to have a fabulous time on July 11 at the Scott Antique Market with Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar!!
I’ve wanted to join the dynamic duo on one of their excursions for quite some time and it’s finally happening!! What a delightful early birthday present to myself. To read about last year’s spin through Scotts, take a look at this AJC article.
*Image taken from Eddie’s Facebook
Now if you’ll kindly pardon me, I’ll be picking out an outfit for the next 2 weeks.
**Are the photos below showing up? They show up in the editor but not when I publish**
Bullies aren’t always a bad thing. Sure, schoolyard bullies need to be stopped by bully breed dogs are wonderful! Our dog Tater is a bully breed and she could not be any sweeter if she was dipped in sugar and drizzled with honey.
Unfortunately, some bad people have decided that these bully breeds are perfect for the terrible practice of dog fighting and the bullies get a bad rap.
Leesia Teh, the fabulous Atlanta pet photographer, partnered with a wonderful campaign by the Atlanta Humane Society to end dogfighting. She took photos of three rehabbed bullies with three of the volunteers who help them adjust to life outside of dog fighting. These pictures are the sweetest things and I can’t help but cry when I look at them!
You can read here where Leesia photographed one of Michael Vick’s rescued dogs. This sweet boy was rehabbed and adopted by Brandon Bond who is doing great things in the Atlanta area to rescue these naturally gentle creatures from a horrific life.
One of my favorite things about bullies is how they can change their facial expressions so drastically just by their ear placement. They can look like a totally different dog from one minute to the next depending on if their ears are perked, tucked back, one ear pulled back, etc.
Here’ s Tater showing off some of her different looks:
If you’d like more information about the work the fine organizations mentioned above are doing, please visit:
I’ve been reading T.R. Pearson’s first book, A Short History of a Small Place and LOVING.EVERY.WORD. He is a literary genius. Each sentence is perfectly crafted and I’m torn between wicked jealousy over that fact that my writing could never compare and sheer amazement at his brilliance. Just take this excerpt for example:
Pinky, however, got on with his life a little more successfully than Bubba did. He married one of the Jeeter girls whose family had inherited a chicken ranch in Draper and so had relocated there from Rock Hill, South Carolina. There were five Jeeters altogether, Momma and Daddy Jeeter, Grandma Jeeter, and the two Jeeter daughters, who had legitimate Christian names that got no sort of wide circulation and who were known instead as the fat Jeeter and the bald Jeeter. Daddy said the fat Jeeter was what Momma might call hefty, which according to Daddy was a lady’s way of saying she had the girth of a tractor tire, and Daddy himself said the fat Jeeter was a girl of tremendous quantity who cut an imposing if not disgusting figure. But Daddy said she was the one Pinky lost his head over at first and he wooed her and courted her and kept her in chocolates for the best part of three months before the wind changed, Daddy said, and blew what flame there was from the fat one over to the bald one and Pinky began to call on her and bring her candied fruit since chocolates made her scalp break out. Daddy said the bald Jeeter had not been born bald but lost her hair in childhood during a bout with scarlet fever and had been slick as an egg ever since. And Daddy said once she got old enough to care that she was hairless her Grandma Jeeter made her a pair of wigs out of a combination of human and horse hair, one of which was satiny black while the other, taken mostly from a chestnut mare, was a lovely natural brown and heightened the otherwise drab features of the bald Miss Jeeter’s face. And Daddy said once Pinky married the bald one and left the fat one to go her own way, most everybody agreed he’d done the wise thing since the bald one was not bald or always brunette or always chestnut-headed, but the fat one was always fat. Daddy said Pinky had simply opted for variety, which nobody much was willing to blame him for.
I could literally type the whole book out for you because every paragraph is a brilliant as that one but I wouldn’t want to rob you of the privilege of checking the book out from your library and I’d like to prevent myself from getting carpal tunnel.
What have you read lately?
The girls at Bouched Blog asked for a submission of a self-letter written to myself in the past knowing what I know now. I chose to write one to myself in late middle school/early high school. I’ve reposted it here but you can click here to see it with Jena’s kind intro. This was such a fun activity! It was hilarious to think about what a mess I was in those days and even though I’m not exactly put together now, I can see just how much I’ve learned.
Dear Sara Jane, I’ve got a couple of things I’d like to say to you but first I’d like to talk about the boy craziness. Enough already! I know that you think every boy you’ve ever met is a total dream boat and that the two of you would make a splendid couple but sometimes, it’s just not meant to be. For example, stop sulking about Kevin Richardson from the Backstreet Boys getting engaged, it was never going to happen between you two and he won’t be famous in a couple of months anyway. You might want to also chill out on writing your crush’s name on every notebook. It gets embarrassing when you have 15 names crossed out and a new one squeezed in every week or so.Speaking of boys, getting married isn’t the only good thing in life. When you go off to college, stop checking out the guys around you and crack open a book every now and then. If you spend half as much time thinking about your education and future career as you do thinking about your potential as somebody’s wife, you’ll probably choose a major more suited to your gifts and talents and you’ll probably figure out your career path alot sooner. Besides, not to be a killjoy or anything but you’re not going to meet your husband in college or in the years immediately following. Don’t sit around waiting for Mr. Right to come along before you start living your dreams!
Don’t talk so much. It’s fabulous that you’re opinionated and that you have strong convictions but everybody doesn’t necessarily need to hear them all of the time. You’ll save quite a few friendships and a ton of heartache if you’d count to ten before you speak or write something that could hurt feelings or alienate friends.
It’s probably a good idea to stop wearing clothes that don’t fit properly just because they were on clearance or in style. You don’t look great in long jeans and baggy t-shirts with flip flops. It’s just not cute. Take a little extra time in the dressing room and maybe bring an honest friend with you to TJ Maxx.
One last thing – start a notebook and write down all the funny stories and observations of everyday life. You’ll want to remember and use those memories someday.
Keep reading books!
Sara JanePS. Don’t say yes to that guy when he asks if you want to go to the Christina Aguilera prom. It doesn’t turn out the way you hope! On second thought, that story makes for good future book fodder, go and remember to record every detail.
Jonathan is the first grandkid on our side to get married; he’s also the only boy. I’m sure Thanksgiving, Christmas and Master’s weren’t much fun for him as a child: Lauren and I would always buddy up and Susie would play with us between naps and when Brittany came along, it was fun to play house with a real baby. But poor Jonathan had to entertain himself. With no boy cousins, he had to either make conversation with the adults or find something boyish to do.
As a child, I remember being terrified of Jonathan. On one particular visit to Grandmama and Papa Dan’s house, he found a whip in the toy closet and chased me and Lauren with it. We sought retreat in the blue bedroom and waited in fear for him to go away. He was so different from the boys I played with at home, they could all be bossed around. Jonathan would skulk around the house with his poufy Dwight Shrutesque haircut showing off his card and magic tricks. I didn’t understand him.
It wasn’t until we were much older that I began to appreciate Jonathan’s heart and sense of humor. I actually began to look forward to spending time with the whole Morgan family. It’s been incredible to see Jonathan morph from a rambunctious boy into a Godly man over the last 2+ decades and it was a complete honor to bear witness to his wedding on Saturday to Meagan.
Jonathan’s face was the happiest one I’ve ever witnessed on a groom as Meagan made her way down the aisle. He was grinning from ear to ear and it was impossible to contain his joy. I am so thankful that such a Godly, beautiful and kindhearted person has made my beloved cousin so happy! Now he won’t have to entertain himself at family functions – he finally has somebody to play with! :)
As was evident by the mini speeches at their rehearsal dinner, these two are perfectly suited for one another. Each one complements the other in every possible way. What a testament to God’s faithfulness and perfect plan! Their wedding was beautiful and so worshipful and I’m so excited to see God’s plan further revealed for their lives!
*I’m no Annie Leibovitz so please pardon my pictures.
Tomorrow, I’m headed to Tampa, FL for a very joyous ocassion. My brilliant and hilarious cousin, Jonathan, is marrying the very beautiful and very sweet Meagan Van Ost.
I met Meagan last Spring and was instantly impressed by her sweet spirit and servant’s heart. Spend 5 minutes with the two of them and you’ll need no convincing that they belong together.
They support each other in their endeavors
They share similar interests (Meagan doesn’t mind sharing Jonathan with his other love, Alabama football) 
They work through their differences in a godly manner
They appreciate the other’s sense of humor
They clean up pretty well
And most importantly, they seek to honor the Lord in their relationship 
I am so pleased to welcome Meagan into our family and I’m so excited for their future! I’ll be sure to post some pictures of what is sure to be a stunning wedding upon my return.
Congratulations and Best Wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan!
Since high school, I’ve been wearing sky-high, ridiculous heels. I’ve always felt more confident in a pair of show stopping shoes than I have in sneakers or flats. I remember one particularly ridiculous pair of Steve Madden wedges I had in high school that were outrageously uncomfortable. They had heavy wooden bottoms and a skinny white linen thong strap. I’d come home from a long day of clomping down the halls with bruises across the tops of my feet but I thought they were stylish and cool so I didn’t really care.
One afternoon, I was sashaying to my car after school carrying my books on one hip (I thought I was too cool for a bookbag) when I stepped on a big chunk of gravel. Since the soles of those Steve Maddens weren’t exactly flexible, my ankle turned and I hit the parking lot pavement knees-first. My books scattered everywhere and my knees gushed with blood. That embarrassing experience still didn’t stop me from wearing those and other ridiculous heels. A broken heel bone, however, did put a damper on my sky scraper ways. At least temporarily.
Since my cousin is getting married this weekend, I went shoe shopping on Saturday and FINALLY didn’t have to only try on sensible shoes!! I bought 2 pairs of wedges and one pair of Fall/Winter heels. And I didn’t pay full price for any of them! 
Black Patent Leather Tahari Wedges – $42.50 at Stein Mart
Gold, Ruffled Guess Wedges – $25.00 on clearance at Stein Mart
Brown Leather Nine West Heels – $30 on clearance at Shoe Studio
I wore the patent leather wedges on Sunday and I thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being back among the tall people. What are you most comfortable in? Sneakers? Flats? Wedges? Heels? Flip Flops? Chacos? Bare feet?
When I lived in the Aumond Villa apartments my second year in Augusta, there was a mass exodus of roommates who were either getting married or going back to school. In the shuffle, things were left behind and nobody ever claimed them. For some odd reason, I felt it was my responsibility to care for these things and move them to my next apartment. Well no more. While cleaning out the cabinets and closets in preparation to move home, I separated the wheat from the chaff and either gave away or donated the unclaimed belongings.
One such belonging is a fuzzy blankie. It’s white faux fur on one side and baby blue faux suede on the other. I knew just the person who would appreciate such a treasure.
Judging from the looks of things, I’d say she likes it rather well.
Do you all have Twitter? Follow me !
Flooding Susie's Inbox 
