"if heaven ain't alot like dixie..."

We had a wonderful time in Alabama.

Mornings were spent

watching the sun rise

and enjoying coffee on the dock.

Days were filled with

sun and sand,

empty beaches,

clear water,

 feathered friends,

fun,

and family.

Nights were spent

fishing down at the dock,

and reveling in quiet peace

under the stars.

The only things that could have made this break more perfect -

would've been
more time

 and one less 

   broken arm...

*quote from Hank Williams Jr.

gulf shores

Last week,

the kids had a couple of days off 

for fall break.

We debated 

what to do 

and 

where to go.

We considered going to

"the happiest place on earth,"

but it tends to be

"the most expensive place on earth."

We looked into all the 

"last minute"

deals

on the internet,

but just couldn't find anything

that made sense

with our time constraints.

And then

I remembered...

While living in New York,

I vowed that if I was ever back in Georgia,

I would take full advantage of being so close

to the Gulf.

We loaded up and left for one of our favorite places 

in the world,

Gulf Shores, Alabama.

When we arrived late Thursday afternoon,

we found

the view from the back of Grandmother's Beach House, 

 to be just as beautiful as 

the Gulf 

across the street.

The kids scampered down to the bay

to see what they could find

and it didn't take long until the kayaks

were out.

As the sun began to set,

we got dressed and headed for dinner

at Lulu's -

an enormous local restaurant 

owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister.

The kids were thrilled to see something new -

 the "Mountain of Youth,"
a four story climbing aparatus.

After dinner,

we agreed to let Lyons and CC

attempt

the mountain.

Having no fear,

both kids quickly ascended.

At dizzying heights,

they bravely navigated

the ropes course.

I could barely watch,

but was glad they were having fun!

It was clear,
we were
exactly
where we needed to be.

looking good, feeling better

Yesterday,

my friend 

invited me to 

volunteer 

for

Look Good, Feel Better.

It is a program

administered by the

American Cancer Society

designed for women

who have been diagnosed with cancer.

When starting treatment,

oncologists recommend throwing away old makeup 

because it harbors bacteria.

This program provides a kit filled with new makeup

and personal care products,

along with instructions on how to apply the products,

how to choose and care for wigs,

and directions on how to use head coverings such as scarves.

At the beginning of the class,

everyone went around the room

and introduced themselves.

All kinds of women,

from all walks of life.

Cancer had made no distinction 

between race, socioeconomic status, or age.

The one thing 

these women had in common,

was a terrible phone call.

A diagnosis

that changed their lives.

I was moved by each and every story.

The beautiful truck driver - 

so proud of her son in college.

The quiet woman

whose young daughter came with her.

The elderly lady  

who loves working in her garden.

The gregarious city employee -

my age or younger.

So close to tears,

that all changed

as we commenced putting on makeup

and drawing on eyebrows.

Who knew what a difference

eyebrows make?!

These women were laughing

and strong.

And as they began looking better,

they began to feel

better.

Even with all of my nervousness,

I loved it.

I'm going back.

Each and Every Month.

  

The only part I didn't like

was leaving.

And wondering:

What happens to these women

after today?

How do I let them go

and not know

their progress?

In two hours,

they had impacted my life.

I wonder how they're doing today...

just another day

Last Friday night,

we had plans for a 

casual dinner with friends

when John said,

"Let's run by Wolffer.

The Hamptons International Film Festival

is holding an event there tonight."

He wanted to check on things

and make sure all was well.

Once there,

we had a blast 

meeting

famous 

actors,

http://danshamptons.com/gallery/hiff-party-at-sl-east/1059-baume-28/

looking for Trudie Styler,

Brendan J. O'Reilly

and sipping 

Wolffer wine.

We were pleasantly
amused
and

surprised 

when we found our pics
on several websites

afterwards.

http://danshamptons.com/gallery/hiff-party-at-sl-east/1063-baume-32/

http://southampton.patch.com/articles/photos-wolffer-hiff-party#photo-11621633

There is
truly

never 

a boring day

in 

the

Hamptons.

the king and i

Last Wednesday,

I flew to New York

where John and I

had dinner with 

T.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf,

Queen Silvia,

and 

 H.R. H. Princess Madeleine

of Sweden.

zimbio.com

We attended the

Swedish-American

Chamber of Commerce

Farm to Fork

Gala.

I have been to many events in the city,

but never a black tie event

and certainly,

never with royalty.

(I tried every editor around and frustratingly,
cannot remove the red-eye.)

I'm sure we looked 

a little lost

as we navigated the entrance 

to the

Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

And it was surreal 

to walk the red carpet 

behind the rope

and be photographed.

We tried to pretend 

that we knew

what we were doing!

I swooned over the dresses

during the cocktail hour.

This was my favorite dress

of the night.

It was just different,

edgy,

youthful.

SACC Facebook page

The protocol for royalty

was fascinating.  

We were advised of many requirements

in an e-mail prior to the event.

For example,

 there were to be no photographs of the 

Royal Family,

unless they were on stage.

The Royal Table

Everyone rose as the 

Royal Family 

entered

and we were not seated again

until they were seated.

And so on.

I thought 

Princess Madeleine 

was simply stunning.

John and I were delighted 

with the group at our table.

The owners of

Aquavit

were gregarious

and 

we fell in love with 

multiple

Tony Award winner,

Nelle Nugent.

The evening's entertainment

was provided by the

Broadway Green Alliance.

Two consummate performers

from Wicked sang,

"For Good."

The performance was moving because of their

ethereal voices,

but even more so

as I thought of the recent loss of my friend.

I couldn't stop the tears that sneaked

silently

down my cheeks.

SACC Facebook page

It was a magical evening

filled with

champagne,

glamour,

elegance,

emotion,

celebrities,

 food,

entertainment,

and 

royalty.

What more could a girl want?

wild at heart

I recently began reading 

an amazing book
titled

Wild at Heart

by 

John Eldredge.

It is a Christian book

about boys and men

and their inherent desire

to be warriors.

Or more accurately,
it discusses
authentic masculinity
"defined in the image of a passionate God."

The book's description says all boys have:
 "big dreams,  dreams of being the hero, of beating the bad guys, of doing daring feats and rescuing the damsel in distress."

It is a wonderful book

and my only regret 

is that I didn't read it 10 years ago.

I think I would have had a better understanding

of my son

when he was more obviously

wild at heart.

I was so excited about the book,

I began to share what I had learned

 with my husband.

I felt that Lyons needed to 

conquer something

 (besides video games).

So with that encouragement,

John made reservations to go

White Water rafting.

We didn't tell Lyons 

because we knew he'd come up with: 

"100 Reasons Not to Go White Water Rafting."

In fact,
on the winding mountain roads of North Georgia,

as their destination became clear,

Lyons lamented that there were 

three things he didn't want to do that day

~ one of which was rafting.

It didn't help that it 

was the first chilly day 

of fall.

They entered the boat with
much trepidation.

The air was cold.
The water colder.
The rapids sinister.



However,
as you can clearly see,
he loved every minute!

My warrior,
my boy,

who conquered

the river.

...it goes on

Since C desperately needed fall clothes,

we made plans to spend a day in Atlanta

last weekend.

I had visions of a 

ladies lunch

and

shopping at Lenox.

I also thought
we could view the

Titanic Exhibit

at
Atlantic Station.

However, 

my girl had different plans.

First,

she wanted

chicken and dumplings

from

Cracker Barrel.

Not my idea of a ladies lunch.

It also left me longing for my Granny,

and wishing C

could've had her homemade

chicken and dumplings.

The shopping she was most excited about

was this shirt:

Yes, she plans to marry Harry from One Direction.
(I don't think he knows.)

It was a gorgeous Atlanta day,

blue skies and warm weather,

with just a hint of fall in the air.

C fell in love with 

Atlantic Station.

She said it reminded her of

The Grove

in L.A.

It did me too,

a little.

C wanted to see the 

Bodies Exhibit.

It was kind of creepy,

but interesting.

The part that I found the most moving,

was actually seeing

a tumor in breast tissue.

To come face to face
with the culprit that has stolen 

so many lives,

was unfathomable.

Next,

we saw the Titanic Exhibit.

I have always loved learning about the Titanic

and must have read

A Night to Remember 

a hundred times.

I find

the heroism

and dignity

on that fateful night,

crossed with 

the history

and tragedy,

to be such a compelling story.

It was remarkable to see

items belonging to the passengers

on display - 

cups, books, socks, jewelry, perfume bottles

and so much more.

When we entered,

we were given boarding passes

with actual passenger's names,

what class we were traveling in,

where we were from,

who we were traveling with,

and where we were going.

C and I knew our chances weren't very good

because we were both mothers traveling in third class

with our children.

At the end of the exhibit,

we were able to scan the wall

to determine our fate.

Our names and our children's were on the perished list.

It brought heartbreaking humanity to the legend.

Afterwards,

we stopped at 

Rosa Mexicano,

sat outside,

and devoured some killer

guacamole.

All in all,

it was a perfect day

spent with

one of the people

I love most

in this world.