FInding Inspiration

How do you find inspiration?  Do you seek it?  Pray for it?  Yearn for it? 

Or does inspiration find you?  When you are driving, does it pop in front of the car?  Does inspiration come from someone's words?  

Inspiration seems to find me as much as I venture to find it.  It is a fortunate, and sometimes, overwhelming gift to accept.

Saturday mornings are my "meeting with myself" days.  I quietly stow away in the early hours, leaving my hipster hubby to manage the minions.

I am fortunate enough to live near a beautiful town square. You know the kind with a three tier fountain, flower lined central park, and tons of local stores.

Right off one of the brick paved side streets is the littlest blue door to the best hippie coffee shop around.  It has the worn wooden floors.  The staff looks like they just jumped off the plane from Portland.  The clientele is a mix of 50 something yuppie want a Be's to classic southern women.  It is an interesting meld that automatically opens your senses.

Thru the backyard of the coffee shop is the most broken up brick courtyard you will ever see.  It a mess of old tree roots and historic bricks.  It is always cool (even in the Atlanta sun).  The metal chairs and tables cast a shadow that seems to dance in the morning sun.  I love it there and wish that "progress" wasn't planning on ripping up it's imperfection soon.

 It is there that I pen on old fashion legal pads.  I dream.  It is an amazing gift.  Words flow, pictures develop, plans get tagged.  These are road maps for life.  Good stuff.

This is just one of the ways I debrief from the busyness of life.  There are a few others that I will share soon.  In the meantime, I encourage you to find an inspiration place.  The place where you feel so alone, yet so not alone.  The place to dream.  The place to plan.  

Surprise - it's your birthday!

I had the best birthday week EVER! 

Really my birthday was to be on the 16th but my husband started the fun a week early with a surprise tag along trip to south Florida!  It was crazy getting the kid together with 48 hours notice but it was so worth it in the long run.

We spent Tuesday night at my dad's house.  I love staying at his house!  He was so gracious to let me use his car for the next two days.  Wednesday I had the best run along the sea wall of the intercoastal followed by a mini shopping trip to City Place.  A quiet morning of coffee and writing was close to heaven but one stop at my favorite - do not get to visit that often- store Anthropolgie proved to be best.  I snagged the perfect happy morning mug and the best go-to silver mum earrings!  yummmo!

Doesn't this mug just make you happy?  And do you see that gem of a Ikat inspired shirt from the Gap. Everything for under 25- too!  Yipppeee

Then in the afternoon, my view changed - and oh so much for the better!  I met my guy in Fort Lauderdale and the view was fantastic!

 We spent a while taking in the beach.  Then had a date at a very special place.  It was great just to have my hubby all to myself 





Then Thursday came - no alarms to ring.  There was a beautiful breakfast waiting on me downstairs and in just moments - it was back to the beach. 

Do you see that bag?  Holding my idea notebook, a great pen, all sitting next to an iced mocha - did anyone say - HeAvEn?

And while a few hours at the beach is better than no hours at the beach, my bliss was disrupted a few hours later by 40 + children at summer camp.  

Ahhh, the water was perfect that day.  The breeze slightly to the south.  The sand not too hot - perfect all around. Until the screaming......

The day was finished with a late lunch with one of my best friends - my dad.  I met him at the mall he runs.  It is so fun to see which new shop he helped build.  I got to see Stella McCartney's new digs, and was amazed by the detail at the Alexander Mcqueen Store front.  Lunch with dad was fabulous and the coconut sorbet was to die for.  Did I mention the hammered silver earrings from Calypso?  

Yes, the week was great!  I got to hang with two of my favorite guys.  There was an opportunity to breathe.  My idea journal found three new pages of inspiration.  I missed my kids but did I really have to go home?