Sunday, June 3, 2012

Aging is so Distressing

I am a big fan of distressed furniture and have always wanted to get a hand in on the action. My parents have a table in their living room that was a perfect candidate for my first attempt.


This table was actually left in the lake house my Pop bought when my mom was in 6th grade, so we have no clue how old it actually is. It was barn red when my mom brought it home years ago. She painted it white and added the ivy embellishment, but it was time for another face lift.



We decided to use the white as the base color to show through in order to save a little time. If you are antiquing an unfinished peice of furniture, you would obviously need to choose a color for the base. Start by applying Vaseline to the areas you want distressed. Corners, doors, handles, knobs, and any areas that would naturally be touched or worn are good candidates. The Vaseline prevents the top coat of paint from sticking to the base coat and can be easily removed.


Next, paint the entire peice of furniture with a different color top coat (we used glossy almond by Valspar). Once the paint is dry, use steel wool to remove the Vaseline and reveal the base color underneath (the white in our case).


We used a dry brush technique for staining the piece. Keep the brush dry by dipping in the stain and wiping off on a cloth before applying to the furniture. Remove the stain from the furniture immediately with an old, dry rag. *I found it helped to let the stain sit for a few minutes before wiping it off*




It took us a few tries before we were satisfied with the amount of stain and "streakiness", but until you're comfortable with the process it's better to start lighter and work your way up. You can always add more, but it's real difficult to take it off!


It was super easy and I think it turned out great. I have a few more antiquing victims in mind... perhaps a dresser and a chiffarobe I found at a thrift store years ago.

Hope you are enjoying this glorious weather as much as I am. Mom and I have been walking every evening. Today will actually make 10 days in a row... doesn't that almost make it a habit? We've been having so much fun and actually extend our walks on Saturday mornings to stop by the new Panera Bread for breakfast. It's become a wonderful new tradition. [Shout-out to Mary Parrish  a) because I know you're reading, and b) because we love having you join us for Panera Saturdays!]

Until next time...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

To Knoxville We Will Go

I took a nice mini-vacation to Knoxville, TN last weekend. Not only was it refreshing to get away for a few days, I also spent some much needed quality time with two dear friends.

Laura and I have been planning for a while to visit Natalie and finally settled on a weekend. Neither of us realized at the time that it was mother's day weekend, but both of our sweet moms were completely understanding of our need to visit our old college roommate in her new city (I'll be celebrating with my mom Saturday and promise to make up for my absence on the actual day).

Natalie moved to Knoxville last fall and works at the Marriot downtown. I know she has been itching to share her new life with her friends, so I'm really thankful we were able to visit.

We got to Natalie's late Friday night and immediately felt like we were back in Auburn living together again. It's funny how no matter how much time passes between visits, it seems like we can pick up right where we left off. I guess that's what's special about having best friends.

We decided to make the most of our short visit and crammed in as much action as possible. Saturday morning we ate crepes at a cute little french restaurant in downtown Knoxville. We then walked around the farmers market in Market Square. The flowers were beautiful, the vegetables looked delicious, and the people-watching was out of this world. Needless to say it was wonderful.







We also visited the clothing stores and gift shops around market square. I may or may not have bought an owl shaped contact lense case on a whim. It's kitchy and fun and I NEEDED IT!

We drove to Pigeon Forge for lunch at the Pottery House Cafe and Grille where we enjoyed great food and much more fantastic people watching complete with a redneck bride and groom. I kid you not.



We spent our afternoon in Gatlinburg where we bought delicious Mountain Taffy and saw one of the werewolves from Twilight accompanied by his twin sister.



{disclaimer: not actually werewolf from twilight and i doubt that's really his sister...
but you get my drift}

On the way back to Natalie's we stopped by the Tanger Outlets and Laura RACKED UP in J Crew. Fancy pants had some graduation money to blow and blew it well she did.

We rested (and watched dance moms) for a bit before heading back to downtown Knoxville for dinner at the Downtown Brewery. We followed dinner with gelato from Coolato Gelato. I could eat a whole-lato this gelato.




We finished the night off college style packed onto the couch like sardines for a chick flick. True to form I fell asleep half way through, only to wake up super charged.

After church at Cedar Springs and Sunday lunch at Jason's Deli, it was time for our sad farewell.
I loved everything about this trip. The city is adorable with a great hometown feel and just enough character to set it apart from the rest. Of course spending quality time with two special ladies was just icing on the cake. 

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Bullet Points, Lists, and Pictures

So much has happened since I last posted. I decided it was more fun to enjoy life and the people around me, so the blog hit the back burner. But never fear, I have stored away my ramblings and am ready to share. I figure the most efficient way to approach this is with bullet points, lists, and pictures.

Ready. Set. Go.
  • Internship
I am loving every minute of my dietetic internship. I spent the end of February and most of March with the Alabama Department of Public Health in the Nutrition and Physical Activity Division. To say it was not what I expected would be a vast understatment. I thought I would be stuck in an office all day doing desk work and research. While I did my fair share of these tasks, I also went to the news station for a live broadcast, taught elementary school kids about wheat and grains, worked in the garden at Hampstead Farms, and met tons of wonderful people.
After leaving the state office, I started my food service management rotation. This was the part of the internship I was dreading the most. I knew from the start that I wasn't interested in a career in food service. Hospital, school, none of it. But we are required to complete 5 weeks in management, so I was determined to make the most of it. I'm happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised!

I did the hospital food service rotation at Baptist South in Montgomery and the school food service at Daniel Pratt Elementary in Prattville. The workers in both kitchens welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like I was instantly part of their work family.

{going away treat from my bakery friends at baptist south}

Monday morning I will be back at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika to begin the second part of the clinical rotations. 
  • Quality Time with Friends
Living in Georgia really made me miss my friends, but it also made me cherish the times I have with them. I am determined to soak up every possible moment with these lovely ladies.

1. Lauren

Between wedding festivites, church activities, spend the night parties, baseball games, dinner dates, and the Hunger Games, I think it's safe to say this chick and I have picked up right where we left off. I guess some things never change.

2. Laura
I'm so thankful for my friendship with this gal. Her words of encouragement are daily reminders of God's love. In the past few months we celebrated St. Patty's day Auburn style, watched movies in Montgomery with the Morrison clan, and went to the Ben Rector/Needtobreathe concert in Auburn. (don't worry... the concert gets it's own bullet point.) Next week we are making a trip up to Knoxville, TN to visit our Piggy (aka Natalie). Can't wait to have Taleeda Court circa 2008-2009 reunited! This smarty pants is also graduating tomorrow from Auburn AGAIN as a CPA!! Bonus points for bring Mallory all the way from New York.

3. Suzanne

So glad this girl met me for dinner in Montgomery on a random Tuesday night. Sad our weekend excursion to Eastchase fell through, but a raincheck is in the near future.
  • Easter
I love everything about Easter. Celebrating the ressurection of our Lord and Savior, the candy, spending time with family and friends, the candy, eating good food, going for walks in the country... did I mention THE CANDY??? I don't want to ever get too old for an Easter Basket.
{me and the brother}

We have a special Easter tradition. Each Easter the "kids" from my church take a group picture in the parking lot. Believe it or not, we have been doing this for 24 years! We have all grown up, most married with kids of their own, but we still come together every year for the Forest Park Kids Picture.

{flashback to Easter 1991}

{Easter 2012}

{me, ellen, and jenna - Easter 1989}

{me, ellen, and jenna - Easter 2012}

I hope this tradition never ends. For year 25 we are turning the cameras around for a parent picture. I smell a new tradition brewing...
  • Ben Rector and Needtobreathe
{brittany, laura, and me}
As promised the concert is getting its own bullet. I found Laura at the front of a never ending line at the Auburn Arena. Being the champ she is, she got in line at 4:45 for a 7:00 concert. Luckily, her dedication scored us these:
granting us floor access and front row action.

We were close enough to see sweat... literally.

{bo rinehard - needtobreathe}

We sang along with Ben Rector...

...jammed with Young the Giant...

...fell in love with Seth Bolt...
{bassist for needtobreathe}
...and hoped Needtobreathe would keep playing for all eternity.

It's safe to say a good time was had by all.

  • Weddings & Showers
Wedding season is in full force. Since February I have been to 3 weddings, 6 showers, and 1 bachelorette party.

For the first time in my life I helped to host a wedding shower. The bride was my sweet friend Ashley. We have been friends since 5th grade, were inseperable in high school, and were freshman year college roommates at Auburn.



I was honored when she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her April wedding. We spent the weekend in beautiful Rosemary Beach, FL. The ceremony was in a chapel in Santa Rosa and the reception was on the St. Augustine Green. In rained the whole day, but Ashley was the most beautiful bride.


I know she and Andrew will have the most wonderful life together.


I could not be happier for my sweet friend and her new husband.

I was equally as honored when my dear friend Jenna asked me to be a bridesmaid in her August wedding. When I say I have known this girl forever, I mean I think we were friends before we even knew what friends were. Most of my childhood memories include Jenna and I am so thankful that we have remained thick as thieves over the years.

While I have missed most of her showers due to other weddings and will miss her bachelorette party due to my internship, I was able to attend her Montgomery shower this morning. We had a great time visiting with old friends and celebrating the upcoming wedding of our sweet Jenna.


  • Brother
I can't believe my baby brother will be graduating high school one month from today. I am so proud of the man he is growing up to be, but need him to cool it on the getting old thing. I'm just not ready for this going off to college mess. Am I even old enough for college yet???


I feel so blessed to be back in Montgomery for his senior year activities.

I was able to go to most of his baseball games this season...


...and obviously utilized the opportunity for socializing.

{erin, lauren, me, mary parrish}

I was able to hear him lead worship at the FCA banquet. Kid has a gift.

He was also nominated for the Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Award. This is an award for high school seniors in Montgomery who show christian leadership in athletics. He was honored to be nominated and we were very proud.

{the morrison family at the hitchcock award banquet}

  • Dance Your Shoes Off/Rise Up 2012
Our church, Heritage Baptist in Montgomery, did a flash mob in April. Over 300 people including church members and others from the community did a choreoraphed dance and literally danced our shoes off. The new shoes were donated to various organizations in Montgomery as well as international charities.  (the original idea was from second baptist church in houston.)

{the morrison family}

{trailer full of donated shoes}


Young and old, big and small, short and tall, gathered together to share God's love in one of the most creative ways I've seen in a while.

Here's a link to the video of the event. Get ready to want to dance your shoes off, too. http://vimeo.com/41436498

Well, that ended up being way wordier than I anticipated. But this girl had alot to say. Hope you had a wonderful Cinco de Mayo. We celebrated by making these grilled chicken and pineapple quesadillas from Pioneer Woman. Not really mexican, but they were delicious!

Until next time...

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Spring Forward

We lose an hour of sleep tonight, which means it's way past my bedtime. But here I am regardless.

I started the day off right with a nice long walk around the neighborhood with mom. I have so enjoyed getting to walk with her and talk and laugh and carry on. I forgot how much fun we have... it will be hard to leave again in a few months. But for now I am enjoying every minute I have back home with the family.

We spent the majority of the afternoon at Riverwalk Stadium in downtown Montgomery watching the brother play baseball. I've missed so many of his games over the past few years and it has been such a blessing to be back in town for his senior year. Baseball has been a huge part of our lives for so long, I'm not sure what we're going to do without it next year. Mom says she's going to have to find someone else to cheer for. I think we'll manage.

I am reminded today of the calm that comes after the storm. Yesterday was a nasty, dreary day that turned into a bone-chilling cold evening. But today was one of the most beautiful days I've seen in a long time. Hard times and struggle are inevitable, but better days are sure to come. I praise God for his gentle reminders.

I leave you now with what is sure to end your evening right...


{Moon River- The Honey Trees}

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Change of Plans

Is it really almost March??
I'm not sure where the time is going, but reflecting on the past few weeks makes my head spin. My life has taken off and if I'm not careful, I may get left in the dust.

Last week was the end of the first part of the clinical rotation for my internship (did you follow that???). I am loving every minute of my experience and am learning more than I ever could have imagined. I spent the last 6 weeks working in the hospitals and outpatient clinics, but tomorrow begins a completely different journey. I will be working for the next 4 weeks at the Alabama Dept of Public Health and am so excited to see what new experiences await me.

Before I started my intership, I was under the impression that I had done enough growing up for a while. I had lived on my own for a year and was confident in where my life was headed. I was actually relieved to be coming back home and thought I would be able to put being a grown-up on hold for a while.

Boy was I wrong...

God had bigger plans for me and is not done molding me into the woman he wants me to be. I thought I had everything figured out and had become comfortable with the way my life was turning out. I knew there were things that needed improvement, but I convinced myself that God wouldn't mind if I got to those things later. What I got was a wake-up call. Not the sweet sunlight through the windows, gentle shake of your arm type of wake-up call. It was the screeching alarm clock, cold water in your face type.

I have struggled with understanding why my life has been turned up-side down. I am a good person. I am kind and have alot of love to give. I love my God and strive to live in the center of his will. Why could he not give me the one thing I want most from this earthly life?

The answer came through His word.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4-6

But if we hope for what we do not have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:25

The Lord will fight for you and you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

I may not be able to see how my life will turn out, but I find rest in knowing that God has my best interest at heart. My God is bigger and greater and more powerful than any earthly desire. Deuteronomy 15:6 tells me my God will bless me just as He promised. Who am I to question Him?

I am humbled by his grace and find peace in his word. I can feel myself becoming stronger with each passing day and know that it is not of my own doing. He is putting me back together one piece at a time. 

Friday, January 20, 2012

Greetings from Iowa!


That was the title I planned on using to post while I was in Iowa last week. Unfortunately the apartment I stayed in didn't have WiFi, so the blog was put on hold.
I'm actually in Auburn for the week and just completed my first week of rotations at East Alabama Medical Center. I am loving every minute of it and learning more than I could have ever imagined.

But there will be plenty of time to update about the internship. This post is all about my trip to Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Let's rewind to January 8.

Dad and I headed to the Atlanta airport at 5:30am Sunday morning. I was a bit nervous about traveling alone for the first time, so I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to make my 10:30am flight. I made it through security without issue and promptly found my gate. I was proud, confident, and ready to soar the sky.
Unfortunately Delta had other plans.

The flight was delayed until 11:10am due to "aircraft maintenance." No big deal. A 40 minute delay would still have me in Minneapolis in plenty of time to make my connection. We boarded the plane and got ready for take-off. Now I know that my flying experience is rather limited, but when the lights started dimming and pulsing and making strange noises, even I knew something was wrong. After a few minutes of nervous anticipation, the pilot informed us that the internal computer on the plane had crashed and they were working to fix the problem. After sitting on the ground for close to an hour, they informed us that the plane was not cleared for take off. Since this was Plan B, they weren't sure what Plan C would be. Possible flight cancellation? Grrrrrreat.
I was fortunate enough to be sitting by a precious couple from North Dakota. The wife took me under her wing and told me that if her daughter were traveling alone, she would want someone to look after her too. God definitely had a hand in that seat assignment.

Plan C ended up coming through and we finally left Atlanta at 1:30pm and landed in Minneapolis at 3:00pm... just in time for me to miss 2 connections to Des Moines, Iowa. I spent the next 4 hours in the Minneapolis airport reading The Hunger Games and eating a hamburger and fries. (Yes, I know. The irony is not lost.)
My flight left Minneapolis at 7:15 and I FINALLY arrived in Des Moines at 8:30pm. I took at shuttle to the campus in Ames, got checked in to my apartment, and settled in around 11:30pm. Even though the day was exhausting and much longer than anticipated, I was thankful to be in my temporary home and ready to begin my adventure.

The rest of the week went much smoother. We started every morning around 8:00am and ended around 8:00pm. The days were jam-packed with internship information, review sessions, guest speakers, and homework.
We were told the weather for the week was supposed to be mild and dry, meaning 40 degrees and no rain, snow, or ice. Monday and Tuesday were sunny, beautiful, and down-right pleasant. I had avoided the frigid cold of the mid-west in winter.

Or so I thought.
When we left class Wednesday, we were greeted by this waiting for us outside.



I was surprised by the difference in Iowa snow and Alabama snow. I thought all snow was heavy and wet and I was dreading the cold that comes after having your clothes and hair soaked to the bone by melting snow. But the snow in Iowa is dry and light enough to make what could only be described as "snow-tornadoes" in the parking lot. It was quite interesting.
The snow was the fun part. What's not so fun is the 12 degree temps with -6 wind chill. Holy cow... I thought I would never thaw out.

The rest of the week was snowy and cold and made me truly miss the south.
But the weather was just par for the course and I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. I met a ton of fantastic ladies and even a few guys. (Out of 54 people in attendance, 5 were male!) I feel like I spent at least a month with these new friends, rather than just a week! I am so thankful to have made these friendships and hope we can all stay in touch.

{My community of practice: the Mocha group!}


I flew back into Atlanta Sunday, January 15 and was greeted by my dad's smiling face. It was confirmation that I was almost done with this part of my adventure.
Dad drove me to Auburn where we met my mom at Lee's house. She brought my car and my luggage for week 2 and took me to Walmart for groceries.
The last few weeks have seriously been a blur and I know July will be here before I know it. This program is accelerated and requires 50 hours of supervised practice every week. But I can do anything for 6 months and cannot wait to be able to say I am a registered dietitian.
This blog has been long enough (Lee just asked if I was writing a book), so I'll update about my rotations later.
I'm off to eat dinner with friends and spend some time getting some much needed R&R.
Until next time...

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Home for Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve!

I have been thoroughly enjoying Christmas break at home in Montgomery. My break started earlier than expected on Thursday when we were surprised with a half-day of work. Merry Christmas to us! I have been busy with getting things ready to move back next weekend, finishing up some last minute shopping, and spending time with family and friends I have missed so much.

Two of the roomies came to Montgomery to visit yesterday. Mallory is home from New York and was visiting family in Montgomery, so Laura decided to join us for some much needed quality time. We had a blast catching up, eating my mom's homemade pound cake (yumm!), and drinking hot chocolate.


Laura even surprised me with what is quite possibly the coolest gift she will ever give me.


Add a hot beverage...
...and you get a coffee mug any Harry Potter fan would approve of.

She knows me so well. I'm so fortunate to have friends who share my crazy obsession healthy love for all things Harry Potter.


{laura, nat, and me at the mid-night showing of deathly hallows part 1}

I am excited about spending the next few days celebrating with the people I love. The family and I will be heading to the Christmas Eve service at church in a few hours and will come home for our annual french toast breakfast-for-dinner. Maybe we will even watch a little Christmas Vacation or Elf to get us in the Christmas spirit. The Griswolds and Buddy the Elf have a way doing that.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!