Stephanie Howell

this is what you should see on the news.

March 26, 2012

I'm here! Yes, I am…feeling very blah and a bit uninspired to blog,but I am most definitely here.

I wanted to share some photos today, and talk a little more about the valorous unit awards ceremony i attended a while back.

These photos have a special place in my heart as i NEVER have photos of J in uniform. I never really get to see him in uniform! He leaves and comes home in civilian clothes!

And am I allowed to say that I have ALWAYS had a thing for a man in uniform?

Many of you have mentioned that my blog is your only connection to the military, as most of you don't have family members or friends that are serving.

Here is a little bit on what he does and why it is different than guys that have been to ranger school.

And if you really really want to know what these guys go through? Read this link. This is why i was at the ceremony.

To be honest, part of me wishes I didn't know things like that. It breaks my heart and terrifies me. But I have to say that I believe these men are real life heroes.

I have no interest seeing Lindsay Lohan or Whitney Houston or self-absorbed politicians all over the news nonstop.It actually makes me sick.

THESE ARE REAL LIFE HEROES.The real deal. They don't ask for any recognition but in my opinion they deserve it.

And we don't hear much about them.

RLTW- Rangers lead the way.

So proud of my guy.

words of wisdom

March 23, 2012

original source- a blog that seems to no longer be there

source

words of wisdom, words of inspiration. right there in black and white. words i really needed to read (and laugh at that last one).

thank you all SO much for your kind words on my last post, i adore y’all so much.

happy friday.

xoxo s

i am so happy to share

March 21, 2012

I am so happy and so excited to share some news with you An amazing, unexpected opportunity has come my way.

I have been wanting…needing a change lately. I feel like it is time to do something new. Stretch myself creatively, professionally.

It's time for me to go back to work, but I didn't want to go back to teaching. I needed to contribute financially to my family but I am still burned out from teaching. I was stuck.

And then I got a really great email.

I am thrilled to announce that I've accepted a job with My Mind's Eye.

I will be the social media director. From relaunching the blog,twitter, FB…to interacting with the community of scrapbookers out there..that will be me.

I will also be designing with their products,traveling to shows (CHA), and all kinds of other things.

To say I'm thrilled would be a massive,massive understatement.

But I'm also very nervous. This is a big change. And with change comes goodbyes. I will be saying goodbye to my current obligations.

I have resigned from Jenni Bowlin Design and I will be leaving Studio Calico at the end of my current term.

I love Jenni and April as friends, bosses,inspiration…I don't just love their products, I love and believe in them.

Leaving is hard. And scary. And I am nervous, but also really really really (is that enough reallys??) excited.

It's time for me to do something new. It's time for me to let go of what's familiar and pour myself into something else.

The very first paper i EVER bought was Wild Asparagus by MME. Since then I have loved almost everything they have done. This isn't an exaggeration. It's a brand I love,use,believe in. I am proud and blessed to have the opportunity to represent them.

This one one of the new MME lines…no coincidence if you ask me. This job is perfect for me. I am so excited to be a part of launching a new online presence for My Mind's Eye.

Here's to new,exciting,and scary. Here's to unexpected offers, and here's to following my heart.

xxo

the luck of the irish was shining

March 19, 2012

**warning- this post is wordy w/ a TON of photos. don’t say i didn’t warn you. 😉 **

In case you didn’t know, St. Patrick’s day in Savannah is HUGE. Our parade/celebration is the 2nd largest in the US (right behind boston)!! There were over a million people at the parade this year.To give you an idea,here’s a shot of River St.:

EEEEEK!!! I’m glad we didn’t venture that far north!!

photo from here

It was an amazing thing to witness, to say the least. To learn more about the history of Savannah and St. Pat’s, you can read here. To see lots of photos,videos, and news stories about the craziness…you can read here.

In the weeks leading up to the parade, there are all sorts of cool traditions happening in Sav. Our favorite is the greening of the Forsyth Park fountain:

The weeks leading up to the festivities are simply fun. Full of joy and anticipation. I wasn’t able to attend the parade last year (due to itttty bitttty babies!) and I knew I HAD to make it this year, especially since it’s our last one.

We got a sitter for the babies and I took the bigs with me, I knew they were going to want to experience this.

After a special breakfast:

We got dolled up in our greenest green (and had the sitter snap a pic!) and headed to town.

To say Harper and Sadie were excited would be a massive understatement. 🙂

If we were going to try to park on our own and find a spot to watch the parade, we probably would have had to go downtown around 5 or 6 am.

Luckily, we had the option of taking buses with the Rangers. And get this…we had a police escort. I was completely in awe. I felt like a little kid. HA!

After parking south of Forsyth Park, there was LOTS of walking to be done. No big deal unless you happen to have a gaggle of 923480283 children with you, as me and my girlfriends always do! I scooped up my friend’s little girl, we made a human chain, and went on our merry way.

The Ranger wives/families were given bleacher seats right in front of St. John Cathedral.

This is the view from where we were sitting:

We settled in (in the BLAZING sun!!),put on sunscreen, and watched the parade begin. Here are some shots!

Right about this time I got a text from J. He told me they were “stepping off” (leaving Forsyth Park to start marching). I spread the word and we all started to apply our BRIGHT red lipstick.

The girls with all of their friends (and their red lipstick…waiting to kiss their daddies).

MY favorite tradition in the Savannah St. Pat’s parade is that when the Rangers march through, ladies rush them and kiss their cheeks.

Before the boys rounded the corner in front of the stands, we could hear a roar from the spectators. We all jumped up on our feet b/c we knew that could only mean one thing…the guys were coming!

I watched the handsome rangers march by company by company, so excited to see J’s face.

The girls saw him just as I did and we ran for him as fast as we could.

A friend shared this photo with me. This is the moment he first saw Harper,Sadie,and me. I have to tell yout that this one makes me cry.

He scooped the girls right up and we all went in for smooches:

And then ran right back to our seats so we didn’t get mowed down. HA!
It was an awesome AWESOME experience. One I will remember for the rest of my life.

We headed back to the buses and went back to J’s office. We picked him up and here’s how he looked. Sheepish+happy. 🙂 And his face was COVERED with lipstick. 🙂

Home we went where we were greeted by this: