Be All There

My friend Chelsea re-tweeted this Women's Humor tweet today that really got me thinking.

"Wherever you are, be all there." - Jim Elliot

How many times a day am I having a conversation with someone while distracted by something else? Probably too many to count. I need to remember to cherish everything and really live completely in the moment. Here are some pretty inspirational images for you to remember to be all there. 

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S-ART-urday (Art Museum Day)

In conjunction with International Museum Day, today is Art Museum Day! 

International Museum Day was established by the International Council of Museums in 1977 to encourage public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society. International Museum Day is organized on or around May 18th each year. Last year, 32,000 museums from 129 countries participated in International Museum Day. Approximately 125 museums in the United States celebrated Art Museum Day by offering free admission or special programs. Click here to see which art museums in your area are hosting special events today.

What museums have you visited recently?

Check out these past blog posts for some of my favorite museum visits: Kentuck; Smithsonian; MoMA

Rick Bragg

Rick Bragg is one of my favorite authors. I have been lucky enough to hear him speak on a multitude of occasions as a student at The University of Alabama, where Bragg currently serves as a Professor of Writing.

I am no wordsmith myself, but to me, Bragg can encapsulate what it means to be Southern in one sentence. His words are smooth, slow, sweet and sticky all at the same time. You can hear his accent dripping off of every sentence in every book.

He also has a regular column in Southern Living; honestly one of the main reasons I am a subscriber.
His words make me laugh and cry; they warm my heart. His stories are relatable; I often think of my Nanny while reading.

Nanny and me, Thanksgiving 2012

He, to me, captures the South without trying too hard. As Bragg says in this video, "I don't want to write about us in cliches. We're too complicated for that. You want to make a mistake in writing about Southerners? Generalize. Rationalize. You'll make a mistake about Southerners." Check out more of Bragg's videos on Southern Living's YouTube channel.

He gives some of us words when we can't find them ourselves. Like this article he wrote after the tornado that destroyed parts of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and brought an abrupt end to my senior year of college.

No water, no power, in desperate need of showers. But we still managed to find the good in the bad and hold a candlelight for  Katie, celebrating her engagement, after the tornado had cancelled chapter Wednesday evening. 

If you are looking for a good summer read or two, check out some of Bragg's books below.

All Over but the Shoutin'

Ava's Man (my first encounter with Bragg's work; it got me hooked )

 Book discussion on Ava's Man (video) 

The Prince of Frogtown

Girls' Weekend

Last weekend, I went to Orange Beach with six of my best friends from college. I haven't seen one or two of them in over a year, but it was like we hadn't skipped a beat. The weather was cloudy all weekend, but that didn't stop us from having a blast!

Me, Julie and Susie at Cosmo's

Friday night group at dinner

Chelsea joined us for a Pirates Cove Saturday 

Mary Catherine and me with our newly engaged friend Catherine.
So excited to be her bridesmaid on May 10, 2014! 

Mary Catherine, Susie and Lydia

The group

I lived with all of these ladies in the sorority house for three years. We spent a ton of time together, and this weekend brought all those fun times back. 

This.

S-ART-urday (Kentuck Festival of the Arts)

The Kentuck Festival of the Arts is a lovely festival in Northport, Alabama that is regionally and nationally recognized.  It was named one of the USA’s Top Ten Art Fairs and Festivals and is currently in it's 41st year.  Over 270 artists come for a weekend in Kentuck Park each third weekend in October (also the same weekend of a lovely little football rivalry).  Check out some of the artists here and the festival program here.

I visited the festival Sunday with Callie Ann.   We ate lots of good festival food (fried catfish, kettle corn and sno cones) and bought a few prints by the adorable Yvonne Miller.

Yvonne Miller print 

Other snapshots:

Sno Cone fun (and yes, I am wearing my Mark Ingram jersey; Go Saints!) 

 View previous S-ART-urday posts: DIY Paint Chips, Tom Slaughter, Eric Carle, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Molly Mattin, Chuck Close, Robert Rauschenberg, 1Canoe2; Porter Flea

The Color Run

I ran The Color Run yesterday with some friends and had a blast! Proceeds from registration went to Read Bama Read, which raises money to fund libraries and purchase new books.

Catherine and I before...

...and after!

SLIS friends before...

...and after!

I walked in my Chacos and had some interesting color lines post-run. 

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Happy 89th, Hank!

Today is the 89th anniversary of Hank Williams, Sr.'s birthday.  

Hiram King Williams was born on September 17, 1923 in Mount Olive, Butler County, Alabama.  He moved around Alabama and eventually formed the Drifting Cowboys.  In 1948, he joined the Louisiana Hayride a radio program broadcast from Municipal Auditorium, in Shreveport, Louisiana, my hometown.  Hank unfortunately passed away on New Years Day in 1953, but left a lasting impact on country music.

Municipal Auditorium, site of the Louisiana Hayride via

Last year, I curated an exhibit at the Hoole Special Collections Library called "Sounds Like Alabama" that featured Hank in a portion of the exhibit.  Here is the case on Hank and Hank, Jr.  

"If the good Lord's willing..." I just love this poster! 

 This summer, I interned at the Country Music Hall of Fame, and Hank was a prominent character in the story of country music there.  Hank was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1961.
In the photo below, Hank's portrait hangs on a banner next to the wall of gold, silver and platinum albums of various country artists.