thankful thursday #75

Our family is growing up.

The sibs and I are not in school anymore, so no guaranteed spring breaks together.

Christopher is married, and they now have Little Man.  They live far away (boo), and travel isn't exactly easy for them these days!

Pat is wrapping up his internship and staring real life straight in the face.  Vacation time isn't a gimme for him anytime soon.

Summer doesn't mean "off" anymore, either.  We're working, going about our lives.

Bottom line, it's tough to all be together!

Well.  It wasn't intentional, but starting tomorrow, we'll all be in the ol' hometown, for a long weekend together, and I couldn't be more excited.  It's only natural, then, that today I can't contain my gratitude for this weekend's spontaneous reunion!  

In fact, it will be the first time we'll all be together since Little Man has joined our family.  I know that these times won't happen often enough, so I want to be present for them when they do come along.

And in between, when we're fragmented and living apart, I'll remember that our time together sometimes comes along unexpectedly, and I'll be thankful for that.  And be hopeful for more of it!

Do you have fun plans with the people you love this weekend, like me?  Oh, I hope so! Either way, though, you gotta be appreciating something. Go on, be grateful!

re-purposed

Brand new clothes can be fun.  A new hairdo is always fresh.  New places are adventurous.  First-time recipes are a nice change of pace.

I have to say, though, I do love some re-purposed furniture.

For quite some time, my claim to fame has been that in scanning my living room, the couch is the only piece of furniture that I purchased new.

Partly, that was out of financial necessity when I was first starting out (thanks, Mom, for that awesome old trunk that serves as my coffee table), and partly, it's because I love a good bargain (I'm not ashamed of that chair I picked up on the side of the road in Destin and had recovered).

Those pieces have grown on me over time.  They are memories for me, and they tell stories of where I've been.

Even now, when I am perusing furniture catalogs and stores, I am drawn to furniture that looks worn, distressed, comfortable.

Furniture that looks like it's lived a good life, and has a story to tell!

When I lived in Starkville, a friend passed off to me this unwanted piece of furniture ...

I had no use for her at the time, but she was a freebie, so I took her.  I sewed the fabric panels to replace the broken glass, and she eventually became a functional piece for me.

But I never really loved her (the furniture, not my friend).

When I was moving a couple of weeks ago, I broke down and decided to have her farmed out for a face lift.  Karen Bush over at The French Flea took her in for about a week and worked her magic.

Look at her now!

She needs some fun drawer pulls still, but she's so much happier.  That was money well spent.  (Karen is so reasonable!  Give her a call!)

Question: What's your favorite re-purposed piece?  Or do you love all things new?

on my mind

The chaos of my recent move has absolutely spilled over into my brain.

My mind is all over the place, and pulling together anything remotely worth posting is a lost cause.

To illustrate, here's one big bunch of ramblings that are rolling around in my head today:

• I had a conversation today with a friend about half marathons.  I think I'm getting the bug again.  Scary.
 
• Dad mailed me a note, just to be the first one to send me something to my new address.  I just love him for doing things like that.
 
• Moving requires some out-of-pocket expenses, I'm well aware.  But can we all agree that the saddest bit about those necessary expenses, is that they are unseen?  Mr. Non-Skid Rug Pad, you are so blah.
 
• I think I'm going to have start sewing again.  Everyone start putting that on the prayer lists.
 
• The previous owner of my home installed a lovely koi-(mini)-pond-water-fountain-feature, which currently houses three koi fish.  They've been named Finn, Gill, and Nemo.  I'm glad to have that settled.
 
• Finally, and most importantly, I want to plan my annual trip-to-a-place-I've-never-been-before.  I have a couple of spots in mind, but give me your suggestions!  I'm open to any and all you got.

One thing I am able to focus on, though, are these cute cheeks I get to kiss in three short days!



And that is enough for this chaotic mind.

While I focus on that, let me hear those vacation ideas, friends.  Don't leave me hanging.

thankful thursday #74

I don't know about your week, but I don't remember the last time I was looking so forward to a weekend!

Tonight I hosted the Bible study gals in my new digs for the first time.  Don't be fooled, I'm not at all unpacked, and my house was indeed a last resort.  But I was happy to have them.

And as if my friends' company wasn't enough, they came bearing a gift!



They called it a housewarming gift, but really, it was more than that.  They were sharing in my excitement, celebrating with me, blessing me with some tangible loving!

It's what good friends do.

I'm so undeserving to have good friends all around me, but I sure am thankful and blessed.

And I'm pretty darn thankful for that gift, too.  My shopping list is growing daily!

Who's blessed you this week?  Go on, be grateful.  And thank them for it!

pyramid

Dick Clark passed away today.  Probably to the general public he was best known for American Bandstand or his New Year's Rockin' Eve, but during my childhood, he was a household name because of Pyramid.



This game show evolved from The $10,000 Pyramid and The $25,000 Pyramid in the 70s, to The $100,000 Pyramid in the early 90s.  And then Donny Osmond somehow found his way to that podium in the 2000s, and I can't imagine anyone watched anymore.

Essentially the precursor to Catch Phrase and Taboo, Pyramid paired plain ol' contestants with celebrities, and players tried to guess a word or phrase, based on their teammate's descriptions.

(Incidentally, as I reflect on the winner's circle at the end of each episode, the ticking clock in this game might be a contributor to my anxiety of all timed missions.)

But Pyramid had Dick Clark!  What a guy.

Good-natured.  Clean cut.  Polite.  What more could we want from a game show host?

In honor of that awesome game show that I watched more times than I can remember, here is my week's recap in Pyramid code:

Professional movers. Mom for moral support. 
People Robyn never wants to move without!

Delayed flight.  Rude people at baggage claim.  A 45-minute wait in the TSA security line.
Things that make air travel a total nightmare!

Endless kitchen cabinet space. A garage to park in, for the first time ever. A patio and perfect weather.
Things Robyn loves most about her new house so far!

Boxes stacked in the living room.  Complete disorganization in the guest room.  Furniture configuration number two.
Things that overwhelm Robyn in her new house!

Insurance refund checks.  Offering an elderly lady a walk under my umbrella to her car in the pouring rain.  Lori cooking dinner on moving day.
Things that made Robyn happy!

Dick Clark, you will be missed.  So for now, so long.

Question: What do you remember most about Dick Clark?

things change

Some change is welcome; some is not.

Some change is necessary; some is not.

Some change is healthy; some is not.

An address change?  Exciting, overwhelming, tiring.

As of yesterday, I live here now ...



... and if you'd like my new address, feel free to drop me a line.

In the meantime, I'll be unpacking.

For the next six weeks.  Yish.  Cheers!

thankful thursday #73

The world we live in is beyond materialistic.  I know this.  I struggle with that sin to a point, although I rarely think of myself as having outrageous amounts of stuff (save for the closet and pantry purges of 2011).

For the past two weeks, though, I’ve not had a clear path to walk in my apartment, thanks to all my possessions coming out of hiding and into stacks of boxes.

The movers have told me they will call me tomorrow for a final box count, so they’ll know what size truck to bring.  I haven’t counted the boxes yet; it will probably be embarrassing.

So here I sit, writing my final Thankful Thursday from this address.  I move in less than 48 hours to a new home – just up the road, not far – and I’m looking quite forward to new.  New space.  New décor.  New projects.  New memories.

But alas, saying hello to new means saying goodbye to old.  Not surprisingly, the ol’ nostalgia is kicking in, and I can’t help but feel grateful tonight for ...

The awesome neighbors I’ve had here, whose median age is 70, and who do not party hard.

The pristine landscaping my landlord demands.

The prompt maintenance service I’ve received, but only needed on a few occasions.

The tiny increase in my rent, which happened only once in five years.

The nearby trail that I accidentally discovered last spring.

The accessibility I’ve enjoyed to everywhere in Birmingham.  Location is king.

Living five minutes from Lori.

The friendships born here that grew into the accountability group I adore.

Stay tuned for more fun facts about the “new” that’s around the corner for me, but in the meantime, celebrate some “old” in your own life, and for the goodness therein.  Go on, be grateful!

thankful thursday #72, a maundy thursday edition

It is a special Thursday in the Church's calendar, and one with a Lenten service I love.

Today marks the day of the intimate Passover meal that Jesus shared with His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion.

If we're honest with ourselves, we relate to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, yet was still seated at the table as His guest of honor.

We remember the command given to His people, to love one another, as He loved us (John 13:34).  And not the flippant kind of love, but the sacrificial, servant, wash-another's-feet kind of love.

We confess, accept forgiveness, and receive communion with the Body of Christ, in remembrance of Him and His sacrifice.

The paraments are carried away from the altar, and the ritual symbolizes the arrest, stripping, and beating Jesus endured before His death.  It is solemn, reverent, gut-wrenching.

I was thankful today for the Maundy Thursday service I attended, and for the opportunity to settle in to its liturgical rhythm.

Be blessed -- and grateful -- this weekend.  He is risen!

God of grace, may we who have celebrated your Son's great love, never forget that despite our unworthiness, He serves and welcomes us.  Remind us always that He was broken that we might be made whole.  May we show in our lives the fruits of His redemption; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns forever.  Amen.

-- Selected prayers, Maundy Thursday service, Independent Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama

big easy, big memories

I've been in New Orleans this weekend.  The baby bro is completing his internship here; the dad is working; and I'm just being a plain ol' fan at the Final Four.  Good times.

It's no secret I'm a sucker for nostalgia, so while putzing around town today, I decided to check in on my little studio apartment off of West Napoleon Avenue. 

It was eleven years ago that I moved out of New Orleans, out of my very first apartment.  On the day I moved out, New Orleans had a flash flood (don't be shocked).  I remember the waters in my parking lot were knee-deep, and Mom and Dad had to wait until the waters receded before they could come and load the car.

The memories were a little like that.  They flooded, and I let them wash over me, and settle over the next few minutes in their own time.

In the parking lot, I remembered the pang of watching Mom and Dad's tail lights as they left me to my first bout with adulthood.  I bawled like a baby.  The ugly girl cry!  Help them that day, I did not.

I saw the pool, where I spent most weekend afternoons.  I was dirt poor, and reading library books poolside was a free activity.  The first friend I met in New Orleans introduced herself to me there.  I was searching for low-cost recipes in a cook book, and she was interested as a recent graduate of culinary school.

I saw the corner apartment where she lived.  Chef Kami, as I called her, was interning at one of Emeril's restaurants, launching her career as a fine, fine pastry chef.  She taught me baking tricks, and I loved her for making cookies for no reason.

I remembered keeping a list of every book I'd read, and movie I'd watched, since graduation.  Every one of them came from the local library, because goodness knows my intern salary could not afford otherwise.

Despite going to a Southern Baptist-affiliated university, contemporary Christian music became a favorite genre of mine for the first time.  Again, since I had no extra income to purchase CD's, I'd record local stations' playlists on cassette tapes in my apartment.  With the radio host's commentary cutting in to the end of the tune.  (Don't tell me I was the only one.)  Those were the days.

This was the place I morphed into an adult.  I paid my own bills.  I worked a job.  I met my own friends.  I grocery shopped and cooked for myself.

It's crazy to think of all that has transpired in the past eleven years, and crazy to think how quickly it's passed.

Big Easy, you are a wild place, and a place that is the opposite of my heart, if there is such a place.  But you still have a little piece of me anyway.  Thanks for the memories.