Hoooneymoon: Part Un

So, I been wanting to share our honeymoon trip with y'all for awhile.

It was the honeymoon of a lifetime!

Good thing because I only plan on taking one

We got married during hurricane season, so instead of going the Caribbean route we chose Europe!

Paris

Sorrento

and 

Rome

3 cities 

10 days

4 flights

2 trains

2 very much in love Georgians 

Our first stop was Paris!

The Louvre - 3rd day in Paris 

We flew all night and arrived in Paris at 6 am

I was waaaay too excited to sleep on the plane, so when we arrived I was good for another 3 hours then I was pooped

We ate a breakfast of coffee and the first of many croissants 

Good Grief, I love bread

The face of jetlag!

and very little makeup 

We headed down the streets of Paris back to our lovely boutique hotel

The Hotel Luxenbourg Parc

jetlag face again

the hotel was perfection

I would totally recommend it to anyone traveling to Paris

they were so accommodating

our room was fabulous

very French chic

it also had a fabulous view

and a 

waitforit

marble

drool - one day, one day - you will be mine marble bathroom

bathroom

a bathroom with a view

sadly, our check-in time was not for another 2 hours

*my pictures are a little out of order*

so we ventured next door to the

Jardin du Luxmbourg

which is the second largest public park in Paris

its beautiful

and so well maintained

ok, please excuse the hat

it was for our beach trip (second half of the honeymoon) - I couldn't pack it so I was forced to carry it around/wear it till we could check in, much to T's dismay

I obviously didn't care

I WAS IN PARIS!

I told you this place is gorgeous

so many people were up jogging at 6 am

which is, I guess, 

why French women don't get fat

So, we hung out in the park for awhile

T caught up on his Rick Steves guidebook reading

which I highly recommend purchasing for any trip to Europe - this man knows his stuff

meanwhile, I was taking a thousand pictures

and learned how to use my self-timer

Well, thats a tiny bit of the first day in Paris

Can't wait to show you more!

Much love everyone!!!

Music to my Ears

I'm not one of those people who lives and dies for music

I like pretty much a little bit of everything

within reason

a little bit of country, classical, oldies, christian, pop, and yes, even some outkast

Actually, I looove some Outkast

Anyway,

all that being said

I have 3 bands I must see in concert before I depart this Earth

They include...

1.

The ultra fabulous

Elton John

My mother and I love him, and its my mission in life to get us tickets to a show

My cousin's friend was his assistant way back when, and my cousin told us that when her friend had a baby, fabulous Elton send her a room full of flowers and goodies to the hospital

Thats the type of employer I want

via

Gosh, I just love him

I saw an impersonator at Myrtle Beach one time and I might have been the most excited person in the audience

2.

The Allman Brothers

Not only are they from Georgia, they are my favorite band to listen to on a long road trip

Nothing better than cruising down the road, sun roof open, listening to Ramblin' Man

When I first got a CD player, but had no CDs to play

I rummaged through my parents collection and I found The Allman Brothers

I still have that CD - sadly, its super scratched

Love so many of their songs

Melissa, Southbond, Come and Go Blues, Blue Sky

3.

Ok, hold on to your cowboy hat

GEORGE STRAIT

How amazing is he?

True country

The plaid button-down shirt, the hat, the starched Wranglers

Perfection.

Pure Country may or may not be in my Top 10 favorite movies

Run is my favorite song

Ahh, swoon.

So, who is your favorite artist

or song

I haven't updated my pod in a year, so I need some new tunes

Happy (random) Monday!

xx.

Closet LOVE

What I wouldn't give for this to be my closet

I'm

in 

LOVE

Apparently, this is the closet of Meg Braff, who might be my new favorite designer.

And, anyone who has a closet this awesome, I want to be friends with

So, maybe when I win the lottery, I'll have her decorate my house and my closet

via

Happy Friday, Chickens!

PS.
So sad to hear about Elizabeth Taylor
All of you who have little girls, make sure you rent National Velvet 
It is one of my favorite movies
a classic,
just like its star

via

PSS.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my DAD!

LOVE YOU!!!

Farm Life

I grew up on a farm

a real one

An actual working cattle and hay farm

And this is my grandparent's house

I lived across the road

which meant anytime I felt like being spoiled I walked across the road

I have so many memories of walking across the road 

to visit my grandfather in his shop, watch my grandmother work in the kitchen, or just to play

I played a lot

and I worked in the barns...a lot

at the time, it felt like I worked as much as I played, but I'm certain this wasn't really the case

It really didn't feel like work most of the time either

I loved to be around the animals and listen to the radio while I cleaned stalls or talked with my Dad

My grandmother was such a great cook, her fried chicken could knock your socks off

My brother and I would get dropped off after school at her house and we would have a "snack"

we would have a peanut butter and jelly or ham sandwich with pringles and a milkshake

while we sat and watched Ghostwriter, the Magic School Bus, or Flintstones

after that

it was time to explore and we were on our own

We hung out in the woods or played with the dogs 

mostly we just entertained each other

It was wonderful

T and I went up to my grandparents house this weekend

we now live down the road instead of across the road

 I got to show him so much of where and how I grew up

These two were really taken with one another

Can you tell?!?

Coming in to see what all the commotion was about

The "Dad"

The bravest one of them all

Protective Moms

many of you can relate :)

Speaking of playing

My brother and I spent hours here 

This is my playhouse

I'm not sure if it was bought as a playhouse or some sort of storage

but I won out

The bottom half of the door is now torn off, but it was a split door with a little shelf

perfect for playing house, shop, and keeping out little brothers

We got a long most of the time, but he was still a little brother, but also a best friend

I even had a peep hole

And my little house, is still decorated like I had it more than 15 years ago

This the first place I ever got to "decorate"

I used my grandmother's discarded basement items

This was part of the "kitchen"

My little cups and bowls are still there

and my place mats :)

I wish I took more pictures to show you...

My "chairs" were still there (green ottomans from the 70s)

and there are still Southern Accents and Traditional Home magazines beside the chairs

My passion started early

I used to torture my poor brother and make him sit there pretending to read those things

So mean

Sadly, my little house is falling apart and is home to many wasp nests

before that it became one of our bird dogs favorite places to sleep (hence the hay)

T and I walked and talked and compared childhoods

I can only hope we give our children a similar experience

We were so loved and spoiled and gushed over

Not in a bad or excessive way, believe me I still got my fair share of spankings, but in a way that you knew you were loved

You also knew how to love back and how to respect others and elders and yourself

And you learned how awesome these people who loved you really were

It was a wonderful day