take that to the Bank(head).

Love my Montgomery belles (even if she wasn't technically born here..) .

“Nobody can be exactly me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.”

 -Tallulah Bankhead*

*This particular belle holds a special place in my heart thanks to her silver coffee service that sits in our kitchen.  In addition to being quippy, she also had pretty darn good taste. :)

paint me a birmingham

Yep. It really looks like that. note the squirrel to your left.

True Life: I snapped this behind the law school.

Don't get me wrong, I love Montgomery--we've got history, beauty and culture.  But I kind of love Birmingham as much, if not more.

And I miss it. Badly. 

Eight months out of the year, I live 90 miles up I-65 North on a breathtaking campus of sprawling lawns (they're painted, right?), flowing fountains,  gorgeous Georgian architecture, benches surrounded by dripping magnolias and friends, and the friendliest/scariest squirrels in the world. 

That's the library. I don't miss it so much.  sure is pretty though.

The Botanical Gardens are a MUST when in Mountain Brook..
..and the perfect spot for a photo op, of course!

Samford stole my heart from the second I stepped on its campus, and I really don't want it back.

And I sure 

do miss it.  

I miss the friend photo shoots (or normal visits..those are cool, too) at the Botanical Gardens,  going to the Mountain Brook Village Starbucks to socialize..ahem..I mean study, football games on Saturdays, and of course, the caf..everyone's favorite (NOT!).  

photo sesh in the caf.  
Note how my friends oblige my pleads for twin days.  They're cool like that.

Just another sunny Sunday at the club.

Basically, I'm dying to get back to Samford and Birmingham.  Friends don't come any better, and days don't get more eventful.

Only 5 more short weeks, y'all, 'til my Revas grace the concrete of the Samford Country Club.  Can't wait.*  

English Village overlook of b'ham. can't get much better. 

*P.S.  I'll miss you, Mom!

all of the advantages

cute, aren't they?

My friends know that I have an obsession.  A big one.  It begins with "Great" and ends with "Gatsby."  Being a Montgomerian means you love that book.  You're lookin' at a girl who was born on Gatsby Lane.  Who spent her days shopping on Zelda Road.  Big time obsession here.  Inspired by the ultimate Montgomery belle, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, F. Scott penned The Great Gatsby, my absolute favorite book in the world.  It transports you to a magical time.  It makes you feel like you know the characters; it makes you feel connected to the Fitzgeralds. I can just see Zelda prancing through MCC, the Serena van der Woodsen of her time (I'm a Blair, in case you were wondering..but that's a totally different topic).

Needless to say, I love the book.  And as no surprise, one of my favorite quotes comes from this classic.  

"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

This quote brings me back to reality so very often.  So many times I get caught up in petty criticisms over shallow things, or I just plain don't count my blessings.  You never truly know what battles people are in or how much they've overcome to get where they are.  I'm learning to thank the Lord for the advantages that He has blessed me with and to appreciate them and to use them for His glory.  Learning is a journey, though.  I'm takin' it one step at a time.  Good thing He's right beside me.

guess Kate is a Gatsby fan too..