Gratitude Post – 1 of 12

So here goes. Month #1. Post 1 of 12.

As 2008 drew to a close, I found myself grateful for the many memories and experiences the passing year brought me.

When I think back to college or graduate school, I can remember so many specifics about my daily life and weekend adventures – where I went, whom I went there with, what we talked about. Since then, however, I’ve often been feeling like the days, weeks, months, and even years just fly by and half the time I can’t remember what I do from one day to the next. I am so grateful that 2008 has been an exception to this, and as I look back on the year, I think, Wow. I really did something.

As my January gratitude post, I am grateful for the year we just closed.

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While there are many more than 14, I've written a list of specific experiences I am grateful for in 2008 (sometimes with a picture since that was, after all, last year’s resolution):

1. A fun birthday celebration at Eclipse di’Luna to begin my 27th year with some of my favorite people

2. An especially bright and unforgettable group of students whom I felt proud to have taught as they walked across the stage on graduation day – I am continually inspired in my profession by emails, notes, and visits from these kids, and I’m grateful to have mentored them.

3. An adorable niece born in March who could not be a more perfect addition to our family.

4. Two fabulous concerts in the month of May – Tea Leaf Green and Swell Season which, by the way, pleasantly surprised me as one of the most amazing concerts I have ever been to.

5. A reunion with some college friends last June in Seaside, Florida – These girls never cease to entertain me or remind me of who I really am.

6. Our trip to Europe this summer which was absolutely the highlight of my year - There were so many simple moments on that trip – staring out the window of a train, overlooking a canal, enjoying a sidewalk café, or strolling city streets – when I had to pinch myself as a reminder that that it was real and it was perfect.

7. The Decatur Books Festival in August – Seeing Billy Collins read for the second time (and getting his autograph!) and meeting Lee Smith, one of my favorite novelists, was such a joy.

8. The Black Keys concert in October – yet another great night of music

9. A presidential election that made me proud to be a voter and an American and excited about the future direction of this country – one of hope and tolerance

10. The wedding of a dear friend where we watched her revel in her own happiness and we danced and danced and danced

11. A fabulous girls-only slumber party in November where we drank, laughed, gossiped, and watched True Blood until we fell asleep

12. A family photo shoot I’ve already mentioned in a previous post that reminds me how lucky I am to have the family that I do

13. A November reunion dinner party with a cozy outdoor fireplace and the greatest company ever

14. Closing 2008 with some of the best holiday fun and relaxation I can remember in recent years


So when I look back at the year in review, I realize it was, indeed, quite a year and I look forward to the many things 2009 has to offer. My hope is that this little monthly exercise will make me take a look at these experiences as I'm having them, not just after they pass. The challenge is, as Jane Austen says, to “feel the importance of every day, of every hour, as it passes.”

Happy 2009, everyone! I wish you the best of luck with your resolutions, whatever they may be.

Holiday Giving .... and Getting

Posting 2 days in a row? Impossible. See what happens when I have some time off school?

Christmas came and went in the usual whirlwind, but I feel like we enjoyed it more this year than ever before because Scott and I simplified a lot of the usual holiday craziness.

As gifts for each other, we decided to go in together and buy one great camera. It came in about a month ago, and we've already got some great stuff. I am excited to see what it gives us this year as I learn more about how to use it. So far Scott is way better at it than I am, but I'm learning!

As gifts for my mom and my grandparents, my sister and I decided to do a family photo session with photographer Kyle Hale. I discovered him through a college friend of mine when she posted some gorgeous family photos a few months ago. Kyle was reasonably priced, easy to work with, and he came up to our home to do the pictures which I loved. The final results really feel like home - which is probably because it is my home - but you know what I mean. I think our comfort really conveys itself in the photos because we are in familiar surroundings, and he came up with so many cool ideas and angles in and around our house. (If you are in Atlanta and need someone for a wedding or general family photography, check him out at http://www.kylehale.net/.) When we got the pictures back, Melissa and I decided that they were incredible enough to be our gifts to one another as well. I know it's partly because it's my own family and I love them, but these photos took my breath away the first time I saw them. This is just a sampling, and we received 114 photos that are ALL frame worthy.

All of us on the porch - Mom loved this one!

We somehow persuaded my camera-shy grandparents to stop by for a while.

my favorite one of Scott and me

with the kids

my sister and her beautiful family

I think this one is my favorite!

And lastly, Melissa with little Emmie

At first, we just wanted a unique Christmas gift idea, but now I am so happy we decided to do this, and I will definitely cherish them for quite some time. In addition to these fabulous pictures, I received some much needed photo albums for all our Europe pics, a camera bag for the new Nikon, a couple of new books, and ..... a Wii! My arms are sore as we speak because I couldn't stop playing for the past two days.

My sweet yearbook students all pitched in together to give me an American Express card that purchased two lovely Target bookshelves, and believe it or not, the majority of my books have now found their way out of the basement and in to a (somewhat) organized place on the shelves that now grace our dining room.

So all in all, a fabulous Christmas vacation thus far, and I am happy to say I have 6 days left. I have an interesting idea brewing for a New Year's resolution that pertains to this blog, but I'll be thinking on that before I unveil it. I hope everyone's holiday is going beautifully and we are all ready to be out with the old and in with the new. Happy holidays!

She's Here!

Emerson Mae (little Emmie Mae)

My sister with Peyton and Emmie - a few hours old!

Grandmothers

My sister and I hosted a birthday party for my grandmother this weekend. On Saturday night, my house was full of relatives celebrating the woman my grandmother is and the many things she has always given.


I think most of us take her presence for granted, so it's times like these that we really stop to think about what she's done. She is the traditional matriarch of the family, and no holiday or event would be the same without her presence. For most of us, the taste of her Thanksgiving dressing or her signature banana pudding is like slipping into an old cozy sweatshirt where you feel nothing but familiar comfort and sincere belonging.


My relationship with my grandmother is complex and deeply hinged on many things that are far too long and detailed for this blog, but in a nutshell, she's my person. You all know what I mean, everyone has a person - the person you call when you've had a really bad day, the person you feel compelled to brag to when you've done something worthy of your pride, maybe the person you called when September eleventh happened, the first number you dialed when you got engaged, all of these milestones or miniscule events that make up our everydays. For me, Grandmother is that person, and I'm always anxious to hear her voice on the other end.


The concept of growing up without grandparents is foreign to me. My family lived next door to them from the time I was about 7 years old until I left home. Ann Morse explains, "A child needs a grandparent, anybody's grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world." And that's precisely what my grandparents have done for me. When my father died, my mother, my sister, and I moved in with my grandparents until Mom could get back on her feet again and we felt safe to move forward. I was young (only five), and though I do not remember more than brief fleeting moments of that year, I do think the experience left an indelible mark. At that moment, the world was as "unfamilar" as it ever would be and seemed very scary, but there is one person who helped me move more securely to become the person I am.


My grandmother is one of those women whom you want to pattern yourself after, but you realize that selfless grace and true kindness is not a learned trait but one with which you have to be gifted. I can only hope that age and experience will make my half of what she is.

My family is at least as crazy as yours.

I have relatives in town from Texas, so this Fourth of July turned into a little bit of a family reunion. My niece is 3 and a half years old. Usually people entertain children with toys, books, movies. Not us.

We place a "thump bug" in an aluminum dish pan to watch it jump. And then we have a conversation about it.



Uncle: "Look, Peyton. It's a Jump bug!"

Great Aunt #1: "No. It's a Thump bug. T-H-U-M-P. Thump."

Great Aunt#2: "Are you sure that it's not a Blister bug? My daddy had to chop down a tree once because it was covered in Blister bugs. They land on your hand or somethin' and leave a blister where they were."

Great Aunt #1: "Look Peyton! It's thumping. That's because it's a Thump bug."

Uncle's Girlfriend (not from the south): "Is that the scientific name for them?"

Aunt #1: "Well, yeah. What else would they be called?"

Aunt#2: "What she needs now is a frog in a shoebox. Then it could smoke a cigarette."

Everyone: "Huh?"

Aunt#2: "Yeah. My cousins used to do that when we were little. If you get a cigarette started, and then put it the frog's mouth, it'll smoke it."



I mean what's more entertaining than this? Oh, how I love the dirty south.

A Few Narrated Vacation Pictures for You

No trip to the beach can be complete without a trip to the Red Bar - one of my favorite places on the planet.

After the yummy dinner at Red Bar, we went for a walk on the beach at Seaside, another one of my favorite places. Here's Peyton and I walking on the beach. (above)

While we were at the beach, Peyton decided to recite a little Shakespeare. (Not really, but doesn't this picture look like it?) To be or not to be .... that is the question. My niece is so smart; she must take after me.

We then looked for shells on the beach. (See below with Aunt Katie and Uncle Scott.)
And then took a quick picture for Mom......

The rest of the trip was filled with lots of beach time where dorky people sit under the shade and read.....

In all honesty, even car rides and restaurant waits were fun, and it makes me grateful that I have a family I actually enjoy spending time with. Peyton even made Scott talk like Sebastian the whole time. (The fake Jamaican accent is not so charming now that we are home, by the way.) I'll leave you with a picture of all of us together (courtesy of our waitress at Fudpucker's).....

.....And the cutest butt-shot ever!

We're Back!

The beach was as great as always, and we all had a great time. I managed to finish a book while I was there, and there is a review coming soon. For now, pictures will have to do......

Melissa and me at Seaside - even with the black and white, can you tell which of us wears SPF 30?

The ocean feels so big for all of us, regardless of your size. Peyton was pretty fearless, though! This was when we were walking on the beach our last morning there, and she was saying goodbye to the ocean. So cute!

The obligatory posed shore shot - Scott and me.

Uncle Scott and Peyton - The pose is a bit ungraceful, but she was really intrigued that he was writing her name.

Melissa has a much better camera and she tooks lots, so there is more to come....oh yeah, and a book review as well.

June is almost over.....a reality that is very difficult for a teacher to embrace. Ahhhhh, the fleeting days of summer!

Summer Mondays at Aunt Katie's

I'm babysitting Peyton every Monday this summer. I think she's far more excited about the dogs and the neighborhood playground than anything else. This girl needs a dog.

Ain't nothin' like a Southern wedding....

We spent the last weekend at my cousin Amanda's wedding, and everyone had a great time. Just as I picked up my camera to take the first picture, my battery died, but luckily Melissa had hers, so I've got plenty of pictures. Aside from marveling at food and flowers, the best thing about weddings is seeing everyone and catching up with friends and family, and since I have the best family in the world, this is even more fun!

Here's the happy couple after the wedding. Look how many kids! They had "bell ringers," "flower girls," "bible bearers," and "ring bearers."

Granchildren and Great-Grandaughter with my Grandmother and Grandaddy - My brother is very outnumbered!

Peyton loves to get down on the dance floor!

I'm a Dancin' Fool

This weekend was full of lots of dancing. First there was Peyton's ballet recital where she was clearly the cutest one. (See above.) She is taking from my old studio which excites me and makes me a bit nostalgic for my own dancing days. As you can see from the photo on the left, I was much more excited about Peyton's recital than she was. Believe it or not, I am starting back dancing again this summer. I have not danced in about 6 years, so this is big. I am frightened at the thought of my thighs in ballet tights, but I'm going to give it an honest try.

As though one day of dancing was not enough, Scott's grandparents had their 50th anniversary party today, and it was a square dance. When I say square dance, I mean do-si-do, fluffy skirts, swing your partner, real live square dance. I was definitely a wall flower, but a good time was had by all, and it was definitely an adventure.

I am now off to Yearbook Camp with a crowd of high school girls. I am the lucky chaperone, so I will be back in a few days when I will really feel as though my summer has begun. Go Yearbook! I think I get a free t-shirt.