our new spot.

over the past two years we have discovered some really great hidden treasures in our neck of the woods.  we have become regulars to many local eateries and id like to share one of our latest.  

good food, good drinks, good company and close to home.  you cant ask for much more.

plus its nestled right inside one of the cutest little towns.

shade on the canal. 

peace & love~

lost in thought.

i'd lived in the same town for about 23 years and spent most of those years day dreaming and planning my escape...  i'd always felt cramped in such a small town and hoped for an adult life in an amazing new place.  i always fancied the idea of living in a big city or somewhere near the ocean.  a place where culture was thriving and endless opportunities awaited around every corner.  

after the dissolution of my life in that town i desperately needed to escape more than ever.  closed off from my true feelings i found myself following someone else's lead and finally made my move out of the town i had always known.  i was very excited and have always loved this city, but within the first month of my big move i was quickly left behind with nothing but myself and my precious babies (mr. grizzle & alice) to depend on.  

we found our own place and struggled to stay afloat.  my family was very supportive and helpful but there is only so much that can be done from a few hours away.  i remember when i was younger and my grandmother lived in south carolina, i asked her if she ever got lonely being so far away.  she mentioned that the first several years were really tough and full of being homesick but it always got easier when family and friends came to visit.  each visit was a treasured memory and she enjoyed living somewhere people wanted to visit.  when she moved back after close to 10 years she then found herself homesick for the carolinas... i guess we never can win. 

 

living alone was just that... lonely.  it was tough and i barely made enough to cover living expenses in this new city let alone any extras.  i definitely closed myself off for fear of showing weakness and slipped into one of the worst depressive states of my entire life, along with adding debt back into my life.  i had very few visitors and in some ways i'm sure that was for the best.  anyone who knows me would have seen the sadness and forced me to move back home in complete failure.  so i continued to work as much as i could and convinced myself to stick it out a little longer.  all the while constantly hoping i would find happiness and opportunity here, because i do truly love this city. 

i've been here now for about 3 years and have made some really wonderful memories.  thank goodness i hung around through all the tough times because i would never have met mark.  we found each other at the exact right time and its made everything worth while.

i still struggle with being so distant from family and friends but what is lacking is made up by the little home we have created here.  i do wish we would have more visitors and i try to understand why we haven't.  i know everyone has busy lives and i know we could all try a little bit harder to keep in touch.  this blog, i hope, has created a way to let everyone in on the little things going on in our life.

yesterday i was lost in thought and forced myself to get outside for a little bit...

it ended up being a really beautiful day.

peace & love~

 

kindness is for the birds.

random i know...

i'm not one to eat the heels of a loaf bread... i don't know why, but i never have.  even though it is in fact edible bread i just don't fancy it. (its probably because it seems like a giant piece of crust which i usually pick off anyways).  earth day is coming up soon and mark and i have been discussing our wastefulness and carbon foot prints and would love to make a permeant change in our lifestyle.  for some reason, the other day, we started with the bread.  we are lucky enough to have a fairly large body of water near our place and its usually full of fish, ducks and geese.  so we thought it would be good to share our soon to be wasted bread heels with our local animal friends.

they wanted nothing to do with us...

and literally fled the scene :(

too bad, so sad!

whats everyones plan for earth day 2011?

our current oasis.

the past week,  thank goodness is exactly that... the past!  i was so terribly sick all week.  i spent the majority of my time laying in bed - under a blanket, sitting in front of the computer - under a blanket, or on the couch - under a blanket!!

as i sulked in these various locations i really got the chance to look around at our sweet lil home.  just some iphone images that i took while i was stir crazy and sick.

its pretty wonderful when two worlds collide and decorate an apartment together <3

peace & love~

puzzled.

mark and i are absolute hobbyist at heart.  i imagine we always will be.

for christmas this past year i got him a panoramic puzzle of the new york city skyline (which we both very much admire that city) to go under the glass of our coffee table. 

we started out strong and determined to finish it in a timely manner and now it still currently sits under construction. i was re-motivated today when i saw these images we took after the first couple of nights we worked on it.

its 3 feet long and full of beautiful colors (yeah the swirling color pieces have been tough!) which go well with our colorful, city inspired living room and perfect for our table. 

my hope is we will jump back in and get it done by the end of april!! i promise to share images.

peace & love~

Cha cha changes...

Changes
David Bowie

I still don't know what I was waiting for

And my time was running wild

A million dead-end streets

Every time I thought I'd got it made

It seemed the taste was not so sweet

So I turned myself to face me

But I've never caught a glimpse

Just gonna have to be a different man

Time may change me

It has been brought to my attention many times in my life that I am not always the most positive ray of sunshine to be around...even though I really dont want to be seen this way,  I still let it happen far too much.

I've been through quite a bit in my 26 years and feel I have mostly grown from it in a positive way, but I have recently noticed that is not always the case. I have so much to be thankful and happy for and all too often I only concentrate on what I don't have, or need and can't get at the moment, or what I've been through. I guess I suffer from "the grass is greener" syndrome when in fact the grass is greener underfoot. (thanks)

I desire to be happy and naturally make others around me happy too. I'm not completely sure where the negativity and self-loathing comes from or even where/when it started but it has become a slippery slope.

Why is everything... never enough?  I have my health, a job (maybe not my dream job, but who can be picky now-a-days), a car I love, amazing animals, a great apartment in a great city, a lover and friend that I spend every second I can with, an incredible hobby/side business that fuels me everyday to get out of bed, and family that would walk through fire for me.

Yet I dwell on the harsh reality of a failed marriage, lost/destroyed friendships, never having enough money, the hell of customer service and feeling left out by living so far from everything I've ever known.

This sadness and negativity must STOP!! I've got too much to lose if I let myself slide into the dangerous abyss of depression and I've got to try harder to move on, let go and find peace. My life really is too great to let go of dreams and stay stuck in a rut!!

So cha cha changes are in the works and I'm feeling great about it. I follow some very positive blogs written by very inspiring girls that remind me on a daily basis that life is pretty and wonderful and worth using every second you can to discover what's amazing around you!!

You should check them out too!

katie stratton
elsie flannigan
angela hardison

Thanks ladies;)

So my hopes are to frequently update this blog with positive and happy observations and changes of my/our life until I snuff out that pesky dark cloud that follows me around all too often!!

The first positive change has been my hair!! (shallow maybe, but who doesn't want to feel pretty?)
Yesterday I got to see my favorite stylist Holly and spend quality time at the salon which is always wonderful. She is amazing and always makes me feel pretty, she can do the same for you too :)

I walked in feeling unkept and icky...

and left feeling confident and lovely!

so here is to positive changes, finding the silver lining in every situation, and 

photographing beautiful things everyday!

peace & love ~

momma mia meets opa!

from the very beginning mark and i have enjoyed cooking together.  we always try to make it elaborate and go all out when creating a new meal. usually its a theme related to the culture of the foods we are working with...           and last night was one of our best greek pizza nights ever!

this is the second time we have made our own greek pizza (which are inspired by last years greek festival here in columbus, they are amazing!) and i think we have mastered it.

this time around we added hot banana peppers and it was absolutely perfect!  in case you want to try it here is our (not so formal) recipe.

-preheat oven to 450

-we cheat and buy the crust at the store :) and it should be 12 inches

-1/2 cup light mayo

-4 minced cloves of garlic

-1 cup feta cheese ( to be divided in half )

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-vine tomatos

-red onion

-baby spinach

-kalamata olives

-banana peppers :)

1.) mix mayo, garlic, 1/2 cup feta cheese in a small dish.  spread mix over crust and top with oregano and sliced olives. Bake about 10 minutes. 

2.) toss spinach, onion, and tomatos in oil. top pizza with the veggie mixture and the other 1/2 cup of feta.  return to oven for about 2-3 minutes.  

it was wonderful and i hope you give it a try and add your own spin.  i promise your home will smell incredible too!

were planning on trying lots of new recipes that we have never done before  and also changing the way we eat ... i'm sure i'll be sharing on a regular basis.

happy baking!

peace & love~