NEW BLOG!

I don't know about any one else out there, but ever since I changed my email address I've had a heck of a time updating my blogger. It links to your google account so since I got a new Google email I constantly have to sign in and back out whenever I want to update. After a while it just gets really frustrating! I've tried to transfer over the blog, but to no avail. This left me with leaving blogger and restarting my own blog on Wordpress.org - please me sure to head on over and check it out!

I have a brand spankin' new blog that needs some love! From now on, I'll be updating my posts over there, so please add our link as a favorite and be sure to visit back for updates!


www.GetUpAndAdams.com

Leave Me

If you have just 5 minutes to spare, this short film is really touching and so original I just HAD to share it. 

Leave Me from Ryan Dunlap on Vimeo.

It really makes you stop for a moment and appreciate that special someone you have in your life. It is a little sad though, isn't it? Let's use the premise of re-experiencing pictures, without the sad undertone (it was a beautiful film ... but just as heartbreaking as the first few scenes of UP... haven't seen it? It really is a beautiful movie, here's the scene I'm referring to: UP Movie Scene

If I were to jump back through moments that were captured in my photographs here are a few of the ones I'd choose: (These aren't moments that I want to change at all, just ones that I'd be more than happy to enjoy all over again.) Here they are, in no particular order: 

September 25, 2010: 6:30pm

Wedding Day.

This photo isn't anything special. It isn't one that I've framed or that I put in our wedding album, but it's a moment in time when all was right in our little world. The ceremony was over and we had just completed our pictures together, we were on our way back to the wedding party and prepared to kick off the reception. If I could go back, I would remind myself not to rush through it, but to stop for just a minute, close my eyes and take it all in. Even though it seemed to be over in the blink of an eye, I still remember the warmth of the sun, the breeze on the dock during our vows, and the dark ride away from the venue after it was all over with my head resting on Shawn's shoulder. 

October 2, 2010: 1:30pm

Drive from Ennis to Kilmihil, Ireland. Honeymoon. 

We were on our Honeymoon in Ireland, the first time we had ever traveled out of the country together and we were soaking up every minute of it. The trip wasn't all rainbows (although we saw our fair share of those) - we had moments when we weren't sure where we were going, when we misunderstood the customs, when we "lost" half of the money we brought with us (don't worry, we found it in our luggage 2 weeks after getting home). 

I also remember being absolutely and purely happy standing on an open, grassy hill, hours from the nearest city - we were taking a seldom traveled road on the east coast of Ireland on our way to Kilmihil (where my family can be traced back to). It was one of the most beautiful views we came across and it was that much more special because it was the land where my ancestors had lived for generations. The pictures I have in my living room of the McMahons seemed more real standing on the same hills they had seen centuries before. 

It was unequivocally the trip of a lifetime. 

Spring 1998: Early Afternoon

Awards Ceremony for Young Authors Contest

I was in middle school, and along with all of the other self-conscious 11 year olds in the room, I was so caught up in the few seconds it would take me to walk up to the stage and accept my award for a poem I had written earlier that year, I could think about little else. I was so nervous, I just wanted it to be over. After it was concluded, my dad and I went outside, but before we left we stopped for a picture. I don't remember much, or if we even found someone to take a picture of us together, what I do remember is taking this photo.

The fact that I managed to use my mom's 35mm camera at all is a miracle in-and-of itself. What is even more rare, is that I snapped a picture of my dad really smiling (he was more of a rough-and-tough "no-I-won't-smile" type of guy). That's why I love this picture, he was REALLY smiling because he was actually happy, proud of his daughter. LOVE THIS. 

1951

Fort Campbell, Kentucky

The reverse side of this old picture reads:

"Phil & Marcie. Fort Campbell, Kentucky. 1951. Mike & I drove down for a weekend visit - saw you for the first time - also first time we saw Phil as a paratrooper."

This photo was sent to my grandma (Marcie), from my great-aunt Madge. It is VERY small (only 2inx3in), but it shows my adorable grandma in her 20s posing for the camera on the banks of a river [you can click on the picture to make it larger]. It was the first time my grandfather introduced her to the family and she was beautiful. It reminds me of the first time I was really introduced to Shawn's family, standing on the beach on the outer banks of NC. It seems like such a special moment caught in time; I wonder what it would be like to have been on that riverbank with them? 

What are some of the photos that you'd jump back to if you could? Are there any that you would want to stay in? 

Be still my heart ...

I was enjoying my weekly viewing of "America's Next Top Model" last night when I glance over to the floor on the other side of the living room and see THIS:

My sweet Shawn was lying on the floor with Finnegan and Lexie (does this mean they weren't interested in TYRA?). My little fur family was so adorable I just had to take a picture before Finn started chasing the cat around the house...

Usually, this is all I get to see ... still cute nonetheless. Can you tell that Shawn really wanted a dog??

In the future I'm looking forward to looking over and seeing Finn and Lexie sleeping all snuggled up WITHOUT encouragement from Shawn and I.

In the mean time, I am R.E.A.L.L.Y loving the warmer weather ... and just in time for my birthday! Shawn and I are hoping to head out to the Raleigh Road outdoor theater this weekend.

 Shawn really wants to see Limitless (I think he has a small man-crush on Bradley Cooper) since it's playing there this weekend ...

... but I'm hoping I can convince him to take me again at the end of the month to see a double-feature of Hop and Rio ... too cute!

Seriously ... $6 for TWO movies that you get to enjoy either in your own car or sitting outside on a blanket? That means stretching out your legs, and not having to hear/smell the stranger next to you that also came to see the movie ... summertime here I come! 

The Journey from Kennel to a Forever Home

Last weekend, Shawn and I took hope our sweet bundle of joy - a 64lb bouncing boy who is becoming the perfect addition to our little family. As new parents to our greyhound, we read all the books and prepared ourselves for the possibility of a destructive transition from his old life to the new one in his "forever home." Also like new parents we were EXCITED!!!! Through our excitement we are documenting our experience with our sweet Finnegan, the good, the bad and the stinky. We knew we would probably get little sleep his first night home, and understood there would likely be puddles and piles of little accidents. 

In reality, we came home with an incredibly sweet Finnegan who has had ZERO accidents in the house so far, who sleeps through the night and has only let out the faintest whine when he appears to be bored. Although he has been a little worried about all of the changes, Finn is being the perfect poster-boy for greyhound adoption. 

As a retired racer, Finn isn't familiar with all of the intricacies of living in a house as opposed to a kennel - his entire life has been spent in a kennel or the racetrack ... so we've been helping him through things like: 

Learning How to use the DOG BED! 

Mirrors are not as fun as REAL greyhounds:

Kitties are FRIENDS not FOOD! 

Stuffed toys can become friends faster than kitties can:

Next up.... learning how to climb stairs! Stay tuned ... 

Finnegan, Begin Again!

Last weekend Shawn and I packed up our bags and hit the road on our way to Project Racing Home, a Greyhound adoption organization in Randleman, NC.

The group takes in retired racers from all over the east coast, they have a great kennel with kind and knowledgeable staff.  On our way we were nervous and excited to meet the dogs at PRH, and after we arrived we were taken to a back pen where we met various lovable dogs looking for a forever home. After meeting them all, we took two on a walk and quickly realized that one special boy had won our hearts!

CLICK THIS COMIC TO READ IT in LARGE FORMAT

We decided that the sweet, friendly, loving brown-eyed gentleman would be the newest member of our family and I went to grab my camera to get some photos before we headed home to prepare our house for Finnegan's arrival. As I walked away from Shawn and a kennel manager to get my camera, sweet Finn followed me ... how cute! I gave him a pat on the head and continued to walk away ... he kept following... my heart melted. 

Finnegan was a racer at the Daytona Beach Greyhound Track where he raced in roughly 40 races, his last one being just after Thanksgiving 2010. The greyhound racing industry breeds approximately 50,000 puppies each year. Of these animals, only 15,000 actually become racing dogs. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the treatment and cruelty of race dogs or dejected greyhound puppies that never become racers ... regardless of the side you fall on, everyone can agree that these beautiful dogs deserve to be in a home where they are loved and appreciated. We certainly hope we can provide our new boy with as much love as he can handle! 

Because he was a racer, Finnegan will be entering the house-pet world with puppy-eyes which means we will be working with him to learn how to climb stairs, ride in a car, recognize mirrors and glass (they often run into glass doors or out glass windows!), and develop a friendship with Lexie-Mae.

We cannot wait to get Finnegan home! We are so honored to be able to take in a retired racer and to give a dog like Finn the chance to begin again ... So many challenges will come with owning a Greyhound, but we are up for it and eagerly anticipating his arrival!

To learn more about Project Racing Home, please visit www.GetaGrey.com

Lexie Mae and the Couch-Scratching Saga

Lexie-Mae is THE sweetest cat ever, my wonderful little furball ... but she has VERY sharp nails! I really couldn't consider declawing her, but her accidental scratches that were caused when jumping on our expensive leather couch started to become a big problem! How could I keep Lexie from ruining my prized furniture?


See pictures below of Lexie-Mae loving her couch time ...

Lexie showing off her super sharp dragon-claw nails! eeek!

So what was our solution to the kitty-scratch problem?


Solution: Softpaws! 

I am so thrilled with this great alternative to declawing that I just had to share! Softpaws are thin caps that go right over sharp-claws - they come in tons of colors and Lexie hasn't even seemed to notice! I would never do it just because it's cute (even though it is!), but if a cat owner is faced with the possibility of declawing - clearly this is the perfect alternative.

Deserving of Preserving

Just two months ago, I vowed to blog more, and here I am ... over a month since I last posted. Well, I may have neglected my personal blog, but I have been actively adding and updating another blog of mine: www.DeservingofPreserving.com 

For quite some time, I've been working on this site on my own and allowing it to develop slowly; I've recently added new authors to the site and I am excited for it to grow more and more. One of the goals of Deserving of Preserving is to bridge the gap between the field of preservation or historic site management and the public-at-large, so I figured why not let my friends and family in on what I'm doing with my life as a preservationist. Please check it out and let me know what you think! If you're new to preservation, I suggest visiting our "Special Series" tab and checking out Preservation Inspiration! 

Wanderlust

Is there a cure for wanderlust? As I lay awake at night thinking of rolling green hills and the ruins of castles, I begin to think that though my mind is happy to wander the hours away on images of Ireland, I highly doubt it's good for me.

Ever since our honeymoon to Ireland, a trip I had always dreamed of, I haven't been able to get it out of my brain for too long. I've been hoping it would fade, as it still may, but as of now I am desperately longing to return to the Green Isle. I try to remind myself of their struggling government, crippled economy and non-existent job market, but pictures of cobbled streets, staggering cliffs and friendly locals creep back in.

As I teeter on the edge of another weekend's end, waiting to enter back into the real world I contemplate another woman over in Ireland. Of everyone out there, there must be one girl over in Ireland dreaming of crossing the Atlantic to come to the United States; does she dream of the opportunities, or the sparkle of New York City?

Unless someone in Ireland is over there wanting to trade places for a bit (and yes, I am up for it!), I'll have to find all of the things I love about where I am here in Raleigh, which is actually a pretty length list! Shawn and I decided to do something new, or go somewhere we hadn't yet been to once a week. So far, we've been to the North Carolina Museum of History:

and then yesterday we finally made it to the Raleigh Times Bar downtown:

which, in case you didn't already know, is on the site where the Raleigh Times Newspaper was published ... fish & chips AND restoration of a historic structure? Be still my heart. Maybe we aren't too far from the heart of Ireland after-all.

Blog Facelift

Every now and then the ol' blog needs a little touch up. To encourage me to write in here a little more, I had some fun with redesigning Up and Adams. Too bad it isn't this easy (and cheap!) to redesign my living room!

Happy Corner

Mom bought Shawn and I one of my favorite Christmas gifts thus far ... (it doesn't matter that I picked it out, does it?) ... a new side chair for our living room! No one really seemed to "get" the rocking chair we had next to our couch, and I just LOVE the french script that matches the rest of our decor perfectly! 

I love the touch of whimsey it adds to the space! ... It's also sitting next to my favorite Christmas picture on the end table ... a little shot of my dad and I in Santa hats during my very first Christmas! :) What a happy little corner!!

The Other Half

I like to take these little blog posts and write about things that I want to express, but don't always wish to broadcast. A blog posit isn't a Facebook status update, or a mass email to all my friends, it's a little side room of my internet identity that is seldom accessed by others. I quite like this opportunity! It's fun to share with just a handful of people! And so today, that's what I plan on doing. Sharing a little bit of me that I won't be broadcasting else where.

Here it goes.

You know those little family secrets that everyone seems to have? The ones that are rarely spoken about, the ones you didn't realize were such a big deal when you were 10? Well, we have one. It wasn't a bad secret, or a really exciting secret - but I always knew not to mention it, not to talk about it.

As I got older, I stopped one day and realized ... hey, this IS a big deal. I need to know MORE.

What was the big secret? I had a half-sister, Sonja who was adopted by another family years before I was born. This may not seem like that much to those people with full siblings, but to someone who always wanted a brother or sister, it was HUGE. Sadly, as quickly as I learned I had a sister out there, I also learned that she passed away years ago. Since we never met, it's hard to say I miss her, but every now and then I reflect on it and wonder what it would have been like to know her. I never asked any more questions, I just let it go and time passed like it always does.

This year, I realized that if there was anything I can do, it's research. After all, it's kind of my profession. I went to college and then graduate school learning how to research. Why hadn't I tried to find out more about my half-sister before now?

I looked and looked and researched and finally had the name of the newspaper who had the article on her car accident in their file. I called, but the branch had given those archives to the library - they gave me the number. I never called it. It's odd that I was right on the edge of knowing more, maybe even getting a picture, but I didn't take the next step. Somewhere inside, I thought that if I did, and it was a dead end, then the chance of knowing more would be gone. Over time, I lost the phone number and forgot the name of the library.

Every now and then, I would google my half-sister's name, just in case. One of these times, something came up. It was a web link with a photo of her grave-site, along with the matching birth and death dates that I knew, and a brief note about her being killed in a car accident on the way home from church on Easter Sunday.

I contacted the woman who had posted the link about Sonja and our information all matched up. She even knew the side of the story that I knew, the side that wasn't in the papers. It turns out she was a close family friend and still keeps in contact with them. She was going to send me a picture of Sonja.

I was in the car with Shawn driving down Capital Blvd last week when the email came through with my half-sister's picture. Before I knew it, the file had downloaded and I saw a face staring back at me from my iPhone. A face I had wondered about for a decade.

The picture was faded and old, but beyond the sepia tone, I could see just a hint of my dad and it made me smile. It was many years too late, but I finally had a sister. I am grateful to now have a beautiful face to put to a memorized name.

Though Sonja's is a sad story, it inspires me to appreciate the time I have, and to love those around me as much as I can! It's a story that I've always been interested in sharing, but there never really is quite the right time to talk about long-lost siblings, is there?

I hope everyone out there, (all half-dozen who read this) can be reminded of how special family is, and how valuable siblings can be. Please enjoy them and love them every single day and thank the good Lord you've been given the opportunity to share life together! :)

Veteran's Day

As I reflected on Veteran's Day today, my mind inevitably wandered to my dad. His favorite place on earth was Camp Perry, a military base in Ohio. I googled Camp Perry, and eventually I wound up at an article published online a few years ago that linked to my dad's name - this little spotlight just made me smile. I remember the funeral at Camp Perry, accept my mom and I witnessed it separated from the crowd, up in a tower down one of the ranges, so that we could have the very best view of the skydiver carrying the American flag, swirling in the air with colorful smoke shooting from his specialized boots. One boot carried red dust which drew streaks of color in the sky, the other boot emitted a lighter, more faint gray line.   In this boot, were the ashes of my father. The colors mixed and swirled together as the skydiver careened to the group, the American flag he was carrying whipping in the wind. The 21-gun salute and bugler ended the ceremony and although it's a sad memory, it's one I am certainly grateful to have.

Today, and every other day I am grateful for our Veterans and all of their sacrifices for our Freedom. :)

Inspiration

I've always had a love of buildings, spaces, design, expression and aesthetic. Early on, it was my love of classical architecture, statues and poetry that led me to major in Classical Civilizations ... I wanted to learn what inspired them to be so great that they in turn became inspirations to the rest of history. When I finished my undergraduate, I looked for a way to apply my focus in history to the buildings themselves. To me spaces and structures spoke, and it was important that those who could hear them would stand up to speak on their behalf. I spent the next two years pursuing my Masters with a focus on Historic Preservation, which has lead me to where I am now, working for a local nonprofit and serving to advocate for the historic built environment.

During my last year in graduate school, I took a class on the History of Furniture ... we took a trip to the Hickory Furniture Market and I was HOOKED. Where had this been all my life when I constantly rearranged my bedroom as a child, when I sketched layouts of every apartment I lived in, and drooled over a side chair in the store window? Needless to say, I've been trying to get more and more daily inspiration (not that I have the money to implement it) but that isn't what matters, right?! Sometimes it's a blending of classical elements that I love, or an unexpected light fixture ...

I mean ... how could you see this chandelier and NOT have something to say about it? More often than not I am just enthralled with modern design that is playful or pays allegiance to historical precedent; whether it's text printed on linen, architectural elements used indoors, even family portraits displayed in all their glory ... love it! 

In my own home, beyond the high end interiors I drool over, my biggest inspiration is surrounding myself with things that mean something to me: from an old wooden cross my aunt brought back from Ethiopia, to a small heart-shaped box filled with memories of my father, to the amazing hand-made bowl my hubby and I picked up on our honeymoon in Ireland.

As I move beyond the excitement of planning a wedding, I'm looking forward to making our house a home together, and continuing the hunt for inspiration!

All in a day's work ...

Just prior to the wedding and honeymoon, I had another big event - this one for the company I work for. We held our annual awards banquet, known as the Anthemion Awards on September 20th. So much went into the event, it felt like a second wedding (minus the excitement of me being in a big white dress and all that jazz). So much work went into preparing for it! - from the award presentation boards, to setting up the room, preparing the guest list, donation spreadsheets, countless phone calls and one very difficult maneuvering session where I managed to cram 11 full-size professional display easels into my car ... It went very well and everyone enjoyed a great evening, but boy am I glad it's behind us! :) Now, to prepare for next year!!

The presentation boards I made by hand for each award winner ... lots of work but they turned out so well it was worth it! :) 

This is a close up of one of our award winner boards; this little gem was renovated and is now used as a bridal dress shop! (I loved this particular errand! So many pretty things inside and I got to take pictures of it!) 

We had a full house - every seat at the Irregardless Cafe was filled with supporters and award winners! 

The best part of the night is that my sweetie got to join me! He helped out at the front door and then enjoyed the show while I took pictures - it was fun to have him see what I do!

After the party was over and the guests had left ... it was up to Shawn and I to get all of the easels back into the car, but finally - we did it!! 

Irish Fancies

I sat at work today, with my iPod on shuffle and a familiar song came on. "Heave Away" by the Fables isn't known that well to many people, but it ever after we used it during our wedding for the Irish Dollar Dance, the song had etched itself into a favorite memory of mine. After spending our honeymoon in Ireland, the sound of Irish music brings me back to those magical days that Shawn and I spent there.  Here are a few of my favorites memories in no particular order: 

Favorite Memory #1: Arriving in Ireland to find that the rental car Shawn choose was smaller than my Mini Cooper! It actually worked perfectly for us because if Shawn had trouble parking, he could just pick it up and move it to where it needed to be! ... only kidding.

Favorite Memory #2: Taking a "Viking" tour of Dublin ... this included us screeeeeaaaming at a variety of people on the street a) those carrying coffee b) those holding a map [there were a TON of these!] and c) happy couples ... our driver would slowly sneak up behind people and give the signal and the whole bus would give our best Viking yell! ... 

Favorite Memory #3: Napping in St. Stephen's Green in the middle of Dublin. After a sleepless night on the plane, and a full morning of touring, we were exhausted and instead of going back to the B&B ... we decided to do as the locals did - and sleep in the park! Fabulous weather, beautiful view ... great sleep!

 Favorite Memory #4: Dublin in the evening. Every now and then I LOVE to be in the middle of a city, the vibrancy of a downtown like this is just beautiful! 

Favorite Memory #5: Irish Coffee with Berna. Our favorite B&B in Ireland was with the amazing Berna who made us Irish Coffee when we arrived, lit the fire and sat down with us to chat ... Irish hospitality! 

Favorite Memory #6: Carriage ride around Ross Castle. This experience is what I dreamed of when I thought of Ireland, and it didn't disappoint! We enjoy talking with our Irish guide as he drove us around the property and told us about his life in Killarney. 

Favorite Memory #7: Shawn. That's it - just Shawn. He is the best travel companion and always keeps me entertained - the honeymoon was no exception! 

Favorite Memory #8: Horse-back riding on the beach ... There were so many things I loved about this experience - seeing Shawn's face light up when he got on a horse for the first time is one of them! He was grinning and laughing for 2 hours straight on this trip! The views we saw were staggeringly beautiful, the water was a vivd teal and the seagrass that had washed up on the beach was a bold rust color ... everywhere we looked was mother nature in all her glory! 

Favorite Memory #9: An unplanned night in Ennis. After a long day, we decided not to go to the big banquet we had planned on and instead to enjoy a night alone together - what a FABuLOUS decision that was! We ventured into the amazing town of Ennis, where we found this inspiring restaurant called the Cloister ... delicious food, stunning ambience and since it was a weekday - GREAT service because we were one of the only ones there! So romantic! We capped the night with a Guinness in the pub next door and traditional music ... be still my heart! 

Favorite Memory #10: The Cliffs of Moher. This place was the single most beautiful site I've ever seen. Shawn and I spent 2 hours here, just staring at this 800 foot cliff and knowing that pictures would never do it justice. The natural beauty of this place is so powerful it's almost spiritual and truly undefinable. When we finally make it back to Ireland, we've promised ourselves to make a trip here. Can't wait!