Almost Mrs. Scurlock...

*dust* cough *dust, dust*

Yeah just a few more cobwebs.... But I've been busy!!

In just over two weeks I will be walking down to aisle to become Mrs. Blake Scurlock. And let me tell you, I can't wait!!

The planning process has been fun, interesting, tiring, overwhelming... And so weird. I'm used to planning things for other people or worrying more about what other people will enjoy, and now it's about me and Blake, what we want, what we will remember forever. But Blake has been so great. He's been so helpful and involved, but especially patient -- I'm not one to be too decisive :)

Here's a peek at what's to come....

My decided colors are eggplant, granny apple green, bright yellow with some ivory and silver. I know the last two seem random, but it will all come together. We are going for a very vintage, classic feel - both timeless and reminiscent of the 1940s.

My girls will be wearing a dupioni silk Alfred Sung dress, style d497, in Majestic. It's tough to tell in some photos, but it is a very deep eggplant. The guys will be wearing a light gray Michael Kors suit that we got at Mens Warehouse. (unfortunately, I don't think they're available anywhere...)

And I'm wearing..... Oh, wait. For that one you'll have to wait! But I can tell you that it's ivory and champagne and very lovely :) I can't wait to wear it. I will show you my shoes! I got them at a local shop, Marti & Liz, for only a quarter of the price. I'm pretty proud of that.

I think deciding what everyone would wear was one of the hardest decisions of all. I can't even begin to calculate the hours I spent searching looking through bridal magazines, searching online and visiting stores to see dresses -- then add in the hours my little sister spent looking = craziness. And it was almost as bad for the guys. But for them I'm just glad we found the perfect suit and didn't settle on a tux. (my man is gonna look hot!!)

Ok, sorry.

The ceremony was actually easier to decide on. Once we settled on a general location, downtown Franklin, we had limited resources. After a few church visits, we found the perfect one: Franklin Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The best part: since we have to keep the wedding relatively small, our friends and family members who can't attend or we couldn't invite, can watch the service via webcam on the church website. I love technology! Especially since my great-grandmother won't be able to make the trip; she can still see me in my dress and watch as I become Blake's wife. How awesome is that?

The reception will be at Financial Peace Conference Center (for all of you wedding crashers). We are actually having a full big band come! I can't tell you how excited I am for that!! I hardly care about any of the decorations - they will be the decoration! But really, I'm the girl that grew up loving Tommy Dorsey and swing, while my sister was a fan of Glen Miller. This is our jam. :) But really, Radio Daze, I'm expecting big things.

I want to share with you some of the inspiration for the reception decor, but I read wedding blogs daily for personal and professional use... And I have no idea where half of my inspiration photos came from. So I will keep those for my personal viewing and just tell you some of the ideas! For the centerpieces we are stacking hardback books with DIY mercury glass vases and flowers/candles. Our guestbook table will have an antique typewriter and paper to write on (since typing isn't everyone's strong point!). There will be lace, doilies, vintage cameras, a vintage suitcase, and lots of silver platters. If I can pull this off and round up my vision... It's going to be awesome. It's just a lot of "if"s right now.

My one piece of advice so far in this planning process: never settle for a price. Keep asking until you find the vendor you can afford for the product you want. It's so worth the extra inquiries. I never thought I would be able to get all of my flowers for less than $800... But I set a budget for $400 or less, and that's what I got. Then I started getting worried about the cost of having mine and everyone else's hair done for the wedding. First I agreed to a cost of $100 for myself, then asked around/begged my friend for references, and found a girl who is experienced, well recommended, and comes at a cost of $35. We're down to the wire and every cost cut is huge. The crazy thing is, here I am planning a wedding in a city that I'm relatively new to, and I didn't think I had connections or friends that could help me in the process. Wow have I been wrong. I definitely haven't received the support that I may have if I still lived in Texas and was planning there, but even with my smaller supply of friends here, I have been blessed.

I can't wait to share photos. For now I'll end with one of my favorite engagement photos.....

Life is moving forward... still evolving :)

It's been ages since my last post. As a friend told me, there are cobwebs on both this blog and my review blog... And I've had fun, exciting news to share, but I keep holding my breath that it will be even better and I'll have tons of great news to share (aka a full-time job, the cherry on top). But for now I am so very happy with the sundae that life has served me :)

Just a week after my last blog... I got engaged!
Most of you know that by now, but it's still fun to proclaim to the world - beyond Facebook, Twitter, Save the Dates, and a Knot website, this is the final step. Oh, and of course I have a gorgeous ring as a reminder to the daily world around me!

All of last summer, and really since the day I moved to Nashville, I have been waiting (sometimes impatiently) to proclaim that I am engaged to the most wonderful man ever. But now I'm not much in the mood to spill our special moments to the online world... Is that strange? Well, if you are my friend on Facebook, then I spilled it all there. I will, however, give a brief synopsis.

Blake was able to surprise me, which is really a feat as I had come to expect it at every turn. But he surprised me with a trip to the Biltmore Mansion and I think I was honestly just excited to be there and tired of thinking about getting engaged that it was farthest from my mind. It was a special personal moment, that I cherish. And the ring... good grief... I'm not sure I could have picked out a ring even as good as he did - definitely not better. Especially considering my issues with just finding the right bridesmaids dresses!

So here's a snapshot of us happily engaged after....



So on a day when I was expecting a little time with my boyfriend and shopping with the girls in his family, I instead saw one of the most beautiful estates and pledged my eternal love to Blake.
Yeah I took it to the dramatic point.

The wedding planning began almost immediately, as we set a date on our drive to dinner. This date was changed, tossed around, and rounded back to. So on June 4, I will officially have a new name and a new life. The other plans are still evolving, slowly. We do have a caterer, photographer, location and I have my dress. But there is still the issue of bridesmaids dresses, flowers, decor, music, etc... It will come in time.

As for the cherry on top, well I'm still praying for that. I have had a few interviews and a few more openings come to light, so there actually is hope out there. But for the time being, I'm scraping by, working three jobs and chiseling out time to see Blake. In some weird combination, I love and hate my jobs. I can't explain it. Mostly because I'm trying not to think/talk/worry about work as much :) It's a process.

Oh, and if anyone knows of the perfect aubergine/eggplant/plum bridesmaids dress... Please let me know asap! I've yet to find the perfect dress and I'm about to give up on it...

That's my life over the past 4 months in a nutshell. Engaged, planning, working, praying.

This one is for the parents:

Mama's Song (chorus)
Carrie Underwood

He is good, so good
He treats your little girl like a real man should
He is good, so good
He makes promises he keeps
No he's never gonna leave
So don't you worry about me
Don't you worry about me

If you die young...

Perez Hilton.
He is the person that put me on to my current train of thought. (sidetrack... does he have a real name?). He was on Ellen the other day and declared that he was going to start being nice. Everyone knows Perez and how he will tear anyone down with words and throw them to the gossip dogs, but it still intrigued me that someone would have to publicly declare that they are going to make an effort to be nice. It all came about because of the recent extensive efforts against bullying, and as even he knows, Perez is a big bully in the celebrity world. But he wants to change, so I'm with Ellen, let's give him a chance. Let's see what happens from here.

But this idea of changing your behavior and your actions, led me to this:

You have your entire life to change your thoughts and actions, but what if your entire life ended today - what thoughts would be on your mind? What actions would be your last?

It's true, our lives could be severed at any moment in time. No one knows how long they will be on this earth, or to that point, how long there will be an earth. Yet, we all presume we will be here forever. We think a bad thought, we get angry, we yell at a friend... But it doesn't matter because we change our thinking, we will cool off, apologize later.... But later could be now. Right now. As I'm typing, as you are reading. This could be your last moment or my last moment.

The Band Perry intrigues me, not because the boys want to have as cool of hair as their sister, but because this family of amazing talent seemed to come from nowhere and they are shaking things up while staying fully grounded. The songs I have heard are fun and catchy, including their latest hit - which is strange as it is also deep and a bit dark. It is a song that captures that essence of "today may be your last." You may die young, you may not experience everything you ever dreamed, but if you do die young, did you lead a good life? Would you be able to look back and be proud? Have you cherished enough moments?

If I die young bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
oh oh oh oh

Lord make me a rainbow, I’ll shine down on my mother
She'll know I’m safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and
Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had just enough time

If I die young bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had just enough time

And I’ll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom
I’m as green as the ring on my little cold finger
I’ve never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand
There’s a boy here in town says he’ll love me forever
Who would have thought forever could be severed by

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had just enough time

So put on your best boys and I’ll wear my pearls
What I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh no I’ll sell 'em for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I’m a goner
And maybe then you’ll hear the words I been singin’
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin’

If I die young bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song, oh oh

The ballad of a dove
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep ‘em in your pocket
Save them for a time when your really gonna need 'em oh

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had just enough time

So put on your best boys and I’ll wear my pearls

Home is whenever I'm with you

I heard the song "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros as I was driving to my apartment tonight. It made me think back to a few weeks ago when I was visiting my parents and older sister in Texas. Some time during the weekend I talked to Blake on the phone and he asked me if I missed "home"; assuming he meant Nashville, I adamantly said yes and I was a bit confused when he asked me again "so you really miss home?" Then it struck me, he meant Texas. He meant did I miss "home" as in my parents and sister and the state I was visiting... But to me, that's no longer home. I love my family, I love my friends and I even dearly love Texas, however, Blake has caused a change. Texas will always be comforting to me and I will always feel loved, welcome, comfortable around my family and friends, but Blake is home to me now. I'm getting mushy... Sorry, skip the post. But it's true. Nashville is home for now, but if we move someday, that new place will be home. Just as Bandera, Wichita Falls, Denison, Plano, etc were home to me growing up with my parents. Anyway, love this song (I'm posting it below). It's fun and has a southern fun vibe to it. And its fitting :)

(Texas friends - they will be at ACL, you should go!)

Home

[Her:] Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my ma and pa,
Not the way that I do love you.

[Him:] Holy, Moley, me, oh my,
You're the apple of my eye,
Girl I've never loved one like you.

[Her:] Man oh man you're my best friend,
I scream it to the nothingness,
There ain't nothing that I need.

[Him:] Well, hot and heavy, pumpkin pie,
Chocolate candy, Jesus Christ,
Ain't nothing please me more than you.

[Both:] Ahh Home. Let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

La, la, la, la, take me home.
Mother, I'm coming home.

[Him:] I'll follow you into the park,
Through the jungle through the dark,
Girl I never loved one like you.

[Her:] Moats and boats and waterfalls,
Alley-ways and pay phone calls,
I've been everywhere with you.

[Him:] We laugh until we think we’ll die,
Barefoot on a summer night
Nothin’ new is sweeter than with you

[Her:] And in the streets you run afree,
Like it's only you and me,
Geeze, you're something to see.

[Both:] Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

La, la, la, la, take me home.
Daddy, I'm coming home.

[Him:] Home. Let me come home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

[Her:] Ahh home. Yes I am ho-oh-ome.
Home is when I'm alone with you.

[Her:] Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my ma and pa...
Moats and boats and waterfalls,
Alley-ways and pay phone calls...

[Both:] Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is where I'm alone with you...

http://www.myspace.com/edwardsharpe

A new season

It's fall in Nashville. I'm finally able to admit it and now with some expectancy as it means the holidays are drawing near. Technically, it was fall on September 23, but that week it was still warm enough to lay by the pool and soak up the sun (just ask Sarah who was here visiting last week). But I guess it was on Tuesday that I was walking across the grass to my apartment and realized that leaves were crunching under my feet. It was then that it hit me - fall snuck up on me. When I moved here Blake warned me that overnight summer would be here and the trees and landscape would magically be green. But I was so anxious for it that I noticed every detail of the changing season, but not with fall. And now at night the temperature drops to the 40s and the days are in the mid-70s. Very different from fall in Texas and yet, I love it. I love driving along and having the leaves falling like snowflakes on my car.

So it's been awhile since I've blogged.... Summer came and went. My parents, little sister and grandmother came to visit in June, spending nearly a week in my tiny apartment :) On the 25th, friends helped to surprise Blake for his first half-birthday celebration. In July, I became a part-time manager at LOFT, which (thankfully) cut my hours down at Zoes. Later in the month was Blake's family reunion in small-town Alabama. August came around with even hotter weather and Blake's graduation from MTSU. The graduation party was a wonderful celebration of him. And September, the month that is now ending, was a whirlwind. I flew to Texas to celebrate my 25th birthday with my family, after a few celebrations with Blake and his parents; then I drove home with the older sister who stayed for nearly a week to celebrate her birthday in Nashvegas. Football started and both of my teams are off to a good start. But now it's time for October, which will mark my 8th month of living in Tennessee. I even switched to a TN drivers license.....

Even with my wonderful summer and many moments to write about....I felt too apprehensive to even begin. I wanted to write some amazing life-changing news. I'm now a millionaire. I've been offered the dream of a lifetime. You know the sort, but life is never quite the fairy tale we imagine it to be or to become. I am still working two part-time jobs and applying for full-time positions (with little to no response). I still haven't been to visit my sister in Chicago, but I did finally make it home. I pray that I will stay healthy and my car will continue to run - I am making enough to cover my bills, but without health insurance or much money to spare. I could go on with the negatives that I never expected, but there are also positives that I never expected. I never dreamed I would love working in retail or for Ann Taylor LOFT. It was a temporary solution in my mind (and it still may be, with temporary stretching longer than usual). But I do, I love my job. It's unconventional. There is paperwork, but not the kind that requires you to sit behind a desk all day. I am constantly moving and I'm never bored. Projects are endless and a lot is expected of me in terms of my performance. I am a "trusted style advisor" as the company says and as my clients perceive, as they expect me to come up with a completely unique and absolutely perfect outfit to fit them. And I coach my girls in styling and serving our clients. I am learning more in one position than I imagined I would. My boss is great, my co-workers and management team are amazing, and the company itself is so very incorporating and supportive of their employees that I am impressed by their co-dedication to both employees and the client. Of course, it's not perfect (hence the reason for "temporary"). I am in need of real benefits and would love to have my nights and weekends back. It's exhausting and at times frustrating, but it's unconventional and it's where I am for now.

With this new season, I am more or less accepting my current position. I will still apply in the attempt to move up, but I am happy in my job. I am beginning to look forward to the holidays and more family time, but I'm also enjoying watching an actual season change. I will always love Texas and will continue to miss everyone there, but I may be turning in to a Tennessee girl... Who just so happens to have the perfect Tennessee boy ;)

I can tell you, my wish list is growing for when I do get that dream job.... I just can't help it :) It's also a fun game to play. One day, I'll be back in the game and I can buy the perfect mac laptop and have a car that works perfectly. It's coming, perhaps with this new season? Who knows, but I'm now glad that it's here.

Goodbye September, thanks again for a great birthday month!

April in a nutshell

Hey friends :)

Update: no full-time position, yet.
I should be starting a second part-time position by next week, just have to decide where first (have one and a half offers on the table...)

The last few weeks have been rather busy.. My friend Erika came to visit, first of all, and I was able to do a few touristy things with her. She also brought Mo to me! That was really an awesome part of it - I'm so happy he's here and he seems to really love it. So far his favorite spot is the top of my new couch or in the window, watching all of the geese and baby ducks walking by.

Anyway, I really had fun exploring the city and showing off little things that I love, including downtown Franklin. There we enjoyed lunch at Pucketts Grocery, followed by some window shopping and cupcakes from Naticakes. Blake had a free hour, so we met him at Centennial Park before musing through the Parthenon; it's been almost a year since I first visited it with Blake. We seemed to drive all over the place as we took off for more shopping in Hillsboro Village before heading over to Opryland and we even walked around the Grand Ole Opry :) The long day was ended with dinner at Satco and some live music at Tootsie's (I'm officially a fan of the place).



Before sending Erika home, we had to do the quintessential southern tourist activity - visit a plantation home. What better place to take her than the Belle Meade Plantation? This gorgeous house has a long line of impressive thoroughbreds and descendants, including my favorite racing horse, Secretariat. Here is what I think is impressive, all of the horses that have entered the Kentucky Derby in the past 5 years can trace their line back to the Bell Meade Plantation. It was once a glorious place. The mansion was built in 1853 and in its golden age, the family owned 2600 acres. Today the plantation sits on just over 30 acres.



The weekend after Erika left was my one year anniversary with Blake. It was a rather laid-back weekend, but so wonderful too. On Friday, I embarrassed Blake by having my boss deliver cupcakes to his work :) It was perfect. Saturday, we cooked dinner at home and saw a show at the Exit/In with Dave Barnes, Ben Rector, Andrew Ripp, and Steve Moakler. It was an amazing show! Loved the venue.. Even though it was packed and I was exhausted - yes, I contemplated sitting on the floor between sets.... The actual day of our anniversary I had to work (lame) but we enjoyed breakfast at the Perch and Blake surprised me by washing my car and buying a lovely mirror to hang over my couch. Later that night he made dinner and we had a quiet evening at home later on when Blake made dinner. It was simple and sweet. We are just so blessed to actually be able to spend all of our time together now! Oh, I also surprised Blake with an awesome (if I might say so myself) picnic basket -- hopefully we will use it a lot this summer.

So there is my April in a nutshell. Two months of bliss and frustration have flown by.... I'm hoping that the summer will hold some excitement (and hopefully I will get a job before then). I do think June should be interesting as half of my family plans to travel to or through Nashville.

That's about it... My apartment is fully furnished, we just need to paint my side table and everything we can do for now will be complete. Also, I miss my little sister. ... Wish I could afford to drive to Chicago! This summer for sure..

Love to all.

New location/New name

Hello friends! So if you are visiting this blog from my previous blog (meganchristineslife) then read on for an explanation of the switch... And if you are new to my blog, I hope you enjoy the ramblings and daily habit's of one gal creatively evolving.

My last blog was created under my college email address. After graduation I moved to using a gmail account and hardly ever look at my old email. However, if I do not sign in to my college email periodically, then my password will expire and I will be locked out forever more... And if that email expired, then my blog would expire as well. Confusing? Well, suffice it to say, it was time for a change.

The title "Creatively Evolving" came from my previous title of "Ever-changing". Blake came up with it - "ever-changing" reminded him of a phrase by Henri Bergson that he used to describe the philosphical concept of creative evolution, "The continual elaboration of the absolutely new". As the phrase was too long (and most people wouldn't understand it), we settled on "creativeevolution". With this name already taken, we moved on. "Creatively evolving" came about after a few tries and it was perfect. My life is ever-changing and yet I am creatively evolving as well. As a photographer and a writer, I find new ways to use my skills every day. I am also always searching out new skills and hobbies (I am not great at spray painting).

There you have it. Welcome to my new blog. And for more reading, check out my just for fun blog: http://insearchofgems.blogspot.com/. There I will be finding and reporting on little hole-in-the wall, hidden gems as I find them.

Love God, Love people.