There is a 100% chance I just shoved a legal narcotic into my face.

Right shin, left knee, right knee.
(the morning after)

I should have taken a picture of the public access wood 

walkway that tripped me, but I was too busy bleeding.

So these.

Totally worth it.

~~

PS.  Thanks very much for the supportive comments on my last post.  You guys *are* the Casbah.

The last 7 days.

My stepmother died.  I had a 1400 piece disk bead order to finish.  My best friend was in court sadly dissolving a 25 year marriage.  I earned 8 new soon to be scars from room temp glass hitting the hot fire of the torch.  I burned the skin off my lip trying to rush through a Hot Pocket lunch.  I have blown off 2 jewelry orders that would take only a few hours to complete because uh uh right now.   And about midway through I cried because NO REASON.  

And I thank God for my life. The beauty of it. The awareness of it.  The awesome feeling of breathing in and out.  The gift of having a heart so full it can be both broken and healed at the same time.

If you are reading this then you aren't the sort of person I should tell to appreciate your life.  You are the sort of person I will thank for being present in mine.

I'm looking forward to Sunday.

~~

Birthdays, Beaches, and Beads

Because those of you who have been around for a couple of years know what 2011 and early 2012 were like in Julsland, and because these days I am too happy to spend the energy rehashing it all, I'm just going to say that "the other side" of that particular refining fire is perhaps the best of my life thus far.

Losing the things I had fought so hard to hold on to allowed the wounds necessary to embrace that which is most important: the freedom to be vulnerable, to stare wide eyed into the world again and discover it staring lovingly back at me through the eyes of the people with whom I now surround myself.  Some old friends, some new~ a conglomerate of awesome that only God could have designed for my life.

Cliches exist because they have proven true for many, and when someone says you are the company you keep....listen...ok?

Ericca is having a birthday tomorrow, so Friday night we threw her a party at our little hangout bar.  Kim came, and since I haven't seen Kim in 20 years I pretty much tackled her when she walked in the door.  Good girls, y'all.  The kind for whom you'd grab wine and chocolate and go hang out with for no reason.

Y'all have already met Lita, and this pic is such an accurate representation of our friendship that we should print it out and staple it to our faces whenever we are together.   You probably already know this, but it is incredibly hard to duck face while you are laughing hard enough to pee your pants.

She's one of my favorite people ever~

the kind of friend everyone hopes to be

and deep down truly needs.

And she does super pretty super well, too.

(even with a blinding flash in her face)

~~

For the last month or so our Bama Crew has been building a Bama Shack/Man cave for one of the husbands who has been working in Afghanistan for over a year.   He came home last Monday for a 2 week vaca and Saturday night we had a birthday party for he and our YaYa Jena.

The only thing I can really say about the next picture is that Lita made jello shots with vodka....and we might have had 1 or 15....especially Alan, who for some reason known only to him cannot seem to keep his tongue in his mouth while having his photo taken.  Or ever.  

He just became daddy to beautiful little miniHim.

She can't keep her tongue in her mouth either.

Then there is this.
For now there are concrete blocks being used as the step into
the Bama shack, and if you know me at all you just read that as
Look!
Here comes Grace!
And she brought her leg to play!

~~

Lately it has been a weekly thing for one of my oldest friends (37 years) (How is that even possible?)

and I to get our feet in some sand before the weather divebombs.  Welcome to Sunday morning~  

and Sunday evening~

(My favorite time of day on the beach)

And Dusty's oyster bar, where the oysters

are kind of delicious and the buddha chicken wings totally rock~
(even though my hair in this photo does not)
(hush.  I'm a girl.)

~~

I've been super busy having a life lately,

but I've also been super busy working.

I made a few of these beautifully Autumn hued

Essentials collections, and I slapped 'em on Etsy 

at a Wholesale Price.

Because I'm happy, y'all.

(And I want you to be, too!)

100 beads ~ $130 bucks.

You'll find 'em HERE.

~~

FYI.  Count your blessings that I've spared you the stories about the gym.
Because wow.

Labor Day Weekend 2013

Friday morning, up at dawn to get my work finished so I could head south.

This sunrise in Alabama was a treat.

Friday night was spent on some beachy retail therapy and a nice Pier Park dinner outside with my girls.

I'd show y'all pictures of my new sandals (3 pairs, because monster SALE!) 

and divinely delicious chicken and black bean wraps

but yeah.  No.  I'm thinking you don't much care.

(Plus I don't actually have pics of them)

Saturday morning was a little bit awesome though

because this happened~

Then Saturday afternoon there was a whole lotta

Roll Tidin' goin on.

(and possibly some beer drinking and oyster eating)

(although I still can't believe that last part)

(Because oysters are gross)

(yet totally delicious if served on the the end of the knife used to shuck one)

(by a wicked cute manager at Dusty's)

(yes, we won. Yay!)

Even the clouds were Crimson at sunset Saturday night.

I'm pretty sure God brought Monet to hang out on the back deck with us.

The ocean brought us some seaweed on Sunday.

("eeeeew" sayeth some)

(But I totally got my body in that water anyway)

(and rocked seaweed in places seaweed probably shouldn't be)

(ever)

I don't have a photo of the best part because Dolphins are too busy playing to pose,

but we saw several doing full on high out of the water flips with arms flapping.

Like they were waving at us.

So we waved back.

Fin.

~~