We interrupt this regularly scheduled programming (i.e. the picture a day...or a week...don't judge me) for this important message. I was provided tonight of yet 2 more reasons to love the South and therefore I decided to share with you...
Why I love the South:
1. Sweet tea (no seriously, I would live here possibly just for this)
2. Shrimp and grits
3. The fact I wore short sleeve shirts last week (this week not so much, but whatever)
4. Southern accents (honestly, moving up on my list of favorite accents ever)
5. The use of y'all - specifically in the phrase 'hush, y'all'
6. The fact that it's totally acceptable to climb in the back of a pick up truck and say 'stop when you see anything that's alive so we can shoot it'
7. The fact that it's totally acceptable to answer the statement 'I can't believe we didn't see anything' with 'I told you about that heron but nobody wanted to kill it'
In some ways I'm glad we didn't see anything since they told the three of us without guns when we asked if they wanted to switch sides as they were looking out for things on our side of the truck, 'oh, we'll tell you when to duck'. Riiiiiight :)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Cousins Galore
Day 16: a photo from your childhood
The summer, your cousins and a pool - does it get better than that?
The summer, your cousins and a pool - does it get better than that?
Saturday, March 19, 2011
I Heart
Day 15: a photo of you and a family member
I think our shirts say it all. This was the beginning of Brandy's birthday party which involves a bounce house, and enormous cupcake and Brandy wearing a tutu...it's as spectacular as it sounds. :)
I think our shirts say it all. This was the beginning of Brandy's birthday party which involves a bounce house, and enormous cupcake and Brandy wearing a tutu...it's as spectacular as it sounds. :)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Emphasis on the (s)
Day 14: a photo of your best friend (s)
This one is going to take a few pics - I have too many and they are from many different times and aspects of my life so I don't have a photo of everyone in one place. I have always said, however, that you have different best friends to help you through different times and in different ways. So...an ode to my wonderful, incredible, I couldn't do it without you friends...
So, first and foremost and much of the reason I will still be grieving when I'm 80, is that when I think of who my best friend is, the first person that pops into my mind is my mom. She was the person that I called when I knew what I needed to hear was that I should get over myself, it wasn't that big of a deal, I could do it because I was more than just a pretty face and that I couldn't let the world get me down, regardless of how bad it might get. Believe me, you need to hear that a lot more often than you think. When I want to lay in bed and cry instead of get up and face the day, I remind myself she would be yelling at me right now :) She was and will forever be my best friend.
Then there is my sister - if you missed Day 10, go there for an explanation of why she is on my list of best friends. My life wouldn't be what it is if she was not on this list.
Next up, my Panama girls. When life gets you down, there is very little that cannot be fixed by laughs with people who love you, some sushi, and a piece of Toll House Pie. And if your friends know which bite of the pie is your favorite, and let you have that bite even when you are eating the pie for their birthday, you can certainly say they are your best friends! I'm going to give an extra special shout out, however, to Allison, who has possibly listened to me talk about my mom enough that she knows her, cooked enough meals with me that she knows where everything is in my kitchen, and lost enough sleep sitting around talking that she has added a few days to her life :) And Kaylinn doesn't bark at her when she comes over...that, ladies and gentlemen is a large compliment in Kaylinn land!
Speaking of people who are paid the high compliment of not being barked at when they visit, we have Ashley (who by the way is going to kill me that this is the picture I put on here of her - it's all I had on my computer!! It just says we need to take more pictures together :) If I need someone to cry with, Ashley is who I am going to call. And if I need someone to distract me from crying, Ashley is who I am going to visit, because you cannot be around her sweet, adorable children and feel sad, that is for sure!
You know the friends who you can call and it never seems like you haven't talked to them in months? Those are good friends. Life is busy and while I wish I talked to people more, when it comes right down to it, I don't. And so, in honor of them, I put up a picture of Rachel and I in Guatemala...yes, that was 6 years ago now, which I know because her little boy, who was the reason we were there turned 6 this week. What? Where has time gone?
Rachel, Lisa, Kathleen, I don't know what I would do without them. People who know where you've been and when you talk to them know the hard questions to ask and how hard they are to answer. They also know when you don't want to talk about the hard questions and instead let you ask them the hard questions. It is rare to find someone that stands up as a friend years after you've lived in the same town....or even state.
And then, there are the people that put up with you every day and amazingly, still love you :) I might need to subtitle this photo 'Kim, you were right, all the pictures are of just Maia and I'. But I did find one that they are both in, and thus, you have two of my work necessities - Maia and Kim. If I paid someone for all the therapy Maia has offered me through our coffee breaks I would be more than broke! And it's good to have someone who can tell in your voice that you had a rough morning. Having someone that knows you that well is hard to find.
I am blessed to have aunts that are friends. I one time read a quote that said 'only an aunt can give hugs like a mother, keep secrets like a sister, and love like a friend'. I have to say that much of the reason I could walk through this grief with the grace and strength people keep telling me I have is because of my aunts. Another reason I love my aunts is that they remind me that you can laugh at anything, and it's the laughing that will make the difference. This is Brandy and my Aunt Dona wondering what the cubby hole in the couch was in our room during the bone marrow transplant. If you can laugh like we did standing in as many hospital rooms as we did, you have someone who can get you through just about anything! (by the way, I was also going to post a picture of my aunts on my dad's side but have decided to keep that one for day 22...)
Some days I realize how amazing my job really is. And I usually realize it when I'm talking to the people who make my job amazing. I think I could collect trash with the NERRS people and still have fun :) So, for all the times I've needed to e-mail Lisa during a conference call to keep from going crazy, or all the laughs Nicole and I have stifled in the midst of a meeting, or all the looks given across the room knowing full well the other person would know what that look meant, or the absurd number of times Alison and I have shown up to a meeting dressed alike just to show how our brains think alike, or the times I call Tina just to make sure I'm not going crazy, I present a picture of Lisa and Steve in Mexico during our last NERR meeting. Any group that can work a dodgeball championship into a meeting is a group I want to stay part of!
And then there is my church. I honestly don't know what hole I would be curled up in if it wasn't for them. I also don't have a ton of pictures of everyone I love from church, so this picture of Cynthia and I at the International Picnic shall suffice. Cynthia, Pam, and Tina especially - For all the love, and direction, and guidance, and hugs, and tissues, and laughs, and lunches, and dinners, and smiles, and moments of pure peace and joy that you give me - I love you :)
I find it funny that I also don't have a picture of Andrea on my computer. Andrea is one of those friends who you have had so long, and has seen you through so much that you can't imagine life without them. Andrea and I met when we were doing a summer internship in 1999 - yes people, 1999. From the moment we realized that we both had the same stuffed animal dolphin, it was all over. These days our weekly coffee visits involve more reading of Curious George and Cinderella than they did 5 years ago, but that's what happens when life happens :) And so, since there was no picture of Andrea on my computer, we will substitute it with a picture of me and her adorable daughter, Emily :)
Last but not least is the furry little ball of happiness that greets me like she has been sitting by the door awaiting my arrival since the moment I left (which she likely has). Anyone who has a dog knows that a dog truly is man's best friend.
This one is going to take a few pics - I have too many and they are from many different times and aspects of my life so I don't have a photo of everyone in one place. I have always said, however, that you have different best friends to help you through different times and in different ways. So...an ode to my wonderful, incredible, I couldn't do it without you friends...
So, first and foremost and much of the reason I will still be grieving when I'm 80, is that when I think of who my best friend is, the first person that pops into my mind is my mom. She was the person that I called when I knew what I needed to hear was that I should get over myself, it wasn't that big of a deal, I could do it because I was more than just a pretty face and that I couldn't let the world get me down, regardless of how bad it might get. Believe me, you need to hear that a lot more often than you think. When I want to lay in bed and cry instead of get up and face the day, I remind myself she would be yelling at me right now :) She was and will forever be my best friend.
Then there is my sister - if you missed Day 10, go there for an explanation of why she is on my list of best friends. My life wouldn't be what it is if she was not on this list.
Next up, my Panama girls. When life gets you down, there is very little that cannot be fixed by laughs with people who love you, some sushi, and a piece of Toll House Pie. And if your friends know which bite of the pie is your favorite, and let you have that bite even when you are eating the pie for their birthday, you can certainly say they are your best friends! I'm going to give an extra special shout out, however, to Allison, who has possibly listened to me talk about my mom enough that she knows her, cooked enough meals with me that she knows where everything is in my kitchen, and lost enough sleep sitting around talking that she has added a few days to her life :) And Kaylinn doesn't bark at her when she comes over...that, ladies and gentlemen is a large compliment in Kaylinn land!
Speaking of people who are paid the high compliment of not being barked at when they visit, we have Ashley (who by the way is going to kill me that this is the picture I put on here of her - it's all I had on my computer!! It just says we need to take more pictures together :) If I need someone to cry with, Ashley is who I am going to call. And if I need someone to distract me from crying, Ashley is who I am going to visit, because you cannot be around her sweet, adorable children and feel sad, that is for sure!
You know the friends who you can call and it never seems like you haven't talked to them in months? Those are good friends. Life is busy and while I wish I talked to people more, when it comes right down to it, I don't. And so, in honor of them, I put up a picture of Rachel and I in Guatemala...yes, that was 6 years ago now, which I know because her little boy, who was the reason we were there turned 6 this week. What? Where has time gone?Rachel, Lisa, Kathleen, I don't know what I would do without them. People who know where you've been and when you talk to them know the hard questions to ask and how hard they are to answer. They also know when you don't want to talk about the hard questions and instead let you ask them the hard questions. It is rare to find someone that stands up as a friend years after you've lived in the same town....or even state.
And then, there are the people that put up with you every day and amazingly, still love you :) I might need to subtitle this photo 'Kim, you were right, all the pictures are of just Maia and I'. But I did find one that they are both in, and thus, you have two of my work necessities - Maia and Kim. If I paid someone for all the therapy Maia has offered me through our coffee breaks I would be more than broke! And it's good to have someone who can tell in your voice that you had a rough morning. Having someone that knows you that well is hard to find.
I am blessed to have aunts that are friends. I one time read a quote that said 'only an aunt can give hugs like a mother, keep secrets like a sister, and love like a friend'. I have to say that much of the reason I could walk through this grief with the grace and strength people keep telling me I have is because of my aunts. Another reason I love my aunts is that they remind me that you can laugh at anything, and it's the laughing that will make the difference. This is Brandy and my Aunt Dona wondering what the cubby hole in the couch was in our room during the bone marrow transplant. If you can laugh like we did standing in as many hospital rooms as we did, you have someone who can get you through just about anything! (by the way, I was also going to post a picture of my aunts on my dad's side but have decided to keep that one for day 22...)
Some days I realize how amazing my job really is. And I usually realize it when I'm talking to the people who make my job amazing. I think I could collect trash with the NERRS people and still have fun :) So, for all the times I've needed to e-mail Lisa during a conference call to keep from going crazy, or all the laughs Nicole and I have stifled in the midst of a meeting, or all the looks given across the room knowing full well the other person would know what that look meant, or the absurd number of times Alison and I have shown up to a meeting dressed alike just to show how our brains think alike, or the times I call Tina just to make sure I'm not going crazy, I present a picture of Lisa and Steve in Mexico during our last NERR meeting. Any group that can work a dodgeball championship into a meeting is a group I want to stay part of!
And then there is my church. I honestly don't know what hole I would be curled up in if it wasn't for them. I also don't have a ton of pictures of everyone I love from church, so this picture of Cynthia and I at the International Picnic shall suffice. Cynthia, Pam, and Tina especially - For all the love, and direction, and guidance, and hugs, and tissues, and laughs, and lunches, and dinners, and smiles, and moments of pure peace and joy that you give me - I love you :)
I find it funny that I also don't have a picture of Andrea on my computer. Andrea is one of those friends who you have had so long, and has seen you through so much that you can't imagine life without them. Andrea and I met when we were doing a summer internship in 1999 - yes people, 1999. From the moment we realized that we both had the same stuffed animal dolphin, it was all over. These days our weekly coffee visits involve more reading of Curious George and Cinderella than they did 5 years ago, but that's what happens when life happens :) And so, since there was no picture of Andrea on my computer, we will substitute it with a picture of me and her adorable daughter, Emily :)
Last but not least is the furry little ball of happiness that greets me like she has been sitting by the door awaiting my arrival since the moment I left (which she likely has). Anyone who has a dog knows that a dog truly is man's best friend.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Fat Guy in a Little Coat
Day 13: a photo of one of your favorite movies
Without question, one of my favorite movies of all time is Tommy Boy. I can't even think about that movie without starting to laugh..."I've seen a lot of stuff in my life, but that...was...AWESOME...sorry about your car, man."
Without question, one of my favorite movies of all time is Tommy Boy. I can't even think about that movie without starting to laugh..."I've seen a lot of stuff in my life, but that...was...AWESOME...sorry about your car, man."
Some Days
Some days I look at what I’m doing and I think ‘why did my job require a degree which involved diving with sharks, running research on corals and identifying sponges?’ Today as I listened to a webinar on green building standards and codes, while setting up a survey to evaluate a 4 day workshop, I thought that.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Fun Times
Day 12: a photo of when you were happy
This is Christmas of 2007 - geez it doesn't seem that long ago! We were renting a beach house on Folly for post Christmas and New Years. Making and eating cookies, doing puzzles, taking walks on the beach and doing a scrapbook for my Aunt Cindy of her wedding filled our days. Watching the recent season of LOST and eating more cookies filled our nights. My mom was there to keep us well fed and well laughed. What was not to be happy about? Well, for Kaylinn and Dudley perhaps the hats :)
This is Christmas of 2007 - geez it doesn't seem that long ago! We were renting a beach house on Folly for post Christmas and New Years. Making and eating cookies, doing puzzles, taking walks on the beach and doing a scrapbook for my Aunt Cindy of her wedding filled our days. Watching the recent season of LOST and eating more cookies filled our nights. My mom was there to keep us well fed and well laughed. What was not to be happy about? Well, for Kaylinn and Dudley perhaps the hats :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sugar Overload
Day 11: a photo of a night you loved
This picture was taken at the end of a spectacularly fun evening last December filled with driving through the 'Festival of Lights' at James Island County Park, dancing to Trans Siberian Orchestra timed lights in the park, eating mass quantities of s'mores and drinking hot chocolate out of my Christmas china. Granted I got to send sugar filled children home with their parents, so I'm pretty sure my evening was far more enjoyable than theirs :)
This picture was taken at the end of a spectacularly fun evening last December filled with driving through the 'Festival of Lights' at James Island County Park, dancing to Trans Siberian Orchestra timed lights in the park, eating mass quantities of s'mores and drinking hot chocolate out of my Christmas china. Granted I got to send sugar filled children home with their parents, so I'm pretty sure my evening was far more enjoyable than theirs :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
God Gave Me You
Day 10: any photo you like for any reason
Today is my sister Brandy's 30th birthday. She is the cute one on the right.
I love this photo. It reminds me of the smell of the tent and the feel of those sleeping bags. It reminds me of waking up to my mom cooking on the fire outside. It reminds me of my dad hiking us into the woods and then telling Brandy and I to get us out (to this day I credit my good sense of direction to this practice). It reminds me of a time when life was simpler - as a kid you never recognize the beauty of waking up every day and trusting that your parents are going to do what it best for you that day and you can just go about being a kid. That feeling is what makes me want to help kids who have never and may never have the luxury of feeling that because of where they were born. It is a blessing to be able to look at this picture and be reminded of a childhood well spend, intensely enjoyed, and blissfully loved.
But this picture also reminds me of the most incredible relationship I think I have, the relationship with my sister. There are a lot of things that come and go in life, but your siblings are here to stay for better or for worse. I am blessed that I have a sister who is as willing as I am to work on making our relationship be something that others envy rather than pity. It's not easy to love someone - truly love them, not love them just when it's convenient. It's not easy to stand by someone in the rough times and the good times and be as strong a supporter in one as you are in the other. I am utterly and wonderfully blessed by Brandy being that person. This morning when I woke up the radio was playing 'God Gave Me You', which I know was written about marriage, but Brandy and I both agree the first stanza and chorus works for us...
I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be
But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm goes through
And I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
So, who else could I post a photo of today other than my wonderful sister, who God gave to me for the ups and downs of life. Happy Birthday Brandy!
Today is my sister Brandy's 30th birthday. She is the cute one on the right.I love this photo. It reminds me of the smell of the tent and the feel of those sleeping bags. It reminds me of waking up to my mom cooking on the fire outside. It reminds me of my dad hiking us into the woods and then telling Brandy and I to get us out (to this day I credit my good sense of direction to this practice). It reminds me of a time when life was simpler - as a kid you never recognize the beauty of waking up every day and trusting that your parents are going to do what it best for you that day and you can just go about being a kid. That feeling is what makes me want to help kids who have never and may never have the luxury of feeling that because of where they were born. It is a blessing to be able to look at this picture and be reminded of a childhood well spend, intensely enjoyed, and blissfully loved.
But this picture also reminds me of the most incredible relationship I think I have, the relationship with my sister. There are a lot of things that come and go in life, but your siblings are here to stay for better or for worse. I am blessed that I have a sister who is as willing as I am to work on making our relationship be something that others envy rather than pity. It's not easy to love someone - truly love them, not love them just when it's convenient. It's not easy to stand by someone in the rough times and the good times and be as strong a supporter in one as you are in the other. I am utterly and wonderfully blessed by Brandy being that person. This morning when I woke up the radio was playing 'God Gave Me You', which I know was written about marriage, but Brandy and I both agree the first stanza and chorus works for us...
I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be
But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm goes through
And I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
So, who else could I post a photo of today other than my wonderful sister, who God gave to me for the ups and downs of life. Happy Birthday Brandy!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Big Boned
Day 9: a photo of yourself when you were a baby
As you can see I was rather large...I'm big boned, ok! Well, that or just totally and utterly huge. You may think I'm 6 months old in this picture, but as it turns out this was during the time when dates were printed on the back of photos and according to that date, I am...wait for it...one month old. Yes, 1 month. You know, the time of life when some babies can be laid in their dad's hand for cute photos. I'm the size of my mom's torso! Apparently, my parents used to call me the Michelin baby because I had so many rolls...you can see where I got my healthy self esteem from :) I'm not certain how a 100 pound woman gave birth to not only one, but two nearly 10 pound babies, but she did. And the rest, as they say is history.
I am missing my sweet mom this week...not that I don't miss her every week, but after spending a week in PA where I should have been hanging out with her it's hard coming back and knowing I'll never get to do that again. She would have loved me finding this picture in my pile of old photos :)
As you can see I was rather large...I'm big boned, ok! Well, that or just totally and utterly huge. You may think I'm 6 months old in this picture, but as it turns out this was during the time when dates were printed on the back of photos and according to that date, I am...wait for it...one month old. Yes, 1 month. You know, the time of life when some babies can be laid in their dad's hand for cute photos. I'm the size of my mom's torso! Apparently, my parents used to call me the Michelin baby because I had so many rolls...you can see where I got my healthy self esteem from :) I'm not certain how a 100 pound woman gave birth to not only one, but two nearly 10 pound babies, but she did. And the rest, as they say is history.I am missing my sweet mom this week...not that I don't miss her every week, but after spending a week in PA where I should have been hanging out with her it's hard coming back and knowing I'll never get to do that again. She would have loved me finding this picture in my pile of old photos :)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
I Scream for Ice Cream
Day 8: a photo of something you enjoy doing
Eating gelati's from Rita's...or snowballs from Bonkey's in New Freedom...or Frosty's from Wendy's...or milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A...or sherbert from Ye Old Fashioned...or chocolate ice cream with two scoops of raspberries from Cold Stone...are you catching my theme??? If it's a frozen dessert with tons of sugar and excessive calories I more than likely love eating it. And hence the picture of Nikole and I eating gelatis while sitting in the car with the heat on because it was so cold outside is today's winning picture...you have to sacrifice for deliciousness people.
Eating gelati's from Rita's...or snowballs from Bonkey's in New Freedom...or Frosty's from Wendy's...or milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A...or sherbert from Ye Old Fashioned...or chocolate ice cream with two scoops of raspberries from Cold Stone...are you catching my theme??? If it's a frozen dessert with tons of sugar and excessive calories I more than likely love eating it. And hence the picture of Nikole and I eating gelatis while sitting in the car with the heat on because it was so cold outside is today's winning picture...you have to sacrifice for deliciousness people.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
What if I'm the One
Day 7: a photo of something you stand for
This is a picture from the end of my 30th birthday Habitat for Humanity build. It represents a few things I stand for...1) you can in fact make a difference in the world, 2) you should in fact actually go about doing it rather than talking about it, 3) it usually comes in very different forms and with much less pomp than people want to make it out to be, 4) you are truly blessed if you have family and friends who will help you do it, and 5) fun is what you make of it.
You never know what your one effort will do in the lives of the people you impact, which is why I stand with James and say 'But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18)
Brandon Heath - The One
"When I think of what could be
If we let our hearts believe
That it takes just one
Just one could turn this all around
And if we're living history
How will they think of you and me
If it takes just one, just one
What if, what if, what if I'm the one?"
This is a picture from the end of my 30th birthday Habitat for Humanity build. It represents a few things I stand for...1) you can in fact make a difference in the world, 2) you should in fact actually go about doing it rather than talking about it, 3) it usually comes in very different forms and with much less pomp than people want to make it out to be, 4) you are truly blessed if you have family and friends who will help you do it, and 5) fun is what you make of it.You never know what your one effort will do in the lives of the people you impact, which is why I stand with James and say 'But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18)
Brandon Heath - The One
"When I think of what could be
If we let our hearts believe
That it takes just one
Just one could turn this all around
And if we're living history
How will they think of you and me
If it takes just one, just one
What if, what if, what if I'm the one?"
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