one incredible month, one very long post

So much has been going on in the past month, and I have had absolutely no opportunity to blog. Most of that can be attributed to the fact that Grant and I moved to a new house and were without internet for about two weeks. Now, in my last hour of fall break, I will attempt to catch you up through words and pictures, and I’m promising myself to get back on my regular blogging schedule of a couple posts a week.

Since the last post from Karen’s bachelorette party, a lot has happened in wedding world. I, along with Grace and Anna, threw Karen and Zack a lovely little wedding shower. I am so proud of the planning we did together and all that we got accomplished for what I feel was a very memorable event for K&Z and both their families. We got tons of help from other friends too, as we can always count on them to come through when we need them (especially for party’s sake). I think I cried more that night, over sentimental toasts and abundant feelings of friendship and love, than I did at the wedding!

I also want to share (or rather boast about) the super cool Tennessee cheese board (with a heart on Memphis) that Grant and I got for K&Z, mostly as a shout-out to the makers, AHeirloom on Etsy. I must also add that I found the idea on one of my favorite blogs, Happiness Is…, and knew instantly that it would be perfect for Memphis’ cutest couple. In fact, K&Z used the same motif on the mix CD covers handed out as “thank you” favors, designed (along with the invites) by my talented friends Hannah and Drew of Made by Good.

 

photo by Karen

 

 

photo by Karen

 

Karen’s and Zack’s wedding, which took place on 10-9-10 (also the 70th birthday of my hero, John Lennon), was just perfect! The entire day was one big fun fest, shopping and doing hair and makeup with Hannah and Tess, then hanging out with our boys Grant (who looked super handsome in his new suit), Drew, and John before we headed out for the Lichterman Nature Center. From the handmade decor, bluegrass band, Tennessee Lemonade, and delicious cake to the all-night dance party DJ’d by Kerry of I Love Memphis, it couldn’t have turned out any better. We all had a wonderful time, as this photo by wedding photographer, Melissa Sweazy, so beautifully conveys. I can’t wait to see more photos!

 

photo by Melissa Sweazy, via Thoroughly Modern Medusa

 

On the day after the wedding, I ran my first 5k! OK, this wasn’t a very serious race, but I am proud of myself anyhow. LUVMUD took place at Shelby Farms and included six obstacle courses, ending with a giant pool of mud that we had to crawl through. Everyone dressed up in costumes and participated individually or in teams. Although we didn’t make it in time for the costume contest, I’m quite sure that Anna and I would’ve had a shot at winning. We got loads of attention as everyone’s favorite princess-saving duo, Mario & Luigi, including a personal pep talk by the MC right before we began and other runners singing our “theme song” throughout the course! I loved every sweaty, panting moment of it!

 

Saving the Princess!

 

As I mentioned before, we moved to a new house, a home all to ourselves, where Maya has a HUGE backyard to play in. We are still settling in and have lots more to do, but we are really happy and enjoying every moment together..

 

Sunny, enjoying his new favorite spot among the moving chaos

 

I’m very slowly working on my master’s thesis, and now that the big wedding is over, I shouldn’t have anymore excuse to be lagging behind. Well, except that MY AUBURN TIGERS ARE UNDEFEATED and ranked #7 in the nation! Saturdays are blocked out for the next several weeks, but we’ll see if I can be productive the rest of the week.

Look for upcoming posts on fall festivities, newly found and tried recipes, and more photos of student artwork!

farewell to summer

It’s been a month since I last posted. I have no excuse really, being both super busy and super lazy, if that’s even possible. Oh well, no more time for lazy, for it’s back to work I go. Expect a future post on my new art classroom at Keystone Elementary, coming soon.

Even though summer is fading, there are autumnal happenings to look forward to: my 29th birthday, cooler weather (praise heaven!), football season, finishing up my master’s degree, and most exciting of all, the wedding festivities of my friends, Karen and Zack. Look for fun posts about the upcoming bachelorette camping excursion over Labor Day weekend and the top secret (sure to be lovely) co-ed shower we’re planning for the lovebirds!

Engagment photo of Karen and Zack, taken last Fall

LOST and gone, but not forever

Sunday was a long day full of mixed emotions and reluctant goodbyes. Grant and I had our usual LOSTies (minus Hannah) over for an all-day LOST fest. We had lots of themed foods to munch on, as well as Dharma beer and tropical cocktails. We re-watched favorite episodes and discussed our hopes and predictions for the finale. But was the finale everything we wanted it to be? I’d have to say no—and yes!

SPOILER ALERT!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FINALE!

In “The End”, we realized that the sideways reality wasn’t actually reality at all. It was a kind of limbo created by the consciousness of all the characters who had once been so important to each others’ lives. They met again in the afterlife in order to finally move on to the next “place”, perhaps we could call it heaven. As Christian Shephard puts it to Jack in the last scene, trying to understand it in physical terms of time and space is not possible. But everything that happened on the island (and off the island in an attempt to get back) was real and true destiny. It was the most important time of their lives. The way things were left on the island was my favorite part! Hurley is chosen to take care of the island and Ben becomes his right-hand man, while Jack dies in the same place where he first woke up to the island years (and seemingly lifetimes) before. It was quite the poetic ending, and beautifully done in my opinion. How sweet was Vincent as he lay next to Jack, making sure that he didn’t die alone? (Oh lord, tears are welling up as I type this!)

I’m sad to see the show end; that in itself is the only disappointment. Sure, the writers could have given us more, but how can we possibly expect concrete answers from a television show that has only given us abstract ideas from its start. And if you aren’t discussing your own interpretations of the end and everything leading up to it, I’m not sure why you were watching in the first place. It’s the depth of each character and the relationships between them that I will always remember, and I am happy that everyone was reunited, even if it was in death. For me, LOST is not gone forever because I have been infinitely impacted by the characters and story and because I share so many memories of watching and discussing with my favorite LOSTies. It also helps that I own every episode on DVD to rewatch whenever I like. And believe me—I will!

For more photos from our LOST party, visit my Facebook album.