baby brayden

i got to capture a sweet moment between gracie and baby brayden the other night. i like to think that gracie is telling him secrets and tips on life and laughter. gracie is nothing short of funny. she can make us laugh in a heartbeat. she is passionate...and passionate people have a not so funny side too. i think that is why i relate to this little toddler. we have our good moments and we have our bad moments: the good are really good, the bad really bad. she has a lot to learn but more importantly she has a lot to teach. she will teach baby brayden how to take full advantage of being the baby of the family. she will teach him how to get one more peice of candy from mimi. she will teach him how to dance. and poor brayden, she will probably teach him how to play dress-up.

just like gracie wanted her time with brayden, i did too. when you have been married for almost two years the #1 question asked and the #1 topic among other married friends is babies. we say we are not ready. we say we are scared to death. we say we are too selfish. we say we want more time with our husbands. we say it will be 5 more years. we say alot of stuff to ignore that stupid clock ticking in our heads and hearts. but when i get a precious one month old baby in my arms, that clock sounds like a siren. so here i am, confessing that no, i am still not ready...but if jesus said i was, i think i would have a fun little dance with gracie and baby brayden.

a day with our kel

i haven't laughed as much, smiled so sweet, talked till i lost my voice (literally) as i did saturday. the bride-to-be was as beautiful as ever, the groom-to-be was as precious as ever, and my friends, MY FRIENDS, were dearer than ever.

at the end of the day, the dresses might not have fit just right: a little baggy here, a little tight there, a special amount of cleavage on one, the sign of no cleavage on the other. but the girls...they fit perfect.

Las Meninas

I needed to write something fun today and for me art is fun. My favorite classes in college were my art history classes. I would have been an art history major if I new I wouldn't end up being a security guard at the local museum. In my very first art class at the good ole UGA I fell in love with art. Who knows why. Maybe because for the first time in my life I had fallen in love with something that wasn't human but it meant something. I felt smart and cultural. It was also the first time where I had no desire to skip class...and usually I could think of a million reasons for someone to skip class (it's a wonder I ever graduated!)

I will never forget the day this painting made its debute on the slides. I have no idea what made me admire it but it was instant love. It is from the Baroque period, which is my favorite, but this painting, this little girl, she is amazing. The whole painting is mysterious. You have no idea what is going on...what does it mean? who is the subject? what are the people doing? who are these people? It makes you wonder and it makes you keep asking for more.

I like mystery. I like to watch people. I like going to new places and seeing people interact. I love big cities because people have agendas and ipods. I love hiking and camping because those people have granola in their bags and cool dogs by their side. I love hollywood actors because they have the world at thier disposal yet most are still miserable and I wonder how can that be. I love the beach because all that is important is a good buffet song, a good shagging partner, and a good daquari. I love the mountains because of the adventure and fearless skiiers.

I hate personality tests because I hate being catogorized into one "type." I like thinking that I am a mystery...just like this painting. I like being the new yorker, the hiker, the skiier, the a-lister, the beach bum, and so many more. So today I am escaping to my favorite painting to once again wonder what makes this little girl to special?...and I will probably say, as always, I have no idea, she just is...it is a fun mystery.

Meet Henry...

Here is the little rascal that has stolen our hearts...yes, even Terry's. Today I am thankful that I finally have a puppy to make me smile!!! Thank you Terry for the best Christmas Present ever!

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

story people

i love story people. we met my summer on the vineyard and my love has only grown since then. they grace the walls of my kitchen and the homes of many of my friends. they are my "go-to" present. when nothing in this world seems good enough for someone, there is always a story to tell and a picture to be given. why do i love them so much? i think it is because in just a few short words i am provoked and challanged and contemplative. the stories make me think about the things i have done. they make me think about the people that i love and why i love them. this one in called Angel of Mercy. it makes me think of my great-uncle clarence. he is as close to me as any grandfather could be. for those of you who do not know, he is sick. but that does not define him. no. what defines him is his love for life. his life motto is..."never stop learning." somehow, magically, he ignites in your soul this desire to learn, to explore, to wake up and stop missing your life. he is my Angel of Mercy.

thank you clarence for constantly keeping me from missing my life. i love you.

Me, Haley (the bride), Shannon and Kelly

Originally uploaded by wlelliot.

my girls

i usually pick on one friend for a whole entry but today is different. you see, it's different because when it comes to the four of us, i can't talk about one without the other. our friendship is whole. our memories weave together. our laughs sing together. our phone calls follow one another. at times we go weeks without talking, but my heart hurts from the distance. these are the girls who refresh me. i need them. i need their fun. i need their honesty. i need their encouragement and wisdom. i need to hear them smile so that i know they are happy. i need to hear them cry so that i know they are growing. i need to hear them complain so that i know they are human. i need them because they are my girls.

my girls...haley, kelly, and shannon. we all pledged alpha delta pi at uga in the fall of '98. but i have to admit, pick any day our freshman year: bid day, initiaiton, saturday tailgating, thursday night downtown, sunday sleeping and studying...not on any one of these days did i know that these three girls would be the ones that make me smile until my cheeks hurt. at the end of our freshman year we quickly found out that we had to live together in the "pink room." now at the adpi house there are four 6-girl rooms and if you HAVE to live in a room with five other girls, you definitely don't want to be in the pink room. but there we were. and instantly, we learned the rules to live by: 1) don't talk to haley for 1 hour after she wakes up 2) if you can't find shannon call jacob, britt, blake or zack 3) kelly has allergies, never misses class, and is ALWAYS sweet 3) if you want to stop hearing whitney's alarm go off, you have to wake her up yourself 4) if you are missing your clothes, look in shannon's closet. if they are not there, call jacob, britt, blake or zack, they might know where to find them 5) kelly talks to mrs. gail everyday at 7 in the morning 6) haley and colin fight and make-up, fight and make-up 7) if you cannot find whitney, she's in birmingham 8) watching the golden girls occurs every afternoon and must be attended 9) dancing to n'sync occurs every night after the goldern girls 10) if someone is having a bad day, fred's sweet tea can cure anything!

eventhough we have gotten a little older, we still are the same girls with the same rules. a few weeks ago i got to see one of my girls tye the knot. the wedding was in athens, where it all began. when i go back to athens, it's always fun. but on that weekend, it was home. we were all there, together, and the only agenda was to stand up for haley and be with her on her day...but somehow it felt like my day. i haven't smiled that big, laughed that hard, or been more proud in my whole life. i was with my girls. i was home.