Art projects getting you down?

Just remember...
"Hater's Gonna Hate"

and then move on.

I'm Getting Antsy with My Hair

Stay tuned.

Happy Birthday To Me!

It's my birthday! The big 1-9. I am so excited for today and this weekend. Today I woke up at about 9:20 after a flawless slumber so ready to face the day. I got two amazing packages yesterday- one from my parents and one from the other amazing part of the Patton family (D,C,T&T) that I opened immediately. Both were filled with such great surprises, but the ones my mom and dad sent had wrapped gifts in it that I decided to save for this morning so I would have something to open on the morning of my birthday. So I hopped out of bed and ripped apart the paper to find amazing gifts from my whole fam. A shirt, a dress, adorable earrings, an awesome bracelet watch, itunes gift cards, and (a college kids treasure) HARD COLD CASH! I love love love all of it. Claire, who gave me a great belt last night, and I were talking about how weird opening those gifts felt because I couldn't just walk a few steps and give the giver of the gifts a huge bear hug expressing my excitement. This is the first birthday I haven't woken up to my mama greeting me with an enormous smile. But Claire is doing a great job as a stand-in and there is no time to be melancholy today because there's so much to do!
There's a lot on the agenda. First, brunch at Soho South, then we're going to party it up at the Majors and Minors fair (Let's here it for academia on birthdays!) a photo safari through Savannah and then dinner with the lovies! And maybe, just maybe, we can squeeze some laundry in there somewhere. PARTY OVER HERE!

Tomorrow is also going to be great. My friend Jordan is flying home for the weekend and she leaves out of Jacksonville, FL. So, Claire, Jordan and another friend, Frances are going to make a road trip out of it and drop her off while simultaneously seeing what Florida has to offer us. So fun.

Anyway, I love you all and thank you so much for being a part of my life. Your love and support mean more to me than you'll ever know. Whether I'm with you this birthday or not, OUR HEARTS WILL NOT BE SEPERATEDDD!!!!!! haha But seriously. I miss you guys everyday, but I have already been blessed with great friends here, so don't fret. I will be well taken care of on my birtdayz. :)

Oh! You know who else's birthday it is? THE BLOG! This is officially the 100th post since it's inception. I love you, blog. You are awesome. Who else would let me write all of my feelings all over them? You're the best.

A Video I am Currently Obsessed With

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.
Confession: I've watched this video probably 23 times since Tuesday.
Watch it and understand why.

Happy Fall!

Today marks one of my happiest days of the year-- the first day of fall! Although the weather in Savannah leaves a lot to be desired on the autumn front, they did just give us a free firework show right outside our dorm to celebrate! Good trade off.

There are so many things I love about fall. The clothes, the foods, the weather and did I mention the clothes!? I can't wait until the weather cools down a bit and I can experience this season fully in the coming months Georgia style.

I'll keep you posted, lovies, because a lot is about to go down. Get pumped because it's.....BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

HMONG Handbags

Hello, all! There is so much going on on this side of the country right now and I cannot wait to fill you in on every detail, but before that, I found an article online the other day about these beautiful bags from the Hmong people of China and Mongolia. I've seen similar ones before, but I never knew their origin. Instead of just re-writing the whole article, I'll just pull the old copy and paste so you can get the most accurate info.
I think they are so amazing-- not to mention perfect for fall! So here's the article. Enjoy!

"The Hmong are an ancient tribe who originated from the mountain regions of China and Mongolia and migrated south to Laos, Thailand and Vietnam seeking social and political freedom. The word Hmong means “free” and this is a defining element of Hmong tribes.

Following the Vietnam War many Hmong people were forced into refugee camps in Thailand or immigrated to America, Australia, Canada and France. You may remember Clint Eastwood’s film Gran Torino was based on a Hmong American community in Michigan.

Hmong people are often referred to as “flower Hmong” for their vivid pa ndau embroidery, meaning “flower cloth.”
The fabrics were originally worn for celebrations such as births, weddings, and New Year, but can also be seen in everyday items like baby carriers strapped to womens’ backs. Dazzling Lanna is an Etsy shop that creates one-of-a-kind handbags from vintage, handsewn Hmong baby carriers.

So much work goes into each piece, from growing and dying the hemp to hand-sewing the embroidery. Cheaper alternatives are available on eBay but keep in mind that the cheaper price points usually means cheaper, machine made textiles."

Details

1) I had my first meal at the SCAD Cafe (lovingly referred to as the SCAFE-- get it?) I was pleasantly surprised with a delicious bowl of chilli and Claire had a very fragile burrito. Mmmmmm.

2) You should write me. Or send me goodies. Or both.
My address is:
Julia Patton
Turner House, Room 154, Box 667
231 W. Boundary Street
Savannah, GA 31401

An Update

Ok, So I got a concerned e-mail from one Casey Page this morning wanting to find out all the details of moving in and I found it a perfect prompt for my post today.
This is what the e-mail said:
"okay. so i need an update. how was orientation? how was moving in? how was your first night? how was saying goodbye to your parents? how are the roommates? how is the room? have your boxes arrived? how is savannah? how are YOU?"
Well, Casey and Everybody else, this is what I have to say.
Orientation was a waste of time, so we're not going today. Moving in was very long and hot, but after a lot of planning, our room is near perfect. Other than Spencer's broken desk, I am quite pleased with the way everything has turned out. The room is a lot bigger than I expected so we were able to kind of section it off into little rooms to make it feel more homey. Thanks to the Malinski family, we have a beautiful couch, two great rugs and a section of shelves to display everything from oreos, to magazines. I'm on the top bunk. And when I say top bunk, I mean top bunk. We lofted all the beds, so mine is quite a hike (and a fall) from the floor. Our first night in the dorms was fun. We got a very interesting visit from two guys down the hall (one from Kansas and one from New Jersey) but more on that later. But I slept great and didn't fall off the bed, so that was a success. I haven't said goodbye to my parents. They are leaving tomorrow morning, so the final goodbye is still looming ahead today! :( Sadness. But we got to go the Crab Shack for dinner last night just the three of us and nothing says happiness like 1/2 lb. of boiled shrimp. I really like my roommates so far and its still kind of awkward living with someone that you are still getting to know, but I think that we'll all be a good fit for the rest of the year-- I just hope I'm not bugging them by asking a lot of questions and texting all the time, but their the only ones I know! My boxes got here all safe and sound which was a blessing. Savannah is beautiful and hot but today we had our first thunder storm with rain and lightening and that was pretty awesome! One minute it was sunny and the next, there was a torrential downpour for about an hour. Walking tour=cancelled. One of the good things about the rain is that it cooled everything down from 92 to 77 degrees. More rain, please!
All this to say that I'm having a great time so far and I can't wait to really explore the city and get comfortable here. I'm going to put up pics of the room later, but I'll give you with this little teaser from my camera phone:



MISS YOU ALL. LOVE YOU ALL. PRAYING FOR YOU ALL.

Reminder:

See You on the East Coast

Nervous.

Let Me Take a Moment

To sit and contemplate.

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
to be worthy, not respectable; and
wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think
quietly, talk gently, act frankly...to listen to stars and buds, to babes and
sages, with open heart; await occasions,
hurry never...this is my symphony."
- william henry channing

Lately, I've felt the weeks, the days, even the daily hours just go too fast for my liking. I'd appreciate being able to extend time even just a fraction! But I often find it is possible to slow things down when you take a moment to stop. Press pause. Breathe. Enjoy. Reflect. Assess. Affirm. With engines recharged you become capable of anything - everything.

An Ode to Comfort

It doesn't take a lot to make me happy and I don't think I would describe myself as a high maintenance kind of gal, but I love wearing dresses. Something about them makes me feel pretty, and I really like the fact that a dress makes getting ready so easy in the morning. It's the one-stop-shop of the closet, if you will. Just throw one on and you're nearly ready to walk out the house. But, I noticed my serious infatuation with something while I was packing up the embarrassingly large of amount of clothes I own and putting them into boxes for SCAD; It's something that I knew before but realized only when I had a slight panic attack about not having it at my disposal for the next week.
I have a dangerous obsession with a sweater. Before you judge, let me explain that this is not just any sweater. No, no, no, folks. This is the BR394 Tri-Blend Light Weight Raglan Pullover. The name truly says it all. Tri-Blend. Light weight. Pullover! This little guys is so versatile that it acts more like a close friend than a piece of clothing. I could wear it with jeans, over a dress, with a skirt, to bed, at the beach, in a box, with a fox, on a plane, on a train. I will wear them here and there. I will wear them everywhere!

And as much as I hate American Apparel (reasons including their overpriced cheap clothes, poor customer service, inconsistant sizing, obnoxious hipster/we're cooler than you vibe and not to mention the fact that their owner has been hit with over 5 sexual harassment suits in the last 3 years), I am in a slight panic about their recent money problems and announcement of possible nationwide closing. If the company no longer exists, what in the world will I do if I need another fix? Where will I go to stop the itch and calm down my nerves if I perhaps use up my supply. Although I already have three of the colors, do I buy the other two just for security!?
Well, I'll save those problems for another day. Until then, let me just make a public thank you about how much I love you, BR394 Tri-Blend Light Weight Raglan Pullover. You have changed my life in more ways than you will ever know, and for that, I am grateful. I cannot wait until we are once again reunited and I can show you around SCAD.

Closing Time

So, it's the last weekend of summer and I'm still going to avoid the beach at all costs because it looks a lot like this right now.
Not so much my style.

What I am going to be doing this weekend is a lot of needed family time and trying to take adavantage of all the last moments of summer that I try so hard to hold on to every year.

Things still on the list:
1) Godfather Marathon
2) Making Berry Cobbler
3) Packing
4) Kneading dough....I don't really care what kind, but there is nothing I love more than to get super excited and angry at a hunk of starch.
5) Going on a loooong drive down PCH alone

This Video Speaks for Itself

Be prepared to be ridiculously touched.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

You may want to watch this full screen (click the little arrows going in all directions on the bottom right hand corner) to read the text easier.

8 Days

My thoughts exactly.