Stephanie Howell

a joy,an honor,and a privilege

i get a lump in my throat when i try to explain how special our time in savannah was to me.

i start to type and i backspace...and try again. then the same thing happens. type,backspace,try again.

i simply can't verbalize how much i treasured our time here.

type..backspace..try again.

it was a gift. i had the privilege of getting to know (and completely fall in love with) the most amazing group of women i've ever known. smart,beautiful,witty,accomplished,strong as hell. and saying goodbye to them makes my heart ache.

and that's just the women.

not to mention the men...the heroes. the bravest of the brave,strongest of the strong,best of the best.

and the city...oh the city. i will love it as long as i live. savannah has a piece of my heart.

on tuesday i attended jimmy's change of command. it is,quite simply,exactly what it sounds like. he handed over his company to a new commander. it was a day full of tradition,somber moments,funny moments, and speeches.

with that being said...i didn't think it was appropriate to bring the babies. that's why you won't see them in these photos.

it was a joy,an honor,and a privilege to be a ranger wife. and next year i will be a student's wife. and i am ready. ready for a break. ready for us to be together for every day for a year.

but as i left savannah i had tears streaming down my face. because everything about my time in savannah was a blessing.

i thought i'd share some of my photos from the change of command....and i thought it was a beautiful way to say goodbye to the town and the people who won me over.

love to you all-

S

savannah staycation

Saturday night we spent the night out in downtown Savannah. We stayed somewhere I've always wanted to stay...the Bohemian. Um, it was amazing.

Yes. The bathtub opens out onto the bedroom. Awkward. HA!

I loved the robes...and our room looked out on River Street. Perfect.

This is random, but the Bohemian also has my favorite elevators in Savannah:

The first thing we did was have a glass of champagne. Can you tell we were like kids in a candy store. NO KIDS? WHEEEEEEE!

We walked over to Jen's and Friends so I could get my favorite cocktail, a Basil Lemonade.

One of my favorite things about Savannah is that you can walk and drink. Sigh. I love it here. We did some shopping and talked, talked talked. It was wonderful. :)

Then we headed back to the room and got ready for dinner.Without little fists knocking on the bathroom door. Teehee.

I finally got to wear my new Banana Republic dress.Note...it is on MASSIVE SALE right now. Wow, just noticed that. Why don't I ever find things when they are on sale? I just get too excited!

I let J choose dinner (it's tradition that he chooses his last dinner before he goes and our first dinner date when he comes home) and he picked Elizabeth on 37th.

It was insanely delicious. I am pretty sure I'm still full. Uhhhhhhhh. So good but so much food.

The chef sent us out a plate of mac and cheese. OMG right? Y'all...I'm pretty sure this was about 2000 calories a bite, but it was the best thing I've ever tasted.

Pecan and Almond Pie for Dessert:

Yeah, we had big plans for after our 2 hour long dinner. HUGE. But they didn't happen. We fell asleep. We fell asleep earlier in a hotel than we did at home. HAHAHAH. So lame. But I kind of loved it. And all I want when J comes home is for him to feel safe,relaxed,and happy. Check!

I also had big plans to sleep in the next morning, but alas...up at seven like clockwork. DANG IT!

I sat on the river and drank coffee while J slept in. It was a beautiful morning, and I said a little prayer of gratitude. A prayer of pure happiness and joy...a prayer of total relief:

When sleepyhead woke up it was time for breakfast at Huey's on the River.

And then back to our sweet babies. :)

It was a wonderful "vacation".

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend,too!

xoxo

s

 

 

sounds and sights of summer- savannah style

left to right,top to bottom:

headed to circa 1875 downtown,drinks on the roof of the bohemian,lucy goosey in a bikini,new summer haircuts,spray park,summer shades,new swimsuits,saturday mornings at forsyth park,sand gnats games,swim lessons,trina turk at banana republic,summer colors,swim party in the backyard,summer sandals,my favorite shade of green courtesy of LOFT

Savannah Summer Kick-Off/Porch Party

This weekend one of my best friends and I threw a party. And it was a blast. Kerryellen and I had to put our thinking caps on...we had a unavoidable change of venue about 3 days before the party.

We were going to have the party at a restaurant... but that fell through and we decided to throw it on Kerryellen's amazing porch.

I have to tell you that this was the perfect party planning experience for me. We were both on the exact same page/wavelength...we agreed on everything and worked together in the most wonderful way. Decorations,food,setup...we did it all together and had FUN doing it. What could have been a really stressful situation was an adventure and an experience I'll always remember!

Here's what we came up with.

The invitation (we sent it through Paperless Post-the only online ivitation site i use. It's the absolute best):

We decided on a summery,happy and bright theme. A summer kickoff. We envisioned lanterns,candles,seashells,and peonies.

Our color scheme was pinks,turquoise,green,and tangerine.

Here is us before the party:

I really believe that wardrobe falls into the party planning category!!

Dress and belt from LOFT.
Did I mention how much I love Kerryellen's home? Oh my goodness it is stunning. Quintessential Savannah. And she has such a gift for decorating a beautiful home.

Here's how we set up the porch:

pom pom/lantern cluster- all by martha stewart

battery operated lanterns (michaels) and lights twisted in tulle:

entering through the house:

one of the two seating areas- her pillows fit our theme perfectly!

each table was decorated with peonies in milkglass,seashells in vintage masob jars,candles,peony petals,and sixlets in milkglass...i brought over almost every piece of milkglass I own!

another seating area:

the green chair was hers and the blue is mine (i tell you, all of our things worked together just perfectly!)

The wall where the food was served. Solid flowers/fans by Martha Stewart,polka dot fans from Party City, garlands sewn by BB:

Under the buffet:

 I ordered these lights from Amazon and brought the "H" from home...both of our last names begin with H. :)

The food (wine and bottled water was on a separate table):

 

We mixed and matched plates that belonged to both of us and stacked them on a pedestal (I love this look much more than matchy-matchy):

Cheese selection:

Prosciutto and Mozarella:

Mushrooms and olives:

Peonies everywhere:

 Raspberry Lemonade with mint,lemon,and strawberries:

 

Favors (wooden fans with notes attached) Fans-Michaels, Chevron ribbon-May Arts, Tags-Martha Stewart:

I wish I would have taken a photo of the brick steps leading down from the porch into the garden. We put candles down the steps and at the bottom is the most beautiful fountain.

So there you have it! A fun summer garden party. Totally doable in just a few days. HA!

Have a beautiful Monday!

xoxo

s

savannah slow ride

I have a new obsession. It's called the Savannah SlowRide.

Um..what is NOT to love about a ginormous 15 person bike with a bar down the middle? NOTHING. Nothing, I tell you.

Note: There is totally a "tour guide" steering and braking in the middle.

I have never laughed so hard in my life.

We had enough ladies to fill up 2 slow rides.

Before we started, they made us sign a waiver saying we refused helmets.I kept telling everyone that I was going to wear Harper's princess helmet and pads.

I knew for sure that I had to take a helmet photo. This is when the uncontrollable laughing started.

We rode around Savannah hot spots and bars and sampled cocktails.

A friend of mine plugged her iPhone into the slow ride and we were jamming and pedaling and drinking and laughing.

Dance party on wheels.

At stop lights and outside restaurants EVERYONE was staring. Which made us laugh even harder. Pretty sure I almost fell off a few times.

And yes, my rear was sore for about 2 days. Pretty comparable to a spin class. Riding on a bike for 2 hours is OUCHIE. Hahah!

I also discovered my new favorite cocktail:

Basil Lemonade from Jen's and Friends.I cannot even put into words how delicious this drink is. If you come to Savannah, you must stop there and have a basil lemonade.

We ended up at McDonough's doing karaoke...but that's another story for another day. Or possible another lifetime. HA!

I give the SlowRide experience two thumbs up. If you come to Sav and want to combine a tour with a sampling of the night life, you HAVE to do this.

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!

xoxo

s

 

savannah mile

A couple of weeks ago we had the privilege of running/walking the Savannah Mile as a family.

The Savannah Mile benefits the 200 Club. The 200 club provides financial assistance to the widows and families of policemen and firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.

We did the Fun Run as a group of Ranger wives. It was such a neat experience.

We got up nice and early (and Lucy apparently understood the importance of carb-loading).

We headed over to Forsyth Park and gathered at the starting line. Love that sea of blue!

It has to be said that Ranger wives have babies like nobody's business. HA!

Surrounded by your favorite ladies and their kiddos...all for a good cause? Nothing better.

We ran up Drayton Street to Broughton. All along the way the streets were blocked off by Savannah's finest.

Okay. I say "we ran"...I had the babies and running is not my strong suit. I ran/walked in intervals. But the bigs? Ran the ENTIRE way. My friend Susan kept having to tell them to slow down!!

At the finish line!
Cheering on the heats after ours...the hard core runners.

As I said...it was a privilege. I love showing my girls the qualities of community,service,and pride.

Have a blessed Wednesday...I'll post the Stuck on You winners later today!

xoxo

reasons

reasons #12938028 and #12938029 that i love savannah with all of my heart:

farm a la carte- i go every wednesday on my way to get harper from school. they have 1 lb bags of organic local blueberries for TWO dollars cheaper than the half pound cartons at the grocery story.

this week i got eggs and raw milk cheddar cheese as well. SO good and 100 percent local which i love. i am dying to try the meat.

but honestly...is this not the cutest,kitschiest thing you've ever seen? i'm kind of in love with it.

the trees and the homes. harper's school is in my favorite neighborhood in savannah. every day when i sit in the carpool line i just look at the homes and the moss longingly.

hopefully if we come back after RI we can live in this neighborhood.

i mean it...i am going to be heartbroken to leave this town. i love it so much here!

have a wonderful friday. :)

xo

s

the luck of the irish was shining

**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:

and where this happened almost immediately:

I can honestly say that I've never seen anything like St. Pat's in Savannah. I'm so grateful that I got to witness it in person!

Happy Monday!

xxo

s

playing dress up

warning: all of the following pictures are VERY grainy. but a DSLR just doesn't fit in a clutch. hahaha! there was an "official" (olan mills-esque) photo taken there, and it should be verrrrrry interesting. hahah!

we had an AWESOME time! here are some iphone pics of the night:

see the photo of the crowd above? the guys were reciting (yelling) the ranger creed. it gives me goosebumps every.single.time. such an amazing thing to see and hear.

i took the photo during that portion of the evening and how great to be in the room with so many heroes. such a privilege.

as i said, we had a wonderful time. we dressed up, went to the ball, and then hit the town.

drinks+ dancing to a cheesy 80's cover band+ late night five guys=a complete blast.

but man...i can't do that like i used to be able to. i was hurting yesterday. HAHAH! but completely worth it.

we woke up (i was missing the girls SO much!) and had quick walk down river street and ate a delicious brunch before we headed home.

that was the first time we've ever spent the night away from our children! and i have to say i think it was good for all of us.

it gave us a night to be "us" and they had so much fun with the amazing sitter. :)

and really...it's been WAY too long (six years!!!) since i put on a fancy dress.

hope you have a beautiful week!

xxo

scrap shares.

happy thursday y'all! i sure hope you are having a beautiful week...and happy DECEMBER!

i have a couple of layouts to share with you today.

the first one is an extra i made for my brooklyn flea gallery.

and i think this may have turned out being my favorite for the month!!

i think all the supplies are in the grid below, but a sidenote is that the font is "1942 report".

InLinkz.com

this next layout is a page i made for nichol magouirk's scrapbook stamping class at 2peas.

i was excited but nervous when nichol asked me to join her this month...i love the look of stamping but don't do it often. so the idea of *stamping my own background* made me VERY antsy.

but i went for it. and truth be told, i love the results. someone remind me WHY i don't do this more often?!?!?

the background is stamped with SC's month stamps: JBS weathervane. the "photo mat" is stamped with a SC chevron stamp+prima chalk ink in teal damask (my new favorite). the hearts are also stamped with teal damask.

almost everything is linked below minus all of the stamps (Studio Calico), the sequins (harper and sadie's craft stash),the doily (martha stewart) and the label (twogirlzstuff).

InLinkz.com

hope you've enjoyed my creative shares today...

have a wonderful day!

xxo