event of a lifetime

*let me preface this posting by stating that i will hereby not be giving any specific stats relating to the phillie's record, current status, or projected effects on other philadelphia teams. not because i don't know them, but because i don't know them exactly. i know when to boo, when to cheer, when to bunt, when to walk, etc. but statistics are different. in person, i can get by with mumbling some statistics under my breath in the name of "carrying on a conversation" or "impressing my man," but the risk i run of solid mockery should a printed statistic be false is high (see post on marrying into a dynasty of philadelphia diehards). end of preface.*

in the five years i've been married, i have learned that when history is made, you watch it. world series. march madness. the olympics. wimbledon. the masters. and of course, the superbowl. at first i didn't quite enjoy that, but it has become a significantly enjoyable passion for both me and jed. sometimes things happen in big events that could make the record books of history, and missing such an event would be missing out on your small part in the timeline of man. it's serious folks. just think, i will be able to tell my kids that i got to see that arrogant dude federer get beat by the little 'ole long-haired spaniard nadal. and when tiger woods won with a messed up knee/shin. and when michael phelps' amphibious qualities awed the world. and when coach k lead the redeem team to the gold. and when adam morrison cried like a baby. i watched it.

but this whole phillies thing is quite amazing. the fans have lived and died by their philadelphia teams, and the phillies world series win is no exception. last night, hours after the game had ended and i had passed out asleep, jed lay awake in the dark with his eyes wide open just soaking up the five games that had changed history for the entire city. you always hear about these middle-of-the-night phones calls you get because of a death or accident, but now add to that list a sports-inflicted insomniac. a bit after midnight, jed's brother john called and they were able to find comfort in each other's inability to settle down. rather, i think they just ended up pumping each other up all over again while replaying utley's amazing fake, the crowd going wild at the end singing "we are the champions" in unison, and even projecting the future prowess of the eagle's.

i've been hearing the legends of mitch "wild thing" williams blowing it for the phillies in '93, and thus continuing the philadelphia curse. and i actually have believed in the curse. maybe it's because they threw snowballs at santa or maybe it's because they're the truest fans (good and bad) in the history of sports, or maybe it's just because the whole state is snafooed. i don't know. the important thing is that now i have witnessed a philadelphia win in my lifetime, and not everyone can say that. history has been made, the curse is lifted, and now it's time for the sixers and eagles to show out, too! better yet, maybe the philadelphia curse will make its' way to boston now.

illyria pottery, just between you and me books, & green shadow accessories

i'm getting really excited about our upcoming art show! once again, christin pratt and katie coston and i are getting together for a christmas show with a few themed gifts and great stocking stuffers. katie is hosting the event again and from what i hear there will be many new ceramic designs from the kiln. i've seen some of christin's newest books and they're incredibly creative and beautiful (she did the super hot design for our invites)! i'll also be bringing some of my newest accessory designs, so be sure to stop by and take a look! it'll for sure get you in the christmas mood. hot wassail, art, cool studio - what more could you ask for?

friday, november 7th from 6-9pm & saturday, november 8th from 10am-3pm @ katie coston's studio/home (416 perry ave, greenville, sc 29601)

see you there!

randomimnity

i've been waiting until i can get some awesome sweet pics to go with the post about this past weekend, but it's now officially overdue so i'll wait 'til next week to blog about that. but for this week, you're stuck with randomness. my mind wanders, so maybe by sharing them i can have some type of cathartic experience.

random thought #1 - southern drivers are about to drive me to an early grave. while being in the north this past weekend, i felt safe knowing that the skilled drivers around me knew what they were doing and did it confidently. down here, i feel raw and terrified each time i venture out into an intersection. i'm not talking about the people who run a red light, because let's face it - we all tell ourselves that the yellow will last longer. i'm more so referring to the people who have the right of way, and stop in the middle of the road and wave you through even though it's their turn and they have the right of way. it's their "good deed for the day" yet it only causes fear and confusion. when it comes to driving, we need to be somewhat robotic and non-negotiable with the laws of driving, people. it's just safe.

**side note: i realize the above random thought is based in drastic regional-profiling, but i'm unrepentant.

random thought #2 - i cannot wait for colder weather to come. i'm sporting short sleeves today and it's october! i remember having to wear nine layers of clothing under my halloween outfit just to prevent frostbite! sigh.

random thought #3 - i am so glad that God has given me eyes that see! almost every morning on my way to work, i am greeted with a beautiful sky from God as a gift to help start the day. what a privilege to have a God that is loving and caring enough to work the sky's art on an enjoyable canvas every day! if i could paint, my primary subject would be the amazing creation of God's sky.

early christmas shopping

i am always amazed at other people's minds and essentially the handmade items that flow from those minds. one of my pledges this christmas season is to buy/trade handmade for as many gifts as i can, and in return put on my own wish list all handmade items (or cash-haha). in order to support the industry, let me encourage you to visit etsy - it's the best place to find any type of handmade item ever known to man!

one of my most favored artists on etsy is elephannie. she is an apartment-dweller's fairy godmother! with the resignation that my walls will probably be white for most of the rest of my life due to the wonderful and exciting fact that we'll be moving to nyc in january and living in an apartment 'til we claw the walls and beg for mercy, i have found much hope in elephannie and the ability to make a white wall snag some pizzazz. the pics below are my faves!

calling

cities are full of people, a well known fact that is often taken for granted. people can’t help but come to the city. the tall gray buildings and the quaint, more aged brownstones paint such pretty invitations to the masses that their allure can’t be mistaken. like type a bosses, its streets follow the people around every corner and through every alley, watching each step, even shedding clarity to muffled minds.

in turn, some people are full of the city. they love the city! it fires their days to brush shoulders with the masses and pound the pavement everywhere they go. their blood has smog in it and their souls long for the solace and comfort provided by hoards of fellow city-lovers.

it’s an odd relationship - a city is made of people, and the people make a city. they each need the other like co-dependents, leaning hard on the other’s exhaustive presence. were there no people, a city would be harsh and drab. were there no cities, people would grow hardened, despondent, and aloof by country life. make no mistake, there are some who prefer to leave the cities to the city-lovers, but that’s a different co-dependent relationship for another pondering moment.

i’m sure that some day in my 80’s when i have had enough of life and people and the joys of living, i’ll recant and hole up in a barn somewhere in the country. but until then, i’m convinced that i need the city. we need the city. with all its tough, unsympathetic grandeur and its magnificent, frosty air, i believe we're in that group of earthlings drugged by the city. regardless of the illogically small living space and confoundedly high cost of living, it calls us and begs us to occupy a small plot of cement. the only thing it asks in return is love; love for its people and love for their inner-city souls.

e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!

yesterday commenced the 7-month hiatus from life known as the nfl. (well, it started on thursday but the important team didn't play 'til yesterday.) i have married into what i call a dynasty of true football fanatics, and these 7 months can be the most emotional 7 months of the year for eagles fans. philadelphia eagles, that is.

i've been climbing the class ladder for the past five years in hopes that someday when i wake up out of the non-season coma, i will have been reborn into the elite "true fan" class. (please note: when I first met jed i was painfully yet naturally stuck in the "ignorant" class, tho' i'm not sure which class i'm in currently)

the game yesterday was an invigorating and pump-you-up season starter, and the fans definitely felt it. usually the eagles' luck is so low that you can't even scrape it up with steel wool, but yesterday it almost didn't seem that way. but we'll see. there's always the "but" in a season. there are bound to be a few cannonballs and suicide hills in the emotional roller coaster this season, but i love being along for the ride!

bits and pieces

it feels like i haven't blogged in quite a long time, and since there's so much going on i've decided to give a "bits and pieces" report. it will be sterile, sans depth, emotion, sarcasm, technique, or skill. it's a plain yogurt report without flavor or color, but hopefully it won't leave such a nasty after-taste.

*beach weekends and time with family*

this summer has been sprinkled with time at wrightsville beach, nc, with jed's visiting family. the weekend after we got back from NYC, jed's sister and family came south to visit jed's brother and wife in nc, and so jed's parents plus jed's youngest brother plus me and jed went up to wilmington, nc, to struggle in the waves as a family. quite a fun weekend, full of sand, late nights, and lots of laundry to bring back. good memories...

*green shadow's show*

on august 15th and 16th, the green shadow participated in an end-of-summer show with katie coston from illyria pottery (the hostess) and christin pratt from just between you and me. what an awesome experience! i'll be posting all the discounted stuff that didn't sell on my etsy site so check back soon (www.greenshadow.etsy.com). not only was it my first show, but the other artists taught me a lot about marketing, demand, and the entire art business. super good fun! and, we're looking at doing a christmas show on november 7th and 8th - mark your calendars!

*jed's acl reconstruction*

the 19th of august marked surgery day for jed. no eating or drinking after midnight the day before so we made sure to stay up and eat and drink right up until midnight. poor guy. it was a hamstring transplant acl reconstruction so there are 4 incisions and lots of bruising. he's such a trooper, though! after gnawing through the pain the first two days, we've got it under control now and he's doing a bit better. he's the best patient a wife could ask for. my mom always told me (along with every other woman i've known) - "guys don't deal too well with pain so beware!" however, i think i'm more of a wimp than jed. he's just great. his 7-day appointment is tomorrow so we're hoping for lots and lots of good news. the best news he could hear at this point would be that he didn't have to sleep in that hot, bulky, tight immobilizer any more.

*back to school*

for the first time since i've known him, jed's not starting school this fall. no new correspondence course, no new classes to attend, no nothin'. wow. however, my li'l sis and bro are coming down to sc to ring in a new year at college. it'll be preston's junior year, and he's glad to be back because he'll get to see his girlfriend. abi is starting her freshman year at *sniff* COLLEGE! i'm so old. i remember when she was born. i remember when she used to terrorize me and i would boss her around. now we're both old enough to be ashamed at such acts, but we each think it still. it'll be so great to have them both here. good chance to spend time with them before heading up to the city! they get here on thursday and it's party time 'til labor day. wish me luck - i can never keep up with my wild family.


the end.