2010…A YEAR THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET {part 2}

Hearing my cell phone ring was intense.  It was Jade and I knew that she was calling to say that she either was on her on her way or that she was already at the hotel and needed to know what room  was in.  “Lakeitha, it’s Jade” as if I didn’t know, “I’m on my way now.  what room are you in?”.  Whew, okay I answered and it went well.  Now its time to wait on her to get here…

The longest fifteen minutes of my life was over once I heard the knock on the door.  It was Jade and guess what, she seemed as normal as possible! She talked to me as if we already knew each other (which calmed my nerves), and she was just as excited about being in the city as I was. It was her first time too, which was scary.  Neither one of us knew anything about this large city. Great.  Just great.  I don’t know what was more frightening being in a new city or being in a city in which my favorite show (Law and Order SVU) is tapped.  And not to mention, I made it totally obvious that I was a tourist with all of my Hi and Hello’s.  For some reason I couldn’t get it through my head that these people (New Yorkers) are not into the “southern hospitality” that I brought with me. 

  

  

After our free days there, it was time to get down to business.  First up, the HGTV brunch that a handful of us were invited to.  What can I say other than how great of an experience that was.  I mean, seriously, the energy from all of the bloggers and the HGTV staff was infectious and I was not immune to it.  I sat there and took it all in!

  

  

  

  

Then it was time to meet who I really got on that plane for…Janell Beals

My blog BFF, Janell is such an inspiration to me.  She is one of the most thoughtful and genuine people I’ve met through blogging.  She was actually filming a segment on the show which was a hoot! I was so excited for her.  I remember being the only commenter on her blog at one point.  And now, after a year and a half of being blogging buddies, we met and she was being featured on the Nate Berkus Show.  It’s amazing how life works!

  

  

After Janell’s show was finished, it was time to get in line for the show we all came for

  

After the show, it was time to party!  I’m not much of a party person so I stood around and talked to anyone that got close enough to me!

Once we (Jade, Janell, and I) left the party, me and Jade decided to head back to the hotel to get some rest while Janell and a few other ladies headed out to do some site seeing.

Now it was time to go home.  Saying “see you later” to two wonderful women that I had the pleasure of spending a few days with. Saying “see you later” to a city, that in just a few short days, I grew to love. Saying “see you later” because I ( a girl who has never been on a plane) would get on a plane again in a heart beat if it involved being surrounded by the same group of women that I was around in New York.  Yes, 2010 was definitely a year that I will never forget.

Here are a few more pictures from the trip because after all, I was a tourist!

2010… A YEAR THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET {part 1}

I couldn’t let this year go by without talking about one of my BIGGEST accomplishments—my trip to New York! Many of you know about what I like to call “bloggers gone wild” in New York, but if you don’t, let me recap for you.

Julianne and the Moggit Girls teamed up and put together Nate Day.  On Nate day, a bunch of design bloggers blogged about Nate Berkus designs and what we loved about him in honor of the premier of his ne show.  Then, someone tweeted (not sure who)  to Nate himself and telling him about our posts and that he should let all of us be apart of his audience.  Fast forward to September and we all get an email saying that we were indeed invited and that’s when my heart went crazy!

  

At that moment, I knew that in order for me to get to New York for the experience, I would have to fly.  At that moment, because I had never flown before, I immediately said no way.  Then I either called Janell, or emailed her to see if she was going and indeed she was.  It was at that moment that I said (literally) “Well hell, if Janell is going to fly across the country to be there, I’m going to be there too!”.

Okay, on to how I convinced myself to get on a plane.  It started with a lot of sweating and heavy breathing.  You think I’m kidding don’t you?  Nope, I’m so serious.  The thought of getting on a plane gives me hives.  I start to have a panic attack (a mild one I guess because my husband rarely paid me any attention!), then I had to go shopping.  Shopping has always been a way to ease my nerves.  No matter what’s going on, a trip to the mall or Target will erase all worries.  Then it went to me telling everyone I knew about the trip.  I figured the more people I told, the worse it would be for me to then go back and say “oh, I didn’t go”…. How embarrassing would that be?

  

  

Moving on to the day of the trip, it was time for me head to the airport.  The drive was long (not really, 25 minutes), and as the planes in the air got bigger, my heart sank lower til it reached the top of my stomach.  When we reached the front desk and it was time for me to check in (I guess that’s what you call it), I started to tremble and  I knew that at any given moment, I would go running and screaming out of the building.  But then the thought of the police arresting me for causing a scene or thinking I was some sort of terrorist terrified the crap out of me (especially since that’s why I was feeling this way in the first place).  So I handed my ID and my luggage over to the poor lady at the desk and everything was fine until she said, “Okay Mrs. Duncan, you’re all set.  Have a nice flight”.  Have a nice flight? I said to myself.  What does she mean by that?  Why wouldn’t I have a nice flight”  Insert the tears here….. All I remember hearing after my river started flowing was “This is her first time flying” and “oh, I see.  Sir, you can walk her as far as you need to”.  It was too late for me to turn back (in my heart…not my head) so I had to continue walking through the airport.  Plus my kids were so excited about my trip that I couldn’t let them down.  And what’s a ninety minute plane ride anyway?  Ninety minutes of me crying, that’s what! Ninety minutes of me thinking that we could crash.  Ninety minutes of being SCARED OUT OF MY FREAKING MIND!

Needless to say the flight was great.  From take off to landing, everything was smooth.  I’m convinced that the lady at the front desk told the pilot that it was my first time flying and he was extra cautious for me;-)

Getting to the trip itself, my first thought of the city was it is so like it is in the movies! And from the moment I got in the cab (oh yes the famous yellow cab), I felt as if I was in a dream.  Why?  Because at one point in my teenage life, I was to move to NYC and live out my dreams as a fashion forecaster or a buyer for Saks or Bergdorf.  You know some fancy shmancy store.  And I would walk the streets of NY with my shades on with my hair blowing in the wind—blah blah blah…back to the story.  Checking into the hotel was breeze (a lot better than the airport) and I went to my room and took a nap. Slept like a baby too, you crying uncontrollably will do that to you!  Then me not eating had he me feeling sick when I woke up so I got up and freshened up right before my roommate arrived.  I must admit, the thought of sharing a room with a stranger had my stomach in knots.  All I could think about was “what if she think I’m this fabulous Atlanta girl” only to realize I’m just a boring ole mom of three that really stays 20 minutes outside of Atlanta who spends her past time in Target and Goodwills.  Then I realized that she reads my blog so most likely she already know all of that!

to be continued…

TAKING A SPIN THROUGH 2010

Although I’m suppose to be taking time to organize my life, I could not resist joining in on my good friend Rhoda’s Linky party that showcases projects completed in 2010! Lets take a look back at some of mine shall we:-)

I want to start with a project that I did not complete this year, my bedroom

I showed how I won the battle with my husband to replace this ugly ceiling fan

with this beautiful chandelier

Oh and lets not forget about the french dresser that I finally found for the room

and how she got the teal treatment (sorry for the glare)

I was in the home stretch with that project, but I just wasn’t feeling it. That is why its going on my list of projects to complete in 2011!

Next up, is the project I think really pulled out my creativity. It confirmed that I may know a little something about designing spaces! This is my son TJ’s bedroom

This room was so much fun to work on. It really took me out of my comfort zone with the colors and different things used in the room like the shipping pallets for the headboard.

I showed you how I hacked the IKEA light fixture used in the space

I also showed you that you couldto a add your own ribbon bedskirt to achieve a high end look. No need to spend over $100!

As mentioned above, shipping pallets can be used for more than just shipping things!

A closet can be used for something else…Like holding an orange campaign desk!

And you can make your own curtains with fabric and stitch witchery

Another project that I worked on this year is my sister in laws nursery. With a budget of $250, I showed how you can have a nice nursery on a tight budget

Like making your own mobile

to making your own crib skirt

I’m bringing in the New Year with a room design for my other two boys. This space is another project that is bringing out my creative side

Who would have thought that I would glue cars on my walls?!?!? All in the name of good design!

And I love them on the wall too!

I have done several other DIY projects around my home in the last year. Feel free to look through my archives to see how my home has evolved since we moved in. I look forward to 2011 and all that it has in store. Hopefully, I can do some major projects like removing the carpet, or adding a backsplash in my kitchen. Or how about granite countertops (wouldn’t that be nice?!). Who knows what next year will hold for our home, but I would love for you guys to stick around to find out with me!

Thanks Rhoda for hosting the party! I hope you all have a Happy and Blessed New Year!