the story of us

the story of us

by | personal

The best way for me to remember the details is to go back through old photos.  I have quite enjoyed writing this post you are about to read since I got to dig through thousands of pictures and reminisce about some of the best times of my life.

Stephanie came first.  I met her in 2006 after she moved next door to one of my best friends.  She and her husband (boyfriend at the time) quickly became part of our normal crew.  Birthday parties, panther games, cookouts, you name it- we were together all of the time.  Seeing as our first encounter was 6 years ago, putting us in our twenties, we could party a little bit more than we can today.  Fortunately this made for some hilarious photos. Unfortunately, very few can be dispensed on the world wide web!

Stephanie moved away to Phoenix for a couple of years, but we kept in touch.  She made it back to North Carolina for a few visits and it felt as though she never left town.  Good friends are like that….no matter how long you go without seeing them, you can pick up right where you left off.

I first heard of Stephanie getting into photography when she lived in Phoenix and quickly fell in love with her style. I was honored to have been at her wedding, and blessed that she was a photographer at mine.  Sometimes the love between two people can only be captured by those who know and love them best…what a true blessing it was to have my most precious moments captured by a true friend. She turned those moments into photos I will treasure forever.

I met Jenn next.  Ironically, even though we both lived in Charlotte we actually met at a mutual friend’s wedding in Indiana.  At the reception, we were sat at the same table with all of the Charlotte crew and as the night went on this became the “party table”.  Jenn whipped some funny nerd glasses out of her purse for photos and at that moment I knew we were destined to be friends.

Jenn is one of the wittiest people I know and I am constantly cracking up when we hang out.  I am amazed at her style and everything she touches has a unique, creative flair.   Her house is decorated with her beautiful artwork and her little boy, Dyce is always styling in a super cool outfit.

Jenn is an awesome storyteller and writer.  It has been so amazing to watch her become a mom and read about her journey through motherhood on her blog.   I look forward to a lifelong friendship with her and a lifetime of stories with her perspective on life.

I met Mandi about three years ago when some mutual friends of ours started a co-ed softball team.  The season didn’t go that well for our team, Shh-Booms, but we sure did have fun.  Mandi is a graphic designer like me so we hit it off immediately.   Since we both left our office jobs within the past year to pursue our freelance design dreams, we have been a huge support system for each other.  I am grateful to have such an amazing friend to call upon with design related questions. Besides being a talented designer, she is super crafty and always finding a treasure at a roadside junkyard…she really should be on one of those “picker” shows!

Mandi helped organize “Whine Night” where a bunch of our girlfriends get together to drink wine, catch up and talk about whatever is going on in our lives.  It is a ton of fun and we normally end up laughing our butts off.   This new tradition started about two years ago and is still going strong.

We all owe Mandi credit for sparking the idea for this Sunny Slide Up project.  She sent an email to Steph, Jenn and I about 4 months ago asking if we wanted to do a group project of some sort.  In our wildest dreams we never would have imagined what this project has taken us!

creating your roots with traditions

creating your roots with traditions

by | personal

As I sit down to write my personal story on what “roots” means to me, I feel so blessed to have always been surrounded with love and support by so many people in my life.  Having roots is about traditions and creating a sense of home…somewhere to belong and make wonderful memories.

I came home this Sunday after spending a long weekend with my family and friends continuing one of those traditions that I hold so dear.  Since I can remember, my parents have thrown a bbq during the week of the 4th.  We have all kinds of food, some fun on the lake, yard games and or course fireworks.  I have many family members there, friends that I have known for my entire life and friends I have only known a short while.  My parents and sister invite their own sets of neighbors and friends, so as you can imagine we have a pretty big group.  There are so many memories that we share from year to year and it is times like these that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

It is interesting going through life.  When you are a child, your parents have created their roots for you to grow from and live in.  Now in my 30s I see that as I get older however, it is time for me to create my own roots.  I begin to ask myself, what traditions will I set for my future family and children?   What morals and life style will I set as a standard for my future generations to live in and grow from?

I hope to take all that I was taught and what I have experienced… the importance of a good conversation, the importance of the people in my life, the sweet memories of time spent together and one day hopefully create some traditions or “roots” that I can pass along.

fireworks for me, and for you

fireworks for me, and for you

by | personal

I wish I could recall the events of the day with my own memory, because I was there, and so were Bert & Ernie…  but it’s through other people’s stories that I’m told about that party.

The one where I was surrounded by so much love, and so much celebration.

My 1st birthday.

It’s this time of year that the story is told.  Because I was born on the 4th of July, and that first celebration was a BIG one.  Lobsters and steaks and picnic tables and everyone partying like it was 1982.  My Grandfather was manning the grill and I was manning the toys.  He, happily chomping on a piece of steak, me, happily chomping on Bert’s nose; picture evidence proves both.  And in an instant, with a gust of wind, the wood fence surrounding the yard of my parents duplex blew over onto the grill and onto the steaks (and luckily not on to me, or anyone else!).  A story told endlessly from that day to this one, never once getting old.

THE FENCE BLEW OVER.  Awesome.

For me, July 4th is less about my birthday — I think this began when I was little and continued throughout school…  never building up the hope of a big party with friends who were always on vacations with their parents or at BBQ’s of their own — instead it was, and still is, more about lobsters and backyards and pool parties and being with those you love.  It’s about the celebration of our country (and a day off from work!), and a celebration of Summer.  It’s a day EVERY American can celebrate together.

I’m sure you have your own July 4th memories… traditions you’ve started, and the ones that may have been passed down from family and friends.  Sparklers anyone?

Leave a comment and let us know how you celebrate the 4th!

Just watch out for falling fences — and I’ll be sure to have a piece of cake for each of you!

xo