so in January, we're gettin' married...

Saw the Avett Brothers on Austin City Limits last night and the only thing that could have beat it was being there to see it live!! The quote from today's title is from their newest release.

So it is already the end of January and I have been so busy trying to catch up at work that I have not been able to blog in weeks. To be honest, my creativity has been depleted. However, it is back today and I have been trying to paint with my girls. As a big pot of white chili simmers on the stove, we pull out all the paints, paper and such. I want to paint something so bad, but yet I am not sure what. I took painting classes in college, but never "quite" got into it. We start with some simple sketches and before long we are putting those ideas on canvas. For a while, I continue on the shapes that create the object that I had sketched earlier. I am enjoying the process and just letting my mind wander off while I sit the kitchen table listening to the girls pick colors and swap ideas for their own works of art. Although I do not end up painting anything truly amazing, my thirst for creating is quenched and soon I move on to learning some bass chords with my husband. The girls are on to playing together in their rooms. You have to love these "rainy day" Sundays!!!

shake that mornin' chill

My title is lyrics taken from Gillian Welch's Winters Come and Gone. Of course, winter has just begun here in South Carolina. Tonight has been the coldest so far here in the deep south...27 degrees. I am hoping for snow this year so my children can really experience the joys of playing in it. I figure since it has been raining for more than a year, then there is a pretty good chance the white stuff might make down this way. We really have not had a good snow in years~probably 5 years or so. I am a true kid at heart when it snows; I run from window to window in anticipation and when it starts to come down, it's all over for me. There is just something about it when it falls...purely a peaceful delight! The picture included is one I took last year from the little bit we got. It is a reminder of my dream for snow. So old man winter, please blow us some snow as we draw hearthside to create a home of love and warmth.

A month to dream

I face 2010 with complete hope. 2009 was an extremely tough year; it was not only filled with me having to deal with many losses, it included the sudden death of a close friend, re-occurring anxiety, despair, heartache, guilt and doubt. Times were hard and I felt I had been "sanded down" to a "raw"ness I have never experienced before. However, something else happened that I did not expect. Those tough times did not defeat me. I began to heal on many levels only a great catastrophe could bring. I am so thankful to be stronger in ways I never could have imagined. For me, reaching out to God became my hope...a hope that never fails me.

That hope brings me hear today. I have wanted to do a blog for quite some time; however, I have put it off for various reasons. I couldn't settle on a proper title for my "little" spot in cyberspace, on which host site to use, how I would use my blog to express who I am and what I like, etc... I made a promise to myself to begin this journey in 2010 so that I could use this as a chance to carry out a re-awakening, if you will, of all the beautiful things around me. My hope is to use this blog as a day-to-day gratitude tool which journals the everyday life that surrounds me. It will be a daily reminder for me that it is great to be alive.

Here a reveal a beautiful blend of my everyday life...
a hard working husband, two wonderful daughters, and a job that is founded on my love of children. We are blessed with so many things~a close-knit family that supports us, friends across the miles who encourage us, precious time to spend with each other creating amazing moments together, a variety of music that speaks to us for whatever emotion we may be feeling, endless art supplies, a great backyard for exploring, the ability to travel to the mountains or the beach within a couple hours, and most importantly, a loving source that guides us on our life's journey. Of course there is so much more.

A look forward to savoring it all during these next twelve months~M

2010 has arrived...cheers!!

Here's to me and here's to you...
a toast to our dreams and what lies ahead!