live from New York

 on my recent trip to New York, i'd intermittently send a photo to GT with a corresponding quote.

because sometimes it's better coming from the horses mouth

first thing she said to me when I saw her that day.

she's 11.

Willie, did you ever think the day would come that you'd be at a fashion show?

my thoughts exactly.

upon seeing Nick Jonas, Real Housewives lady, Dance Moms peeps and someone else...

dreams coming true.

after-party shenanigans

GTs response: "John Luke, the most interesting teenager in the world. I don't always drink Coke, but when I do, I drink...Coke"

continuation of after-party... 

life of the party

Hey Will, i see you didn't like your breakfast

obviously.

well, they kept me and GT entertained anyway.

worship

Yesterday was going to be only the 2nd Sunday i would spend with our family at WFR for September. 

i love praising God with my forever family.

to only be with them twice in a month of 5 Sundays makes me pretty sad.

JR went to bed with a little fever Saturday night and was burning up when i got him out of his bed Sunday morning.

i was sad to miss church, but even more sad for little buddy.

pitiful, i tell ya!

for my little guy who never stops moving, he didn't even feel like getting out of my lap.

At the same time that I would normally be lifting up songs of praise at church, I was quietly singing hymns to my baby.

he fell asleep on my chest as we rocked.

instead of bemoaning my absence from congregational singing, i praised God for His favor.

His blessings

His outpouring of love

in the quiet moment

(a very rare quiet moment)

as I met the needs of my child, my God met the needs of my heart

Why do I worship, why do I praise?

Why do I lift up my voice?

When I see the Savior who died in my place,

I cannot help but rejoice.

Why do I bow down, why do I stand?
Why does my heart love to sing?

When I call the Father and He takes my hand,

I know I’m a child of the King!

And that’s why I cry,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!”

That’s why I cry,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord."

around the house

it's been a while since i have posted an "around the house"

there's been a lot going on around this house

notably, our new neighbors

Mom and Dad moved in!!!!

they are forever unpacking, organizing, decorating, finishing, cleaning, etc etc etc

so...very very soon i will post photos of their new dwelling

it.is.ah-may-ZING!

and it is in my back yard which makes it even that much more glorious

Judson Ray and I have walked down there a few mornings this week and it is probably the best thing.

in the meantime i will share things around our house. not as grand, but still good.

i got me a new rug.

oh yeah-GT refinished our living room floors!-kind of a big deal.

i guess i should post about that at some point. 

i am rambling, i know.

back to the point.

the rug.

it's great!

rugsusa.com is where it's at y'all.

what's that you say? 

i have a red-neck baby (shirtless, barefoot and jeans)?

he's watching tv?

my house is a playpen?

yeah, yeah, yeah.

the rug! focus people!

sidenote(as if this whole post isn't one big sidenote): i never knew how much vacuuming a new rug required! 

new-to-me old furniture

mom and dad are using the majority of their old furniture in their new house, but got rid of a few pieces.

we got this beautiful china cabinet

it was my great-grandmothers and i think it is perfect.

mom didn't want to get rid of it, she just didn't have a place for it in her new house

luck-i-lee i had just the spot.

finally......

we got a mantle!

since we moved in (august 2011) i have asked GT to put up a mantle for christmas

this year, we will hang stockings from this bute

our good friend, Tony, built this for us out of the beautiful black walnut tree that was on my parents land in Calhoun. you can see pictures of that property here and here. i also took some bridal portraits in front of the tree: see here

i'm glad we waited to put one up, because this one is perfect....beautiful and sentimental

apparently, our kid has a future career in the arts

he colored this at Mothers Day Out

10 month old prodigy

really? 

really?

either way...on the fridge it goes

incredible iPhone photography 

i'm for hire!

rain. 

i know you can't see it, but you can see the dampness of the ground

rain-sweet, beautiful, fragrant, cooling, life-giving to my poor and dying crepe myrtle-RAIN.

happy weekend folks.

if you're in my neck of the woods, let's talk about the rain all weekend. whatya say?

the royal treatment

one afternoon in NYC was entirely devoted to beautifying ourselves

if you've never had hair and make-up done for you (which i had not until this) it is quite the royal treatment.

at first, it felt silly

but i got over that pretty fast

it was also a fun way to hang out with some of my favorite gals

(including the crazy in the yellow)

looking too grown-up for my liking

not a bad view to boot

i mean....

the boys dropped by to show off their new duds

i can't get enough of this duo

before. during. after.

why the serious face and mirror-selfie? why? i will never know.

probably because i've never had my curls "set" before.

fancy, you say?

3 beauties before and after all of the doing-up.

ready for the fashion show!

Wordless Wednesday: black river

i'm sure that i've written about Amos Lee before.

well, if i haven't...it's a cryin' shame!

this mans voice is so soothing

his music is the kind that allows you to take that long, deep sigh and sink all the way in to your chair...close your eyes and listen.

i'm not entirely sure what he's referring to as "black river"

in one verse he references "dear saviour"

in another "sweet whiskey"....

all "gonna take my cares away"

the last verse 

"you're gonna take my bottle, my bible, my mess

you're gonna take all of my empty and my loneliness

gonna take all of this sadness inside of me

gonna take it all and set me free"

whatever he means, the writer is in some pain

and i'm not about to conduct an AP English analysis of this lyric

i feel myself headed that direction if i don't abort ship right now

where was i?

oh yeah, his voice

so, just let yourself listen, close your eyes, deep breath.............

life is better with you

"Some days are better than other days, 
but these days, life is better with you. 
Some days are better than other days, 
but these days, life is better with you. 
And when I think about the things that we've been through, 
I know just one thing is true, life is better with you"

-Michael Franti & Spearhead

Happy birthday to my one and only!

GT, you continue to prove that I got the better end of this gig.

Although it ain't all roses and marshmallows, you make every day worth it.

I am blessed to be called your wife

I am proud to hold the title

You are 32 this year and that makes ME feel old.

how did i end up married to a 32 year old?

in order to knock off the cob-webs and make 32 easier to swallow

here are 32 reason why I love you

1 you are a leader

2 you are strong

3 you are compassionate

4 you are passionate

5 you finish what you start

6 you are a hard worker

7 you are tall

8 you have great hair

9 you hold me accountable

10 you are an athlete

11 you seek wise counsel

12 you treat me like a lady

 13 you love cereal

14 you can fix things

15 you can cook a good breakfast

16 you are a man's man

17 you are an old soul

18 you are convicted

19 you can converse with anyone

20 you have beautiful eyes

21 you don't complain

22 you are grateful

23 you are respectful

24 you will eat anything

25 you appreciate good and stupid humor

26 you can live in a city and the country

27 you sing old hymns

28 you forgive me

29 you love me more every day and i know it

30 you are intentional in being a dad to Judson

31 you take care of and provide for our family and don't think twice about what it takes to make it happen

32 you love the Lord with all of your heart

(bun-hair, tired eyes, Diet Dr.Pepper, baby food and a bite already eaten out of the brownies.....true to life)

Happy Birthday you old dad!

You're a keeper

taking it to the streets: NYC day 1 & 2

Most of the group flew out on Friday.

Anna Catherine (Sadie's BFF) and I flew out on Saturday to join them.

She's one of my favorite people...seriously. 

On our little journey to the Big Apple she said that we needed to write a book about being "the groupies" or "the friends".

See, we were asked by Sadie and Korie to go on this trip and we both jumped at the opportunity.

Sadie, my cousin and AC's best-frand, now has a prom dress line with designer Sherri Hill.

Sherri Hill asked her to walk in her fashion show during New York Fashion Week #NYFW!

We get to do lots of awesome and ridiculous things being close to Korie, Sadie and the rest of the fam and I am forever grateful for their generosity and kindness in including us. 

This trip did not disappoint.

So, in the meantime AC and I are pondering the title of our upcoming book! (stay tuned .... but don't hold your breath). 

luckily, we already have the cover photo

When the plane touched down, we put on our tennis shoes (or just flats) and hit the ground running

a little shopping, sight seeing, snacking and selfies (obviously)

as previously mentioned in another post, i happened upon Purl Soho

i have read their blog/attempted their projects/dreamt of their crafts for a while now

sweet yarn dreams! it was beautiful

i left empty handed sadly. i didn't have 89bucks to spare on a small roll of yarn that i probably would never knit/crochet into anything because i'm up to my eyeballs in homework that i probably should've stayed home to do instead of going to New York. but, whatever.

no yarn.

.....

moving on

.....

to the big lights on Broadway!!!

Matilda.

oh Matilda!

made me tear up!

what?

i'm a sucker for a musical and this one was just presh.

I'd see it again. honestly, i had some reservations about going, but i was proved wrong in the first minute.

i highly recommend this show.

we ended the night trying on beautiful dresses to wear to the after-fashion-show-party. no bigs.

day 2 brought on more walking (per New York) and eating (per vacation)

Serendipity for the hot chocolate

do it.

and thank me later

the food was large and not my favorite

the hot chocolate. yes. 

instead of actually shopping in Bloomingdales, Bella and I made ourselves more useful

useful to our entertainment

our Mamaw Jo was my roommate on this trip.

She makes everything more beautiful, even the mundane street of the city

Angila and I took Will and Bella went to Stomp later in the afternoon 

after taking a hike through Times Square and grabbing some classic NY pizza.

the good stuff.

Will "stomped" on everything in the taxi on the way back to the hotel.

the evening ended with a late dinner with the whole crew at a lovely little Italian place, Cafe Fiorello

if that wasn't enough documentation for you, i have 2 more days a'comin'

if THAT's not enough for you, check out my Instagram: goodtimestaylor

and if that's STILL not enough, then i have nothing to offer you.

except maybe a suggestion that you pick up a hobby.

the good news is that I still haven't got to the really good stuff

although, i would've been perfectly content with our trip ending right here.

28

if you could stay an age forever, what would it be?

my age is 17.

it's the age before life got real

when living was simple and no responsibilities really existed

before nursing care plans, water bills and inspection sticker expiration dates (whoops!)

don't get me wrong, this age is pretty great

i get to live with my best friend and i have a kid... the best one every actually.

being an adult has it's perks

ok, i would be 17 with GT and Judson, just none of the stressful stuff

one thing from my youthful birthdays remains

cookie cake

forever and always i will love cookie cake

i am really having a hard time saying that i'm...gulp...28.

it's a hard age to swallow for me.

it's good and i'm thankful for another year

but, i feel like other moms are looking at me funny when i drop off Judson at Mothers Day out...like i'm the babysitter and-you guessed it-17.

so, perhaps it's fitting that GT had a princess castle placed on my cake

that's all i have to say about it.

a special thanks to my mom.

she's really the person we should be celebrating today.

she did all the work, after all.

9/11

this morning as I hold my baby, that terrible terrible day-12 years ago- seems a world away.

I turn on the TV so i can remember.

We flew out of New York yesterday and did not even bat an eye.

We are safe.

That's exactly what the passengers thought 12 years ago.

as we walked the streets of the city this weekend, I thought about 9/11/11.

I thought about the chaos and terror that must have been felt. in the air.

My mind wouldn't go there.

i can not imagine.

honestly, i don't want to

I am beyond grateful for the light that shines today on the city.

in memory of those who lost their lives

those that saved lives

those who are rebuilding

and those who give hope

Concrete jungle

I am totally deconditioned to the late nights and fashion lifestyle.

Who am I kidding? 

I was never conditioned!

Boy, oh boy am I ready to see these guy!

Although, this view ain't too shabby for getting some homework done

Happening upon one of my dream stores was pretty great too. Purl Soho....such lovely yarns and fabrics!

Best of all is being with these gals (and Mamaw Jo, who took the picture)

We are packing our bags to head home

This weekend in NYC has been surreal and so so good. I have approximately 9 gagillion pictures to document the happenings...and still couldn't capture it all. 

More to come! But for now I need to recover and rest up before I get home to my energizer bunny of a son!

New York, thanks for showing your good side
i'll be back, but i'm afraid future trips will never match this one

fun-day Friday

after a few long months of "dada"...he says "mama"

and if it ain't the sweetest sound i've every heard!

the little guy finally has a tooth

at 10 months

I've hit the books

JR is in Mothers Day Out on Tuesdays and Thursdays 

I didn't work this Thursday, so I hit up Star$ for some studying

man, I was super productive

shoud've tried that the previous semesters. oh well, live and learn

the parentals are t-one week until move in day!!!!!

 Honey was getting some practice in taking Judson to her house in the wagon last night

we are all chompin' at the bit for them to be in the house!

this kid....

he crosses his little ankles every time he sits down. every time.

i mean...........

NYC fashion week or bust, y'alls!

I'm headed to the big apple tomorrow with a large crew and i'm pretty excited.

i now think i understand a bit of mom guilt

i wasn't sure about going on the trip and GT talked me in to it.

imagine that. my husband had to talk me into going to NYC with my cousins for fashion week. never would've seen that one coming. but, with Judson, work, school and life....i just wasn't sure.

so, now i am feeling a tad guilty about going. whatevs. i'm going to New York, feel sorry for me. 

cheers to the weekend!

hi! my name is... addicted to social media

Hi, my name is Katelyn Taylor and I am slightly addicted to my phone and all avenues of social media. 

(hi, Katelyn). thank you. 

(JR age 6mo)

who isn't slightly or largely addicted to social media?

well, there are the few.

but, most people-adults, kids, teens-look at their phone or device a million times a day.

checking their email, texting, seeing who's doing what (creeping?)  on instagram, facebook, twitter and the like, posting a blog, looking up stats on their favorite sports team, reading a news article, watching videos on youtube or perhaps just calling a friend.

 I have this internal battle over my thoughts and feelings towards this obsession.

i feel like Paul.... what I want to do, i don't do. and what i don't want to do...i do.

obvious paraphrase and perhaps a bit out of context. but you get the point.

i nag (yep, i'm a nagger) GT about how much time he spends looking at his phone and yet, I am guilty of the same.

I say that I want a simple flip phone, just to make phone calls.

yet, i post Instagram photos on the hour! or check my email (for what reason, i'm am not sure) every 15 minutes. 

so, do we give in and embrace the technology

or push against and communicate via snail mail and house calls?

after talking over this with GT he reminded me that social media is "not just a fad, but a calculated aspect of business". 

true.

who doesn't use twitter or facebook in their marketing scheme?

it would be really foolish not to, actually.  

and it seems that everyone has a blog these days

i was watching Julie & Julia the other day (love that movie!) and as Julie was contemplating starting her blog, she was talking about all of those that already had blogs and were not really true writers. 

"that's whats great

you don't have to be published

go online, press enter, there it is out there"

that's also what's scary

My cousin John Luke doesn't have a social media account. at all. he's 17. 

this is a rather archaic way to exist to most teens.

i asked him about it recently.

he said, "i'm free".

he doesn't stop what he's doing to post about it.

he is simply present in the moment.

that's one reason that i love that kid.

on the other hand, we were with a bunch of kids one day and they were stopping every 5 minutes to take a picture of what they were doing.

GT said, "it doesn't really matter if you actually do something, just post a picture!"

guilty.

bottom line.

i don't want Judson and whatever future kids to be glued to any device or form of media.

but, if my head is always looking down at my phone, then why wouldn't his?

it is really disgusting the things that i see on instagram and facebook.

really.

you see them too.

young girls posting pictures of themselves in bikinis, hand on hip, duck face, "single"(of course you are! you're 14) and waiting to see how many likes they get. 

i'm afraid they're letting how many likes or followers they get determine their self worth!

i won't stand for it.

sure, i post a lot of pictures, i have a blog. 

i like the blogworld, i like Instagram. i like the community. i do.

i like for people to like my pictures.

but, in no way or shape or form do those influence my self-worth or self-esteem. 

I know that social media is here to stay.

it's a way to communicate, to share with others, to advertise and even to make friends and find community.

it is NOT a way to avoid face-to-face conversation, advertise your body, judge others or become the basis for your self-esteem

i will visit this post and these thoughts often to keep myself accountable.

i am just as guilty as the next gal.

social media is a part of our life and our world, but will not become our life.

still, i'm praying that Jesus comes back before I have to raise a teenager

September whirlwind

September always sneaks up on me

it's a big month around these parts

it's sneakiness is mostly due to the weather

i always blame the weather

for some reason, i always expect September to feel like fall

forgetting, every year, that I live in Louisiana

my birthday is on the 13th and I was more likely to have a blazing- hot swimming party (or a circus shin-dig apparently) than a bonfire and hay-ride. 

oh well, here it is again and it is 1million degrees outside.

within the weeks of September, i will

go to NYC, Round Top, Tx,  Huntsville, Tx and North Carolina

 all the while, read/study/complete homework for grad school

and work some

GT will only join me on one of those trips

Judson for two 

hold me now.

it should be a good one

Happy September folks

here's to football and hunting and birthday season beginning

(also, can we talk about my mom in the above photo? that's right...

that's her)