Gizmo The Cross-eyed cat.
Originally uploaded by Lanna Grace.
Have I introduced you to Gizmo?

Gizmo is cross-eyed. Gizmo sometimes walks into things. He probably needs glasses, but they don't make them for cats. Sorry, Gizmo.


Thursday, July 28, 2005 | 5:53 PM | LINK |

The Music Has Been Kind to Me Today.

I've been scheduling and emailing for the majority of the day. Normally, these days creep by with the speed of a sloth on a hot day, but today was different. Today I had new music. I've forgotten how great it is to buy a CD. iTunes has spoiled me with it's right now fast music. But I ventured out and came home with a few newbies. So, what was on my playlist today?

Led Zeppelin: BBC Sessions

Jeff Buckley: Grace (Legacy Edition)

And one freakin' awesome mix cd


Until next time, I wish you all good music and days that are as swift as a cheetah who has been stung by a bee.


Wednesday, July 27, 2005 | 1:34 PM | LINK |

I haven't worn a watch in over a month.

I must admit, at first I felt incomplete and naked without a watch. My watch friend told me what time it was to the second. I was also able to count the minutes until lunch time or until that favorite show came on tv. It was also a fun game of mine to count the minutes in between times when I checked my watch. My watch was my friend.

And then, one day...I forgot to wear my watch. I was filled with anxiety. I kept looking at my naked wrist wondering what time it was. The next day I forgot it again. The day after that I forgot that I forgot it. And I must say that I'm happier now than I've every been.

Does this mean that I have lost respect for time? Absolutely not. You'll find that the world is filled with clocks everywhere. We have a clock in just about every room in the house, not to mention the scrolling bank marquees that are nice enough to tell you temp and time. My laptop is even nice enough to have a nifty clock in the bottom right side of the screen. There is no need to have one attached to your body. And I 've found that if you find yourself in a place where there are no clocks, then maybe you should enjoy the peace and tranquility of not knowing what time it is. I guarantee that your heart will beat a little less heavy and your mind will start to slow. And its a completely great feeling.

At least that's what I've felt.


Tuesday, July 26, 2005 | 9:32 PM | LINK |

Sexy Moon.

Last night I had the pleasure of photographing my first wedding. Friends and family waited in the woods of the Biltmore Estate as the gentleman asked his girlfriend to marry him. Upon acceptance, he told her that he was ready to marry her then and the entire family rushed out of the forest to gather around them and then promptly marry them. It was the most unusual and downright romantic thing I've seen in a while.

The bride's name, Roxanne, provided me with much entertainment for the evening. Each time, I would take her photograph my mind would immediately start to play the Moulin Rouge, "El Tango De Roxanne" loudly in my head with the brash Argentinean accent..."ROXANNE...YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT ON THAT RED LIGHT!" It provided for many a quiet laugh in my head as mingled with many people I did not know.

The drive home was gruesome at midnight (when my normal bedtime sits at a lovely 9:30pm). But just as the cell phone service dies in the mountains of Asheville and I have the car to myself, the moon decides to seduce me. That's right, I said "seduce me." And the moon worked on my weary eyes and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. It peeked its head around the mountains and whispered to me as I drove quietly and solitarily down that road. And I thought to myself, "that is the sexiest moon I've ever seen." Or maybe it was just because it was so late at night and there was no radio and no other cars on the road or maybe God just wanted to romance me a little and decided to use the moon or perhaps it was a lesson in the discipline of silence. Whatever the reason, it was good and I made it home in one piece.


Sunday, July 24, 2005 | 11:32 AM | LINK |

The Resplendent Fancy Random Award of the Day

Yes, friends it's the return of the RFRAOTD and the award goes to Daisy the wonderfish for being A 19 CENT FISH THAT'S STILL ALIVE AFTER 7 MONTHS. Hard to believe? It's true. Daisy has survived two other goldfish, Tom and Gatsby (may they rest in peace), as being the most awesome fish to still be alive after a.)seven months and b.)an assasination attempt by Maximus the Freakin' Hott Cat.

Congratulations Daisy, you have won a new tank ( I hope the change in atmosphere does not kill you.).


Thursday, July 21, 2005 | 4:20 PM | LINK |

The dingo ate my baby.

I mean the dingo ate Rowlf.

I mean my mom's chihuahua chewed up my stuffed dog, Rowlf.

Go ahead, make fun if you want to. But Rowlf has been with me for 22 of my 24 years of life. He was with me when I got my first shot, he was with me when I came home from my first day of school, he was with me when I had the nightmares about the singing and dancing panther who wore a top hat, and he was with me when I took the book from the bookstore with the Auryn symbol on the cover...(wait, sorry that was a movie).

Poor Rowlf...I'll have to get out the mending supplies when I get home.


Wednesday, July 20, 2005 | 12:53 PM | LINK |

Blessed.

As I was eating breakfast this morning I was overcome with thankfulness. I'm thankful for my family. My parents' anniversary was yesterday. They've been married for 35 years. I'm thankful to my father for showing me Christ's love in the way he loves and cares for my mother. He never complains or says harsh words to her, he just loves. I'm lucky to have a picture in flesh of what Jesus' love looks like. He's taught me that I don't have to be a woman of many words or loudness, but that quiet confidence in knowing myself and knowing my relationship with Christ and loving is where the true beauty of a woman is found. Thanks Da.

I'm thankful for my friends. I'm thankful for the family and accountability that we have created with each other. That after years of friendship and sometimes drama that we are closer than ever. We aren't afraid to ask tough questions because it means that we are spurring each other on to be better. These are also the people that constantly bring a smile to my face and who I can laugh with and joke with to the point of immaturity. Friends represent who we are and I'm lucky enough to have found people that I respect, admire and love and who feel the same about me. I would fight for them any day.

I'm thankful for the life changes that have happened this year. A new job and job changes may not have necessarily been the changes I would have made, but they have made me the woman that I am today. A woman who is constantly growing and learning that by obedience we have the ability to show others that God exists. That a broken heart is an avenue for growth and praise. I am thankful for God pushing me to lay my Isaac on the altar and giving me new gifts and helping me to uncover more of His will for my life. "For God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything" - 1 John 3:20 I am thankful that I don't know everything and that I don't have to. My greatest need is to be in God's Will for this moment and I'm lucky enough to have the peace of knowing that I'm right where He wants me to be.

Psalm 136.


Tuesday, July 19, 2005 | 8:13 AM | LINK |


A Circle of Friends
Originally uploaded by Lanna Grace.
The vacation has come and gone. It passed way too quickly, but will go down as one of the most enjoyable vacations that I've had. I'm still in the laid back it'll get done eventually mentality that a vacation brings.

Thanks to Lee's birthday we spent the weekend in lovely Folly Beach, SC. There was an itinerary, but it was lost after the first few hours. I think it was better that way.

Thursday, Jon, Karla and I headed on down to Folly to get the house ready as Lee, Shua and LB enjoyed Dave Barnes. We were told that our house (Summer Daze) we had procured slept 8 people. Upon arriving, we realized that they had probably meant 8 tiny people and not the very tall people that we call our friends. It worked out somehow with 7 people, 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.

Nonetheless, it was an incredible weekend filled with many long talks and walks, lots of ocean, sand, and sun. I think we realized how much of a family we have made within our group and how protective we are with each other.

Now, if you want to know what we did, here's the short version:

Thursday: work, travel, Columbia, Carraba's, more travel, Fred Holland Realty, Cooper St. Summer Daze, late night grocery run to Walgreen's, decorating, reunion, sleep

Friday: morning walk, dead horseshoe crab, cooking breakfast, coffee, tweety pancakes, swimsuits, swimming in the ocean, laying in the sun, lunch, nap, surfing lesson, another grocery run, Karla and I cooking shrimp and grits and apple pie, birthday dinner on the deck, great discussion, group pictures, Happy Birthday on half an apple pie, late night walk to the pier, sleep, laughter, flashlight party with dancing, and finally sleep.

Saturday: coffee, muffins, front porch discussion, surfing and swimming, sun bathing, making a sandcastle...er, submarine, more ocean, lunch, nap, a walk around downtown Charleston, dripping with sweat, walkie-talkie chat, getting lost trying to find our way to Charleston Crab House, another walk to the beach, playing in the water, swimming in the ocean at night, jellyfish, star-gazing, laughter, many pictures, more great conversation, Austin Powers, midnight talk on the deck and finally sleep.

Sunday: packing, coffee, cooking breakfast of eggs, grits, and biscuits, cleaning, more packing, loading the cars, trip to the Angel Oak, drive home, unpacking, and sleep.

And yes, that was the short version. You can see pictures here or here.


Monday, July 18, 2005 | 2:07 PM | LINK |

I'm in the process of getting ready for a small vacation for this weekend. This time we're kidnapping Lee for his birthday. It will be fun. If our birthday extravaganzas keep growing the way they've been this year, then by my birthday next year we'll be taking a trip to the moon.

You can expect a narrative on Monday.


Wednesday, July 13, 2005 | 8:23 PM | LINK |

The weekend has indeed been good to me. I did paint and read. I did go to Greenville and I did get my hair cut. It's the kind of hair cut that makes you want to fight people because it's so awesome (Pictures will be coming shortly). I was wooed by the words of one Joshua Blankenship. And then I was sufficiently rocked by Lee McDerment and Jeff Hook (you can see pictures here). It is, however, that on Saturday my plans shifted a bit. My Da and I made our weekly trip to the Jockey Lot and then I decided to take up the offer of the sun and tan a bit. I did, it was nice and then after a shower I found myself asleep and proceeded to sleep for the next 4 hours. I'm not really sure how that happened, but I think I may have been in some sort of coma. So there was no experimentation with the new flash for the Graflex, but I'm sure it will come soon. So, I had a great weekend...how about you?


Sunday, July 10, 2005 | 6:14 PM | LINK |

It's raining, it's wonderful, it's Thursday and I'm not wearing any make-up.

I've gotten into the habit of giving my face some days off throughout the week. I've never been much for the caked-on mask of make-up look. My face thanks me for it's free time and space to breathe.

This weekend holds the promise of being awesome. Why? Well, tonight I shall take some time to paint and read. Tomorrow will be Greenville, me and a haircut followed by a delivery of funk by Lee and Jeff Hook at Carpenter's Cellar. Not to mention that Shua will be wooing the masses with his poetry. Saturday, I'll be practicing with a new flash that I got to go with my Graflex. I'm just a little excited about that. And Sunday, well Sunday is church and I can't wait. So, awesomeness will abound and details will follow.


Thursday, July 07, 2005 | 12:00 PM | LINK |

I would just like to say that I love my friends.


That is all at this time.


p.s. I love birthdays. I especially love planning things for my friends' birthdays.


Wednesday, July 06, 2005 | 5:41 PM | LINK |


Beauty and Affliction.
Originally uploaded by Lanna Grace.
I've put up a few pieces of my art on Flickr.


Monday, July 04, 2005 | 12:31 PM | LINK |

California.

I must say that I've been enjoying the holiday of July the 4th. To celebrate, I've been watching the first season of The O.C. I had never watched the show and I must say that it's been quite enjoyable. Not a bad way to spend the first half of the day.

Last night was quite enjoyable as well. I took part in a slumber party. The last slumber party I attended was in the 5th grade...I think. Kylie, Heidi, Crystal, Ashley and myself ate pizza and ice cream and watched 13 Going on 30 and Shag: The Movie. Afterwards we sat on the floor in a circle and talked about boys. Ah, the days of youth.


| 12:01 PM | LINK |