My Sister's Keeper

It's been a great summer.  Lots of time with family and with friends, beach days, a vacation to the Keys, friends' weddings, time in the river. . .  But the highlight of my summer?  

My sister has been living with me!!

A rising senior at Wofford, Luci has had a great internship with a local wedding planner in town, and moved in at the end of May.  Though we see each other frequently, we had not lived together since before I went off to college.  Needless to say, we were both excited to be together again! And honestly, it is probably one of the few times we will be able too again. . . which is sad to think about.  We've grown up so fast!!  

Anyway, regardless of our excitement, I think we were both a little nervous about the summer, knowing we'd be living in tight quarters, sharing a bedroom and a bathroom. But my sister is my best friend and deep down, I knew we'd make it out just fine. Plus, I think it's probably a little different living with your sister in a tight space than it would be with a friend.  And speaking of tight spaces, our beds have been literally inches apart.

Unfortunately, summer's drawing to a close and schools are getting ready to start back up.  My heart is already breaking at the thought of Luci heading back to Spartanburg.  I'm going to miss always having someone to exercise with, cook with, laugh with, falling asleep talking way too late at night with, and just live with. . .  :(

So, yes, while I am looking forward to getting this back

I'm depressed to be saying goodbye to this:

Birthday Week

Last week was my 23rd birthday week here at "Oh, the Place We'll Go."  Though I don't love being the center of attention, I do love to celebrate birthdays because it is so special to bring my friends and family together.

My actual birthday was Wednesday, but because so many people in the office are constantly traveling, we celebrated at PURE on Monday.  We ordered a delicious lunch from Red Orchid Chinese Bistro (seriously one of Charleston's best kept secrets), and my boss's wife baked me a homemade apple pie.  YUM!!

Note: Please disregard the funky angle of the picture and the bags underneath my eyes.  Not only was it Monday, but also the day after the Super Bowl. . . . . . .

On Tuesday, my mom, dad, sister, and grandmother all came to Charleston for a the night.   They stayed at one of my parents' best friends second homes, and it was so great to spend time with them (and spread out in a big house!)  My mom cooked us a fabulous meal, and we sat around the dinner table drinking wine, laughing, and telling stories until 10.  That's one of my favorite ways to spend an evening :)

Here are some pictures:

My Momma and My Poppa
(I think my mom looks gorgeous in this picture!)

Red Velvet Cake is my favorite!!  Action shot...  hahaha

Happy Birthday Cheers with my sister!

After a little too much food, wine, and laughter at the table. . .

Wednesday, my actual birthday, I had the great privilege of working from home in the morning!  I LOVED IT! What a treat to be able to work in your PJS and be in your own home!  It totally spoiled me. . . and after that, I took a half day that afternoon to maximize the birthday fun.  Unfortunately, Luci had to go back to Wofford, my dad to work, and my grandmother home but my mom and I had some wonderful bonding time.  We went on a long walk, relaxed, shopped, and had a great birthday dinner at Rue De Jean.

It was perfect!!  Though I will say that I am so glad birthday week only comes once a year because as noted yesterday, I've had to jump on The Shred to recover!! :)

The Picturebook

Last night, Lash and I drove to Georgetown to meet his parents, his two grandmothers, and my grandmother for dinner in honor of his 24th. (Birthday month, huh?!) Our grandmothers had never met before, so it made the evening very special for us all to be together.

After dinner, when Lash and I went to drop my grandmother off before we headed back down 17. As we left her house, she gave me a picture book that she started compiling many years ago. It was filled from cover to cover with pictures and various programs and memoirs of my sister and me growing up, from birth until about age eleven.

While Lash was listening to the Saints/ Vikings game on the radio, I was taken to another world looking at these pictures. Memories flooded through my mind as I was suddenly reminded of all times we all had together growing up. The vacations with friends and families, the birthdays, the first piano recital, Easters, Christmases, summers on the water, etc.

At some, I died laughing at my goofy sister and I in matching princess or cheerleader costumes, others I would groan as Mama (my grandmother) had managed to capture me at my most awkward growing age.

And then, as I reached the last few pages of the book, I burst into tears.

Good tears, yes, but sad tears, too. (Now, some may say that I am an emotional person- I certainly do wear my emotions on my sleeve- but I like to think of it as being more sensitive and sentimental—but that is neither here nor there :))

I think that I realized as I turned each page was how much I miss those people that shaped my life in those early years. . . whether they have been lost to death or to distance or to different circumstances.

As I looked at each page and each picture, I began to yearn for those lost relationships. I am specifically talking about my mom’s step-father, my dad’s mother, and our caretaker that RoRo that raised my mom and loved my sister and I like her own children. I certainly I have very fond memories with these folks from my childhood, but how I wish I could go back and have just a day with them! What I would give to have them in my life today, to help me, to guide me, and to love me with that unconditional love they showed me every day that they were on this earth.

With that being said, (beware, this post is taking a stark turn), I have modified my new years resolutions. Instead of trying to “work out” and "budget" and “read” and do all of these things that I’m sure are on everyone’s resolutions, I have decided that I am going to enjoy each day with the people I am with. I am going to spend more time with the people that are important to me, the people who have helped make me the grown woman I am, and those who encourage me to walk in the ways of the Lord.

After all, we all know we need to exercise more, eat less, turn off the trashy TV and stretch our mind with a book, go to church more. . . but what about the time we set aside to spend with those that matter most? What we are doing for others?

I think we (I, specifically) need to focus on things that are more important in life. . . not those that are tangible… but the relationships, the families, the friends, the memories that we make every single day . . . that will be with us for the rest of our lives.

So I’m thankful for the picturebook and the tears. Because as I turned each page, it made me realize, how quickly time flies by. After all, things will come and go in our life. But what is going to be that we remember? What is it going to be that is filling our life’s picture books or even our children’s picture books? What kind of legacy are we leaving?