Birds in our backyard

Last week, I took a trip to Lowe's with my friend and her sweet baby...and we spent a good while on what I like to call "the bird aisle."  Bird feeders, bird seed, bird houses...anything bird, they have it.

I've been buying the cheap $2.50 "bird bells" for a while now, and I decided that it was time to upgrade to a proper bird feeder.  That, and the cat-sized squirrels in our back yard keep making off with the bird bells, and dammit, I'm not paying to feed squirrels!

Since I am trying to attract as many cardinals to our yard as possible, I decided a cedar birdfeeder would be the best bet, so I bought one similar to that pictured below:

A random, but nice older man suggested that I try safflower seeds, as squirrels don't have an affinity for them AND cardinals and other sweet little birds love them. SCORE.
Since putting up the feeder, our backyard has become Bird Paradise.  Seriously!  I have seen more unfamiliar birds in the past 4 days than in the 6+ months we've been here.  Since my orinthology skills are a liiiittle rusty, I've been using http://www.birdsource.org/ to identify my birds.

So far, these are some of the birds of our backyard...

Cardinal (male and female)

Tufted titmouse

Eastern towhee

House finch

Blue jay

Redbellied woodpecker

Carolina chickadee

Mourning dove

Mockingbird



There are more species to showcase, but I'll save them for another day :)

let us rejoice and be glad in it

I have a tendency to be reactive instead of proactive, and often that means that the stresses of life get to me more than they should.  As I was sitting in my comfy chair, sipping my caramel macchiato, the thought came to me:  "This is the day that the Lord has made, so I better rejoice and be glad in it!" 

Here is the list of things for which I am glad...
- coffee, caramel macchiatos, and caffeine
- a functional washing machine (up until today, it had a bit of a "regurgitation issue")
- Turbo Tax
- warm weather
- daffodils and hyacinths
- my wacky feline child and her crazy antics
- new friends who are kindred spirits
- cedar birdfeeders and the flocks they attract
- weekends and time with my husband
- MY HUSBAND <3



oh, and how could I forget...FOOD :)  haha!

Happy sunshiny days, friends!

One month ago today...

...we became Mr. and Mrs.!
Happy one month of marriage, babe!

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all

"You know, I miss the old days when Facebook was just a means of catching up with friends, and not another platform for promoting your political and ethical views..."

I posted that sentiment on my FB wall the other day, after reading post after post asserting that all Christians hate gays, and that if you don't think Obama is the best president our nation has seen, then you're ignorant.

While I fully support the right to free speech, I have grown tired of the 'all or nothing', 'my way or the highway', 'if I talk about it enough, and shove my views down your throat repeatedly, then you'll adopt them, too' undertone of the social networking world.

As long as your sentiments play to the politically correct audience, few people dare to disagree with you in a public forum, for fear of being mislabeled and chastised as closed-minded, discriminatory, or anti-(insert appropriate acronym here).

I am tired of worrying that if I speak my mind, people will "defriend" me.  If you cannot accept the differences between your opinions and mine, then we shouldn't be friends in the first place.  After all, while I may disagree with your views, I will always respect your right to hold these views! 

The most important thing missing from social networks is RESPECT.  Where has the respect gone?  Did it disappear with the ease of a keystroke and the click of a 'submit' button?  Did it disappear with the accountability that comes with owning your words and their impact as you speak to someone face-to-face?

Generalizations affect many special-interest social groups, and they are quick to spew defensive rhetoric without noticing that they are committing the exact offense to which they have taken such offense.  STOP.  Hold yourself accountable for what you say, and for what you type.  Don't assume that religiously conservative or moderate individuals are condemning you to hell.  Don't assume that an attempt at intelligent dialogue and discussion is an attack on your personal views.

While I may only be one person, with one insignificant blog, I have made the decision to hold myself accountable for the things I post online, and to consider the impact of my words.  Can you do the same?

A Twenty-ten Recap

Wow, time for a new post, shall we?! One that doesn't have suicide in the first sentence? Yes, that would be nice. (Let's overlook the fact that the second sentence of *this* post contains *that* word ;) )

SO MANY GREAT THINGS have happened to me, for me, with me since my last post. I'm all about itemized lists these days, so without further ado...

1) Chip proposed! Yay!


















2) We (er, I) planned our wedding...more on that later. Suffice to say, weddings are a LABOR of LOVE. There is a reason why I'll only get married once.
























3) Chip and I GOT MARRIED! Hallelujah! :)

















4) In the middle of the wedding blitz, we moved from Georgia back to North Carolina. The good Lord knew what he was doing when he made me a sweet southern girl from Carolina. And not south Georgia. Our time in GA gave new meaning to James Taylor's Carolina In My Mind, as we constantly yearned for home and everything truly southern. We were blessed to have met some genuinely awesome people who will be our life-long best friends. So, GA wasn't a complete bust.



5) Chip was a first-time "go" through Ranger School. My man IS a Ranger. Who would have thought so much pride and heart would be exerted for such a tiny black and yellow tab? No joke, guys, that achievement is NO JOKE.



6) I am working out. EVERY DAY. (no picture, yet)

...Pause for you to catch your breath from surprise, or from laughing yourself silly....

Yes, friends, becoming a married woman has brought along countless benefits, including being married to a once-certified personal trainer. The fact that he can run 6 miles at a sustained 6 min/mile pace scares me a little, but he's a great workout buddy. While I lift my lil' ol' 20 pound weights, he's huffing and puffing and throwing 75'ers over his head, but makes me feel like I'm the buffest chick around. Awwww :)



7) I am starting my own business. SHHH. I'm not ready to publicize the details, but I'm really excited about what's in store ;) Hopefully, within the next month, everything will be legit, and you'll have more than enough fodder to peruse.



Great things happen every day, but that's the 2010 recap!
Happy 2011, and here's to refusing to remain stagnant this year :)

Lights will guide you home...

A friend of mine committed suicide about three weeks ago.

It's insane, and next to impossible, to try and imagine that he isn't around...isn't "out there" for me to ever randomly message, run into in our old college town, or just look up on FB to see what he's up to.

Ben and I were never super-close, but he was a wonderful friend to me during some of the most tumultuous years of my life, and I will never, EVER forget the lengths he went to support me and my family during my time at Wake Forest. He started out as my financial aid counselor, and quickly became not only my friend, but my father's friend, as well. Dad would call Ben to ask him a question regarding one of my scholarships or loans, and would end up talking with him for an hour...not about the original question, but just about life in general, Wake, and anything else that the two of them would tangent off into.

Dad thought the world of Ben, and so did many others. So did I.

He wasn't perfect - he was hilarious (sober and drunk), threatened to dutch-oven many-a-friend of mine, and could double-fist beers with the best of them. He welcomed people into his circle of friends so openly...I remember playing darts with Ben, Wes, Monu, Reggie, and Jess at West End Opera House, and the many nights of playing Kings and ending up with the beer box on my head!

I wasn't oblivious to Ben's depression, but he spoke of it in the past-tense, and I never thought to probe any further than that. He radiated love, silliness, and friendship. I truly believe he knew that he was loved...the way he looked at his girlfriend, and she at him, in their pictures posted on FB...that's love. His friends, near and far, loved him wholly.

While I tear up every time I think of Ben, I know that's the selfish side of me taking over. He's in heaven with our Almighty...and I can only imagine that Ben has God in stitches, with all his silly sayings and fantastic sense of humor. Really, what could be better than walking into the loving arms of your Creator and feeling nothing but love, peace, forgiveness, and wholeness? I know God didn't wish to see Ben in this way, or this soon, but I know He ran to meet Ben with open arms.

I have faith that many days from now, I, too, will run into the arms of my heavenly father, and over his shoulder, there I'll see Ben. 'Til then, friend :)


"Tears stream down your face
when you lose something you cannot replace
...Lights will guide you home..."

Baby, it's cold outside...but Spring is just around the corner!

I purchased a pot of hyacinth bulbs today at the grocery store. Instead of selecting a plant that was already in full bloom, I chose one that looks like the one pictured directly below. This way, I get to enjoy watching each flower unfold and bloom, and allow their vibrant aroma to slowly fill our house. Hyacinths are my FAVORITE flowers - next to roses out of Dad's garden - and I am always so excited and pleased to see them in early spring!

The plants in full-bloom will look like this:

____________________________________________

Spring colors are skipping their way into my wardrobe, as well as my house.
I just purchased the Madras Scarf in Rosamunde and Navy Cropped-Sleeve Cardigan...

You can find both these items at my place of business, your local Gap store, or at Gap.com