Swimming in Sunshine

Spring arrives early here in the South, but not without teasing you for a few weeks first. Today, for example, was a balmy 68 degrees. And it's only the second day of February. You can't help but daydream about lounging by the pool (my new apt has one!) or taking the boat out to the lake or just spending some fabulous time sitting in the sunshine.

This outrageous compound in St. Lucia makes me long for a vacation. Will someone please lend me $10,000,000 - plus some money for a plane ticket?

Photos from WSJ House of the Day. Home listed through Michelle Bourgeois of Town Residential.

The Simple Truth

"Enjoy the little things in life."

It sounds so cliche, but there is so much truth in it! To me, anyways. I try really every day hard not to lose sight of what's important in life.. the little things.

I spent this past weekend camping and riding ATVs with the bf and some friends. We spent 3 days in the backwoods of Tennessee surrounded by gorgeous scenery. When I'm out in the woods, every little detail captures my attention. The way mini waterfalls appear after a heavy rain, the way certain rocks position themselves in a stream, the different plants that grow in different parts of the mountain.

We stopped to eat lunch near what appeared to be an old abandoned coal sifter. As always, I ventured away from the group (who were busy drinking their beers) and just wandered aimlessly, taking in my surroundings. Somewhere along the way, I found an old glass Coke bottle, faded and dirty from who-knows-how-many-years  sitting in the middle of nowhere. Thoughtlessly, I picked it up and wandered back to our group of guys. I showed it to a friend - "How neat is this? Look, there's even a tiny little snail shell on there!" He looked at me like I was crazy. "Uh, cool, Chels.." I sighed and threw the bottle back into the woods.

Why doesn't everyone appreciate the little things? It's what makes you happy, right? Maybe I am weird, and it was just an old Coke bottle, just a piece of garbage, but why not look past that and just appreciate the coolness of it?

Anyways, those are my ramblings for today. The pic above is Danny and me in Tennessee a few months ago.. I love that guy!

Love your life, don't take anything for grated
 and thank God for everything!

xoxo
Chels

The Mandatory 2012 Post

In 2011, I...

• Spent a week in Key West & Miami with some amazing friends
• Graduated from college!!
• Started a new job 2 days after graduating
• Moved back home with my family
• Went camping in the Tennessee mountains
• Mourned the anniversary of my boyfriend's mother passing
• Learned that commuting sucks
• Signed a lease on an apt in Atlanta
• Found out that my boyfriend is going to be an uncle for the first time
• Turned 22
• Saw my brother excel in culinary school 
• Danced in the rain (tornados, technically.. but we'll say rain because it sounds better!)
• Ran my first 5K
• Ran my first 10K
• Was extremely blessed to be hired by a company that goes above and beyond for its employees

In 2012, I...

• Will move into my new apartment with a friend I've known since middle school :)
• Hope to continue my job
• Hope to continue to grow and learn in my career, and take on more responsibilities at work
• Am excited to meet my sweet nephew, Mason, due in January
• Am determined pray more and learn more about God
• Would like to better manage my finances (what can I say, shopping is my therapy..)
• Will visit my friends in Auburn as much as possible
• Want to ski in Colorado
• REALLY want to travel. Anywhere. Paris, Colorado, Mexico.. I'd even be happy just going to Florida! Just take me somewhere, please!
• Hope to volunteer and dedicate my time to helping others
• Am putting myself on the bone marrow donation registry! Scary, but will be worth it to save someones life

The rest will just be a surprise...
Good things are to come!!

Bonne année et bonne santé!

The Bitter and the Sweet

Congratulations to Connie Colley for graduating from Auburn University with a degree in Social Work - watch out for her, she's going to change the world one day!

Congratulations to Michelle Salom for graduating from University of Miami last week! She will be starting law school at U of M next semester.. She's sexy, she's independent, she's smart, she knows sports.. Boys if you want her number, just ask ;) 

Congratulations to Joey Hoellerer for graduating from Auburn University last week.. He's my fave! 

And, for something truly inspirational, congratulations to Molly Welch for graduating from Auburn University last week. She really is an incredible person with an incredible family! Read her story here. 

Wednesday Eye Candy

I will let you browse these pictures and judge for yourself, but I am in love with this Chicago home.

Personally, I would pick this house up and move it to a different city.. Paris, Nantes perhaps? But it is a dreamy home that deserves to be shared!

All pictures from Wall Street Journal, "House of the Day"

My Motto

DO WORK, SON. 

Trying to keep this in mind as I go about my work week...

Right Where I Can See It...

Big news.. I finally found my big-girl Atlanta apartment! It is exactly one mile away from my work, right in the center of Buckhead, walking distance to tons of restaurants, shopping, Lenox Mall, Phipps Plaza aaaand... I will have my very own walk-in closet. As you can see, I'm pretty pumped about it. Too bad most of my income goes to my student loans and not shoes...

I totally wish I could put some seating in my closet and make it an extravagant, soothing space where I can drool over my amazing wardrobe (that I don't actually have).. but alas, I haven't quite made it to that level in the world yet. I would, however, love to paint the interior a really fun color, like the turquoise (or grey) stripes below. That I can do! Also, flowers make everything better. :)