dusty heart of dixie

happy hues of spring

my first article for ILOVEAGOOD

Arts + Crafts

Yesterday we walked around the arts and crafts festival. Thousands of people shuffled about to fill white tents that lined the downtown streets. Vendors proudly display twisted metal yard ornaments and painted football-themed artwork.

A side street is devoted to selling fresh cotton candy and corn dogs. The smell of hot grease filled the air as the sun beat down on my shoulders and back. Ladies wore big cotton hats to protect themselves from the sun as they sip frozen lemonade.

And even though the streets were closed, strollers and walkers moved cautiously as traffic lights turned from green to yellow and then to red.

I met a talented artist named Mr. C. He was six feet tall and wore turquoise jewelry. Dreadlocks framed his face. He spoke to me about his greatness while he ate a chicken wrap. ‘My work appreciates as the years go on’, he told me. Borrowing from the past, he was forging ahead in his own mind. Basquiat’s crown and Rauschenberg’s silk screens spoke to me from the tent and said, ‘You see, greatness is easy to borrow, but genius never will be’.

After we had seen everything we wanted, we walked back to the parking lot. Every year we go to the festival and every year, I think the same thing.

 There is no place like home

three things that i love today: travel edition

today i am traveling, so i thought that i would post a little bit about it.  

1) airports are one of my favorite things in the world (for the most part). i love watching all of the different types of people. i am obsessed with the weird things that they sell at gift shops. for instance, where would i ever use an ‘i love atlanta’ pencil with a giant peach attached? maybe i could use it with my mickey mouse autograph book, circa 1992? i also love that i am in a handful of states in one day and nobody knows me. lastly, you never know who you may bump into. celebrities, childhood friends, future mates…

2) i love staring out of the little window on the plane and watching the world go by under you. flying in the clouds is such a neat experience. you are away from things that may trouble you, your phone is turned off..and you are in the middle of your thoughts. i imagine this is what heaven is like.

3) my absolute favorite part about flying is the feeling you get right as you touch down and you are on your way to meet a loved one. today when i flew home, my mom was waiting there with flowers. i know that i can count on her to be there each and every time i land. she is there with a huge smile, open arms and a handful of carnations. i hug her and know that everything in the world is right and perfect.

Heritage 1960

to ashley. love betty white.

i will never forget the day that i opened my mail box and saw the signed black and white picture of betty white and her golden retreiver kitta. it read ‘to ashley. love betty white and kitta’. i have admired her for longer than i can remember, so one day i finally decided to sit down and hand write her a letter. i told her how much she meant to me and that i would always watch her when i wanted to cheer up (thank you golden girls). i never expected anything back, i just wanted her to know how much she meant to me. 

 sometimes you just need to let someone know how much you care for them, without expecting anything in return.