52 Portraits // 2

This young gentleman is Lee Alan Wiles.  If you asked me how Lee came into my life, I wouldn't know how to give you a straight answer, though I could probably make one up.  Our friendship was an accident, but a happy one.  I think the best friendships often are.

Lee is the quintessential good-old-boy.  Loves Jesus, loves America, loves his mama.  Beyond that exterior, which is true and good and of such merit, is a genuine zeal for the life he leads.  His friends are his treasure, and his loyalty is a fire raging hot.  A song he loves becomes nirvana, elevating him and those around him to a place of transformation - even if that transformation is just a 60 second dance party.  His word is his bond, he is trustworthy to his core.  Oh, and he's got a mean sweet tooth.

This guy is leaving for training for the Air Force in February.  I will miss the hell out of him, but I'm beyond proud to call him my friend.

milk moon vintage

new items up in my etsy shop!

52 portraits // 1

This year, I'll be posting a portrait every week.  These are folks in my life who, in ways big and small, influence and inspire me, show me love, and teach me things.  They may be acquaintances or lifelong friends.  The first falls into that second category.

This is my older sister, Shannon Greene.  Beautiful, isn't she? There doesn't seem to be a good starting point in describing her - I could talk circles about this girl.

Anyone who meets her will agree - she is mysterious.  Even as her sister - even as close as I feel to her - she is naturally elusive.  Just when you think you have her, just when you feel that you know her, you glimpse another facet of her character and you realize - this girl is otherworldly, wild.  In the midst of the cool-girl charm she puts off so effortlessly, it's not hard to realize that she couldn't care less about it.  She is genuine to her core.

Shannon's loves are not fickle; the objects of her affection are held so tightly and with such reverence, you find yourself loving those same things when you're around her.  Whether it's a book, a ritual, a band, a man - the things she loves are bound tightly in her focus, and she does not sway from them easily.  She bakes a mean banana pudding, makes a cup of tea that takes you places, and writes words that do the same.  Being with her is always an adventure.

Steadfast, ethereal, smart as a whip - that's my sister.

little things // 7

Christmas morning quiet with my boys / time with Jonathan's cousins - never a dull moment / moments to sit and look at the gray winter sky / Crystal is such a treasure / bunchy and rumpled / Nutcracker forest

what 2013 taught me

Confidence and having your shit together are not the same thing.  Confidence can thrive in a mess.

It's far better to be reconciled than to be right.

You are not what you "do".  Your soul does not have a career.

Take one for the team.

Vulnerability breeds growth, everywhere.

parallel lives

I set my alarm last night for the first time in months.  You said you don’t want the responsibility of making sure I am awake.  6:30 AM – ambitious, but… you never know.

They went off, askew - our iPhone clocks apparently misaligned. A soft jingle rang from underneath my pillow – foreign, interrupting my restless dream – and, a solid ten seconds later, the familiar refrain, vibrating from your nightstand.  We hit snooze, independently and ten seconds apart.  Three more times or six, I guess. 

Time is time; but even our time is crooked.  Maybe one of us is a ghost who haunts this house, living out a day in our past, a hiccup away.  It would be better; it might make sense.  We haunt one another – seeing but not seeing, speaking but never hearing.  Reaching and knowing the distance is growing.

If we could breach the wormhole, we could make it real.  Remember when we used to make out?  Remember the trampoline?  The sunrise on the parking garage?  Moments when our ghosts would converge, and our meeting made us human.

I’m saying –

bump into me

interrupt

let’s mess things up a little.

I’m saying – I’m tired of living parallel lives.

Vintage Pop-Up Magic

I had the honor of participating in Lily Wikoff's second Vintage Pop-Up shop, held in the beautifully textured Artisan Traders building in the Village of West Greenville.  To describe my part of it in the most basic terms, I sold some vintage stuff and got to be a part of the growing Village community.  At the heart of it, I got a lesson in facing irrational fears and putting myself out there. #vulnerability 

The entire weekend (a long weekend for me - I took a personal day from work on Friday) was a dream.  There are so many things I could say about it, but the only one that seems to matter is this: I could do this every day.  The people, the clothes, the coffee, the general camaraderie - these are things I do not take for granted.  I miss working with people - just so much; I certainly felt the magic of synergy once more while hanging with all the lovely souls who took part in the Pop-Up. Thankful for that.

Here are all the special folks who had a part in it:

Vagabond Barista

Reck & Roll Vintage

Three Thrifty Gypsies

Mollie Greene

Annie Koelle

Lily Wikoff

The Chubby Cupcake

Let's all do it again soon.  Until then, I need to get my items back up in my shop!