Grace Episcopal.

As I have grown older, just as any ordinary  human being does, I have come to embrace aspects of life that I once was not too fond of.  One of these aspects in particular is the wonderful blessing of alone time.

After a weekend full of rich time spent with good friends, some solitude in one of my favorite places on this earth was calling my name.

Grace Episcopal Church is a simple, historical, and beautiful church founded in 1893 in Pike Road, Alabama.  I first discovered it while attending one of the greater camps in the South East region known as nothing other than, "Kuzin's Kamp", put on by my  beloved grandparents, Gommy and Gaggy.  Kuzin's Kamp was a week where all nine grandchildren retreated to Gommy and Gaggy's house to enjoy a week of "camp".  This included pool time, tennis, arts and crafts, and big breakfasts followed by The Pledge of Allegiance.  What can I say, we're a patriotic bunch.  In addition to these classic camp activities came along luxuries of actually being at your grandparents house rather than a small wooden screened in box with a roof.  One of these luxuries was the sweet treat of a field trip every now and again, including one to Grace Episcopal Church.

The quaint white chapel dressed with stain glass windows and a cherry red double front door in itself welcomes you warmly, but it is what hides behind the white wood that has always enchanted me the most.

Envision images from "The Secret Garden".  That's the atmosphere that I enter into every time I visit.  It's like entering a whole new world filled with winding vines, trickling fountains, green shady trees, bright blossoms, and not to mention one of the greatest tree-houses that the state of Alabama has shown me thus far.  So in saying all of this, I think it's safe to draw the conclusion that I find this place to  be a magical one.

Today as I was driving home from church thinking to myself about all the things I needed to accomplish before Monday, I naturally went into procrastination mode, immediately having a moment of epiphany  as to where my next stop was going to be.

When my tires first hit the loose stone driveway I was brought to a whole new level of contentment.  Happy memories ranging from my childhood to previous trips I have taken to these grounds since college came flooding into my mind.  After parking and suiting up in my rain coat, I began my exploration.  Walking through these gardens is such an incredibly peaceful, still, and quiet experience that I can't help but be overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness not only for this life that I have been undeservingly blessed with, but for the ways in which my maker tirelessly romances me morning by morning, day by day, and evening by evening with the wonderful people he places ever so purposefully in my life, the beauty and creativity of His creation, and of course the quiet moments he provides for me in times like these to be with my own thoughts and the truths he whispers into my ear.

For me, alone time is essential for survival.  Even if I enter into these times with the worst of attitudes and intentions, they most always recharge me with patience that I often lack, motivation to live life the way that I have been redeemed live, and the type of joy you can feel in your chest.

So, today, I am thankful for quiet special places where I can be alone, think, and be refreshed.

Alabamian Adventures.

Initially, I thought about dedicating this post to the recent happenings in my life: 

Various art projects, a NYC trip of my own, Easter with the family, getting caught in a particularly fierce hailstorm that led to seeking shelter and buying scratch-off lotto tickets in a gas station outside of town... Etcetera.

Perhaps there will be a time for sharing those stories, but today, tonight, I'd like to talk about this weekend.

It's no secret that the great state of Alabama holds a piece of my heart. It is where I was born, where many a childhood story is set, where I learned to paint, where I have learned a great deal about Jesus, and where I cannot help but be at rest. So, when two fellas I'm friends with here in Milledgeville informed me of their plans to travel to Auburn this past weekend for a sorority formal - the same weekend of a wedding shower for my cousin and his fiance in Montgomery - I decided I needed to weasel my way into the boys' travel plans and make a weekend out of it. Serendipitous, no? I convinced my friend Sarah she needed to be a part of this adventure as well, so on Friday afternoon the four of us piled in the car and headed straight to the Plains.

In Auburn, Sarah and I saw off those going to formal (side note: Anna was lookin' fly), ate a considerable amount of snacks, and continued further south to Montgomery, Alabama - my birthplace and home to some infamous grandparents, Gommy & Gaggy.

Gommy and Gaggy, so lovingly named by their young grandchildren who couldn't pronounce a normal-sounding "grandmother" or "grandfather"back in the day, are a couple of the most wonderful folks I know. Occasionally when I admire the seemingly endless gallery of Gommy's beautiful paintings decorating their home, or listen to the witty and perfectly-told tales of Gaggy's excursions on Mt. Rainier, and the Swiss and Austrian Alps, I forget that these fascinating people are my own grandparents. However, I am quickly reminded of our genetic ties when Gaggy, for example, displays his ability to connect almost any conversation topic back to his love of ice cream - something near and dear to all of our hearts. In addition to a love of food, their love for Jesus is evident and never ceases to make me fall more in love with Him as well.

Needless to say, I enjoy spending time with those two and was thrilled to have Sarah meet them (and meet Millie the dog) as well. 

Also, while in Montgomery I taught Gaggy how to right-click on their computer, to which he deemed me "a magician."

After a slow and easy Saturday morning complete with ample breakfast foods and reading in Gommy's sunroom/studio, Sarah and I returned to Auburn where we ate lunch with Anna and another friend of ours. And what better to do after lunch than gather a few more friends and sprawl out on Samford lawn in the warm and long-anticipated sunshine? If the day sounds dreamy now, just you wait. While sprawling, we devised a dinner plan and after some time, took the steps necessary to make said plan a reality. We purchased food, went back to the apartment and started cooking. Sweet potato fries? Check. Corn on the cob? Check. Burgers? No check... until after dark when propane was acquired and grilling was made possible. But hey, good  things come to those who wait, and good it was. 

Unfortunately, while boys were grilling, I ran into an unidentifiable piece of furniture that cut my leg. This wouldn't have been anything worth thinking twice about had an adequate bandaid been readily available. But, I ended up patching together four small circle-bandaids and securing them with masking tape to meet my bandage needs. Here's to innovation. Yeah?

Dinner was followed by inevitable pillow talk and a deep night's sleep, from which we awoke on Sunday to a bright and inviting morning. After breakfast and coffee, we went to church - the church my sisters attended during their time at Auburn, and where Anna is currently a member. Though I had been to a couple services here years before, I was not in a place to appreciate the sweet simplicity of it all like I do today. Accompanied by a piano, mandolin, a couple guitars, and a violin, we sang songs whose words are older than any of the voices singing them, and yet still ring true in the hearts of many. Scott taught from 1 Samuel and I learned more than I have in a sunday morning service in quite a while. And after church, sunshine greeted us once more. 

Following lunch at Big Blue Bagel, we set out on the voyage back to Milledgeville. Picking up an hour along the way, we made it back to our little home here by mid-afternoon. Though all the details of the weekend are too many to explore entirely in one blog post, the fact that I got to spend a whole 48 hours in beloved places is enough to fill me with joy! Little adventures can do a soul good.

Sarah, me, and Princess Di. Why not.

 Gommy's amazing studio

Gommy & Gaggy reading a map

Just a couple o' cousins