now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything

No, not really. But ten points and new best friend status to you if you got the reference.

My family dynamic as a child and now as an adult is largely the same. It is a constant in my life. We get along swimmingly. Everyone is there for each other - no hesitations. My grandparents and their children started a legacy in the town I grew up in. Everyone knows us there; if not for our involvement in the community, for the sheer number of us around.

My immediate family is small - just me and a younger brother. But my extended family is large - grandparents, 6 pairs of aunts and uncles, 34 cousins (45 if you count the spouses of those that are married, which I do; 55 if you count their children), and countless more extended family members close by. We all grew up together; literally down the road from each other, and most of us still live in the areas surrounding the place we grew up. There's something to be said about having that support system near by that you know will drop anything to help you if you need it. I don't think I realized how lucky I was/still am to grow up with and live near such an extensive set of cousins until I met people who only had 3, that lived in another city, states away. I wouldn't trade the experience of growing up with so many amazing relatives around me for anything.

24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now. | thirty things

hilton head

spencer and me at dinner :: annabelle, chelsea, me, and kristin found tons of sand dollars

chelsea and me getting some sun :: ben, aunt lois, and me in a heated game of pétanque

the piggly wiggly's name for toilet paper :: chelsea and me

we spent every morning in the ocean and every afternoon by the pool.

it was perfect.

a happy day

A month or so ago, me and some of the aunts threw a bridal shower via Face Time for this lovely girl:

On the seventeenth, my cousin Sharon got married. We were (and still are) best buds growing up. We went on vacations together, went to school together, worked the same summer job, and she even came to play with me when I had the chicken pox because she had already had them. Hopefully we'll be able to keep taking vacations together with our (future) families. I am so incredibly happy for her. She and her husband (still crazy to say!) are perfect for each other.

five things

 husband : rural south carolina : my family

morrison's latest masterpiece : the temple

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now? | thirty things

yesterday

[Yesterday was

Lunched with my mom.
Watched X-Files with my dad+mom.
Picked up my brother from school.
Sonic Strawberry Limeade.
This documentary. So so good.
Finalized birthday gifts for my husband.
Community Concert Band Rehearsal.

good.]

easter 2012

easter 2012 was great for us. the hubs took me shopping for a new easter dress. it was a huge success. we went to church in the morning, and then stuffed our faces at my parents' house with lots of yummy food while watching the final round of the Masters. all in all a very southern easter. pearls. food. golf. family.

stories

For Christmas in 1995 my family gave my grandma an empty journal, a pen, and a jar full of writing prompts about life events, family stories, and such. One year and one completed journal later, she gave it back to us as a Christmas present. They were over for my birthday and we pulled it out. And here she is a little over fifteen years later reading through her stories and telling us more about her life. It is a treasure to have her life stories written down in her own beautiful cursive penmanship. I even learned that there is a street in our hometown named for her family. Talk to the old ones. They know so much. 

the anniversary of the day of my birth

the sign on my parents' chalkboard :: dad :: me and mom :: balloons

me and the hubs :: presents :: grandmama and grandaddy :: me and dad

yellow tulips :: little (read: younger) brother :: polka dot cake :: mom

me and ballons :: rubix cube :: story telling :: me and my brother

i guess i'm one year older and wiser too. my birthday was lovely and full of all that's important. that being family. don't get me wrong, the cake and presents and flowers were good too. but all i wanted was a family party with a homemade dinner. 

mom's dinner for the win. huzzah.

in the wee hours of the morning

perfect start to my day yesterday:

early morning temple going, then

out for brunch with the parents.  

monday afternoon

 

this is what happens when my mom and i wait to pick up my brother from school

happy caturday!

xoxo,

chloe and stella

the twenty-fifth day.

happy christmas

from us to you

xoxo

homeward bound

Once upon a time two people from South Carolina met at BYU, fell in love, got married, graduated, and moved to Salt Lake City. Six months later, that wonderful man got a job offer in none other than Columbia, South Carolina. It's been fun, Utah, but we're heading home. Soon. Two weeks from now soon. In an instant, our world has been turned upside down and become consumed by a sea of boxes and packing tape and figuring out the logistics of moving ourselves (and our two cats) across the country. There will be people I'm going to miss so dearly, thinking about not seeing them makes my heart crumble to pieces. I can't even form the word goodbye right now. But we're headed home. Home. Where family lives and my heart resides. To that place where everything makes sense. "No, my life began and continues to exist in the antithesis of a city. I live on a dead end street. Trees surround my house. We can’t see our neighbors. The air is humid, but clear; no city smog exists here. Summer afternoon thunderstorms happen almost daily from June until September. Thousands of stars illuminate the night sky, and also at night, symphonies of crickets, cicadas, and frogs provide the accompaniment to the rhythmic creaking of our front-porch rocking chairs. It is quintessential countryside – the perfect small town." Home. Home. Home. Home. Here we come.

 

it's just home.

Nothing made my heart leap quite so much today as seeing area code 803 on my caller ID at work. That's my area code. Home. I ended up speaking with someone who knows, me, my family, and told me, in that sweet Southern drawl, how much she loves my granddaddy. These are my people. Home. Always will be.What is it about the pull of home that is so strong? Authors have explored this theme at length. I think it's best summed up in the words of an old man from Georgia I talked to the other day: "[at home] we understand each other."

the past week

1. cherry coke to go with my burger. 2. this happens every time i sit down. love her. 3. salad with grilled chicken, parmesean cheese, and balsamic dressing. so so good. recipe if you want it.

4. shellac manicure. best.idea.ever. 5. the painting that hangs in our living room. 6. toms. the best.

7. mrs. lovett sign for my kitchen. 8. yummy, yummy burger. 9. the most handsome man i know.

what have you been doing with your week?

life lately

1. me. 2. chloe + mouse. 3. two of my favorite things

4. heaven in my fridge. 5. baby stella. 6. handsome husband

7. stella again. 8. vanilla bean. 9. sleepy chloe

a new addition:

Meet Stella!

(named after Stella Kowalski, of course)

She's an 11 week-old half Siamese half Ragdoll kitten.

We lover her. (And so does Chloe).

my family is in town!

Once upon a time {today, in fact} I walked across a stage in a silly looking cap and gown, and received a nice diploma cover. {Spencer did too}. Thank goodness we're done. Hallelujah. Can I get a witness?

just kidding.

 

 

happy day.