The First Penguin

I just finished rereading “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch.  It is such a though provoking and well written book and it is full of wonderful advice for people of all ages.  One that caught my attention was an excerpt called the first penguin.  Often times we cling to the security and comfort of following the crowd.  It makes us feel safe and leads a lot of us to lead very calculated and cautious lives.  I have found myself falling into this category more often than I would like.  The concept of the first penguin is that when looking for food one penguin has to dive into the water first.  This is a big risk because if there are predators this penguin could be in danger but if the waters are clear the first penguin will reap the benefits by getting the best fish and will not go hungry. 

Human nature calls us to be simultaneously cautious as a self preservation mechanism but also to be bold in order to get ahead in life.  I am still trying to find out where this ideal balance is in my own life.  I am very cautious in my job choice.  I work for a large company in a cubicle because I like the comfort of bi-weekly paychecks that do not fluctuate and the security that large companies can provide.  As a result I like my job but I am not doing something that I truly love that would likely (at least initially) provide significantly less compensation and would fluctuate greatly.  I have decided that this is in part due to my nature but also due to some of our life choices.  We chose to buy a house which represents a 30 year commitment (less since I pay extra principal but let’s say 30 years for arguments sake).  This commitment is the same amount every month and is due without fail, so how do you pair a non-traditional job with traditional commitments?  I unfortunately don’t have an answer for this but it’s something I find my thoughts returning to over and over again.  My guess is that Randy would say it requires the bold move of diving in head first (or in this pictures case - feet first).

Traffic Patterns

I woke up late on Friday (aka consciously/subconsciously chose to hit snooze way too many times).  In waking up late I left for work about 30-45 minutes later than usual.  I noticed several things during this shift in my morning commute.  Traffic was much worse on Chamblee Dunwoody because the high school starts at around 8 AM so I was stuck behind car rider parents/kids and a slew of school buses.  The stoplight for entering the highway was turned on so entering the highway on the ramp took longer than usual.  My normal XM stations have different programming as the morning goes on which includes more talking than I care for on my morning drive.  My favorite parking space wasn’t available so I had to settle for my second choice.  Since I was already running late I didn’t have time for my weekly Starbucks fix, I try to limit myself to only Fridays as a reward for surviving the work week.

These things may seem mundane but these things completely changed my Friday morning from my normal routine.  In these encounters it reminded me a lot of friendships/relationships.  At times in your life you are perfectly in sync with some friends and you are able to see them all the time and it is glorious.  At other times in life the rhythm of your lives gets a little out of sync with one another and you feel more distant.  It is easy to blame yourself or your friend for the change but what if it is as simple as the issue of what time you leave for work.  The stage, location, and priorities in your life can cause everything to have an entirely different flow and feel to it.  So maybe it is time that we stopped blaming ourselves or others and started understanding the impact of our life patterns and simply do our best to work with/around those life changes. Instead of expecting our relationships to remain static even when our lives do not, shouldn’t we instead expect our friendships/relationships to be dynamic?  That way we are flexible enough to leave room for things to grow and change as we do.

The Help by Kathrym Stockett

I am so glad this book has become so popular!  Every now and again a book comes around that is both entertaining, relevant, and helps people keep perspective on our culture.  Americans think awfully high of ourselves for a country that was extremely oppressive less than one lifetime ago.  I have been talking to my mom and my dad about the book; they are both in their early sixties and were actually alive during the civil rights movement.  My mom grew up in the South and she confirms that the book is not exaggerating and that people truly treated African Americans that way.  In Virginia and Georgia where she grew up the mentality was deep rooted.  My dad had a very different experience since he grew up on air force bases.  The schools and facilities on the bases were fully integrated.  He shared stories of going to Metter, GA to visit family and seeing firsthand what life was like outside of the base.  He remembers the separate water fountains at the Piggly Wiggly and watching as African Americans walked down the street with their eyes cast downward to avoid starting a fight.  He told me how sad it made him.  As I read the book I thought about the courage it took to start the civil rights movement and what tremendous sacrifices were made.  I am so thankful to have grown up in a time and in a home that raised me that people are people and should be judged on merit not on characteristics.  In Georgia I can still see traces of that horrible mentality but I am thankful that they continue to fade.  I am very excited to see the movie and I hope all of you read the book!

Jewelry Holder Project - Inspired by Pinterest

As I previously mentioned I found a wonderful site called Pinterest and one of my favorite finds was a DIY jewelry holder made from a cutlery holder.  I decided to try it myself using a cutlery holder, brass hardware, and cute cabinet knobs from Hobby Lobby.  I love the outcome and plan to make one more that focuses on necklaces and rings.  Here is a picture of their version and then one of mine.  The main difference is that I didn’t line the cubby holes with scrapbook paper.  Part of me loves that it is plan because the knobs and the bracelets really take center stage instead of the paper but I do love the vintage feel of the paisley paper they used so I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I made the right call about leaving the birch wood plain.

I also made a gorgeous necklace holder out of a Manzanita branch we used for décor at our wedding. 



A Trip to the Attic

I am so proud of my parents; they have finally decided to tackle the attic.  Let me first provide some background on my parents so you can understand how the attic got so out of hand.  My dad grew up in a military family so they moved every year or two.   When you move that often it is not efficient or practical to hold on to a lot of items.  They also grew up in a time when parents were a lot more hands off so he has a few sentimental items from his childhood but they could easily fit in one box.  My mom was an only child and her parents were more concerned with holding onto items from her childhood.  They kept a lot of her clothes, shoes, dolls, etc but almost everything was lost when their house caught on fire when they were living in West Virginia.  As a result my parents made a very conscious effort to hold onto items from my childhood.  They kept almost all of my toys, books, a lot of clothes, stuffed animals, etc.  That adds up to a lot of stuff very quickly.  If properly maintained and organized then it would have been possible given the large size of our attic to handle the volume of stuff.  The issue is that almost everything was added to garbage bags or plastic boxes and placed in any available space without labeling.  After living in their house for 24 years this become quite the mess.  They have been taking it one bag or box at a time but it has been really fun to discover some of the things they kept.  They have also been able to ask me as an adult about which items that they kept actually have sentimental value.  Some things they expected me to fawn over were items I barely remembered and some things they were about to toss were favorites of mine. 

My absolute favorite discovery was the 2 big boxes of dance costumes.  First let me say that most of my favorite childhood memories center on vacations, school, and dance.  Taking those costumes out and looking at them reminded me of so many wonderful memories, friends, stages of life, and all the performances.  It was such a wonderful reminder of how much my parents invested in me and how strongly they supported me along the way.  Here are a few pictures of some of the ones we laughed the most about, not surprisingly two of them are unitards.  Why did anyone ever think those were a good idea?
 

Wedding Craft Projects

Alyssa’s wedding is only 3 days away, time is flying by!  She wanted to take a picture with them holding a thank you sign to use as the image on their thank you note cards.  I love a good craft project so I asked her if I could make it.  I bought a wood sign on clearance at Burlington Coat Factory for $1.78.  Then I bought silver spray paint and chipboard letters from Hobby Lobby for about $9.  I used black spray paint to cover the original sign and to get the base color.  I thought black would help the silver letters really pop in the picture.  Then I spray painted the letters silver.  Once everything had dried then I used craft glue to adhere the letters.  Here is a picture of the final product. 

I also made her bow-quet for her rehearsal using the bows and gift toppers from her shower over the summer.  I am really proud of the outcome.  The other picture is of an adorable Merry Christmas sign that they used to take their Christmas card picture with.  I think she loved them; I’ll post pictures of them with the projects after they post their professional pictures.

My Best Friends Wedding!

I can finally officially welcome my best friend to the married club!  Her wedding took place this past weekend in North Carolina in the Highlands. 

She was an absolutely gorgeous and glowing bride.  We had such an amazing weekend and could truly feel all the love and support radiating from all their family and friends.  They got married up in Highlands, NC and the area is gorgeous.  It was a bit cold but other than that the weather was perfect.  After the ceremony we ate fantastic food and danced the night away to celebrate!  Here is a picture of Alyssa and Will as well as my toast to them as the Matron of Honor.



Congratulations!  My heart is overflowing with joy for you both.  It has been said that when two people find true love that it is like a stone skipping on the water.  The love that those two people share ripples into the lives of everyone around them.  Today we are all lucky enough to share in your joy and love for another! 

Alyssa, you are my best friend and I have had the joy and privilege of growing up with you.  We made it through the awkward high school years, the fun college years, and the adjusting to the workplace and the “real” world.  Along the way you have taught me so much about friendship and you have been such a huge blessing in my life.  I truly believe that there is nothing in this world that you cannot do if you set your heart and mind to it.

Will, I may have been hard on you in college but you have truly proven that your love for Alyssa is genuine and everlasting.  There aren’t many people that I could bear seeing my best friend moving to Texas for but you make her truly happy and she is exactly where she is meant to be . . . for now.

You have both built such a strong foundation for your relationship by focusing first on your friendship and then allowing your love to grow from there.  I know that you will bring true joy to one another because you understand the importance of love, mutual respect, and continuing to grow together as a couple.  Enjoy these wonderful moments with your friends and family on your wedding day and remember that the best is yet to come!  Everyone raise your glass to the bride and groom.