabulous! we did one "private session" in the living room, faux fireplace cracking and popping, while kevin prepared a giant low country boil for us. salty goodness, with snow crab too!
anne was only in town a couple of nites, but it was excellent to catch up, for sure, and she packed in quite a bit. a run at ft pulaski, a yoga class and shopping downtown, and some tasty lunches with me at kayak cafe and the sentient bean, and a stroll through forsyth park. (not to mention the dagoba chocolate bar with chile peppers she bought me on our visit to brighter day-- yum! (ellie likes all things spicy).

i only wish we lived closer so i could spend time with her whenever we wanted!

all the more reason it's at the top of my "to-do" list to take a trip out to sunny california at some point. too many fabulous folks out there whose worlds i desperately want to see!

so happy she made the trip down to GA while she was on the east coast for the holidays! thanks, anne-- love ya!

welcome, 2010!

now that 2009 is all wrapped up (and in my head, tied with a pretty little bow like my mini-quilt above), i can't help but reflect just a bit about the events of the past year. so here, off the cuff, are a few things that come to mind:

: january: i turned the page and decided once and for all that happiness is a conscious decision and that i can choose my attitude, interactions, and oftentimes more importantly, my reactions to things beyond my control. as a result, i've never been more aware of allowing my own little light to shine and of sharing my love, happiness, and "joie de vivre" with others.... and the effect on my life has been most rewarding, though a daily challenge i've been trying to meet head on.

:february: Hope for our nation. Barack Obama is inaugurated as our new President. And while his support has waned since, my belief in him remains strong. Patience is a virtue; he doesn't have a magic wand to wave that will fix all our nation's many problems. We shall see....

: march: UNC men's basketball won the NCAA National Championship-- certainly worth mentioning since I still think my blood runs at least partially Carolina Blue! (and i won $300 in our office pool by picking the Final 4 and overall winner, with no one else even close! bet i can't do that again....)

:april: changed positions at SCAD and became the School of Design rep. Best school, hands down. so i now get to sit in on Furniture Design, Design for Sustainability, Design Management, Industrial Design, Service Design, Metals and Jewelry and Fibers courses every quarter! such a privilege for sure. "blue skies, shining on me...." things definitely shifted at work. happy to say I truly enjoythe work that I do once again.

:july: celebrated a wonderful 28th birthday and discovered a week later that our lives will never be the same... baby Eleanor Jo is on the way! sometimes it feels as if my heart might burst with gratitude. the pure joy of feeling her movements regularly is indescribable... knowing kevin and i have begun this most incredible journey....

:october: was able to spend quality time with my brother, whom i don't get to see near enough. but knowing that he's out there with all his unlimited potential and the same "joie de vivre" is comforting. a restful trip to the mountains with kevin, kiel and friends relaxed my mind and put me at ease during an emotional, roller-coaster ride of a time...

:november: spent a memorable thanksgiving at the lake with family. another year has passed, and my Papa (who had quadruple bypass heart surgery when i was in 2nd grade and another heart scare just a few years back) is still here, with good reports from his doctors that his heart is stronger than ever. a blessing indeed. can't wait to introduce him to his great-granddaughter!

:december: learned the meaning of "hunting widow," as kevin discovered his new passion for bowhunting. with 6 deer (and counting) under his belt this year so far, we have a very stocked freezer. not to mention a new understanding about the independence each of us desire in our marriage and the differences in which we are mentally preparing to welcome Ellie in just a few short months. once explained to me, sitting in a tree stand in the middle of the woods for hours on end sounds mighty peaceful and perhaps the perfect setting for reflecting and hoping after all..... kevin has his haven, i have my own.

so that was just a quick recap and look back on year filled, thankfully, with many more wonderful events than trying times-- a blessing indeed!

Here's hoping for an equally wonderful, even more amazing 2010! I can hardly wait for all that's in store....

Much love and Happy New Year!