Today was the Most Beautiful Day

When I say that, I mean that it was achingly and all-encompassingly beautiful outside. Tear-worthy, even. Maybe it was a reward of some kind for the muckiness of yesterday...whatever it was, I am grateful. It was in the low 70's and very breezy, the kind of day that instantly reminded me of that child-reflex that occurs when you peek outside the window, and you just cannot get your clothes on fast enough so that you can be with the swaying trees. You see, in Georgia there are actually two seasons, rather than 4...a brutal summer & a mild winter. Fall and Spring are something that I cherish fiercely because they are often short, or in the case of Spring, almost nonexistant. We go from zero to 60 (or 40 degrees to 90 degrees) in a few short weeks. This Spring we have been spoiled, in that it actually happened, and is still happening, and has been long and lovely.
I always say that I want to live somewhere in which the weather is like the illustrations in the calenders that I remember from childhood...the ones where children wear cardigans and play in the leaves for "September", instead of the tank-tops and sweltering that Georgia Septembers are all about.

To our Left is a fun picture of me out in the beautiful Thursday with my very own one of La Totes (it was a slightly imperfect one). After carrying one all the way to, around, and from town today, I can safely say that

1.) they will hold almost anything with ease and comfort, and

2.) they are adorable. and they would make for a great school or supply bag.

So, what I really intended to do today is to start telling the story of Emily, as promised (or threatened! ) yesterday.

So this is the Family Part:
Well, I was born February 13th, 1983. I have 2 brothers (Kristian, 14, and Stephen, 19) and one sister (Amelia, 19). She and Stephen are twins.

I had both a Mom and a Dad until I was 12, when my father died. Here we are, when I was just a tiny little puppins learning to swim:

He had dark red hair and a beard. And he was pretty much my favorite person in the world when I was a little girl. He had a brilliant mind, 3 or 4 degrees (in wildly different areas), and was terribly interesting. He would take me on the greatest dates to the Hello Kitty store, where I became infamous to the salesgirls for excruciating bouts of indecision (what do I spend my $10.00 on...how can I get the most cute for my dollars?)
Oh, no, I'm getting blurry-eyed already... alright, well, suffice it to say he was a terrible, terrible thing to lose. I am still in the mindset of a person always losing things & people, because of this single, formative event. A few weeks ago, sitting out on the front steps of the porch on a pretty night talking, I realized that it would not be long until more time had elapsed since his death than there was before he died.
How strange it is when you realize you've been without something longer than you had it in the first place. It's just as strange, I suppose to realize you've had something/someone longer than you were without them. I wish all the time that I could get his opinion on all sorts of things, chat with him about Faulkner, take those few that I really love so that he can meet them.

This is my mama as a little girl. Isn't that photo the greatest? I think it's so hilarious. And it really captures her loveliness better than any current picture of her could. We always had a wonderful time when I was a little one, especially until those troublesome twins came along and we could do everything alone! I'm only kidding. Well, mostly. My mother is incredible. I told her recently that sometimes I get an acute feeling of panic, thinking that there simply isn't enough time, or enough words to thank her for being so wonderful, or tell her & show her how much I love her. She raised 4 children, nursed a sick husband for 7 years, and has a successful private law practice to boot. Even though she rarely dabbled in "Art with a capital A", I attribute my creative spark and yearning to make things to her. She has a beautiful garden, has always sewn whenever she can, was a very fun mum full of good ideas and open-mindedness, and still enjoys learning new things. She has an uncanny wisdom, coupled with a child's enthusiasm and charm.
So, that's where I come from. Or who I come from, rather. Next time maybe I'll delve into my personality or interests, or maybe into the life I've built (or begun building) for myself. Thank you so much to anyone who reached the end of this post. It feels so good to write about this, and share them with you.