"Wake up, smell the roses" Natasha Bedingfield

Okay Google Reader readers...click over here and see the new design and the new domain: www.rosesallaround.com !

I've been craving a new look for a while now and was inspired by Jamie and April to check out Redbud Designs. Working with Sharon has been so much fun and I highly recommend using her if your blog needs a makeover {or if you're thinking of starting one...ahem, www.erinhillneedstoblog.com} Even though the majority of the people who read on a regular basis don't actually come to the blog, I knew a new design would just make me want to write more often. I'm transitioning into a huge life change and I'm hoping this blog will be a good way to keep friends and family up to date on the many adventures that are sure to come!

OH and maybe I should explain the name change..."No Day But Today" has been the name of this blog since 2005 and, well, I'm tired of it. I'm not the kind of person who lives each day as though it were my last anyway, so the name wasn't really that appropriate. I'm the kind of person who needs to be reminded to slow down and appreciate what's around me. I'm constantly looking ahead to the next exciting thing or longing for the past. It's rare that I find myself content to be exactly where I am at any given point in time--until recently. Being engaged and knowing that, in a few short months, I will be living far away from my family and some of my best friends has really shifted my view. Although I still find myself anxious for the future with Matt, I know it's coming, so I want to savor the things that make my life here in Georgia special.

"Stop and smell the roses" is such a cheesy expression, but I've tried to embrace it. And where I might have retorted in the past, "What roses?", now that I've taken the time to look for them, they're really easy to find! It might be an unexpected and much needed late night mother-daughter conversation, a beautiful drive down back roads and through small towns, encouraging conversations with the friends I take for granted here, the feeling of accomplishment knowing I am almost finished with school, watching my brothers and sisters grow up, being part of Olivia's life for a short year, reliving childhood memories through pictures and storytelling with my family, reasonable gas prices...really anything that make this season of my life unique and one that I should cherish. I certainly don't want to live in the past and look longingly on the days that I miss so much {luckily, I don't really have to anymore because I'm going back!}, but I also don't want to wish this time in my life away either.

So enjoy the new look and stop by from time to time to admire Sharon's awesome work!