Hello, Cheri. I’m a graduate!

Disclaimer: Sorry I’ve been a bit elusive of late. What with graduation & getting moved & grappling with all that is different & daunting about post-collegiate life, I let a few things slip for a bit. But now I back & ready to begin a summer of blogging like mad. Read on to find out all about it!

I’ve been thinking a lot about the word ‘seasons’ of late. Part of it is settling into this new season of summer, diving in with both feet to the slow-paced afternoons & sleeping in, to sunshine, bugs buzzing & the bright flowers of my father’s garden blowing in the wind.  But more than green grass & 80-degree mornings, I know I’ve hit a new season of my own, one that will last much longer than the summer. Something much more ambiguous, though it has mile-markers of its own. Saturday, I crossed the stage on the Great Lawn of Union University to pick up my diploma, cap-and-gown clad, & landed on the other side of life: Adulthood.

And as sentimental & sappy as I could be about it, most times I’m simply at peace, happy to be right here: getting just a glimpse of what’s to come, taking the tiniest of steps forward into what could only be described as the great unknown. And since you’ve followed me this far, cheri, I figured I owed you a little explanation of what’s next.

And that’s a summer spent under the same roof as one of my personal heroes, & true friend and guide, the amazing Angie Roberts (& family). Which means, of course, I’ll be staying in Jackson. Because sometimes your feet are nailed to the floor. And sometimes, they’re held there by a hundred hallowed hands.

So this summer, I’m banking on sweet tea & scones, star-gazing & staying up late. On all that is wild & crazy & sacred & silly about living in the middle of a house bursting with babies & boys. And in between all the post-collegiate soul-searching, I know there will be slip-ups. There will be days (in fact, already have been) when I wonder, what the heck am I doing? But as I begin to take my eyes off the Lord & the path I know he has set for me to follow & I start to focus in on the dark, on all that is frightening about a future unknown, I feel the tug of all the fingers that kept me where I’m staying, & I see the faces of all the people I’m just not ready to leave behind. And that’s when I remember I’m doing right. I’ve got a family, mismatched & maniac as it may be, in Jackson, Tennessee. And I’ve got to stick with my own.

 

CHERI, MEET MY SWEET FRIENDS,

PSEUDO SHARK.

Let me just tell you, Pseudo Shark is a pretty special set of guys. These boys fell into my life earlier this year & have done nothing but brighten it since. They are an absolute mess, & I adore them all. So ol’ Josh & I decided to do a little photo series for their site. (You should definitely check out his photos, too.) Oh, & since they are a band & all, I may as well mention that they make some pretty sweet music, which you can check out here. J’adore!

How To: Wear Your White Tee.

HELLO, CHERI.

Today, I’d like to talk a little about my favorite style staple: The White Tee. Oh, how I love them! I mean really, they’re soft, airy, decently attractive on pretty much anybody, & come in a pack of three for $10. You can’t beat it.

Then again, there are lots of way to wear them wrong. And I have, at times, been victim to them all. For example: The style rut. This happens right around the time a person first discovers the joys of the White Tee. So soft! So easy to layer! And said person begins to wear their new-found friend every day. I was that person.

So to keep you away from the same mistakes I made, I decided to do a little post, along with Kristi, to show you some examples of how we wear our White Tees today. Kristi styled it up with a more modern look, layering darker colors with clean details to add interest. I tucked mine into a vintage floral skirt & cinched on a belt for definition. Cardigans, which we both wore, are also always a help when it comes to avoiding the natural boxy shape of the shirt.

And voila! You’re done. It’s pretty simple, really. The biggest trick? Tossing them out once you’ve worn them thin & and speckled with stains. There are, after all, white.

J’ADORE.

Cause for Celebration.

• Drinking: Cappuccinos from Barefoots Joe–the very best kind.
• Listening to: Beach House Pandora.
• Wearing: Sweater everything! Sweater tights & a big fluffy sweater on top. I can’t even pretend to understand this silly weather.

HELLO, CHERI.

I’m writing to you today with chilled bones, but a very warm heart. Yesterday, on an unseasonably cold April afternoon, my friend’s family was made full with the plus-one of sweet Evan Daniel, the baby they’ve been in the process of adopting these past six or so months, waiting on another seven, praying over for many more, & loving, it would seem, their entire lives.

It’s amazing to look back & realize that I was there throughout the entire process, privileged to play witness to such an exciting event in their lives. I remember when we were first becoming friends, one of our earliest phone calls was when Angie (Roberts, happy mother of the family mentioned above) called me to help organize an advocacy table at school for an adoption fundraiser she had planned. It’s crazy to see how far we’ve come, from barely buds at the beginning of the adoption process to today, where baby Evan is a sweet, pudgy reality & I can’t even imagine life in Jackson without Angie, my faithful friend & guide.

Sometimes (most times) I’m still amazed I’ve found this community, buried in Jackson, Tenn., which I had completely written off just four years ago. Twelve hours from home, in a miracle of grace, God gave me a family, a place to belong, to see things I’d never seen before & to grow & be changed. Though it has nothing to do with me, my friend’s adoption process has impacted my life in ways I didn’t even see until now, thinking through the events of the past two years & the way I see my life leading today. Church, if you’re reading, it doesn’t stop there. You’ve each impacted me over the years. I’m a different person because of you. And I’m so glad you adopted me into your midst.

Though, as I mentioned before, the Roberts have had Evan for about six months, yesterday was the end-all, completely complete finalization of the adoption process. There had been countless court dates, conversations, prayers & tears leading up to this moment––so we celebrated in true City style: at Conger Park, cuted up in a way that only Marcie Autry can cute things, with an array of Beth Wilson baked goods, surrounded by the (church) family. Oh, I love it.

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