Holy Cow

Ivy sent this story out yesterday to 13auburnfriends in lieu of her boyfriend, Drew's, Birthday.
This story is one of my favorites. Personalities and character shine blindingly bright. I'm so glad Ivy gave me permission to share.

You should know that Tom and Cathy are Drew's Parents.
Sweet is Ivy's mom.
I think thats all the back story you need. Grab a tissue.
I'm just sayin'.


When Tom and Cathy realized they could not have children they began saving the $15,000 it takes to adopt a baby through Buckner. They saved just the amount by January 1984, which was around the same time Richardson First Baptist was campaigning to move buildings. Tom was sitting in church and felt that God wanted him to put the $15,000 towards the new building campaign. He boldly told Cathy, “We need to give the money to the church, and if we are supposed to adopt God will provide us another $15,000.” Cathy hesitantly followed his lead. She probably cared more about a baby than a church building with a taller steeple.

About that time Tom was put on a short assignment in Lubbock, TX with Texas Instruments. Within six months this new assignment provided the Lassiters with an extra $15,000. They were placed on Buckner's adoption waiting list. On July 30, 1984 Drew was born.

Eight days later Tom and Cathy brought their new baby home. In typical baptist church fashion Sweet Hopkins prepared a southern meal (in the kitchen that Tom and Cathy use today) and took it to the happy new parents. Cathy said, 'Sweet, you did not have to bring us any food. I am just fine - I didn't have a baby.' Sweet, with her hands on her hips, matter of factly said, 'Cathy, that is ridiculous. Every other new mother gets a weeks worth of food brought to their house. You should too. ' Cathy still remembers the only meal that was brought to their house in celebration of their new baby boy.

Ten months later Sweet had a baby named Ivy.

Twenty three years later Drew and Ivy started dating.

You know those mornings...

When you've already changed into your heels, scanned through all the blogs you follow and gulped down your first cup of coffee and its not even 10am?

This is one of those mornings.

Honest Thoughts

"Don't let my matter-of-factness fool you...it all sucks, no matter how you handle it. Pretty much every day I want to simultaneously throw something, cry, run up to him and beg him to date me again, hit him in the face, cry some more, pray, drink, smoke, cry, beg, and then maybe pray some more if it's a good day. BUT, the more honest you are, both about your emotions and the Truth you know to be valid, the better off you are."

-Dear Friend on the Hill

*Dear friend on the Hill gave me permission to quote her earlier today. I smile at her blunt honesty and vulnerability.

Meet My Crew Monday: Meet Birthday Girl Erin!

ERIN An occasional swimmer who resides at the pool. Always decked out in a bright speedo one piece, she frequents the high dive but is also no stranger to the kiddie pool. Erin, like Anne, hasn't decided what toy she would like to play with. Would she rather a navy blue kick board or a hot pink noodle? She's still deciding, which is ok. Thankfully the guy that gives out the intertubes and kick boards is patient. Have I mentioned Erin's splash? This girl makes a splash where ever she goes providing just the cool spritz her fellow swimmers may need. I see her returning from the nurses station with band aid on her knee (under water handstand contest accident) and a snow cone in her hand, right now. I think she'll head to the diving board next!

Happy Birthday Erin!!!

It's just a piece of my heart

Bryant Park is a beautiful, totally Manhattan, next door neighbor to the New York Public Library, young professional, bustling park. Hows that for a run on sentence.

Southwest Airlines is an airline loaded with spunk and genuine interest in their customer. Plus they just started flying into New York's La Guardia Airport. Yeehaw!

Combine these 2 things at the Southwest Corner of Bryant Park and you have the Southwest Porch!

Thanks for telling me Jamie! Can't wait to try it out.

Meet My Crew Monday: Meet Melanie

MELANIE An avid swimmer and life guard for more than two years. Melanie is often found in an earthy toned two piece with a Corona in her hand. She found her way to the pool at an early age and won awards for Best Pike Off the Diving Board as well as the Partners Washing Machine Relay.  After a Breast Stroke related wrist injury she decided to try her hand at life guarding. For 9 months she co-life guarded with a strapping young Mountain Brook man and was later romanced into taking the plunge with him. What a splash!

 

It's a love hate relationship, really.

With New York City, that is. 

But Today.

Today I remembered why I'm in love with this city.

Crispy blue sky. 

A morning walk to church. 

The fragrance of summer breeze. 

Overpriced iced coffee from a very New Yorky bagel place.  

Chatter of a neighborhood basketball game. 

Large sunglasses.

Still feeling a tingle of sunburn from yesterday's trip to the beach.

Avenues of brownstones still sleeping. 

A long phone call-less walk up Broadway to meet an old friend for brunch. 

Mimosas.

A tinge of nostalgia. 

Lingering dirt paths sewn through Riverside Park. 

Perfect for strolling and gazing up the Hudson.

I realize even with my overly romantic and wordy depiction of this city on a day like today, I do no justice to the spark in the air.

And I say all this not in a boastful, unaware, I-live-in-New-York-City, kind of a way. 

No. Don't take it like that. If only I could tell you in person that-

It's easy to forget why in the world I'm here. What I'm doing. What kind of crazy purpose I'm serving. It's easy to get beat up by the aggression and bluntness of this city. The hustle. The bustle. The intensity.

But it's days like this that help me remember. I do love it here. After all, I guess the Lord must be in New York City.

Thank goodness. 

*Harry Nilsson, I guess the Lord must be in New York City. This is the soundtrack of my city. Thanks mom.

Gracie's Bahaha-nana Nut Bread

Sister makes really great Banana Bread.

Wish she would send me a piece.

Food Gawker

Have you heard of Food Gawker? My sweet and hipster cousins mentioned this to me last weekend. Said it had great recipes. Ridiculous photography. Couldn't take their eyes off it. 

I was curious.

But I also thought, "But you probably don't read blogs like I do. I mean, I really read blogs. It's becoming my thing. Wonder if this Food Gawker will even hold a candle to some of the blogs and photography I have seen."

I was wrong. I should have known my cousins had an eye for photography when they took this picture with Nonee, our grandmother.

Yes. These are 4 of my cousins. And my 80 year old grandmother.

I love my family.

Anyways. I finally went to Food Gawker to see what they were talking about. I'm hooked. The site reminds me of that childhood card game where you matched the bowl of cherries to the bowl of cherries. The bananas to the bananas....

They showcase fun and random recipes, great photography by linking your blog to the. It takes on a community dining sort of a feel.  Such fun. Cousins even found a recipe  homepage for Margarita Cupcakes that was really tasty!

Thought I would share.

Holy Cow!

I have been blogging away and have completely forgotten to give credit where credit is due! 

I like to think I'm crafty, but when it comes to design and tech stuff, I'm a lost cause. Good thing I have dear friend LeighAnn Tufts to help me out! Besides being a Sonic Drink aficionado and a musical genius (I know your cringing Leegs), she is also the one behind this aesthetics of this blog!

She's got serious skills. Thanks LeighAnn!

4th of July

When I was little, my family would load up the suburban and head to Big Spring, Texas for the 4th of July. Not just to see my hilarious, mile a minute, always on the go Grandmother, but to be in the 4th of July Parade, of course.   This year was no different and, thankfully, it was not the Flora Kid showcase, but the Hargrove Kid showcase (our little cousins). With the help of the little boys and a trip to Walmart, my sister and I decorated the heck out of their golf cart. What a sight. You better believe that we won 1st Place in the 12 and under Motorized Vehicles section!

Texas, My Texas

Just back from 10 days in Texas. Thats right. 10 DAYS! Count em! My traveling was a little more involved than I would have liked. But what can you do? Makes things colorful, I suppose.

I would like to sum up my getting to and from Texas:

Cab ride. Subway Ride. Airtrain Ride. Wrong directions multiple times. Old woman in line for a Vegas flight with 2 glitter/sequenced canes and a massive hair piece. Birds flying through the terminal. A debit card that is locked, not from over-drafting, but from a Metro card machine that is spazzing out. Making friends with a Long Island girl as we trek to our gate via a parking garage. A creeper at the airport. Michael Jackson music and news reports blaring from every direction. Flight Delay. Oh the humanity. A piece of junk rolling suitcase with wheels that heat up from the slightest use. Traveling in a maxi dress. Fearing it getting ripped off by the escalator leaving me TOTALLY uh...ahem...vulnerable. The loudest terminal I've ever been in. Giant frizzy curly hair. Sharing a gate with Las Vegas passengers. A lady driving one of those airport carts, blowing a PE whistle. And a barking dog on my plane. Of course there would be a barking dog on my plane. 

All that to say I was much relieved to finally make it to Texas.

More to come on my adventures in the Big Spring 4th of July Parade...

Meet My Crew Monday: Meet Ivy

Also a veteran swimmer, but one who prefers to remain stealthy. Always adorably dressed in a ruffled bikini and swim skirt, she is quite comfortable in the pool setting. Because of her unusually small stature, she is able to run and jump off the diving board and plunge into the water, with a nearly undetectable splash. She also likes to casually make animals and knots out of the pool noodles floating in the pool. Recently, she was in the mood for a pencil jump off the diving board. A dive she hadn't done since sophomore year of college. A perfect 10! She surfaced with a perfect match and out of the pool she leisurely goes.

Big Girl Furniture

Mobile, AL native and college friend, Turner, has just bought a fantastic piece of furniture. Its a buffet/armoire/hutch kind of a piece. She's looking for different ways to fill the shelves of the piece. So I thought I would round up a few possibilities...

First, this BLOG is too cute. It's C-Flo's favorite. She has a whole entry devoted to "The Evolution of a Hutch".  It's adorable. And please note the precious black and white gingham and damask patterns on the back of the hutch. Great idea!

Pottery Barn always does this look well. Colorful dishes are adorable. Love the Robins Egg Blue and Celadon Green.

This is a 4 Door Bakery Cabinet from Bobo Intriguing Objects.  Thought it was a cute way to do monochromatic groupings of items.

A few more fillers:  baskets, mason jars filled with things, books, anything in multiples (lanterns, vintage clocks, piggy banks...), framed artwork, needlepoint or pictures....

Whoops! I missed Meet My Crew Monday!

My family spent this past weekend  in Big Spring, Texas . With all the laughing, eating and napping,  Monday seemed to get away from me! Oh yea. We didn't have internet either. 

So how about Meet My Crew Tuesday: Meet Jana

  With her sprightly curly hair and turquoise paisley bikini, Jana was always well liked at the pool. Early in Jana's ventures to the pool, she found herself quite smitten with the Head Pool Boy. He was the quiet strong type that new just how to corral the piercingly loud whistle out of her hand.  Once a frequent attendee of the Mile High Dive Club, Jana has now found her place under a giant umbrella with a Kiss-On-The-Lips in her hand.The Pool Monitor is also happy to report that after settling down with the Pool Boy, the pair built there very own pool right outside of town and have won the Kick-Board Challenge 6 months in a row!

Anyone else loving this movie trailer as much as I do?

Favorite Songs: Us by Regina Spektor and You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates.