What I Love about July 2013

So here it is July.  Exactly one half of 2013 is now in the books.  So what's happening this July ...

1.  Well, the 4th of course this Thursday.   I love the 4th of July!  For us, it usually looks like good food, a boat ride and fireworks.  This year may be an exception in that it's supposed to storm and rain which definitely would put a damper on our celebration.  We'll be praying for sunshine!  Last Sunday was our annual Patriotic Celebration at church which may be my favorite service of the whole year.  Brings tears to my eyes every time.

2.  On Saturday, the 13th we'll be assisting one beautiful bride to make her Big Day wonderful!  She and her mom have just been the sweetest to work with and E and I can hardly wait to be there to see her become a Mrs.     Speaking of weddings, we are already booking in 2014.  We've got some brides who are serious about not waiting to the last minute.   I totally love that. 

3.  On the 14th, D and I will bust out of town for a few days of vacation.  I can. not. wait.  I'm going to relax and enjoy every minute of it.  Thank you Lord for an opportunity to recharge and renew with my husband. 

4.  July is actually a time for me to slow the pace a little bit.  We've got a busy fall coming up and I need this time to organize and get things in order.  So what I love is a little bit of down time.

5.  The very end of the month I'm headed out of town for a little beach trip with the girls to St. Simons.  It will mean lots of laughing, shopping, eating and fabulous girl time.  I can hardly wait.

6.  I continue to have decorating projects going at the house.  We recently took back the teenage boy bonus room and reclaimed it for a tv/movie room.  While it's not quite finished, it's looking pretty good as a space to relax and hang out ... grown up style.  I'm also creating, or actually re-creating myself a home office space.  I bought a new desk and had a little bookcase painted a killer color. I'll try to post a few photos.   I'm hosting a shower at my house in August and you know how that goes, it forces you to do things you've been putting off for months.  So my honey-do list is a mile long. 

So even though this month seems sparse with traditional significant events, I am keeping busy with planning weddings, presenting a radio segment and managing a cooking blog.  I plan to do some reading, cleaning of closets and hanging out with the family.  Some of my favorite things (well, all except the closets!). 

Happy July! 

What I love about April 2013

Just for the record, I’ve tried to post on this blog several times to only be bumped off and deleted.  I’m trying another approach.  We’ll see how it works out. 

So it’s April of 2013.  Can you believe it’s April?  Not sure what happened to the first three months but they are history. So it’s Spring and yay for that. Amen?   Let’s talk a little about April and yes it’s already the 8^th.  But so much has happened.  There’s a lot to love about April 2013.

1.        Our fur baby turned ONE year old on April 3^rd!  Unfortunately because of some other circumstances, there was no big birthday party but she got lots of love and treats but well,  that happens pretty much every day.  I’m not sure I’ve mentioned her before but her name is Kirkley.   She’s a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and honestly, she is the best dog in the entire world.  She’s sweet, she’s loving, she’s smart and she has brought these two empty nesters so much joy. 

2.       The first week of April was jam packed with meeting with our brides.  We have two weddings this month with several others coming up.  So much fun to plan weddings with friends!  I love my job so much.

3.       Last Friday was one of the best girlfriend days I’ve had in a long time.  We left Gainesville mid-day and headed towards the mountains.  We stopped first in Highlands for lunch and some shopping.  It was simply delightful.  The company with my friend J was the best part but the second best thing was definitely what started that evening about 7:30 when Vince Gill took the stage at the Smokey Mountain Performing Art Center in Franklin, NC.  When he called it an evening it seemed like he had just started.  This is the third time I’ve seen Vince; once with Amy for their Christmas show; second for his bluegrass show and then this one, a kind of greatest country hits show.  The man has the smoothest voice and is an excellent musician.  Okay, enough about Vince.  It was a great day.

4.       Which brings us to yesterday … I enjoyed my Christmas gift from E and N and it was fabulous.  The plan was for E and I to go to brunch then to see Mary Poppins at the Fox.  Unfortunately, my girl has been feeling poorly because of some gallbladder issues and she just didn’t feel up to it. I just feel so bad that she feels so bad.  You know how mommas hate when their children feel yucky no matter their age.  So my man stepped up and stepped in and sat among the big and little girls to watch Bert and Mary “step in time” among other fabulous numbers.  Oh how I love this show.  As you know, I’m a lifelong lover of Mary and I’m super thankful to E and N for a wonderful afternoon.  I missed you like crazy, E!

5.       So this week is jam packed with all kinds of good things – cooking, lunch dates with friends, meetings with brides, supper with another friend, radio shows – and then the weekend.  Oh the weekend.  On Saturday, D and I will head down to the house of the Dawgs, Sanford Stadium to see a concert that we’ve been looking forward to for months.  Luke Bryan – check;  Jason Aldean – check; Jake Owen – check.  Yes, we’ll get our country on. 

6.       Then on the 16^th we’ll head to Washington D.C. for a few days.  We are honored  to have an opportunity to discuss some important grocery industry issues with Georgia legislators.  We’ll also do some sightseeing in this city rich with history and culture.

7.       On Sunday the 21^st I’ll have the privilege along with some other friends, to honor the daughter of a precious friend who will be marrying the man of her dreams in June.    I have known this sweet girl since the day she was born and I could not be more thrilled for her. 

8.       On the 27^th, E and I will do something we have never done before and that is work two weddings on the same day.  It’s a long story how this came about but I really hope we don’t have to do this again.  We want to do all of our weddings together and take great comfort in having the other one on site.  We are looking forward to both of these weddings.  One is another precious friend’s daughter and we have loved the time spent with them. 

9.       If I recover and can get out of bed the next morning, I’m gonna head to the beach.  Last year D and I bid on a beach condo at a fundraiser for a local non-profit and we are ready to pack up  and get our toes in the sand.  Oh… thank goodness! And that’s the way April will end for me. 

10.   One last thing… my heart and mind are on a dear friend of mine who will be undergoing some major surgery this afternoon.  God is the God Almighty -  El Shadday;  El Roi – the God who Sees Me; Jehovah Tsuri – our Rock; and Jehovah Rapha – the God  who heals!!! Praise Him!

What I Love about October 2012

Yes, I know.  The title should read what I have loved about October 2012.  This month has been a whirlwind of fun things and I have loved every minute of it.  What is not to love about October?  The weather is amazing.  The beauty surrounding us, again amazing.  Between football, fall festivals and the food that goes with all of that, oh, I love it.  To me the change of seasons is something much bigger than all of that, though.  It reminds me of the verse in Ecclesiastes that says: "There is a time for everything,  and a season for every activity under heaven"  While I'm not sure that God was speaking about the seasons of nature in this particular verse, He certainly creates all seasons: whether it be fall, winter, spring or summer; or whether it be seasons of life. Don't we know it.  There are seasons of life that are so wonderful you can hardly stand it and then there are season that well, just stink.  Like big time.  Seasons that you want to say, okay, let's move on; let's have a change of scenery.  But God is faithful and with His love, grace, comfort and peace, we can get through it, onto a new season.  The season may be new but that God who created it is not.  God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.   No matter the season.

Alrightly then.  What I've loved...
1. On October 2nd, D and I took a little trip to The Big Easy.  Can I just tell you that the food was the best part of this trip?  D was in meetings for a good bit of the time we were there but we did find time to take a city tour, go to the City Market (which included beignets, have mercy) and visit the World War II Museum there, which is fabulous by the way. I would highly recommend all of these if you're down that way.
2.  Then the next week on the 9th, E and I took Mimi on a little trip up to Franklin, NC.  Boy oh boy, did she enjoy that.  We had tickets to see "Smoke on the Mountain" at the Smokey Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.  This is the first time I'd been there and let me just say, I'll be going back.  It is a beautiful venue.  On the way up we stopped at "Goats on the Roof" and had ice cream and then on the way back we did a little shopping at the Outlet Mall. The perfect little road trip by any standards. 
3.  On October 10th, G had a birthday - his 23rd!  I didn't get to see him on his birthday which I could hardly stand.  He made a quick trip to Gainesville that day but I didn't know he was coming so I was in the mountains with E and Mimi.  D had lunch with him which totally made his day.  But my wait was not long.  We were headed on that Friday to spend some time with him in Savannah.  We took our birthday party on the road complete with both grandmothers and birthday cake!  We ate seafood, shopped, took a riverboat cruise and just thoroughly enjoyed being together.  Happy Birthday, G!  You are one amazing young man.  I am beyond blessed and honored to be your mom.
4.  Every Monday of this month has found some of my best girlfriends in my living room digging deep into the book of Deuteronomy.  Side note:  studying this book has forced me to learn how to spell it.  (Maybe I should study Habakkuk next because I sure don't know how to spell that one) We are doing Beth Moore's study entitled "Law of Love."  I continue to be fascinated by the Old Testament. I'm not sure what I expected from Deuteronomy but the words of old Moses sure have blown me away.
5.   Last weekend we went to the farm and what a wonderful place of retreat it was.    D, Kirkley and I loaded up in the truck and away we went.  Honestly, I could have just stayed there.  The air was crisp and cool; the sky was big and bright; and the peace and quiet was like heaven to us.  What a wonderful place.
6.  As I'm sitting here, we have just returned from Jacksonville where we took a little vacation.  Oh yea, the Dawgs played while we were there.  And so did Zac Brown.  And the very best part of the whole weekend?  My little family of five was together to enjoy these events! We absolutely had the time of our lives - it was awesome!  D and I just kept saying to each other how thankful we were to have this time with the kids. What a blessing it was to be together!  

A few random loves about October...
7.  Fall clothes - you get to wear them in October!  Because finally in Georgia the weather decides not to be 110 degrees in the shade with 150% humidity.  (I've never been one for exaggeration).  But honestly, yay for scarves, sweaters and boots!  I sure have been missing you guys.
8.  Fall food - apples, that means you.  I've made apple cake, apple butter and apple sauce.  The absolute easiest and most delicious thing you can make is apple sauce. It beats the kind in the jar hands down. Want the recipe?  Okay stay with me here: peel, core and slice the apples; toss them in a little sugar then put them in your slow cooker for 7-8 hours.  And there you have it - applesauce perfection.

Okay, we'll that's it for today.  For some unknown reason my computer has frozen up twice while I've been typing this so I'm typing like a mad woman because it happens again.  Enjoy the three days left in October!  Can you believe it?  57 days until Christmas!

The Nights the Lights Went Out in Georgia

Most of you that know me well, know that my favorite movie of all time is "Steel Magnolias."  Now, I could rattle off quotes from this movie but I'll share my all-time favorite one from Clairee;    "The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."   Amen, sister! 

So what brings this up?  D and I were having one of those late night conversations when neither of us could sleep so you end up talking about just the most random things.  Well, the topic of movies came up which led into southern movies and television shows.   I was telling him how one of my favorite television moments came from one of my favorite television shows, "Designing Women."  This particular scene was Julia defending Suzanne to the current Miss Georgia World, Marjorie.  Oh, I can't tell you how much I love this. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz_ZpoYBzaw


So now you know. 

The Birthday Excitement

So today I have officially been around the world because tomorrow is my husband's birthday.  Let me explain.  Today I had 16 things to do/stops to make on my list.  And they all had to be done in a specific order which for some reason makes it more stressful to me.  However, I must admit I did find time to go to Old Navy and get not one, but two, of those great cotton shirts they have (one grey and one polka dot) which are perfect for fall in Georgia.  And to make a great cotton shirt even better, I went to my friend's gift shop where she does monogramming and dropped them off for a little customization of the pocket on one and the sleeve on the other.  Yes, I am a Southern girl; we don't buy it unless we can monogram it.  I'll share photos when I get them back.  Well, I think I will share photos because that was one of my stops, to get a new camera. My camera during our vacation in July suffered an unfortunate drop which caused it to render itself useless.  I'm not  sure how to work this new camera but must figure it out before tomorrow.  Because, and I'm finally almost getting to the point of all this, we are celebrating D's birthday tomorrow with what I am calling his "Sports Extravaganza." 

The man loves all kinds of sports so this pretty much is his dream birthday.  First, he is playing in a charity golf tournament tomorrow (I'm going too as an assistant, not a player); then Friday morning we are going to the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton for a NASCAR experience (yes, meaning he will get in an actual race car and loop around the track for about 30 minutes going heaven knows how fast).  This was his birthday gift from last year.  There were scheduling challenges.  Then Friday night we are headed to the Braves game.  E and N are meeting us there.  This is pretty special because this is the big night for honoring Chipper Jones.  If you're a Braves fan at all, you probably are a Chipper fan.  Then on Saturday, we're headed to Athens for the beloved Bulldogs game. Oh yes we are.  My husband is pretty much over the moon with excitement. 

Tonight is his birthday dinner. On the menu:  meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas (so we can make bird's nests), green beans (from the garden), cream corn (from the garden), watermelon and biscuits.  For dessert?  I cheated and stopped at Peggy Trueloves for cupcakes.  D said he didn't want a big cake so cupcakes it is.

Oh and I also sneaked a little shopping for a decorating project I've got going.  I'll have to post pictures of that too.  I better get in there and figure out how to use the camera. 

The "Apple" of my Eye

Well, you know how you have to fight some days to keep perspective?  That whole don't sweat the small stuff jazz?  Well, honestly, as I've gotten older I really don't sweat the little things like I used to in my younger days.  You just realize the older you get that some things just aren't as important as they used to be.  However ... one thing that I "sweat" over is my cell phone.  Okay, my name is Crevolyn Wiley and I am addicted to my cell phone.  I'm sure that there is a 12-Step program for me somewhere.   After all, the first step is to admit. 

But this morning I'm almost in a little tiz just because: 1.  I'm switching cell service providers; 2.  I am perfectly happy with this provider which means my comfort zone and I are totally content together;  3. My husband insists that going on another plan will save us some money (but isn't my peace of mind worth something?); 4. I will be without my cell phone all day. Yes, I said all day.  Apparently, according to my husband I'm supposed to back up my phone on my computer.  Who knew?  I honestly thought when Apple came out with iCloud that it was supposed to take that annoying little step away so I just stopped backing up my phone.  I mean really, this phone can do everything else, can't it back it's own self up?   I have better things to do.  All this ranting to say... my phone and computer have to go to the IT department at the store for the day.  The.entire.day.  What in heaven's name takes so long?    So I'll spend the whole day wondering who is calling, texting and emailing me and who is posting great things on Facebook and Instragram; all the while, attempting to pick it up to look up some random fact.  Oh, the craziness of it all. 

Or maybe I'll enjoy the peace and quiet.  Maybe I'll listen and look for other things of much greater importance.  Maybe instead of looking at my phone at the stop light, I'll notice the sky and beauty around me.  Maybe I'll enjoy a conversation with an actual person instead of burying my head in my phone.  Maybe I'll look my husband in the eye when he's talking to me after supper instead of obsessing over Pinterest.    Maybe I'll hear God speaking instead of being so preoccupied with the buzz of electronics.  

Maybe I'll let them keep it another day. 

It's a Brand New Day

Does anyone else besides me wake up on Monday mornings with a fresh perspective on life?  This morning has been so therapeutic for me.  For one thing, it is absolutely beautiful outside.  This is my kind of weather!  Yay - for fall!  When I took Kirkley out this morning and breathed in the fresh cool air, I could feel my spirits lift.  That's when my fresh perspective emerged.  I felt energized and renewed!

And boy howdy, did I need it!  Let me just tell you the past few months and weeks have been a whirlwind, especially the past three weeks.  E and I have been blessed to be a part of three wonderful weddings this month.  All three have been outdoor weddings and God has certainly smiled upon us with weather that has been nothing short of incredible.  Can I just tell you that there is a certain stress level that accompanies an outdoor wedding?  Oh yes there is.  But these three have gone off without a hitch!  Weather - amazing!  Sweet families - definitely!  So, what more can you ask for?  We have just had the best time.  My heart soared this morning when E and I received a text from our  last Saturday's bride who from her honeymoon wrote:  "Thank you so much for everything!  My wedding was absolutely perfect. Love you both!"   Literally, brought tears to my eyes.  And that my friends, is why we do what we do.  That makes all the hard work and high stress level totally worth it.

We have a breather of sorts the next couple of months as far as actual events; however, the planning continues for December weddings and several already in the works for next year.  Thank you, Lord for work that we adore!

So . . . all of that to say that this morning I am overwhelmed with thankfulness.  Thankful to God who continues to show His love for me; thankful for my husband and the spiritual leader he continues to be for me and our family; for my family who are the most incredible group of  people I know that bring joy unending to this girl; for a job that I absolutely love; and for fall weather!!  Okay and on the totally superficial side ... for college football (i.e. Dawgs 4-0) and Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte.  I truly believe we need to thank God for all of his good gifts!  :)

So, friends, "this is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!"   Every minute, every hour and every day is a gift.  Open it and make the most of it!