hemmed in.

nursery rhyme wisdom

2010-05-03T22:07:00.002-04:00

"make new friends....

...but keep the old...

...one is silver and the other gold."

dear patty

2010-05-01T23:34:00.003-04:00

i dream of being just like you when i grow up. ever since i saw you in asheville with my bff mere i've longed to sit and enjoy music straight from your being again. and i think if we met, we'd be great friends. i'm so glad you're coming to charlotte. see you soon.

a new season.

2010-04-22T08:36:00.002-04:00

It looks like I've dropped the ball on updating this sweet little blog...again. Despite popular opinion, I do love it so. And appreciate my small, but precious, readership. : )

Spring has sprung in Charlotte. Isn't there something about a new season that brings excitement? And hope? Yes, indeed...I am hopeful for this new season in Charlotte. Building sweet friendships. Learning and growing in a new position at the workplace. Exploring new places. Indulging in fresh produce. And becoming like the little birds....

The little birds trust God, for they go singing
From northern woods where autumn winds have blown,
With joyous faith their trackless pathway winging
To summer-lands of song, afar, unknown.

Let us go singing, then, and not go sighing:
Since we are sure our times are in His hand,
Why should we weep, and fear, and call it dying?
'Tis only flitting to a Summer-land.
--Selected

Happy Spring, little birds. Let us embrace it singing.

i've been dreaming...

2010-02-26T15:11:00.004-05:00

...of a sweet candy shop like this one i fell in love with in london...

one day, if i'm able to have one of my very own, i'll sell candy by the pound in paper bags with a perfect rubber stamp marked on the outside.

i'd like to visit this one nie nie wrote about.

story people.

2010-02-01T18:41:00.004-05:00

one of my favorite things in my room is a story people print i received for christmas this year.

it reads: "I remember when the whales had wings, she said. Whatever happened? I said. It got to be too noisy with all the airplanes & other stuff, so they flew into the ocean & never came back. Some days, she added, I think about going too."

i love it so much, today i decided to waste some time perusing their website and loved this one...

"This is a wheelbarrow I filled with all my dreams & my favorite clothes & now all I need is someone to help me push it."

and laughed really hard at this one...

titled "born for retail," it reads:

has always had the soul of an artist, but the instincts of an attack dog, so of course he went into retail

there's more where this came from.

happy february, dear ones!

cleat chaser.

2010-01-25T11:31:00.006-05:00

this stage of my life has been defined by road trips. to see sweet friends in their respected cities all over the south. for engagement parties. and wedding showers. and senior recitals. and basketball games (this one has become particularly popular these days... : ) ). with all this traveling, i guess it's only appropriate that one would get in their first car accident, huh? (actually, it could be considered the 2nd...my senior year i caused $4,000 worth of damage on this man's custom painted bmw pulling out of my high school parking lot...that's a story for another time...)

well, today i took scout (short for "the boy scout," my beloved little volvo s40) to the car doctors to repair the damage done when i hit kyle parker heading south on 75 to tallahassee. uh huh. you heard right. kyle parker. for those of you that aren't familiar, he's clemson's quarterback who graduated high school a semester early to participate in spring workouts and decided he'd walk onto the baseball team, only to be their starting right fielder that season and 3rd in their batting line-up.

i'm sure you're all wondering as my grandfather, avid clemson fan and enthusiast, did...kyle parker is uninjured. he headed to valdosta shortly after, with only a scratch of white paint on the bumper of his ford escape after i collided into the back of him. he'll probably still win the heisman next year. no worries.

as for me (thanks for your concern), i'm also uninjured and forever grateful for the farmer from canada that was rving to florida with his wife to meet their new grandson that tied my bent hood down with wire he had in his stocked toolbox "just in case he came across something like this."

for your viewing pleasure...

2010-01-12T20:41:00.001-05:00

https://www.bigtopcupcake.com/?MID=564291

...and my envy! who doesn't want an over-sized cupcake?! go ahead and try me...i bet you can't think of anyone, not even one person.

for kenz.

2010-01-07T22:35:00.008-05:00

with all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the only thing i've become good at is slacking in the blog department. in fact, at the beginning of the week i thought about this little joker and couldn't think of a thing that i would want to write about. not okay.

thank goodness, last night i decided to look through my england and scotland pictures from the summer. this lead me to find the pages of ideas, sketches and the (very rough) first draft of the children's book i started. in typical k. camp fashion, my mind began to wander as i reminisced about my storybook adventures in england and scotland. here is an excerpt from a message i sent a little floridian friend of mine a few days after arriving in cambridge...

"Already after my first 4 days, I feel like I've learned more than I could have ever read about England. We're in Cambridge right now and have been in lectures for most of our time which has been interesting because we've been hearing from Cambridge University professors, however, it doesn't compare to my experiences so far in this city. It didn't take long for Cambridge to completely captivate me. I am so delighted by this city. Everyone rides bikes with wicker baskets; nearly every window has a flower box beneath it and I've walked to the outdoor farmers market for lunch everyday. The streets are narrow and made of stone. There is no air conditioning, so the windows are always open. No one is in a rush and the English are very kind. I couldn't dream of a more picturesque place. You may not know this about me, but I absolutely adore children's books and for whatever reason, this city makes me feel like I am living one! I'm so mesmerized by everything. My parents gave me a nice digital slr camera for my birthday before I left and I've enjoyed so much capturing every little detail!"

i especially enjoyed capturing every little detail of ark, one of the most wonderful stores i've ever stepped into. i sure hope i can own one of my own one day that is equally as delightful.

until then...a few goals for the new year: pursue community, take better advantage of my sweet camera, finish that children's book i started, do a little party planning, read more, relentlessly dream of my future store, save up for a kitchenaid mixer, try one new recipe a week...and oh yeah, be a better blogger : ) (i'll keep thinking about how to make those measurable...but you get the idea. happy new year, friends!)

let's play dress up, shall we?

2009-12-28T20:27:00.003-05:00

my heart pines for this dress. "the county fair dress."

how perfect, from anthropologie, complete with a darling external zipper on the back.

i'd like one please...oh yeah, and a coke float. thanks : )

hope.

2009-12-21T10:58:00.008-05:00

i love christmas. this year my christmas season has looked quite different. it's the first time in my entire life that i haven't gotten out of school for an extended christmas celebration. oh yeah, and the time between thanksgiving and new years happens to be the busiest time of year in my vocation.

this morning i read the account of jesus' birth. i was moved by luke 2:19:

but mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

may you truly treasure Jesus and ponder Him in your heart this christmas...and throughout the year.

merry christmas, little doves.

p.s. klug is a much better blogger than i: a fine account of our trip from athens to nc last week.

cute as a button.

2009-12-15T19:05:00.004-05:00

i've posted about klug before, but this is definitely post worthy! sweet christina started a blog. you should all do yourselves a favor and check it out: http://christinaklug.blogspot.com/

i'm heading to athens tomorrow for claire's christmas shower! it is sure to be a sweet time filled with all my favorite girls! i can't wait to post pics...and i look forward to life slowing down a bit so i will have more time to sit and update this little joker (i.e. this blog).

santa comes in 9 dayssssss! hope you'll make the nice list this year! : )

a birthday celebration.

2009-12-06T22:13:00.002-05:00

you can try to prove me wrong, but i've just about decided that there is nothing better in the world than family. last night we celebrated "grandad's" 80th birthday. for real. the sweetest thing of life. a few pictures to prove it:

my parents' sweet home is decorated for christmas.

we spent the afternoon watching football and enjoying one another...

...for the most part. then, T decided to serenade us with christmas carols. i thought i'd try my luck at strangling him. things really never change. : )

and then he was the captain of our ship...?

and we took our stiff looking christmas card picture.

but i convinced them to loosen up and take a jumping one...

...so they obliged and we ended up having the time of our lives.

grill master dad (that title is debatable) started a "small" fire.

it was all fine. we enjoyed a feast.

and roasted grandad at dinner.

(we really did laugh and enjoy each other even though this picture makes us look like we all just lost our best cow. i think this was the part where grandad was talking about his love for mommiejoyce and giving us advice for long, happy marriages.

how grateful i am for their example.)

after dinner, the clemson fans promptly (and appropriately) made their way back into the den for the acc championship. somehow i got out of cleaning dishes with sarah, mommiejoyce and mama and got to sit with these two handsomes at the table. quality time. i think this was my favorite part of the entire night.

this man has taught me a lot...to dive off of a diving board, to shoot a basketball, to swing a golf club, to be committed and competitive and to set goals; he even taught me to drive, amongst many other things. i am so grateful for family. a special night, indeed.

happy 80th birthday, grandad! : )

thanksgiving.

2009-11-26T17:56:00.000-05:00

one of my favorite books is "The Valley of Vision," a book of Puritan prayers. i love it for so many reasons, but mostly because i love the Puritans and think they really understood what it meant to love God. so much to be thankful for today and i think the ol Puritans are able to eloquently express my grateful heart today. and so, i leave you with one of my favorite prayers...

Praise and Thanksgiving

O my God,

Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,

my heart admires, adores, loves thee,

for my little vessel is as full as it can be,

and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee

ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,

ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,

ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,

crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,

for adorning it, sanctifying it,

though it is fixed in barren soil;

for the body thou hast given me,

for preserving its strength and vigour,

for providing senses to enjoy delights,

for the ease and freedom of my limbs,

for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;

for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,

for a full table and overflowing cup,

for appetite, taste, sweetness,

for social joys of relatives and friends,

for ability to serve others,

for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,

for a mind to care for my fellow-men,

for opportunities of spreading happiness around,

for loved ones in the joys of heaven,

for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express,

for what thou art to they creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

may it be so. Happy Thanksgiving, dear ones.

atl, bham, and ath folks are legit.

2009-11-24T23:52:00.000-05:00

thanksgiving is almost here and i couldn't be more thrilled! i must say it's my favorite of all the holidays...a sweet time filled with family, laughter, good food, and games like horseshoe and touch football in the yard. completely underrated, if you ask me!

in lieu of of the day that's just around the corner, i thought i'd take this opportunity to express my thankfulness for sweet friends. i had the most precious weekend filled with all of my closest friends (minus kat, but we video chatted last week, so that counts for something, right? : ) ).

i'm grateful for close friendships where explanation isn't necessary because you just get each other. and where you can play the "remember that time when..." game and laugh until you're weak. and where you know you're loved no matter the circumstances. what a sweet and precious gift.

dear friends,

"life with you is half as hard and twice as good." --sara groves

(please check out her new cd: fireflies and songs)

happy thanksgiving.

love, me : )

i don't think it's swine flu, but...

2009-11-19T08:37:00.000-05:00

i woke up with a sore throat tuesday morning. i guess it's about that time for the annual change of season yuck. but, really...the week before thanksgiving? somebody give a girl a break : )

anybody want to volunteer to work for me today so i can curl up in these darling "traveling circus loungers" (courtesy of anthro, of course),

and read this,

with these on my feet...

and hot tea in my hands. i think that'd show this sore throat who's boss. yep.

i think i'm gonna like it here.

2009-11-16T23:40:00.000-05:00

forgive me, little blog and my small, but precious readership, for neglecting to update over the past week.

i'm still new at this, remember? : )

things at anthro are starting to look a lot like the holiday season and i couldn't be more excited about it! it's a magical winter wonderland, the air filled with scents of sweet pine and pumpkin spice, tables and racks donned with beautiful clothing and the most precious holiday trim perfectly placed throughout the store. can you believe that thanksgiving is next week?! ay yi yi...black friday here you come...

i've had my hands in a few crafts over the past few days as i prepare for my darling holiday team at anthro and help plan a little christmas shower for my dear claire who will be wed to justin in april. i'm really excited about this sweet get together and the invitations i'm working on! (i'll be sure to post a picture after claire receives hers.)

there's a lot to look forward to over the coming weeks: plans to spend time with dear friends, thanksgiving, baked goods, the holiday season in retail, baked goods, gift giving, baked goods, family, moving into my new place!...the list could go on and on...oh yeah, did i mention baked goods? : )

i broke bread with lauren (soon-to-be-roommate) and raechel (soon-to-be-married) tonight. we laughed so hard i felt weak. sweet friends. really. what a blessing. as a child i had dreams of starring in "Annie" and on my way home felt like i understood that sweet, little, curly red-headed dollface. i wanted to break out into song and dance just like this. i guess that dream never really faded, huh?

homecoming...x 2.

2009-11-09T20:09:00.000-05:00

the weekend was one of the best. refreshing, indeed. got to laugh with some of my faves in athens for UGA's homecoming and celebrate with OL 08 darryl being crowned 2009 homecoming king. left the weekend with a grateful heart for the precious friends in my life. and for the four years i was able to spend in athens. but i also left confident of where i am right now, looking forward to coming back to charlotte.

perhaps it was out of anticipation for the AG event and fashion show we had at anthro this morning. i sported two different looks during my modeling debut (okay, so it wasn't that big of a deal but a 5" 3' girl can dream, right?) and even won a pair of AG denim! this company is legit, y'all. check it out.

more pics to come, but here is a pic of us before we "derobbed" and revealed our outfits. it was so fun! i love that work includes fashion shows, quality fabrics, companies that take care of their employees, fun girls and door prizes. : )

a few of the dolls i get to work with everyday : )

blog title.

2009-11-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

the sweet Truth that christy nockels has to share in this little talk has been pretty valuable in a few different stages of my life. this week has been no different. bring it, sister.

"use iodized salt to ward of zombies, witches and old boyfriends."

2009-10-30T22:02:00.000-04:00

how much do I miss being any elementary school student today! halloween eve on a friday...that's like every child's dream! remember how fun the homeroom halloween party was? and that today children got to go home for a whole weekend of halloween festivities. what fun! i can only hope that homes are filled with halloween eve traditions and anxious children just itching to sport their costumes tomorrow night.

today's been a great day for this big kid too:

slept late. cooked breakfast. a new favorite thing to do. drove over to the sweet place on bay street and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned! visited harris teeter to pick up a few items for some baked goods. whipped up the cutest owl cupcakes you've ever seen! washed clothes. cleaned my room and bathroom. washed sheets. baked pumpkin bread for tomorrow's neighborhood halloween party. now, my orange dress is neatly laid out to wear to work tomorrow, pumpkin bread is baking in the oven, my sheets are in the dryer and i'm watching hocus pocus. you can just call me martha stewart...or june cleaver... : )

i told you they were cute! happy halloween, little owls! : )

hold your horses, rite aid.

2009-10-27T10:41:00.001-04:00

last night i went to rite aid in search of brach's pumpkin candy corn things only to find that the pumpkins were now on clearance and christmas decorations had taken their place on the display.

there are a couple of things i found wrong with this picture:

1. halloween is saturday. pumpkins should still be the priority, people!

2. thanksgiving comes before christmas! you think these people's calendars got out of order this year? i sure hope so. that'd be the only excuse.

nonetheless, if you're looking to start picking out the perfect christmas card, maybe you should choose this one. now that's a good lookin family right there. : )

(p.s. photo: circa 2007 at T and Sissy's rehearsal dinner. maybe i look like a baby? and maybe i covet how tan i am here? alsoooo, look how creepily alike my mom and i look...yikes!)

familiarity.

2009-10-25T20:43:00.000-04:00

It was a sweet weekend filled with a lot of familiarity. I must admit that it was good to rest from all of the change and uncertainty of my new life in Charlotte. (Not that they are bad changes. I'm learning to love them. : ) )

3 days. 3 cities. Clarkesville. Athens. Columbia.

The familiarity of the I-85 drive to the Peach State and honking the horn as I crossed over state lines.

The familiarity of the Bluster fam and the warmth that fills their home.

And laughing with Mere. Oh, what a joy she is.

And exchanging a firm handshake with Coach Ak.

The familiarity of Athens in the fall.

The yellow gingko tree on University Drive.

The smell of football season in the air.

Jittery Joes in my hand.

The intersection of College and Broad. And the arch.

The familiarity of sweet friends.

And my Dripolator mug in their cupboard.

And not having to worry about being a bad bed partner or hogging the covers b/c you've shared a bed with them so many times it doesn't matter anymore.

The familiarity of the drive between Athens and Columbia.

And driving into my childhood hometown.

And being greeted by my family. Who know me.

And who love me.

And celebrating Mom's 90th birthday.

And her pulling me aside and holding my hand, telling me how proud she is of me and how much like Pop I am.

And looking at photo albums, laughing with T and telling his sweet wife about our childhood.

And him pulling out a beanie baby he bought me Friday because I used to love them. I squealed.

And now, the developing familiarity of Sunday nights in Charlotte.

Preparing for the work week at a place I really love.

And making plans to spend time with sweet new friends in the coming days.

And dreams of home projects for the new place on Bay Street. (Stay tuned!)

And committing to exploring, loving and learning this new city. (Yikes. When did that attitude shift happen?! : ) )

"Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces,

calling out the best of who we are." -Sara Groves

"ain't no sunshine when she's gone..."

2009-10-17T17:17:00.000-04:00

today when i got home from work i had the sweetest facebook message i've gotten in quite a while. and so unexpected. aren't those the best? : ) it was from klug. oh, how i miss that sweet child. never met anyone else that loves life as much as she does. and no one else can appreciate my love for paper dolls, sidewalk chalk, and trampoline jumping like this little one. it made me think of this time last year and our halloween fun at sigep's haunted house. so, here are some pics from that and i thought i'd blog her sweet message.

step one: cover hand with black paint.

step two: face rape.

step three: laugh.

(and klug's really good at that...)

"you are so much sunshine to the square inch." -walt whitman

sweet kcamp,
This is the weekend I am supposed to be visiting you in Charlotte and though I stayed home to "get stuff done," I can't because all day today I've just wanted to be snuggled up next to you. Eric church is tonight in Charlotte and I wish we could be there singing Carolina together since we both missed him in Athens.
In lieu of my love for you, I have drank three cups of delicious hot chocolate the way you order it this week and have taken friends there to get a taste. I have also been raving about how great everything pumpkin is and have recently learned that Brad Wilkerson shares that taste and he shared his pumpkin ice cream with me Tuesday at his house.
I hope you are currently huring about the Georgia victory/slaughter against Vanderbilt, and are selling lots of precious women pretty things at anthropologie today. Seriously one of these weekends I will be waiting at your doorstep with a big bag (because I always overpack) and my pillow (because I can't sleep without it).
Kristen Mattioli and I haven't left each others side this weekend. We went to the Athens Academy football game last night and they have all these little children running/sliding down hills/creating havoc/ beating the snot out of each other. It was immediate love. I started talking to some little ones and we had barrel rolling races haha. Kmatt and I then went and layed in a field together and looked at the stars. They were gorgeous last night with no moon and we saw at least 10 shooting stars. You know I love that.
Next weekend I am headed to Charleston to lay one on little Hadley that I've been holding out on forever. That child just keeps getting cuter and cuter. I also can't wait to just hang out with Lauren. This past week she's called me multiple times wishing I was there so I could go on lunch dates with her and Hadley haha. Check out the munchkin: www.heuberblogspot.com
Just wanted to say hey basically. Love you high as heaven. Come to Georgia/Florida??? okay great, see you then! haha. If not, Thanksgiving break, I will be driving through Charlotte alone and I will be stopping for real.

i miss you everday. so proud of you, bigirl. love you so. : )

Tricycle.

2009-10-16T12:33:00.000-04:00

What a week. I feel like I have so much to catch you up on, little blog!

Warning/Disclaimer/Preface to this post, that probably won't be presented neatly and most definitely will not come together perfectly packaged, complete with a metallic bow: I feel awkwardly emotional today. Although, that's nothing new to this stage of life I've found myself in; most of the time I should probably carry around a box of Kleenex and wear waterproof mascara because tears ensue at odd times. Like for instance, last week, when I came across all of the things I used to craft with in college and wept. (God bless the man that has to live with me during pregnancy one day. Seriously.) I've been moved by the Lord this week and have a lot of things stirring in my heart and head. While they haven't all come together for me yet, He is at work and for that I am grateful.

I've been in a valley. I think that's the most accurate way to describe where I've been. I'll admit that this new stage of life has been a lot lonelier and a lot more of a transition than I anticipated. Psalm 34:10 reads, "those who seek the Lord lack no good thing" and Psalm 84:11, "no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." I know, in theory, that God looks to satisfy the needs of His people and does not withhold anything that's good for us. I am fighting to believe that where I am right now, lonely or not, is God's best for me. Easier said than done, no doubt.

I've started doing this new thing where I'm reading my journal from last year. Things get messy, I can't lie, but it's been really neat (I hate that adjective, by the way) to see how God has changed my heart and how He has answered prayers over the past year. It's been interesting, also, to see the parallels between where I was then and where I am now. I've been quite humbled by this little venture.

Exhibit A: Last week I was feeling particularly pitiful for myself, wondering why I was working at Anthro and what my purpose is here in Charlotte (haha, I can be such a baby). On September 9, 2008 I prayed specifically that I would have an opportunity to learn the retail business. Oh, that I wouldn't be so short sighted and wonder why I am here and why I am doing what I'm doing right now. "The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations" (Psalm 33:10-11). I'm grateful that His purpose stands firm even though my faith waivers.

Earlier in the week, I spent some time praying that the Lord would deliver me from this valley, from this desert, and that He would make it clear whether or not I should commit to Charlotte, at least for a time. And boy, has he ever!

Monday was probably the greatest day at work yet. I love what I do. I love, love, love connecting with women and gaining a unique and special insight into their lives. Monday night, I had some precious time with Raechel and Lauren, two of my new Charlotte faves. Tuesday, Lauren and I went to look at an awesome little duplex in the most precious area of Charlotte. Wednesday I was able to be apart of training Anthro's new hires for holiday and had a great meeting with my store manager and visual manager, a milestone I hope will be the beginning of a long relationship between Anthropologie and me. : ) Later in the afternoon I committed (yes! straight put on my bigirl britches and committed) to moving into the sweet place on Bay Street.

This morning I spent some time with a few of my Anthro faves to discuss our plan for the holiday season before being inspired in Paper Source. (I bought myself a little circee (this is the word my family uses for "treat")!) On my way to Smelly Cat Coffee House, where I'm hanging out now, I drove by my future home and then purposefully got lost (after all, that's the only way to learn an area, right?). I found some cool places I want to check out and listened to some solid jams along the way. When I figured out where I was, my fav song came on and as I looked up, I saw the Charlotte city skyline in the distance. For the first time, it felt like home. And I think Patty said it best, "Heavenly day, all the troubles gone away...for a while anyway."

So, for now, as my purpose becomes clear, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning" (Psalm 130:5-6). Also, I pray that He would teach me to love my sweet friends from afar; I claim Isaiah 43:18-19, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

Here I am, Charlotte...ready to paint this city red. : )

in 1492 columbus sailed the ocean blue...

2009-10-12T23:27:00.000-04:00

i'm a firm believer in traditions and celebrating holidays.

i dropped the ball today, friends. forgive me.

yes. columbus day is a holiday and i didn't do a darn thing to celebrate.

don't worry. i've already started to prepare for next year...thoughts of messages in bottles and ship cookies...3 different designs, of course, to differentiate between the nina, the pinta and the santa maria.

i'll make up for it.

we send you our thanks, columbus. you were a mighty fine man.

"stop! that's my hitchhiker friend!" -lyndsay

2009-10-11T20:04:00.000-04:00

friday, after work, i had the pleasure to meet some of my camp faves in asheville for a short visit. asheville in the fall...is there anything better? actually, there is. asheville in the fall with some of my sweetest friends. oh, how thankful i am for camp crestridge and the summers i have spent there.

i'll admit that i'm having a hard time committing to charlotte and this weekend made me want to just pick up and move to the mountains. i won't make such a rash decision, don't worry. there are a lot of things i love about charlotte: my job, that my parents are here, zada janes, the sweet farmers market a mile from my house, the oak tree lined neighborhood that my parents live in, noda, the city skyline... i know i won't ever reallllly love it here if i don't move out of my parents' home, yet i fear being 22 and being stuck somewhere. oh dear and all of a sudden i can't breathe...

anyway, as i drove down the mountain on saturday morning, i sang along with rosie thomas and prayed that i would have the opportunity to serve at camp again...somehow...someday.

calling all bearded, blue-grass loving, hippie men: i just need an excuse to move to the mountains : ) kidding...sort of...

"i have much farther to go. everything is new and so unpredictable. i should just kick my heels together and go home. but i'm not sure where that is anymore."

-- "much farther to go," rosie thomas

"and if this city never sleeps, does that mean that noone dreams? and if that's true, then i guess i'm going home."

-- "if this city never sleeps," rosie thomas

p.s. meet mere's nephewwwww, Elias Mason Akridge "Eli"...april and chris will make precious parents. i can't wait to meet the little slugger!

the bluster fam will never be the same : )

2009-10-08T22:03:00.000-04:00

this new stage of life is hard. this week especially my heart has been filled with sorrow, missing my sweet friends. but today has been a precious day and i'd like to recap some of the highlights:

1. i really love my job. i love connecting with women at anthro and helping them find something they'll love to wear or give or decorate their home with. i also really love the people that i work with. a lot.

2. i bought teal tights after work.

3. oh yeah, today was pay day. that was pretty awesome too.

4. i went on a great run in my parents' beautiful neighborhood and pondered what it meant to be called an "oak of righteousness"...i still haven't come to a conclusion.

5. i baked pumpkin bread...for the second day in a row. (i'm visiting sweet friends in asheville tomorrow night and it's only appropriate to come bearing a little something!)

6. i talked to mere...there will be a new little akridge/bluster tomorrow! new life...how sweet : ) (this was the only time today i really wished i lived in georgia. i AM a bluster. i should be there.)

7. i chatted with claire and laughed...that sweet bum. i miss slumbering with her every night.

8. i saw the september issue with my sweet new friend, marilyn, at a great little theatre near my house. i highly recommend it...the movie, the theatre and being friends with marilyn.

9. i came home and enjoyed some pumpkin bread and a glass of milk with my dad and we talked about life. he's pretty great.

10. i talked to senorita sibley/sibs/eugenia t. fitz. and boy, what a highlight of my entire week! talk of school, her students, future, our lives after college, boys (will this ever quit being a topic of

conversation?), temper tantrums- at age 22, and plans to see each other *soooooooooon*. we used to joke about becoming the golden girls one day. except to me, it was never really a joke. i hope that if i ever live alone in my old age, i can move back into church street with my favorite girls.

i'm grateful for today. especially for the small things that i had to rejoice in today.

asheville tomorrow...this is too much : )

i'm still new at this.

2009-10-07T21:51:00.000-04:00

i've wanted to start a blog for so long. and all day i've thought about all of the things that have been on my mind that i could write about that could potentially be interesting or witty or moving. about the scripture i've been clinging to, the heartache i have felt missing my friends, the daily anecdotes of being in retail and the sweet insight i get into precious women's lives each day at anthro, the hilarity of the fact that i've become that girl that everyone wants to set up (a lady actually pulled out a picture of her son today...in his cheerleading uniform. yes, it's true), or the joy that i felt baking mini-loaves of pumpkin bread for the women in my mom's bible study. but here we are, the end of the day and it's just me, lou (doesn't everyone name their computer?) and my trusty green chair and i can't remember why i thought any of those ideas were compelling. so, instead, i thought i'd share a little piece of october heaven on earth. how delightful are these little guys?! eek! : ) i'm hoping to try them out...i'll be sure to post pics.

hello, blog world!

2009-10-04T20:19:00.000-04:00

i've secretly dreamt of starting a blog for quite some time now. i'm certain i don't have anything important to offer, but maybe this new venture will be a place to document all of the things that i delight in. and that, in itself, seems good enough reason to me! k. camp. hemmed in. i'm sure glad to be here : )