Charleston Pt. 2

Okay... just a few more pictures from my trip to Charleston....

These last two are my favorite of the trip..... These two have their place.... Their place is in Tennessee.... I am lucky that they don't mind visiting the place I love over and over and together we find new reasons to come back....

A Little Bit of Charleston

    If you know me personally... you probably know that I have an undying love for everything that is Charleston, SC. My love for this town seems to grow after each visit. I gave this love a great deal of thought this trip. I tried to look at what it is that really draws me to this town. After thinking about it I realized that I never had that place where I could say this is where I am from.  My husband has that. He is from East Tennessee. He's a real country boy. It is part of what makes him who he is. It is part of his identity. He cherishes his roots and respects and honors the traditions of the Appalachian people. I love him for that. I understand his love of his home.
    As a child I moved schools almost every year until I was a sophomore in high school. I moved towns almost as many times. My dad was in the military and that was just part of the military life. When I come to Charleston I just feel like it is "my place". There are so many parts of the Charleston area that I love from the architecture, the food, the art, and especially the beach. There's a art of me that feels complete when I'm here. So I wanted to share what it is I love. I could have taken lots of good food pictures to share with you but I know that is obnoxious. I could have taken lots of beach pictures by I just didn't want to get me camera sandy so I will just stick to my favorite pictures of historical homes around the French Quarter area of historic Charleston. So here it is.... some of my favorite pictures I took this trip... p.s.  Thank you Soph and Adam for being patient and walking with me as I took all this pictures.... It was hot and you guys were very sweet to hang in there with me!

Photography

     I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't drawing or painting. It's just something I have always loved to do. In college, my emphasis was art. I took Art History, Drawing, Painting and several other art related classes. While attending college I was also able to take several photography classes where I worked with film cameras taking color and black and white photos. I was able to work in the dark room developing black and white photos that I had taken which for the record, was an amazing experience. It is something I will never forget. I loved taking pictures but when I discovered that I had a passion for photography, I was already on the career path to become a teacher.  I have decided to revisit that passion for art and photography. I will be taking some online as well as some local photography classes to help me develop as a photographer. I love teaching kids. I love to see that moment when the light bulb clicks on. However, there has been something missing. I have poured so much of myself into my professional life that there just wasn't anything left that helped me deal with the pressures and stress of daily life.

     I don't know where photography will take me or quilting or painting for that matter but if it makes me happy and helps me feel like I am whole again then it just can't be bad. I have created a Facebook page and designed a logo just to show what I am working on. If my friends want to see what I am working on they can follow me or they can choose to not do so. Some days I might share pictures I have taken and some days it might be a painting. I might make the most amazing recipe or visit the most amazing quilt shop and share it. It's all art to me. Art is relative. That is the beauty of art. I don't know if I want to develop my photography to help me build my blog or if I want to work on portrait or nature photography but that is the what I love most about this journey. I love getting to discover what it is truly makes me feel fulfilled. I refuse to listen to negative comments or to anyone that doesn't support my dreams. For way to long I have doubted myself.  That is officially over as of today.... I know I have an eye for photography, I know I love to paint, and draw, and cook... and when I combine that with experience.... I think that there is no limit to what I can do. From here on out I am going to listen to my heart and do what I love. It's long overdue in my opinion. I plan to spend the next couple of months working on my blog and rediscovering my artistic side..  Since I will be posting lots of pictures on my blog and on Facebook of things I am working on I decided that having a watermark was a must! So.... here is the  official first look at One Square Inch.....

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Answered Prayers

     It has been a very long time since I have written a post here. September 12, 2012 to be exact. In my last post, I wrote about my dear friends Karen and Teddy Ogle, and their efforts to adopt a baby to complete their family. I just haven't had it in me to write anything else because everything that came to mind seemed insignificant after telling their story.   

     I just can not say thank you enough to all of the people that read their story and prayed for them and shared the link for others to read. I know in my heart that prayer works! I know because a year later... In November of 2013 Karen received a call from the adoption agency that a little girl was possibly going to be available for adoption. I was at home with Sophie when Karen called to tell me the news. I was speechless. I mean literally, I could not talk. I had prayed and hoped that Karen would receive that call but when it came.... I just couldn't find the words. The days following the phone call from the adoption agent were a little stressful but God was watching over Karen and Teddy and the baby that would fill their arms and their hearts. On November 27th, 2013 Miss Ella Ogle was born.... she weighed 6 pounds 10 oz. and was 18 inches. I am excited to say that she is home now with Karen and Teddy and I don't think I have seen a happier family! Karen was sweet enough to let me come take pictures of Ella. I loved spending time with her!

 

 

 

 

 

The quilt behind Ella is one that I am making for her! I can't wait to get it finished.... Maybe by her first birthday at the speed I'm going.

    I have to say she is the sweetest baby ever! Her smile is precious and her giggle.... well... it will warm your heart! So now that their family is complete, LaShay, Shane, and Ella fill the house with laughter and love and God's plan is realized. I have learned so much about being patient.... trusting in God.... and having complete faith through Ella. She has been a blessing to my heart and now I feel like I can write again. I look forward to seeing Ella grow up and seeing what God has in store for her life.  What a journey! It was an emotional one but one I know Karen and Teddy would do over and over again to have Ella in their arms. Thank you again for all of your prayers! God is good!

   I have also been blessed to paint pictures for her room and I wanted to share those as well... 

 

 

 

 
And a couple more of Ella.... just because!

Adoption Necklace

Tuesday night I went to Diva Night at Loralei's in Sevierville. It is the second one I have been to and it was a chance to see her new store. It was so nice. I loved the openness of it and the decor and it just seemed so much more spacious! After looking around at everything I found a cute ballet ornament for Sophie's Christmas tree. It was so pretty I just had to get it for her. I was pretty much done shopping and had made my way to the front of the store when I spotted a section of jewelry I had missed. When I looked closer I found a little basket with charms in it that had a sign that said adoption jewelry. I had to know what it was all about.

A picture of the adoption charm that caught my eye. The heart represents the love we have for each other and our child to be. The wings represent God and his Angels that guide us through the journey.
"Every good and perfect gift is from God above." James 1:17

I was curious because I have a very good friend who is trying very hard to adopt her first child. I have to tell you that over the past two years I have had three couples on my heart that I prayed for daily that their child would come. My heart will be forever attached to those babies. Two of those couples, despite challenges, have had their babies. They are blessings sent from God. I feel like I have one more baby that I am waiting for. I have never stopped praying for my friends baby to be sent to her. It seems strange but I have felt like my job isn't done. I started looking several months ago for a piece of jewelry that would be a symbol for her journey through the adoption process.  Angie Long is the sweet person who told me what the charm represented. After hearing her story I knew I had to get it for my friend.

I took the adoption charm and picked two other charms from Bev Jones of Two Coyotes Studio for Bev to make a necklace. The letter J with the word Journey to represent the journey to find her baby.

The charm with the letter J and the word Journey

 The crystal charm to represents clarity.... keeping focused on the joy at the end of the journey. When we look back we will realize that it was just the beginning. It turned out beautiful!

When I gave the necklace to my friend I asked if I could share her story on my blog because I know that there is one thing that the adoption agencies say over and over and it is "Get the word out".... So I don't know how many people will read this but I ask that you share her story with those around you. I know that this prayer will be answered. I just think the necklace is a "God Thing".... If you do nothing else just pray!

So here is my friend. Karen Ogle. She is a beautiful person and she will be a wonderful mother! Read her story and get to know and love her as I do! Maybe you will be the one who helps her fulfill her dreams of being a mother!

My beautiful friend Karen in the orange Vols shirt

 From Karen:

Dear Readers,

Thank you for taking the time to hear our story.  Our names are Teddy and Karen Ogle.  We have been married for four years and Teddy has two children ages thirteen and ten from a previous marriage.  Since before we married we knew that we wanted to have a child together, and after two years of lost pregnancies and unsuccessful fertility treatments we have learned that God has chosen a different plan for us. 

A little about us:

We were set up on a blind date by mutual friends and we have been together ever since. 

 We are best friends who love relaxing and spending time together and with Teddy’s children.  We love sports and going to sporting events, and traveling.  Teddy is a construction supervisor for a large company.  I am a first grade teacher and I love being around the students at school and seeing how much they grow every year.  Teddy enjoys working outside and doing yard work.  I enjoy working in the house and reading when time allows.  We love family game night were we play video games or board games as a family.  The kids are very excited about having a little brother or sister.  

Teddy is such a good dad!

We just finished building our dream home two years ago.  It is a home that we pray will soon hear the sound of a babies laughter.  We have a one acre and a half lot that backs up to a small farm.  It is very much like living in the country, but you can get to the town in a matter of minutes.

Both of our families live in the area and are very excited about having another grandchild to spoil.  We spend a great amount of time with our families and have a wonderful support system.  We will raise the child in a loving home that is God and family centered.  We attend the church that I was raised in and will provide a loving stable church family for our child.

We love our time with our family. Looking forward to the day when our family picture is complete.

We pray that someone will hear our story and that our prayers of a baby will soon be answered. If you know a birth mother who is considering the adoption process please share our story and this web site with them.  If they would like to see our profile book you can contact Pam Frye at Harmony Adoptions, 865-982-5225, or Karenkrl72@yahoo.com for more information. Thank you for reading our story. God bless.

Asheville

So I didn't get to go to my favorite vacation spot this summer. If you know anything about me you know I left part of my heart in Charleston on my honeymoon seven years ago. It is my dream to someday have a small home there. Hey a girl can dream right? Anyways, instead of going on vacation...and by vacation I mean overnight trip, Adam, Sophie and I, stayed close to home and had all the local tourist fun we could have. We did Splash Country, Dollywood, and the mountains. We have had a good time and I think Sophie has had a blast. She has asked about the beach though. She is like her momma in a few ways. I think she left a little piece of her heart there too!

Adam and I went to Asheville for our get away. We left early fueled by a iced coffee and arrived looking for REI around 11. We drove around forever because we left the GPS but we finally found it. If you like to bike, hike, or camp its a pretty cool place. I went to an Olive Oil and Vinegar store and spent all of my birthday money Adam gave me and a little more. There was an awesome toy store and more all in that part of Asheville. The houses there were to die for. I wish I had taken a picture but I think that might have got me in trouble.

After we left that part of town we went downtown. Downtown is a little eclectic to say the least. I am not sure it's for everyone. That being said I had to share some of my favorite spots in Asheville.

The French Broad Chocolate Lounge. We had to wait a few minutes to order and a little bit longer to get our drinks but it was good. I would totally stick to the truffles and their iced coffee which was to die for.

The case for the truffles at the Chocolate Lounge. Pick up a menu just as you step in the door so you know what you want to order when you get to the front of the line.

 

 

Terrible picture. Sorry. But...omg...all the Blue Ball glass jars a girl could want at a antique store in downtown Asheville.

 

 

Antique rolling pins....sigh...I have to go back just to get one of these!

A bucket I am still fantasizing about.....I am in love!

I am not going to say anything....I know you are in love with this too!

When we got home Sophie opened her present we brought back from Asheville. The toy shop was so cool. They had toys you can't find other places. They gift wrap for free.

We got Sophie a new outfit for her baby doll. It cost more than the one Sophie was wearing. Baby doll clothes are expensive. In the baby's defense it was wearing a dress that one of my baby dolls wore when I was a little girl. And we know that must be very old!

 

 

 

We also ate at the Tupelo Honey Cafe. Totally worth the 45 minute wait to get in. The food was as good as anywhere else I have ever eaten. Thank goodness we are getting one in downtown Knoxville! So exciting!

Last but not least a picture of the quilt I have been working on. It's all finished and it will be going to my friends baby Friday. His birthday is the 29th so I finished it just in time. I hope he has an awesome first birthday!

The back that I had such a hard time with.

Yeah! The front... I may not be the best quilter but by golly I can pick out some fabric!