We the People . . .

Happy Independence Day everyone! I hope you are all having an amazing Fourth!

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays and while I was in China I was just counting down the days until I could go out and watch the fireworks on the beach. Unfortunately, I will still be counting down the days. Due to Hurricane Arthur, all fireworks on the beach have been canceled for tonight. Can you say MAJOR bummer. I am really bummed. Luckily for us though, it is almost gaurenteed that there will be fireworks going on nonstop for the next three days, so triple the celebration for those braving the storm at the Outer Banks (whoop whoop!!!!).

For those of you out of harms way (referring to the storm), pack a picnic and find the absolute best place to watch the glorious Fourth of July fireworks, think of me, and enjoy all of the festivities! Sad I am going to be missing out on the celebration but I will still be celebrating at heart (I plan to be dressed head to toe in red, white, and blue!).

Where are you planning on celebrating our independence tonight?  

The Calm Before the Storm

Hey everyone, it’s Catherine reporting live from hurricane central. That’s right, I’m at the Outer Banks anticipating the arrival of Hurricane Arthur. The TV and radio is filled with hurricane “breaking news” and evacuation notices for certain parts of the beach. As we were making our way in we saw about 20 to 30 cars leaving the beach, not because they have to but out of fear. Everyone has gotten so worked up over this hurricane, a storm that has yet to arrive. 

The funny thing is, even though everyone is so worked up over this hurricane inside, if you were to walk outside you wouldn’t even know a storm was coming. The calm before the storm. 

Don’t we see this a lot? I mean, it is so so so relevant in daily life. Before something big happens, no matter what it is, we always have this feeling of calm, peace, or serenity. Life always seems to be going well before the bad happens, the calm before the storm. 

I try to revel in these peaceful moments, because they are usually pretty fleeting. It’s just great to sit during these peaceful moments and read, or spend time with a really good friend. No matter how long your “calm” lasts, whether it’s one day or one year, don’t take it for granted. Make the most of what little calm you have because a storm is coming.

So today, I am going to enjoy the heat, sun, and serenity of the Outer Banks, before the hurricane, because who knows when I’m going to get another day like this one.

The Fourths's of the Past

In the spirit of the Fourth of July and all of the American pride and spirit that arises during this time of year (World Cup, Independence Day . . . how can we not be spirited?!) I have decided to dedicate this post to the Fourths of the past.

Many families have a set tradition of what they do for Independence Day. Mine, not so much. But, in the past few years we have come up with a pretty solid plan, for Fourth of July weekend. My mom, sister, and I pack our bags and head down to North Carolina to celebrate our independence on the beach! That right folks, I'm going on another road trip (last known one of the summer though). We spend the weekend sunning and reading and playing a mean, weekend-long game of Phase 10! It's really great to get together and just have a long girls weekend. But it wasn't always like this . . .

In past years my family has celebrated the Fourth in many way. Once I celebrated it in the mountains of West Virginia rafting down the New River while my family was at home in RVA. Another year I celebrated in Princeton, NJ while, again, my family was in RVA. When we were really young, we would go to Edenton and watch the fireworks over the Edenton Bay. In grade school we would go to the beach with friends for a week!

As you can see, my family doesn't really have a set "Fourth of July weekend vacation" but whatever we do, we do in style! Just one day away!

P.S. If you happen to be on a beach in North Carolina and see a blonde girl skipping down the beach singing "And I'm proud to be an American" . . . it's probably me . . . 

Does your family have any special Fourth of July traditions?

The Travels of June

So I know I have been gone for a while but I am a very, very busy bee! Now that my schedule has finally opened up, I have time to sit down and write!

So I have spent the month of June traveling. After graduation (that's right, I am officially a high school graduate!!!) I traveled down to the Outer Banks with some of my closest friends for some beach time. We spent the week reading and chatting and just having a great time. Seriously, I got through 3 AMAZING novels in five days: Redeeming Love, The Husband's Secret, and I'll Be Seeing You.

The whole week we were as dysfunctional as usual. (Pulled from instagram)

Carrie joined us later in the week!

The beach was absolutely perfect and exactly what I needed to decompress after all of the graduation festivities!

When I returned from the beach I had a week to sort through graduation presents and get my life ready to take on summer. Then off to Charlotte, NC for my cousin Matt's Wedding! This wedding absolutely magical and one of the most beautiful and fun weddings I've ever been to. Brianne, Matt's now wife, was so so so beautiful and was super nice! Everything about the Wedding festivities was fantastic; the rehearsal dinner, the dance, the wedding, and the reception were all picture perfect!

Caroline and myself with Mary Meade and the groom at the rehearsal dinner!

There was a dance hosted after the rehearsal dinner and I was lucky to have danced with two of the amazing men in my life: my dad and my grandad, Piney

Brianne looked absolutely stunning and I could tell that Matt couldn't be happier. They were so cute and so in love and that evident and clear to everybody that was there!

The morning after the wedding my dad and I got up early and headed off to Charlotte International Airport for my big trip of the summer . . . Shanghai, China! Traveling to the People's Republic of China was one of the most amazing and terrifying experiences of my life and staying in the largest city in the world was the icing on the cake! My dad had to go for business so we were on an all expenses paid, luxury trip to Shanghai!

After a 14 hour plane ride from Chicago to Shanghai, we finally arrived! We stayed at the beautiful Grand Hyatt located in the magnificent Jin Mao Tower in Pudong, Shanghai!

One the first day my friend Cullen and took a guided tour around Puxi, Shanghai and were able to visit the old French and British Concessions. The French Concession was quaint with cobble stone streets and old stone houses. It was very European and picturesque. The British concession was grand and reminded me of 5th Avenue, Manhattan. Both were absolutely beautiful!

Cullen bought a Chinese fan for a friend and we got to watch the woman put the fan together.

We spotted a Gelato and New York Pizza stand in the French Concession! It was so cool, we were in a completely different world and then, there it was, something way too familiar! It was a little surreal!

Don't these pictures of the British Concession remind you of Central Park? Walking through these streets I felt like I was back in the United States, although I knew that I was far from the USA!

We also went to a food and bird market while in the French and British Concessions. Cullen got pictures of that (I was too astounded to really get pictures of that stuff, it was so different!)

We also went to the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai. This was a really cool experience because, as a Baptist from Virginia, USA, I had never seen a Buddhist temple before, let alone been in one! Our amazing Tour guide Susan told us so much about the temple and what everything meant inside. I learned a lot about the religion and got to see some believers worshiping and we made our way through the temple. Unfortunately, they don't allow any pictures to be taken of the Jade Buddha but here is a little bit of what I got!

One the second day we went to the big Grand Opening Event of the new Lifestyle showroom in Shanghai (the whole reason we were even there) and then ended the night with a beautiful river cruise around Shanghai! It was one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life!

This is Cullen and myself in front of Pudong!

On Wednesday Cullen and myself went to the Shanghai Art Museum. There we so many beautiful exhibits but we visited the Jade, Clothing, Paintings, and Currency (at my request) exhibits! I had a fantastic time at the museum on the rainy morning because, not only was it inside, it was amazing! Later that night we met the rest of the Lifestyle crew at the Zhang Zhou Water Village for dinner and then walked around for a little before heading back to the hotel.

 Cullen and I with our amazing tour guide from Day 1, Susan!

For our last "official" day in Shanghai, Lifestyle organized two tours and we went on both! The first tour was to Yuyuan! These gardens were magnificent, even in the drizzle. There was so much greenery and buildings in Old Shanghai were exactly what you picture when you think of a Chinese city! Later we went to the fake market which was AWESOME but in no way picture perfect, haha!

I caught Daddy trying to take a picture of me in the square!

 We finished up the night with a big farewell party hosted by Lifestyle that lasted till all hours of the night!

My dad and I were leaving for the airport at 12 on Saturday so, Cullen, Barbra, Steve, Amie and I all went down to The Bund and now I understand the saying, "If you haven't visited The Bund, you haven't been to Shanghai," Well let me tell you, whoever came up with that saying was so right! The Bund was beautiful. It is a boardwalk down the river lined with ancient buildings from the British Concession. It was a phenomenal morning walk and I am really happy I got to experience it before I returned to the United States.

Spotted! Chairman Mao on The Bund!

The Bund was an absolute beautiful place to be!

Shanghai was an amazing place to visit and when the time came to get on the plane, I didn't want to go. As much as I miss it there though, there is no place like home!

What traveling have you done this summer?

Creative Inspiration

Sometimes I am just struck with a creative stream! Like I just have to create something, to do something and let my creative juices flow! Yesterday was one of those creative days. I was reading blogs when, all of a sudden I was inspired to create my very first Catty Cornered Cafe wallpaper!

It turned out so well and I am extremely pleased!

Spring Fever

I can't believe it is spring already! It seems like just yesterday we were saying "Good-bye" to summer and pulling out our fall and winter coats. But that time is long gone and spring is here, at last!

Anyway, I love spring! Everyone is buzzing and happy and infected with the one illness we ALL want, Spring Fever! Spring Fever is the kind of illness that starts in your toes and fills your whole body with excitement. It infects your head giving you warm thoughts and filling your mind with memories of spring past. It infects your legs, causing them to ache for the outdoors, for the pavement of the road, for the trenches and dirt of the forest. It infects your feet, they begin to beg to be set free from boots and put into sandals and flip-flops. Spring Fever infects your ears by filling them with the sounds of baby birds and children playing and flowers rustling in the wind. It fills your nostrils with the fragrance of freshly cut grass, flowers, and dew. The fever causes every muscle to ache with excitement of being used and active outside. It causes your hands to become anxious for the touch of the flowers and your thighs to be liberated from your jeans. The fever invigorates your taste buds, having them lust over the syrupy flavors of fresh fruit. It causes your eyes to be overwhelmed with new sights and colors. Spring Fever infects the heart, filling it with excitement and causing it's rate to go up with every action and every sensation. It fills the heart with longing, memories, and peace.

Spring is here and the Spring Fever epidemic has just begun to spread. If it has not hit you yet I give you one word of advice: be open to the fever, it will allow for so many amazing things to happen to you! Enjoy the warmth and the sunshine while it is here and don't take it for granted! 

Bookshelf: The Fault in Our Stars

So I am a bit late on this one and I know it. Almost everyone I know has read this book and, of course, I wait until the day the trailer for the movie is released. Don't worry, it has been on my "to-read" list for a really long time, I honestly have just gotten around to reading it and, can I say . . . I loved it!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was an excellent book filled with intelligence, tragedy, and romance. I really enjoyed Green's style of writing and the emotional roller-coaster the novel took you on. I, unfortunately, already knew the ending to the book before I started it, but didn't let that ruin how I looked at the book. I might have known how it ended but I had never read the prose before and I enjoyed it immensely. I want to say more but I don't want to give anything away for those who have been living under a rock, like I had, and haven't read it yet. Okay.

"My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations," John Green, The Fault in Our Stars