It’s been four days since the Winter Blast of 2011 hit Atlanta. Heeding the warnings on the news, we stocked up on lots of groceries, firewood and other essentials and decided to weather the storm at my Dad’s house. He has a great big fireplace and lots of room to spread out if we were indeed to get stranded.

While we had lots of delicious meals by the fire, we remained a bit out of touch with the outside world. My Dad’s house has no internet, so I’ve been totally unplugged from blogs, facebook, email and the like. I knew this going into the storm, but kind of shrugged it off as no big deal. After all, how long could this thing last, right?

Once the storm hit, reality set in.

As I realized we were actually stranded due to all of ice and road closures, I started to get the itch. I wanted to check my email, I wanted to post my pictures of the storm, I wanted to see what others had been up to.

On the second day of being stranded, my Dad’s satellite went out. I wondered if we had made the best decision by deciding to stay at his house for the storm. If I were at home I would at least have internet. I kept thinking of all the great projects I could be working on, the things I could be making, the rooms I could be organizing, the blogs I could be reading.

It was on this day that I realized just how controlled we are by our “busyness”. It’s almost as if anxiety sets in at the mere thought of having nothing to do. I admit it was a challenge, but I tried to convince myself to relax and just be. Sounds simple, huh? It’s not sometimes.

I can’t remember the last time I just stopped; unplugging myself from all the static. No tv, no internet, only the crackling fire and the quiet beating of my heart. I took a long, hot bath, stayed in my warm pj’s all day and just enjoyed peering out the window at the beautiful blanket of white snow.

I like to think that there was a little hidden message in this storm for me…

Photos by: CMJ

Over the holidays I had the pleasure of reconnecting with a dear friend from high school. It had been almost nine years since we had seen each other. I mean, we keep in touch via email, facebook, phone and such, but it’s just not the same as a face to face, good ol’ fashioned get-together.

Photos by: KHJ

Marquise – I had a blast with you and your amazing Qlookies. Thanks so much for considering me and my little camera, thanks for continuing to follow this crazy blogging adventure, and thanks for so patiently waiting on this date 9 years in the making. Best of luck to you!

I’m well aware that dreams don’t come true over night. For the most part, they take work, preparation and lots of baby steps. Well, you’d be happy to know, Mr. Blue Eyed Yonder and I have a baby step in the mail.

Rosetta Stone Levels 1 through 5! Whew, what a challenge. Here’s Levels 1-5 in a nutshell…

“The complete French set will enable you to fully express your ideas and opinions in French and master the conversational skills required to plan adventures, care for your health, and move abroad.”

Pretty nifty, huh? Now, I realize that some of you will be thrilled to hear to this new and others will just huff and say, “What a waste”, “Why would you want to learn French?” blah, blah, blah. Just know that my brain and my heart are not accepting negative attitudes at the moment. So if you are excited, if you are intrigued, please read on. Here are my top reasons for taking this baby step.

I want to learn French…

… so I can communicate with my new friend in France.

Emily at Rue de France

… because I don’t want France to just be a fleeting memory, I haven’t had enough yet.

Historic Village of Crillon le Brave, by CMJ

… because it exercises my brain.

Layers of Paint, Chateauneuf du Pape, by KHJ

… because it’s romantic.

St. Remy de Provence, by KHJ

… because I like new challenges.

Alley in Arles, by KHJ

… because hearing the language makes my heart beat faster and sometimes cry.

Arles Saturday Market, by KHJ

… because I want to know what she’s saying.

… because I am tired of “talking” about the things I want to do in life, I’m ready for action.

Arles Amphitheater, by CMJ

I want to learn French…


… so when I go here,

Crillon le Brave at nightfall, by KHJ

I will be able to tell them how much I’m in love with this place.

… because when I go here,

Vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape, by CMJ

 I want to be able to talk intelligently with the locals about their wine.

… because when I look at him,

 I want to be able to tell him how much I love him in the language of my soul.

So do you? Parlez-vous francais?

Clockwise 1, 2, 3

It’s the start of a new year, back to the daily grind. I could be all grumpy and mopey about having to go back to work, but this year I am trying to remember that happiness is a decision. If you don’t like something, it’s up to you to change it. I really admire those “glass half full” type of people.

This weekend my Grandfather received an email from one of his employees saying that he was 99% sure he was not going to be able to make it into work this morning. He and some others in his family had unfortunately came down with the flu. My littlest sister (12), who was sitting at the table listening to all the talk, said, “Well, there is still a 1% chance that he will make it.”

Oh, the optimism of youth. May we all try to approach our lives in that way this year.

Photos by: KHJ

This precious packaging was inspired by the Queen of Peas – Christy Annis. She has a lovely organization called Peas for Prosperity. They were kind enough to include bags of neatly wrapped peas in our gift bags at lavish! as a way of promoting their wonderful mission. Peas for Prosperity actually sells their bags of peas to raise money for charity. While I didn’t have time to purchase my peas from her this year, I thought you guys would like to keep this unique organization in mind for next year’s holiday season. Be sure to check out their site and read more about Christy’s leap of faith into the pea business. Such an inspiring story to kick off the new year.