An Evening with Corey Smith

I discovered Corey Smith's music while getting my master's degree at the University of Georgia. I have since seen him in concert about a dozen times, and most recently at the Dallas Bull in Tampa. With each show, I fall more in love with the sound of his voice. Really, any occasion that involves friends and good music is my kind of night. Corey Smith is on the road a good bit right now so be sure to check out whether or not he is coming to a venue near you - you won't regret it!

To find out more about Corey's music, visit his website.

A Perfect Day...

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I finally picked up a book that I have been waiting to read entitled, The Art of Non-Conformity: Set your own rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the Word by Chris Guillebeau. In the book, Guillebeau dares his readers to create their world according to how they want to live. Clearly, this sentiment is right up my alley and I am thoroughly enjoying the thoughts that are being provoked from reading these pages.

The first exercise is to articulate your perfect day. Guillebeau asks that you describe this day in great detail, beginning to end. The idea is that once you are aware of the life you want, you should craft plans to get closer to living this perfect day. When I read the exercise I laughed because I had just had this "what would your perfect day be?" conversation a few days before. The first time I answered this question, my answer was a rambling hot mess (partly because the person I was discussing it with had such a great answer that it made me flustered) but when I was executing this exercise, I really just let my mind wander and explore this idea.

On my perfect day...

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I would wake up at 7:30am, not because the alarm is ringing but because it is already a gorgeous day outside and the sun in shinning through my windows. Still a little groggy, I roll over to cuddle for a bit with my husband before rising out of bed to make breakfast. When my feet hit the floor, I realize that it is turning fall because I feel a slight chill in the air. In our little cottage on the lake, I look out the window to the water as I prepare coffee. By 8:30am, I am drinking a cup of coffee while reading the Saturday morning paper or catching up on blogs. The kitchen would smell like bacon and I would scramble egg whites mixed with bell pepper to compliment our meal. Over breakfast, my husband and I would discuss our plans for the day before setting off on our own adventures. I would take in a morning hot yoga class followed by a trip to the farmers market to pick up fresh veggies for the week. Afterwards, I return home for a little lite lunch - salad greens with red onion, cucumber, bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. I would enjoy my salad outside on the porch soaking up the sunshine. After lunch, the mister would come home and we would spend a little quality time together out on the boat or going for a run. There would be no cell phones or television, just the two of us enjoying the afternoon together. Around 6pm, we would turn on our favorite music to prepare a little supper for a few friends and/or family members. My husband would cook some meat on the grill while I roasted up some veggies inside and talked with my favorite girls. After supper, we would build a small bonfire to roast smores and enjoy conversation with the people closest to us. At 9:00pm, we would say goodbye to our last guest and decide that all of the dishes could wait until the morning. My husband would pull me in close to kiss me and suggest that we get in a little practice making that baby we keep talking about having.

Exercises such as these are kind of easy for me, I am the ultimate idealist and could get lost in my imagination for hours until my logic rears its head and I get it together. When I was writing this perfect day, it surprised me to find that so much of it involved a partner. After all, I am the girl who is perpetually perfectly okay with being alone. I guess that I am moving into a new phase. I could be ready to create space for somebody else in my life. I have no clue what that looks like but I am open, for a change, to the possibility.

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A Trip to Greenville, South Carolina

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Greenville, South Carolina for E and Matt's wedding. The trip doubled as a good opportunity to check out a new town and see my cohort family.

Luckily for me, the wedding fell on my spring break so I took an extra day off to lounge by the pool with Mallory contemplating life and soaking up the sunshine. I even fit in a fabulous yoga class and got to bed early. All of my relaxing must have gotten the best of me because I kicked off my trip to Greenville with a lot of excitement. While driving to the airport, I thought that I should check my flight itinerary. Much to my surprise, I had misread the departure time the night before and only had an hour to get to the airport.  Somehow I arrived at the airport 15 minutes before departure and was able to park my car and make it to check-in just in time for them to walk me through security and to my gate. I owe a big thank you to Allegiant for saving my trip to the wedding! 

Once I recovered from the hurried nature of my departure, the bonding began...

Jeff and Travis picked me up from the airport and we had a good catch up chat on our lives. Mags and Hayden arrived soon thereafter and we were off to drinks and supper. The first night, we enjoyed a meal at the Blue Ridge Brewing Company. The food was delicious and while I did not partake in the beer, my fellow diners seemed to enjoy their brews. I was especially amused by the kegerator in use outside of the restaurant.

Unfortunately for the restaurant, they seemed to be having a plumbing issue which resulted in puddles of gross toilet water in the restrooms. As any good group of student affairs professionals would, this little issue turned into a risk management conversation until we caught ourselves and realized that we were, in fact, not on duty. Clearly, we were trained well in our graduate program.

After supper we wandered into another little bar downtown called The Trappe Door, which had a fine selection of wine and beer. We were most impressed by their stunning decor. Their menus were even bound in this gorgeous red leather.

After strolling through downtown, we caught up with the Bride and Groom at one of their favorite spots for more drinks, games and catching up.

After a successful first night in Greenville, we awoke to the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. We observed the holiday with the traditional green beer and burgers at the Carolina Ale House. The restaurant had a great outdoor patio section which we thoroughly enjoyed.

After our fun afternoon exploring the city, we attended the wedding and reception and then proceeded to have more fun with the newlyweds. We danced, and danced, and danced some more. Just like old times!

Wobble!

No idea!

Love!

Getting It!

J House Stroll

On Sunday morning, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Coffee Underground. This little place was quite the find. The coffee shop was quaint with walls that were filled with local art. The furniture was old and worn but added to the charm of the place. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast from their menu which had a great range of options. And, they serve pancakes as an appetizer to brunch - what could go wrong with this place?

Greenville certainly set the stage for a great reunion and I could definitely spend another weekend in this sweet little town. Until the next cohort shindig...

Happy Easter!

I was not quite sure what my Easter plans would entail, literally right until I was leaving my apartment, but the day turned out to be the perfect celebration of the holiday. Mal and I made the trip to Dunedin to spend the day with my Momma and Doug. The spring semester has been so busy that I have barely had time to get in quality time with people I love so it was nice to take a break and have fellowship with family.

The day turned out to be gorgeous and full of sunshine so we started our celebration by taking a stroll through downtown Dunedin to the marina for wine and appetizers. We noshed on prawns and crab meat while overlooking the water. Of course, no family celebration would be complete without a bottle of malbec to go along with our meal.

After an afternoon by the water, we strolled back to the house where Momma prepared a yummy supper of salmon and roasted veggies. Dessert was simple but always one of my favorites - dark chocolate with hazlenuts.

The day was the perfect celebration and definitely a perk to be able to celebrate the holiday at home. I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Tea Party for Three

When Melissa and I were in college, we were convinced that if our then career aspirations did not work out, we would buy a bed and breakfast where we could host fabulous tea parties and teach young girls etiquette. After all, in the south, our lives are guided by God and Emily Post. While we do not own a B&B, yet, Melissa does have a little lady, Little M, that we can bestow all of our wisdom upon.

Tea parties are especially dear to us because we enjoyed one for both Melissa's Bachelorette weekend and her Baby Shower. And, let's be honest, we pretty much love any excuse to wear a pretty dress and pearls. Melissa and I decided it was time to take our little lady on her very first tea party. Little M was so excited! She wore a beautiful dress, pearl necklace and little white wedges. Basically, she was a whole lot of precious!

The tea house, A Corner of England, was very sweet and kindly catered to Little M. Melissa and I enjoyed yummy sandwiches, tomato soup, quiche, and a large pot of green tea. Little M enjoyed all of the chocolate, and she loved every last bite of it.

We had such a great time and I think Little M thoroughly enjoyed her first tea time. The afternoon also gave way for Melissa and I to spend time together catching up which is always a nice treat. I think we have many more tea parties in our future!

E gets married!

 
Four years ago I met E in Athens while we were both attending graduate school. E became the momma of the cohort - always knowing where we were, what we were doing and who we were doing it with. She could probably tell you the life story of all of us and quickly provide an update on where we are now because she is just the kind of person who genuinely cares that much.

When you are the one busy taking care of every one else, it is easy to shelter yourself from being vulnerable and that is what ultimately united us. We are tough girls, not much that we cannot fight through. E and I are always looking for the next challenge and, on occasion, we might even let someone help us.

During our summer internship in grad school, E talked me into signing up for this bootcamp class. Intense does not begin to describe it. By 9am in Georgia, it is already a hundred degrees but there we were every morning running stairs, doing push ups and praying that we wouldn't throw up. I despised the running but by the end of it, I desperately wanted to beat my mile time. E had already finished as I came around for my last lap. I was struggling. There is only so much 'Apple Bottom Jeans' can get you through. As I turned the last corner, I saw E running back to meet me. With her beside me, I beat my time and knew that I would always be her friend.

When I got the call that E was getting married, I was over the moon! You may remember our first meeting with Matt which pretty much sealed the deal that he was the one for our E. As we began to get ready to leave for the wedding, I felt an incredible sensation of nervousness. Silly really, but E is special and I knew that who she chose to spend the rest of her life with was not a light decision - all of that just made it seem like a overwhelming moment.

When E began down the aisle, she was already crying. When I looked at Matt, he had this calming, gentle smile on his face. E had not only met a great man but the one who let it be okay for her to cry in a room full of people. I almost wanted to laugh with happiness because I knew that she was with the person that would love her, challenge her and run beside her when she needed it.

The wedding and reception were both beautiful! A great time was had by all. I am so happy to have shared in this moment with E and Matt. I cannot wait to see what is in store for them. 

Love this view of her dress!

First Dance

Yes, we had a low country boil at the reception. Amazing!

CSAA

Bride and Groom Karaoke to Sweet Caroline

Look who we found in the lobby.. with the leftover cake