Inspiration for the Day

Flowers are the sweetest thing God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into.

~Henry Beecher

From Roost

From A Clock Without Hands

From Eat Drink Chic

From The Snail & The Cyclops

From An Apple a Day

From The Snail & The Cyclops

From Design is Mine

Take a Look, It's in a Book

"Real luxury is time & opportunity to read for pleasure."

~Jane Brody

From liebigpartie

If you've glanced at this (#27 specifically) you'll know I have quite a lofty goal to hit over the next year.  Fortunately, things have seemed to be moving right along as I only have 31 more to go...as of today at least =)  Some of these you've probably heard of while some were rescued right before heading to the Salvation Army and fortunately, all of them have been pretty decent reads.

I've linked most of these to Amazon, but if you're in Atlanta, here are some great stores to check out:  Book Nook, Trilogy Bookstore (there's a ScoutMob on this one too!!), or Little Shop of Stories.  I'm a Borders nut as well as Barnes &Noble so I'm always looking in the bargain book section to see what I can find.  Anyways, here's what I've read & when I've finished. 

1) Friendship Cake by Lynne Hinton (1/9/11)

2) White Oleander by Janet Finch (1/30/11)

3) Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn (2/6/11)

4) Walking with God by John Eldredge (2/20/11)

5) A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers (2/27/11)

6) An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers (3/7/11)

7) Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (3/14/11)

8) Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (4/4/11)

9) The Winter Garden by Johanna Verweed (4/18/11)

10) The Martha Rules by Martha Stewart (4/21/11)

11) The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve (4/22/11)

12) Deception Point by Dan Brown (5/7/11)

13) Open House by Elizabeth Berg (5/16/11)

14) The Sacred Romance by John Eldredge & Brent Curtis (6/7/11)

15) Memorial Day by Vince Flynn (6/7/11)

16) Whatever Makes You Happy by Lisa Grunwald (6/13/11)

17) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (6/16/11)

18) The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (6/19/11)

19) Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg (6/23/11)

Happy Reading!

The Travel Trials....

 It's vacation time!!!  As I'm looking at the month ahead, I'm realizing I have a lot of planning (ie-shopping) to do.  From a week in the Keys with the boyfriend & his fam to a HUGE family reunion in Kentucky to a girls' getaway in my favorite city...I know I have a lot to think about & a lot to pack!!

From Revolvver

Honestly, I know I'm an awful packer.  Whether it's near or far, for one week or one day, I over plan & consider every possible weather condition or catastrophic event without taking a ton of consideration for fashion.  At the end of a week of packing, my suitcase still ends up looking more like a emergency evacuation bag than a suitcase prepped for a week of wandering Sydney or a night on the town.

(Apparently, I also think I'm going to do a triathlon each morning...why else wouldn't I pack 3 or 4 sports bras??)

From my Hipstamatic collection =)

Sadly, this pathetic discovery about myself didn't happen until I was preparing to go to one of the top rated restaurants in Australia.  As I sifted through my hiking/travel clothes, I quickly realized my selection was terribly & sadly limited.  By that point, however, it was too late to shop and too late to drop the 20lbs necessary to borrow anything from my friend.

Although I enjoyed a fabulous meal that night, I couldn't help but feel like an out-of-place schlub in the midst of fine dining and luxury.  I swore that night I wouldn't be caught in that situation again, but alas, vacations have come & gone...and I have still managed to pack like a person who has won a 10 minute shopping spree in Goodwill.


So, as I start planning for a few weeks out, any suggestions on places to shop or easy travel outfits to wear??

Thought for the Day

Another good reminder for myself..

Birthday Bliss

Birthdays usually don't sneak up on me like this last one did.  29 isn't necessarily a landmark age (especially with the big 3-0 looming in the horizon), so I was surprised when I looked at the calendar & found that not only was I about to have an expired driver's license, but my birthday was only two days away...and I hadn't thought about either of them at all. 

Yeeesh!  Am I that old??  I remember starting my birthday list the day after CHRISTMAS--hopefully ensuring that my unfulfilled Christmas wishes would end up in my possession by summer--and counting down until the day I turned __!!  Oh the excitement!!!!

Nowadays, I do different lists (remember this one?) and the countdown isn't quite as fun anymore.

Fortunately, I have an amazing man in my life who had been thinking ahead and planned a wonderful birthday night with my closest friends.  That amazing night carried on into the weekend with more presents, an amazing dinner, catching up with old friends, a fabulous time with my family, and to top it off...a delicious homemade gluten free ice cream cake.

Thank you everyone for an amazing week!!!  And thank you Jay =)