It's Monday: And This Week Wears Me Out Already

Well. For some reason my social calendar isn't giving me a break. As I predicted, October is going to be crazy. I literally have something every weekend.

But September didn't give me much of a break either. This past weekend, I just had to make an appearance at Signature Salon's event to benefit Jay's HOPE. Of course, I couldn't stay as long as I wanted nor go as early as I wanted- you know, being a mommy comes first and I wanted to get the little ones fed, bathed, and tucked in bed first. (Luckily I have great babysitters ie: grandparents.)

Jay's HOPE is one of my favorite local charities. I get my hair styled by Nichole of Signature Salon. And really, I know that any event that Susannah Maddux is a part of will be fantastic. So yeah. This weekend was going to be a big win no matter what! This one was no exception.

Upon walking in we ran in to Rachel Bunn, Kristi Peake, and Janea Phillips- all of Signature Salon. I also saw Ashley Slocumb (by the way-  I still cannot get over her lovely engagement ring), John David and Katie Miller, Nicole Albertson, and Tiffany and Shawn Cannon. (By the way- Tiffany is one of my favorite Junior League ladies, she always makes me laugh!) And of course it was lovely to see Meredith and Nick Malloy.

I have to say, I am not the biggest fan of country music but I did enjoy Cole Swindell's music- even his original music.

Now, things pick right on back up. Tonight is another student led concert at Mercer's Townsend School of Music. Tomorrow- I think is rehearsal for Spirits in October (Jesus help me memorize these lines! Thursday is something I am VERY excited about: the first Idea House by Historic Macon. If you have not purchased tickets yet- then go HERE: https://historicmacon.wufoo.com/forms/z7p6p1/. This is going to be a fun and fabulous event- along with practical! I can't wait to see these ideas for smaller houses.

If you are a writer in town, this weekend also presents the annual Crossroads Writers Conference. I will attend the Saturday afternoon events, after taking care of my super early morning shift for Junior League's Bookin' It 5K & Fun Run. Oh and did I mention Friday? That's First Friday and I have to make it to Heatherly and Eric Wakefield's show The Honeymoons Over?!?, and also there's the show at The Grand Opera House... and then the fundraiser for Macon Symphony Saturday night and also my friend Jerry's birthday AND I have a photo shoot Sunday afternoon. Not to even BEGIN to mention that I am trying to see a house I am interested in this weekend. AHHHHH. Can I please clone myself yet?! And it's the pumpkin patch opening weekend this weekend.

It's Monday. I'm tired already.

Signature for HOPE, Concert with the Mercer Symphony, and i love macon- and you should too!

Well it's another busy week for this lil lady- tomorrow night do NOT miss Signature Salon and Spa's Signature for HOPE event to benefit Jay's HOPE. But why now? Did you know that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month? I don't know about yall, but once I had my babies thinking about this suddenly made it more real to me. If you look up the numbers for childhood cancer, you can find this:

                      Each year in the U.S. there are approximately 13,400 children between the ages of birth and 19                                  years of age who are diagnosed with cancer. About one in 300 boys and one in 333 girls will develop cancer before their 20^th birthday. In 1998, about 2500 died of cancer, thus making cancer the most common cause of death by disease for children and adolescents in America. (http://www.acco.org/Information/AboutChildhoodCancer/ChildhoodCancerStatistics.aspx)

The numbers suddenly seem more real when you think about your own kids, or a child you know, doesn't it? Which brings me to Jay's HOPE- this local organization is here to help families who are dealing with the diagnosis of a child with cancer. I will never forget the first time I heard founder, Cindy Gaskins, speak about why she and her husband started Jay's HOPE. It was my very first Junior League of Macon meeting, and by the end of her talk I was in tears. To this day, I still cannot hear about Baby Jay or read about him and his family without tearing up. To read more, go here: http://www.jayshope.org/the-story-of-jays-hope/ .

However, to focus on the positive. Jay's HOPE is doing so much good and so is Signature Salon by hosting this event:


                “I realize how much we are all affected when a child is diagnosed with cancer,
                 and I am excited to join friends on the [Jay’s HOPE] Young Supporters Board to
                 support this incredible foundation,” said owner and stylist Nichole Mitchell. After a
                 successful two years playing host to a community of enthusiastic supporters and
                 donating over  $7,000 to two local charities,  Signature is  delighted to bring
                 together friends and other local businesses to gather around Jay’s HOPE
                 Foundation’s mission to support Georgia families with children battling childhood
                 cancer (from press release by Goods PR).

This event is not only going to benefit such a great cause but it's going to be a lot of fun too! The event entry comes with a raffle ticket and it's just $10 for one or $25 for three. Cole Swindell will be playing and really- let's be honest everyone is going to be there so you should too! I expect to see each of you there ;)

Now as for a couple of nights ago, I joined friends Betsy and Keith Fitzgerald and Collin Holder at the Mercer Symphony. It was damn near a full house too! I'm so happy to see Macon support live music, and it was a lovely performance. Congrats to all involved and I am looking forward to going to more of these events. There is just nothing like seeing and hearing music in person.

(Apparently I was not supposed to video tape... I swear I didn't see it in the program until after I had already done it... whoops.)

With so much great things happening in Macon, have you signed the  i love macon pledge? If you have not- shame on you. But it's ok because it's not too late! We are half way to the goal of 10,000 pledges. It's so easy just go to the website and write what you love about Macon. It's time we all started being more positive about the change in our town. And of course, sometimes we must be the change we wish to see in this world. And you can start right now by signing this pledge- by simply being positive about this town in which we live.

Macon Symphony Opening Night and Historic Macon's Idea House

This weekend presents a large conundrum for me. I really want to go to the Macon Symphony’s opening night , and I am planning on it. But how am I going to also watch the UGA game? I haven’t figured that out yet BUT for those of you who know me, the fact that I am even debating missing the Georgia game should let you know how excited I am about the symphony. It’s been a couple of years since I have been, and it seems something kept preventing me last year however THIS weekend my babies are with their father so I am going to the Symphony.

I’m not sure just how dressed up most people get here for the Symphony, I know it’s not exactly the opening of the Met (Metropolitan Opera of New York) but I love to dress up for any occasion. Right now I think it’s between a black dress with a plunging neckline or a green dress that Kourtney Kardashian was photographed in (but hers was blue).

The three pieces being performed by the symphony will be:

Stauss- Don Juan

Beethoven- Triple Concerto

and Tchaikovsky- Symphony No. 5 (see YouTube link below for example)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ96i-m6cBk

Even if you are familiar with these songs, there is simply nothing like seeing a live performance. Besides, don’t we want to give the new conductor a warm welcome to Macon? Perhaps you weren’t aware, but we do have a new conductor in town: Maestro Ward Stare, who has had nothing but glowing reviews through the various publications I have skimmed online.

As for other goings on in Macon, be sure to go ahead and pick up your tickets for Historic Macon’s Idea House- many of you are aware of the Decorator’s Showcase, however this event will focus on smaller spaces.  To quote Heather Moore:

The Idea House will involve a group of local decorators under 40, who will decorate and stage one of Historic Macon's recent rehabilitated homes in Beall's Hill.  The decorators are encouraged to use affordable furnishings, showcase DIY techniques, and include pieces from Historic Macon's Flea Market.  The home will be open for tours for 2 weekends, where visitors can get inspiration for their own homes, and learn more about the benefits of small-space living.  To kick off the event, we will be hosting a Preview Party where you can get the "first look" at the home.

The designers include in this event are:

                        Martha Maxwell
                        Canaan Marshall
                        Andrea Crawford
                        Carrie Robinson
                        Betsy Campbell
                        Kim Bonner
                        Merritt Jones
                       Ashley Smith

Tickets are now available online by going to https://historicmacon.wufoo.com/forms/z7p6p1/.

So, in conclusion, I will see you at both the Macon Symphony this weekend and the Historic Macon Idea House, right? Right!

The Roaring 20's Revisits the Wise Blood House: A Birthday Soiree

This weekend was one spent with my children, but when I received an invitation from Leila Regan-Porter to her birthday party, I knew I could not miss it. Not only that- but I also skipped watching the Georgia game- and for those of you who know me, you know this is huge. (Granted, they were playing Florida Atlantic but still...)

When we first walked in the door we ran in to Chris Howard, carrying this lovely fur coat. I did not have the chance to ask what type of fur and it probably would have been in poor taste to do so- but I did think about it. 

Shortly after arriving we ran in to Jodi and James Palmer, who we had just seen at downtown grill with Joe and Evelyn Adams (who also attended the party). I always enjoy speaking with Jodi, perhaps it is because I have written for their publication, Macon Magazine, but really I think it is because she is one of those people who can carry a conversation with most anyone. That's a rather rare talent, and it takes work.

And to get a little sidetracked- if you are not familiar with Joe Adams' artwork, you need to be. I love abstract artwork and his is some of my favorite.

This type of party is one of my favorites, not just because the theme was carried to the 9's complete with gin filled tea cups and a thesaurus of 1920's lingo, but because of the ecletic mix of people. I always love to run in to friends from all different circles at one event, such as Stacey Harwell (former ADPi sister, minister at Centenary Church and girlfriend to Jonathan Dye), Eleta and Alex Morrison (we go back to our days at Mercer), Betsy Fitzgerald and Canaan Marshall (two of my frequent social companions), Marla Kaplan- who I once had an art class with at Stratford and apparently worked with Leila in Atlanta, Carly Carden- who I swear I am always running in to, and Carey Pickard- who let's be honest, it isn't a real party unless he is there. I even got to meet new people, such as Liz Fabian- although in a strange way, she didn't seem to be a new acquaintance given her long standing in the local news community- Harold Goodridge, who I believe I have met before and is also serving as a volunteer with Spirits in October with me- and Cory Albertson, who I learned was the person to introduce Tim and Leila, as he was an intern at Paste Magazine and when he left said internship insisted that Leila take his place. 

The view from the main room we were in was simply amazing- but even more so on this upper deck that we were on at one point. This was when I learned from Steve and Laura Bell about the wild chickens in his hometown of Fitzgerald- really that doesn't sound like as random of a conversation as it seems. Although I can't exactly remember how it came about. It was upstairs that I ran in to John Buckner, yet another Mercer acquaintance. 

Sarah Gerwig I think had the best flapper dress there, mainly because of the lovely blue color but I also appreciated her wig- as I was wearing one also ;) 

We also ran into Sherrie Marshall, who was my editor when I wrote for The Telegraph, and I have to say it's always nice to run in to someone who you have worked with previously in a more social setting. I always enjoy reading her editorials, so it was also nice to get to speak with her one on one.

I'll also admit to a geek moment, when I noticed that there was a signed guitar on the mantle and I actually recognized one of the bands: Ponderosa. You see, an ADPi sister of mine is married to one of the band members. So of course I had to say something to Tim. Yep. I was that person. But that's ok, I generally am.

But back to the topic at hand- it was a lovely party and I am so thankful to Tim and Leila Regan-Porter for being such lovely hosts! Oh, and if you are curious about the blog title- to explain a bit: the movie Wise Blood (from the book of the same name by Flannery O'Connor) had some scenes filmed in the house, as I have learned- and now so have you.