Sometimes when I think about things that I love my heart swells with pride until the merest pin poke would make it explode into a crazy spurt of fondness, oozing with sentimentality. Not many things bring that kind of devotion, but now my home manages to do just that.

    I am so in love with the state of Georgia. I truly am. Despite anywhere I've been so far, I haven't found a place that can accurately capture every emotion that place can. 

    What makes it so wonderful? Easy Q! The scenery, the atmosphere, the people, the food. 

    Georgia is generally such a lush place, everything likes to bloom. The green fields seem to roll, with pines standing tall in the distance. There is access to the coastline, if that's your thing. Even in winter you can still find beautiful scenic spots.

    Everything is laid back. No one outwardly suffers from tunnel vision based on work.  Some days you run into a group of hatched biddies in an incubator, quick for your cuddling amusement. A good vacation can be as simple as taking it easy on a porch swing.

    People just seem so different in Georgia; there is the perpetual question "y'all want anything?" when you're a guest. I don't have to look over my shoulder at a gas station when pumping. People don't ask for "10$ to get to the Westside." And I can actively assume a person is going to hold my door as I walk in behind them. 

    Food from the South is always my number one (minus all the dang greens). Just think, the chicken is fried, the mashed potatoes are fresh from the garden and macaroni is always a side. I can call in an order of Jade's Fried Pickles and call it lunch. It's easy to ache after boiled peanuts and chocolate delight. Can anything get more delicious? 

    Another thing, it's the perfect mix between quaint and fast paced. There are options of bigger towns like Atlanta or Savannah, bustling and brash... Or plenty of small ones to skim through. You might find a completely different lifestyle of people just a small region apart. The differences keeps the mundane out of things 

    To tell the truth, some days I just daydream of packing all our things up to go home. I yearn to add "Georgia" to my mailing address, it's a very special place to me. Because, really, no matter where I live, it'll always be home to me.

    

Serving Others Sweetly

    Every other Wednesday my little girls come on over to have an activity and lesson! This week I picked out a topic that I felt the girls would like, "Serve Others Sweetly." To go with the theme, we did a series of competitions. 

#1- Bubble gum blowing contest 

#2- Juice chugging contest 

#3- Browning eating contest

    For each competition, there was a prize wrapped up which they were able to choose! They really liked that part :) But after we finished all three events we spoke on being competative, reaching out to help others and how important it is to serve others with a good attitude.  

    For the very last bit I used my instant camera to take a photo of the girls, which they added into a picture frame. It's always so fun to see them craft and create, little girls taking after my own heart :)

    I am really enjoying my calling, lately, we've had a great time this summer. We've written plays, visited the beach and painted our nails. Now my next quest is to encourage more girls to actually show up ;)

A Survey, of No Importance.

Making: This new post.

Cooking: Supper will probably be a salad tonight ;)
Drinking: Bottled water.
Reading: Nothing besides my scriptures.
Wanting: To cancel on work tonight :(
Looking: Into a few changes; getting excited about several things.
Playing: Nixed all music, for now.
Deciding: Which shirt will I put on.
Wishing: I was rich enough to travel everywhere now.
Enjoying: This summer, jam packed with so much to do.
Waiting: To get that salad ready, because I am so lazy ;)
Liking: The way my weekend is going.
Wondering: When will I get over a few lingering symptoms.
Loving: The Humans of New York page, so touching.
Pondering: About my upcoming SLC trip.
Watching: House of Cards.
Hoping: To get off work tonight before it gets very late.
Marvelling: At the crazy ways how people are brought together.
Needing: New shoes! My usual ones are broken, I'm too cheap.
Smelling: Nothing good nor bad here.
Wearing: A tee shirt I just spilt chocolate ice cream on, ah man.
Following: The topknot trend, never hair lying on these shoulders!
Knowing: I need to get over my dread of working.
Thinking: About politics because of this dang show.
Feeling: Estatic that Graham just walked in!
Admiring: My studly man :)
Sorting: Through my thoughts.
Buying: Supplies for my latest crafts! I like to keep them going on.
Getting: Ready to go to work, I guess :(
Disliking: Working any late shifts, I believe in being at home in night.
Opening: The door to go on, in about 5 minutes!

July Things

    What's new with me?

-I managed to get off work during the week for a trip back to the condo in Fernandina. This week at work was so grueling. It was so needed. 

-I can not get enough of Balderdash! About two weeks ago I found an unopened version at the Thrift Shop for $3, so I decided to snatch it up. Since then we had played 3 different times! A few of us played with my Daddy (who truly is a hoot); it proved to be one of the hardest I've laughed in a while. 

-The 4th came and went, I even woke up at 8am to make it to a kid parade at church. The rest of the afternoon Graham and I hung out with his parents, we watched fireworks over the beach at the end of the evening.

-I went grocery shopping, finally. It seriously takes me forever to get up the nerve to go. I always spent at least an hour shopping, underestimate the price, then have to carry them all up the stairs on my own. Don't get me started on putting them away. I actually purchased 4 different kinds of cheese, if you care to know.

-I am trying to vacation my life away. For starters, 22 days until Mama, Listi and I go to Salt Lake City! I've got a schedule ready, I can't wait to see it. Our final girls trip for a few years! :/ To add to that, I just can not get a trip to Puerto Rico out of my head! Tickets are so cheap, I can't stand it. I'm thinking maybe next year we should go for a 4 day weekend or something? Who knows. Sidenote, I am so ready for my trip to Italy! I wish I could have gotten the trip earlier, but I do think December is the best time frame for us. I hope it lives up to my expectations, we are really looking forward to it.

-We gathered up wth some friends for a tubing trip down the Ichetucknee. I am a little spoiled in the sense that I like to buy the floats that don't make me get wet the whole time, plus the turtles so creep me out. But all in all it was really fun, despite being thrown off my tube twice (Ahem, Alexander boys). Photos are compliments of a friend's Go Pro camera.

   (I love Graham so fiercely y'all!)

    And that's about it for things going on in these parts. This summer has truly been filled with so much fun! 

Fernandina Beach Trip

    For as long as I can remember, I've looked forward to July with hearts in my eyes. My parents would pack us up for a week long stay in Fernandina Beach, in the Amelia By The Sea condominium. 

    The beach has always been my happy place; I have always loved the lulling waves, the sun tanning my legs and walking on the pier barefoot. My cousins would join us, some years there would be 8 rooms between us all. All of the kids my age would ban together and we'd build sand castles with moats and search endlessly for eye- catching shells. I have countless memories of begging for 5 dollars to spend at Beach Unlimited, desperately wanting to visit the famed water slides, meanwhile wondering when our sunburn would go away.  Adults and kids would run between the pool, pier, ocean and our bedrooms until our legs couldn't move another step. When that happened we would all gather up in one room to play Balderdash or 2 Card Knock after a huge fish fry, compliments of all the men. 

    For the first time in three years, my parents and several cousins decided to go back to our favorite place. I was truly thrilled to take Graham and show him how I spent my time as a kid. As we swam, played, grilled and took the kids crab hunting I realized how important fun times together are to a person. (How much fun is all work and no play? Boring) I want my brothers, cousins and parents to have the most magical time so one day we can carry on the tradition, even if it's slightly altered. I loooove our annual beach trips. Man, I sure am blessed to have such an amazing family!