Creating Magic

This morning I woke to the sound of my phone buzzing with text messages.  Two of my girlfriends were group texting about a blog post recently written by Katie Daisy and the magical journey she has been on in her life. If you do not know Katie Daisy (Daisy is not her real last name) you probably have seen her work everywhere.  We marveled at what a beautiful and successful life this girl has led already at such a young age.  I can't speak for my friends but for me it definitely gave me a pang of envy.  This girl was so fearless and chased after what she wanted with no looking back.

But then I did something. I pushed aside the envy and instead thought about my own journey.  I grew up in a small, rural, southern town that I couldn't wait to leave. I felt like I didn't fit in there and wouldn't be happy until I was living in a big city and living a crazy bohemian life (it was the late 90s and I saw Rent twice). But, as I am not fearless enough to go from small town to big city over night I went the fairly conventional route and went to college in a slightly bigger town in the same state.  What I found there was an amazing group of people who all wanted the same things as me.  We dressed like little Edie of Grey Gardens before we even knew what Grey Gardens was.  (Once we saw Grey Gardens we dressed like her even more) Art was a huge focus in our lives and we all adored it. The weirder the better.  We were living as bohemian a life as you could in small town Kentucky.  But I still dreamed of bigger and better things, cities and lofts and being oh-so-famous.  But again, I was scared and so instead I went to a slightly larger town up north and began grad school.  Grad school was safe because it still kept me in the bubble of school but I still wanted more and more. I planned on moving away from here as soon as I graduated and finally go after the things I was afraid to do before. I was going to move to Nashville, which is no New York City but is still a dream, and I was going to do whatever it is you do in a city. But life got in the way and I met and married the man of my dreams.   And the man of my dreams had a grown-up job and enough sense to know you don't just pick up and leave an income that includes health insurance.  So, for a while-- for a long while-- I was happy that I was married to a wonderful man but I also mourned so badly for the life I dreamed of living.

But you know what's funny?  Somewhere along the way I quit caring about living in a big city and instead longed for the country.  The small town that I used to dream about leaving started to seem like the most beautiful place in the world and why wouldn't anyone want to look outside and see rolling hills?  One of my very best friends moved to Brooklyn a few years ago and I was definitely jealous when she left because she was doing what I knew I would never do. But now, even though I'm dying to visit her, I'm okay with not living there.

I still want to move south and the minute we can go I will be gone but it wasn't until the discussion this morning that I was able to be at peace with where I live now.  Sure, it would be nice to look out my windows and see Kentucky bluegrass and rolling hills but for now I'm terribly happy that I look out the window and see the gorgeous gardens my husband worked so hard on.  The 16-year-old me would have never known how happy a vegetable garden could make me.

We all discussed that everyone's dream is different so I'm not trying to say that the life that sounds magical and dreamy to me would be that way for everyone. Certainly it would not seem that way to my teenager self.  My girlfriend in Brooklyn is oh so happy there and I am oh so happy for her.

We all decided that there is magic in this life even if we sometimes want for other things.  It's just about recognizing those magical moments and filling your life up with them as much as possible.  For me that means sitting outside in the shade with my husband, going to the pool, craft dates with girl friends, book club nights, talking on the phone with family and friends who live too far away, finding beautiful places in nearby towns, dreaming about this baby and creating the most magical world for him/her... All of these things outweigh any of the bad by a long shot and for that I am ever so grateful.

So I look to my friends who live in this town with me and I have gone through their blogs and found so many examples of the magic we find in our day-to-day lives.  I adore these girls and am grateful to have them around to remind me just how great life is.

Robyn is always doing stuff and I love hearing about her adventures.  Here is some of the beauty she has captured.  These can be found on her blog by clicking here.

Courtney is the kind of momma I want to be.  She has been a great mentor for me when i have countless questions.  She has two adorable babies and the world she creates for them is one I hope to make as well.  See her blog here

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I have said it a million times before that my friend Bryanne has the ability to capture magical beautiful moments in the day-to-day.  Here are some examples of her work that remind me of the beauty in this world and see more here.

I met Katie years ago but know her best through Bryanne. They are a friendship duo that can make the most beautiful moments.  See more of her world and drool over her gorgeous art here.

And this is the beauty I captured the other day at a dreamy garden in a town nearby:

And so I'm grateful.  And I may still have times where I long for other things and am very sure the grass is greener anywhere else but here but I just need to go through these images and reconnect with my friends and be reminded of all the beauty that surrounds me now.

Here's to the 16 year old who didn't know there was magic happening in front of her the whole time, she just wouldn't take the time to see it.