where to start?

when my annual hotel conference was scheduled for new orleans, i was thrilled (having never been to new orleans, and all.) i made my reservations at the hilton new orleans riverside, and immediately emailed natasha.

"i'm coming to town. any chance of getting together?"

i think her response was, "for reals?!?" and the seed for my first journey of the new year had been planted.

my next email was to carlo. ever since our unsuccessful attempt to meet up at jill's blogger party last may, we have been navigating our hectic schedules to try to find a way to get together. after the stars aligned, and natasha upped the ante with a very generous offer of a place to stay for the weekend, plane tickets were booked. we were on our way!





somewhere along the way, i forgot to consider the fact that it might be a little bizarre to plan on spending the weekend with total strangers! i think it was easy enough for that little detail to slip my mind, because these women just don't seem like strangers to me. and if there was ever any concern that our meetup would be awkward or uncomfortable... well, those concerns have long since been replaced by the familiar twinge of this weekends' belly laughs. to say that we have had fun would be the understatement of the year.



yesterday was full of the French Quarter and Bourbon Street and Cafe du Monde. today will be tea at Windsor Court (we're leaving no stone unturned!) natasha and kim have entertained us and fed us, and even schlepped us to Target! i'm realizing that this post will end up being many posts - there is so much to talk about!



i have learned many things this weekend. we have decided that natasha is much less *serious* than we might have thought. and kim is constantly on the go, cooking and cleaning and being gracious while we hook her into our blogging world. apparently, i am more *reserved* than the girls imagined i would be, and carlo is ready to "facebook it" all!



we have laughed and listened and crafted. we have created stories about "the old days" at Tulane (i don't even know how to explain that...) the King has been found in the Cake, and i am going to be late for tea if i don't get a move on!!

new orleans

the Big Easy is FUN!! natasha and hoop are the best hostesses. and carlo is hysterical! we are having a quite time discovering New Orleans. wish you were here!

1/2 way there

made it to charlotte (hi, jesse!) with little trouble, tho it looked a bit dicey for a few minutes. i've got a moment to hang out before my next flight. i'm catching up on my people watching.

wow. i've been stuck at home for too long. people traveling are so fun to observe. this year of journeying should be highly entertaining!

...and...i'm off!

this week has been over-the-top busy! I have to tell you all about soup swap. but first, I am in the airport, waiting for the first leg of my trip to visit carlo and natasha and hoop in new orleans!

we're already delayed. it can be a little tricky to fly US Airways today!(insert wetsuit jokes here.) anyway...

thank goodness I have my new smart phone with me! I can blog! maybe I will entertain you all day with mindless airport stories. or, maybe I will discretely move away from the guy with the *awful* cologne who just sat down next to me...

spt

it is quite a thing to include your loved ones in "self-portraits." somehow, the person NOT holding the camera invariably does not appreciate multiple retakes. when they start moaning incoherently, or worse, running from the room, you've got to cut your losses pretty quickly.

but before the inevitable spt mutiny, you will probably capture some fantastic photos that capture "true life" with your loved ones. like this one:


my son is on the verge of turning eight, and he lives a life of extremes. he is extremely energetic, extremely goofy, extremely sensitive. and when i tried to take our picture last night, he was extremely uncooperative!


he is also extremely cheeky - do you see that little tongue sticking out??

this last photo captures it all. i had so much to do last night. between preparing for soup swap and getting ready to head out of town, i am shuffling between several to-do lists. my little boy, who thinks i am going to be gone for an extremely long time, really just wanted to play board games last night.

and so, we did.

planes, trains & automobiles

this was the scene at my house for most of winter vacation:



i snapped a few photos of this, mostly because i was so humored by the fact that, with all of the Christmas-y goodness newly unwrapped, jack spent hours upon hours playing with the hot wheels. i should note that he did not receive any hot wheels for Christmas. kids. they're funny that way, aren't they?

i was scanning through some photos last night, and it occurred to me that these automobile pictures reminded me of my word, journey. (i like to think that *my word* transcends the mundane definition of simply "traveling from one place to the other.") the truth is, i have not journeyed much these past few years. i only left the state of north carolina one time in 2008, and my in-state travels were all work related. my passport is more like a parking pass (not unlike the above photo!)

i am thrilled that i will begin the new year with a fantastic trip to a city i have never visited, and time spent with wonderful, best friends (whom i have never met!) here's hoping that this is only the beginning of an incredible journey.

photoless phriday - overstimulation edition

1. back to work! back to school! acolyte dinner, scouts, spring soccer registration!!

2. first full week back to the hotel after the holidays - let's have a big inspection! okay?!?

3. the holiday eating fest, on top of a very lackidaisical past 6 months have left me really digging deep into my closet for stuff that still fits! what the?!? returning to the "no white foods" way of eating: no sugar! no potatoes! no rice! no white flour (or overly-processed *wheat* flour, for that matter)! have you ever locking myself in my office with a towel stuffed into the space at the bottom of the door!

4. scouts last night, at the fire & rescue department. with boys! and sirens! and diesel engines!!

5. I CANNOT WAIT FOR ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, WHEN I WILL BE WINGING MY WAY TO THE BIG EASY!!!

sign of the times

this is how you know that it's almost time for soup swap!! (scene from my grocery store last night.)



we are getting ready for our THIRD soup swap. you can read about the first and second swaps - a great source of inspiration if you are going to try your own swap this year!

pop over to the official Soup Swap site for lots of fun information (and a guest post by ME!)

will you swap this year?

wordless wednesday

photo courtesy AP

spt

in 2009, i resolve to get more artistic with my self-portraits. i want to challenge myself be more of a photographer. so i'm experimenting with my little Kodak point & shoot. taking myself on a self-portrait journey, as it were.

ooops!!

boring photo. cool reflection.

no composition. drab and distracting background. (great haircut!)

this one, i like. i know you can't see my eyes. and my lipstick needs a touchup, and my desk is a mess!

but, i like the bird's eye view of my world this morning. i love that i am drinking both coffee AND water. and that my lipstick is smudged because i just ate an apple. and i am obviously intent on my work so that i can be free to go on a journey to new orleans next week!!

what's going on in your world this morning?

don't stop believing

photo courtesy my friend, jeff king

Every day you make progress. Every step may be fruitful.

Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening,

ever-ascending, ever-improving path.

You know you will never get to the end of the journey.

But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the

joy and glory of the climb.

Sir Winston Churchill

my word for the year. journey. may 2009 be an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path.

(oh, yeah, that song you now have repeating endlessly through your thoughts? that's my gift to you!)

spt

i have yet to find the time to sit down and write a post about my thoughts on the beginning of a new year, the unwritten-upon pages of 2009. i have yet to find the time to sit down and write a post about the word i have chosen to focus my thoughts and energies in this new year.

but i have found the time to give you the spt challenge for the month of january.

i love a new year. i love the chance to start over. and i know you do, too!! so, if you've been absent from spt, or if you haven't gotten up the nerve to link up, or if you are lurking and haven't yet picked up that camera, now is the time to come along! how about you make a resolution to join in the fun?

tuesday, january 6 i resolve to take more self-portraits
tuesday, january 13 i resolve to take more self-portraits with people i love
tuesday, january 20 i resolve to take more self-portraits while trying new things
tuesday, january 27 i resolve to take more self-portraits doing things i enjoy

what have you got to lose? absolutely nothing!
what have you got to gain? a whole lotta self-portraits!

(and so much more...)

for prosperities' sake

my mom makes a batch of "hoppin' john" every new year's day, so this afternoon i went to her house and retrieved enough servings for matty, jack and i.

in the south, it is said if you eat a serving of "hoppin' john" on new year's day, you will be blessed with good fortune throughout the year.

i just learned that if you eat it the next day (when it is called "skippin' jenny"), you have an even better chance at prosperity.

wish i'd known that about an hour ago...

500

i know i've thrown a bunch of posts at you today...sort of an amuse-bouche clean sweep, getting ready for oh-nine.

there is a method to my madness, however. because that down there?

l
l
l
l
l
l
l
\l/

that is post number 500!

happy new year!!

wordless wednesday

in lieu of gingerbread

the gingerbread wasn't going to happen this year. (do you know how i really feel about gingerbread houses?!? if not, you can read about the gingerbread escapades here and here.)

in fact, not much holiday *baking* was done at all. well, aside from the gorgeous loaf of herbed cheese bread i made. have i mentioned the herbed cheese bread yet? (note to self: track down photo of gorgeous herbed cheese bread...)

never one to be swayed from his routine, jack *settled* for another project. he got out his cookbook and landed upon the *perfect* holiday dessert... shortcake. in december. really, i couldn't have been more thrilled. (never mind that it called for out-of-season fruit, and for more of that covering-the-counter-AND-my-hands-with-that-awful-flour stuff.) it was to be shortcake. (thank goodness my recent triumph over the herbed cheese bread had me feeling like i could handle the flour thing again!)

slicing the fruit (this kid has serious knife skills.)

sprinkling the sugar.

here he is, ladies and gentlemen, your next food network star!!

again.

this is the third year i have wrapped up with this particular meme. it's become a way for me to close the book on the outgoing year, celebrate what i've accomplished, find inspiration for what is yet to come...

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? finished a 10K run



2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? my word of the year, "open" was with me every step of the way. it reminded me to open my mind, my heart, my core. i am looking forward to sharing my word for 2009.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? no

4. Did anyone close to you die? Grabbie



5. What countries did you visit? hah! i think i only left NC once, and that was a quick trip to atlanta. (this WILL be remedied in oh-nine. quickly.)

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2008? willpower

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? december 16, the day we lost our Grabbie

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? seussical!



9. What was your biggest failure? gaining weight and losing myself within myself

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? no

11. What was the best thing you bought? my "open" necklace from lisa leonard designs

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? my staff



13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? anyone who *chose* not to vote in the presidential election

14. Where did most of your money go? house

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? seussical!!

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? "i miss my family" naked brothers band, "over you" daughtry, "no air" jordin sparks, "viva la vida" coldplay

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer? a little sadder, a little fatter, a little poorer (sad, but true)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? exercising, vacationing

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? snacking

20. Did you fall in love in 2008? i think so



21. What was your favorite TV program? the biggest loser, good eats, the hills (ssshhhh....)

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? no

23. What was the best book you read? Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (A Year of Food Life); Firefly Lane (and thank goodness for Goodreads, because i would never have remembered a single book i read!)

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? Without a Net!!

25. What did you want and get? useful space

26. What did you want and not get? an iPod

27. What was your favorite film of this year? Mama Mia

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? had a 90 minute massage, ate thai food and turned 39.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? making a commitment to my health

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? whatever is still fitting!

31. What kept you sane? blogging. absolutely - blogging. (sic.)

spt - my holiday is filled with hope

the time is now, the place is here.

stay in the present.

you can do nothing to change the past,

and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for.

dan millman

we were late pulling our Christmas cactus out of it's dark hiding place. it sort of sat on the counter all season, taunting us. "i'll show you!" it seemed to say, every morning as i savored my coffee. "i can be stubborn, too," it pouted every evening, as i put away the dinner dishes.

despite it's best efforts of defiance, on Christmas Day we were welcomed with tiny buds. this morning, there are more, and i couldn't resist the message in those hopeful pink flowers.

the time is now, the place is here.

happy new year!! may you awaken each day with the promise of hope in your heart.

all i want(ed) for Christmas

navigating the holidays after you've lost a loved one can be a tricky affair. i felt really prepared for this holiday in the early days of december. gifts were ordered and hidden, cards were created and mailed, singing engagements and parades filled my evenings and weekends. the first twelve days of Christmas were a whirlwind of festive activities.

but much of the past few weeks has been spent with dealing with *things*: preparing my parents house for the arrival of my grandfather, Pop-pop; wrapping the gifts i'd been hiding in my office; tying up loose ends at the hotel so that i could take some time off. *things* that kept me occupied, but not really engaged with anything that was going on around me.

so that when Christmas Eve arrived, i found we were kind of without a plan. what had been our routine over the past many years, was gone. there was no beach rental house for my grandparents and visiting relatives. my parents didn't show up on our doorstep with a gift for jack (even though i HAD cleaned the house!) there was no overly loud, fight-you-for-the-last-bit-of-turkey Christmas dinner planned.

there was an overwhelming urge to sleep, and yes, i did a lot of that. but there was more...



there were hours of Christmas music that soothed.

there was Christmas Eve service with jack singing Silent Night, Holy Night at the top of his clear, sweet voice (and how proud i was that he was able to read along in the hymnal.)

there was soup and a gorgeous loaf of herbed cheese bread i made from scratch.

there was finally peace and quiet.



there were Christmas nachos when we didn't have the inclination to cook the ham.

there was take-out Thai and bonfires and Mad Gab.

and there is a boy who Believes for one more year.

quarter past three

merry Christmas!!

O, holy night

O magnum mysterium,

et admirabile sacramentum,

ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,

jacentem in praesepio!

O great mystery,

and wonderful sacrament,

that animals should see the new-born Lord,

lying in a manger!

spt - my holiday is filled with peace

peaceful holidays, friends!
(you're diggin' the scarf, right?!?)

spt *EDIT*

i know the holidays are JOYful, but i have just noticed that i listed JOY twice in our feng shui list. the challenge for this week should actually be PEACE.

if you've already created a second JOYous photo for your spt this week, then, by all means, post it. if, like me, you could use a little PEACE & quiet this week, then this is the perfect challenge!

we now resume our regularly scheduled blogging...

a stitch in time

when i was a little girl, my sisters and i spent a lot of time with my grandmother, my Grabbie. Grabbie always had extra knitting needles in her bag, and one of our favorite activities involved *conducting* the Boston Pops along with arthur fiedler. we would twirl about the living room and direct the musicians with wild abandon.

when we thought we had grown too old for PBS and classical music, Grabbie gave us yarn and tried to teach us the intracacies of casting on stitches. what seemed effortless in her skilled hands, was an insurmountable challenge for us. sitting and puzzling over dropped stitches could not hold our attention the way that Mr. Fiedler and his Pops had. those shimmering needles were tucked safely back into Grabbie's knitting bag, and my sisters and i got on with the busy-ness of being teenagers, young adults, mothers.

Grabbie passed away on tuesday, at the wonderful age of 93 and three quarters.

on wednesday, i bought a pair of knitting needles and cast on a row of stitches. i haven't stopped since then.



jack looks over my shoulder. he tries his hand at a few stitches, swiftly losing interest after a few moments. i don't have an extra pair for him to use as a conducter's baton. yet.

jack asks if i will be knitting forever.

i hope so, i reply. i wish i hadn't waited this long to start.

spt - my holiday is filled with comfort

comfort is wrapped up in a sweater knit by my grandmother.

The Heartache Can Wait

(Brandi Carlile)


You're talking about leaving
It's right about Christmas time
Thinking about moving on
I think I might die inside

I'm thinking about years gone by
I'm thinking about church at midnight
I'm thinking about letting go
I think that might finally be alright

But this is where we shine

Silver bells and open fire
And songs we used to sing
One more chance to be inspired
Is what I'm offering if love is not enough
Then stay with me because
The heartache can wait

It's not about hanging on
It's making my deal with God
If I could call one last truce
We've given it all we've got

Then I'm gonna catch my breath
And make it a long December
If we've got nothing left
This could be worth remembering
With a smile upon my face

Silver bells and open fire
And songs we used to sing
One more chance to be inspired
Is what I'm offering if love is not enough
Then stay with me because

Silver bells and open fire
And songs we used to sing
One more chance to be inspired
Is what I'm offering if love is not enough
Then stay with me because
The heartache can wait

it's going to be a long day for me, friends. good-byes are so very, very hard.

hello, life?

i'd really like my blog back.

and maybe a little more time to finish making presents.

and, if it's not too much trouble, could you run down to the post office and get the stamps i need to finally put my cards in the mail?

and don't think i haven't noticed how you interfered with my Sunday laundry schedule.

i'm just sayin'...

spt - my holiday is filled with joy

Christmas trees make me happy.



in the past week, i have:

performed with my vocal group (Without A Net) on live local television;
attended matty's company Christmas party;
rode on the cub scout float in the first of two parades;
had lunch with my dad and two sisters to plan "writing" a musical;
attended my own company party;
heard a high school Christmas concert;
and, yes, i've run out of gas.

it seems like a lot, but now we have 2/3rds of our holiday commitments behind us.

tonight, we will enJOY a quiet evening at home as we put the ornaments on our own tree... after which, i will curl up in my pyjayzees and finish up my Christmas cards.

you?

photoless phriday

remind you to tell you the one about how i ran out of gas in the drop-off line at jack's school this morning...

spt - my holiday is filled with love

getting my Christmas Card list together...

the holiday season, in my minds eye, has a soft glow around the edges. when i think about all there is to be accomplished in these few short weeks, i filter it with tree lights and fuzzy edges (sounds dreamy, doesn't it?)

this week, i am so happy to take moment to think about all of the people i love. i've been rereading cards from Christmas' past (it's sometimes hard to remember back to the days when cards were addressed to just me. or to just matty and i.) i've been thinking about the people i will be sending cards to this week. their families. their lives. i've been thinking about how our lives have become entertwined, even when our paths intersect only once or twice a year.

sharing cards, photographs, and journeys helps knit together the circle of those i love. i can think of no better way to embark on this wonderful season!

(o.k., kids, this is the second week in a row i'm having trouble with my good friend, Mr. Linky. hang in there!!)

the giving tree

as i was putting away the fall decorations yesterday, i stumbled when i came to our giving tree. this is the first year we have done one. it created a wonderful visual for us throughout the Thanksgiving season.





this is definitely a tradition we will carry on. although, it might become a more permanent addition to our decor!

spt - holiday feng shui

did you enjoy your Thanksgiving? did you get enough dessert? have you washed the dishes? walked off those extra calories?

yes?? good. now take a deep breath, because... here. comes. Christmas!

something about Thanksgiving falling late this year has me feeling very Christmas-y much earlier than i normally do. i have my cards already. i created my Snapfish book of holiday memories. i've been listening to holiday music since September (well, okay, there was a reason for that!) the sewing machine has been humming and the craft paint is drying.

i have two parades coming up. and three vocal performances. and Advent wreath making. and two company parties. and Little Christmas Eve to prepare for. so, what i'm saying is, no matter that i feel like i have a little bit of a head start: i have no doubt that december will bring it's own chaos!

you, too?

i don't want spt to add to the chaos. quite the opposite - i hope to continue to enjoy it throughout the holidays. to be able to find those moments throughout the season where i choose to be still. the challenge for us this month will hopefully give us an excuse to remember to care for ourselves while we are busy creating amazing holiday memories for all.

take deep breaths. channel your chi. don't sacrifice the small, still moments. enjoy them! and photograph them!

tuesday, december 2 love
tuesday, december 9 joy
tuesday, december 16 comfort
tuesday, december 23 joy
tuesday, december 30 hope

enjoy the season!