Safe From The Storm

        The weather has not been ideal due to a hurricane that's sweeping the eastern coast states. Although we aren't directly affected by the hurricane, it has been a little windy and cloudy the last few days. Not the best conditions for taking outdoor photos. So, that means I'm stuck doing indoor photos. I decided to take this oppurtunity to update you of how some parts of our home is looking like nowadays.

       This is our first house. We bought it only 6 months ago so we've got a long way to go before we feel it's a finished product. It sounds a little silly but in a way it has been a journey of self discovery, for me (not for Micah, he'd think that's cheesy). Afterall, what a person does with their home reflects alot about their personalities and character.

       I am actually not going to talk about furnishings here. What I want to talk about is more important than the furniture choices we have made or what's hanging on the walls. Instead, I want to talk about what a  home is really for. It's a haven. A haven from the unpleasant and unhappy things in this world. The world can be a dangerous and and treacherous place sometimes. Where do we go to get away from this? We go home. These are some of the guidelines of how to make a house a home:

       1.)Tidiness. We keep our place constantly clean because it feels more peaceful that way. After a long day at work, it can be unpleasant to go home to a mess. The last thing on your mind is to do more work at your own house. I don't work but I keep our house nice and clean to make sure that Micah can just worry about relaxing when he gets home.

       2.) Coziness. A home is a place for family and friends to gather at. We enjoy spending time with people we love and we want our home to be a pleasant place for this. I made sure to get plenty of chairs for these occassions. I love chairs! I have to come to realize this may be because I always want to make sure there is a spot for everyone to sit when they are over.

      3.) Happiness. We keep contention out of the house. It's not allowed in! We keep our moods cheerful and happy in these walls! Yes, this step is not so easy and it may even be the hardes of the three but it's our overall goal.

       Thanks for reading and I hope that these guidelines help you in your homebuilding!

    

Is She or Isn't She?

       Is it the beginning of an obsession to watch "Breakfast At Tiffany's" two nights in a row? I've seen it before, years ago. But then I watched it again last night (and again tonight and ummm maybe tomorrow night?). It was better than the first time for me. And now I can't stop thinking about it! I even took a stab at playing "Moon River" on the piano. Hence, this video. I rarely play the piano for the public...I'm not that good at it and even if I was, I've kinda got a jitter problem. Doing videos definitely gives me less jitters though.
        I apologize for being a late bloomer on the topic of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Better late than never, right? But for all of you fans out there what did you like about the movie? Audrey's LBDs in this movie inspires many around Halloween time (and it's almost that time). Foreshadowing my Halloween costume maybe? For me, I was pretty impressed by the dialogue just as much as Holly Golightly's glamourous ensembles. The line that stood out to me the most from this movie was from Holly's agent (or shall I say pimp?). "Is she or isn't she? A phony?" This struck a chord for me and here I am evaluating if Holly is indeed a phony.
       The best method I have found for understanding people (and characters) is just put yourself in their shoes. So, I tried wondering if people question the same thing about me (sure they do!). And when I did that, I totally get it now! Have you ever felt you were fooling the world sometimes? Are you trying to make people think you are something that you are not? Do you put on a smile even though the world is falling apart around you? Sometimes, I feel like I do this. But I don't think of myself a phony! In fact, I like to think that I am a very genuine peson. I'm just a girl that wants to be happy and be the best person I can be. And sometimes, I am not all that good at doing that and others get hurt or I don't progress.
         So, is Holly a phony guys? She is always so happy and kind to all of the "gentlemen" and her "beaus". Despite that some of the guys stalk her and bang on her apartment door, she is always so gracious towards them (I would not be so tolerant). But deep down she is a frightened girl that doesn't know who she is. Yet, she is always so chatty, chirpy, and charismatic. This is a lesson I have learned from the pretty and glamorous Ms Holly Golightly. Despite what's going on around us or in us, we should always be happy. And is that being a phony? Well, if so, I would rather be a happy phony person than a genuinely grouchy person!

Fireworks on the Fourth

To all my fellow Americans, I hope you all had a lovely July 4th! It was a splendid day for the Stevensons. We stuck to being traditional by grilling and watching an epic fireworks show at Fort Bragg. The fireworks were mesmerizing! I was blown away by how amazing fireworks look on pictures. They are pretty enough to make US postcards with...hmmm an idea perhaps?

While I was in awe during the show, I was pondering how amazing humans are, to create something so lovely! It reminds me of how as humans we strive to be like the gods sometimes and for the brief moment that those lights last, we are just like them. Fireworks are to humans, as stars are to the gods.