unreal

all of my childhood i dealt with tornados. spring was always turbulent--nights in the bathtub, sirens going off all night. but eventually, even with the fear that those sirens arouse, you become a little numb to it. of all the warnings i've been through, only one was remotely close to my home. NEVER did i think a storm could do this. not in anything i could imagine. my sweet, sweet state, destroyed.

the scenes across the south remind me of a movie. it's unbelievable. but with the death tolls rising it makes it all the more real. with family and friends scattered all over the south, i am so fortunate not to have anyone that was injured.

i think in situations like this, especially for those affected, it is so important to remember who our God is. He is good and wise and SO loving beyond measure. because of Jesus, and because he took on the weight of our sin, we are no longer punishable for sin and therefore God does not punish, nor does he bring disaster upon his children. there is good in this world and there is evil. God is good. always and only.

please say a prayer for the people affected by this horrible storm. for those who lost their lives, their families, those displaced from their homes, and those still searching for loved ones. because of God there is always hope in tragedy and light in the darkness.

i am not prepared for this

{get ready, because this will probably be cheesy}

"the office" has been more than a tv show to me. first it was just an on-going source of some good laughs. i mean, let's get real here: tv producers have gotten dangerously creative these days. every show is a cliff hanger, to the point where even low-income families think they "need" a dvr. it's crazy. but the office is different--there are a few episodes that make you curious to see the next (like jim and pam's romance, or michael sealing the deal with holly), but in general, every episode is a new situation. just like the old days of "i love lucy"--when tv shows were entertainment, not addictions.

then, when i had an awful job for 2 1/2 miserable years, the office was my escape. it was my alter-reality. when you can envision your environment like a sitcom, it makes things a lot more bearable. not only that, but when other people in my office started getting into "the office" then we had great things to talk about. some light-hearted humor after lunch, hanging around someone's cubicle while you avoided going back to your own desk.

bottom line: humor makes every difficult situation just a little bit better. and who was better at that than steve carell as michael--the naive, inappropriate, distracting boss with a loveable heart. the cast talks like the show will still go on, but who knows what will happen. how does a show thrive without it's main character?

it will be a sad day. i haven't fully prepared myself for this. at least there are always re-runs, which is great about "the office"! you can watch any show and not have to run the whole "last time on the office..." bit. i'm just hoping they still continue pranks on dwight. next to michael's crazy anecdotes, those are my favorite.

the show must go on!

i mostly love this house

which is odd, because it's not exactly my style, but it fits the house. and the cabinets are ikea! can you believe it? check out the full article here. and here's a few snapshots just to spark your curiosity.

this is what made me switch my paint scheme from white walls to cream in the family room of the house i WILL eventually have.

i also LOVE the honeycomb upholstery on the wing back chairs. delicious.

engagement photos are back!

and they. are. awesome!

check them out here, under the photo album section.

thank you, whitney!

eufaula in love

eufaula is a wonderful town. it's the movie sight of sweet home alabama and i can see why. its history is deliciously southern, the lake is peaceful, and it's downtown is home to many great thrift stores and antique shops. if only it weren't such an awful boring drive to get there.

i was there for a family reunion. i think i saw more of eufaula than i did my family.

here's a peek at the weekend:

in case you can't tell, those are real candles!

so then, just outside of dothan, the husband-to-be spotted a cool car dealership with some neato old cars. naturally we had to stop.

and finally, somewhere along 231 we spotted a large controlled burn. it was much bigger in person, i assure you. we pulled over to the side of the road several times to snap a few pics.

after that we continued onto our boring I-10 drive (my boss complains about his frequent drives to tallahassee--now i get it). and then we were home. all-in-all it was a good weekend!

if you don't have to drive on I-10 to get to eufaula, you should go. it's neato.

shades of light

this is my new favorite lighting source. compared to its more trendy counterparts, it has some pretty good looking stuff at really good prices.

these are some of the ones i've been eyeing lately: