I have recently been trying to think about the highlight of my 2009.

This idea started when my sister told a story of a very funny moment of her year, and I was like, “What was my funniest moment of 2009?”

But how annoying that I couldn’t think of anything! It made me feel boring for a second, that I couldn’t think of the funniest moment of 2009, but then I realized that I just laugh a lot and have too much fun to just pick one. So I moved onto the idea of the “highlights” of the year.

So here are some photos of fun things I did the whole year. It’s been so wonderful. I love this time of year.

And I LOVE New Years. It is definitely my favorite holiday because I love setting goals and feeling like I can start fresh. I love looking back at the year and seeing all the things I accomplished and looking at how much I grew and looking forward to another year of accomplishment and growth! 2010 is going to be CRAZYYY!!!!! So much will be happening in my life.

But with that said, here are a FEWWWWW 2009 highlights:

Baby Bella is born. January 5, 2009.

Became more involved at Hitch Village. (I miss those kids!!!) January.

Found a best-procrastinating-friend. It all started in January. (Photo from June!)

Saw Andrew Bird play. Amazing. February.

Canvas Church! End of January/February.

Best beach day ever- Spring Break. March.

Fibers moved into Pepe Hall. March.

Kallye and Bianca came to Visit me in Savannah! March.

Bianca and Landson came to visit me in Savannah! April.

I bought a pogo stick!!!!! April.

Katie, Mom and Grammy came to visit me in Savannah! April.

Mark and Alli get married! Dallas, TX. June.

Aslinn and David’s g12 “Staycation”. July.

(This is not a highlight. This is when milk spilled in my car. Terrible.) July.

Dress up! July. (Oh, and of course meeting Nick Beecher. Who wouldn’t love that??!)

2 trips to San Fran, AND the discovery that it’s not the “Case-face” but the “Gates-face”.

Sister gets a husband and I get a brother!!!!!!!! August.

Fun in Scotland! (And reuniting with Greggy and other Scots!) August-September.

Roommate dream come true! Trip to London! September.

Move to France for Fall. And start Senior year! September-November

Touch lots of wildlife. December.

Bella Grace finally falls in love with her Auntie Janelle. December.

I also feel bad that I didn’t put a picture of when Kara Savey and Aslinn came to visit me in Savannah, Jared & Maria’s wedding, and other crazy things I’m sure I’m missing.

I loved this year. And next year’s going to be even better!!!!!

“Lord, paint upon the eyeballs of my soul the image of thy son.”
-Charles Spurgeon.

I love that guy.

There is some potentially exciting news on the horizon for me.

;ladkjsf;oaiw;oaidfj!!!!!

A friend from my time in Lacoste, Chris Hannant, put together this beautiful film that captures exactly what my time in France was like. He posted it nearly a week ago and I can’t stop watching it! 

Although I am loving being home and don’t want to be anywhere else right now, I still miss it! This video captures the time we all spent in France perfectly. Look at how beautiful it is! Look at the beautiful trees and fall! Ah! 

I watch it and think, “Was that even real? HOW in the world was I even so blessed as to get to live there for 2 months?!?” 

I know it is sometimes to believe everything you hear- but believe me when I say, I have something for you to do this weekend and/or next weekend if you are in or around the Orlando area.

You have 3 options:

1. THIS SUNDAY, December 6th at 9am.

2. THIS SUNDAY, December 6th at 11am.

3. NEXT FRIDAY, December 11th, at 8pm.

So, once you’ve picked your day, let me continue in telling you what you’re coming to.

My wonderful church, Northwest Community Church, is not your typical church. We have had a dance company at the church for a few years now, and we also have other great artists from around Orlando that are all helping and collaborating, and it ends up that we have freaking awesome productions that aren’t worth missing. This is free entertainment people.

I’m not going to lie to you, it is our goal that it will become something that speaks to you, rather than just entertainment, but you can rest assured you will at the very least have stimulated ears and eyes after it’s done.

This particular production has not only dance, but video and even La Nouba like things (silks and hoop things!) and it is done with excellence.

So please come out on one of the 3 days and see it for yourself. You won’t be missing out on anything, and I assure you, if you come on Friday, you will be wishing you had come on Sunday so you could go back on Friday night. It’s that good.

And if you are my friend on Facebook, I think you’ll be able to see this link, but you MAY have to be friends with Rory who originally posted the video.

But if you don’t trust me about this being totally and completely awesome and legit, look at this link:

http://www.facebook.com/janelleiscrafty?ref=profile#/video/video.php?v=1196471270539&ref=share

(I think you will be able to watch it if you’re on facebook, friends or not.)

So come out! December 6th at 9AM or 11AM and December 11th at 8PM!

Directions to the church can be found here: www.g12orlando.com

So yesterday morning, I was reading a devotional by one of my all time favorite authors, Charles Spurgeon.

Oh I just love him.

But this year (and last year and I will do it next year too) I have been reading his daily devotional “Morning & Evening”. As I was reading yesterday morning, Saturday, November 28th, I got excited when I read this:

“In us truth must be a living force, an active energy, an indwelling reality, a part of the woof and warp of our being… a Christian can die, but he cannot deny the truth… it is said that the food of certain worms colours the cocoons of silk which they spin: and just so the nutriment upon which a man’s inward nature lives gives a tinge to every word and deed proceeding from him.”

My dear friend Amaris was over at the time, and when she walked in my room I said, “Amaris, Spurgeon was very fibery this morning.” It is amazing how a few simple words spark my interest even more than it was sparked before: woof, weft, color, silk, spin.

Then I went on to think (and said this to Amaris as well) about one of my very favorite passages in the scripture that I often read, think about, and use as an example for how to work and be.

(I actually did a whole series on this in a girls Bible study I have back in Savannah, because even though we aren’t married now, we can’t magically become this amazing woman overnight.)

Proverbs 31: 10-31

A wife of noble character:

¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

¹³ She finds wool and flax
and busily spins it.
¹⁴ She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.

¹⁶ She goes to inspect a field and buys it;
with her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She is energetic and strong,
a hard worker.
¹⁸ She makes sure her dealings are profitable;
her lamp burns late into the night.

¹⁹ Her hands are busy spinning thread,
her fingers twisting fiber.
²⁰ She extends a helping hand to the poor
and opens her arms to the needy.
²¹ She has no fear of winter for her household,
for everyone has warm clothes.

²² She makes her own bedspreads.
She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.
²³ Her husband is well known at the city gates,
where he sits with the other civic leaders.
²⁴ She makes belted linen garments
and sashes to sell to the merchants.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
²⁶ When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness.
²⁷ She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness.

²⁸ Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
²⁹ “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
but you surpass them all!”

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
³¹ Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

I absolutely love this passage. Many women do. But I think the reason I love it so much is not just because this woman is incredible and has amazing character and is a trustworthy wife, speaks with wisdom, and is praised by her husband and children, but because she is a hard worker, working on the same things I work on!

She is a spinner, a good cook, a business woman, spends and invests her money wisely, works hard on profitable things, serves her community, provides clothes for her family, is a quilter!, is fashionable!, makes linen clothes!, laughs!, is kind, is never lazy, is wise, and is married to a man with a god reputation.

She is great. I love reading that passage because it inspires me to do better than what I am doing, and to not be satisfied with the things I’ve already done. I also love relating fibers and the Bible. I love that she can not only be a spiritual example to me, but a physical example to me.

I love it.

Alright alright. You are reading my last post from my France trip.

I figured I needed to stop dragging my feet about it, and to just post it, before things here start picking up and I start making other cool things I want to post photos of.

But Vernissage, our final exhibit, was amazing. It took a lot of work getting it all ready, but everyone was running busily around the village, and was much fun.

I don’t know what I was thinking that weekend, but I only took photos of the fibers studio, and nothing else.

I will explain a bit what Vernissage consisted of, because talking to my mom, she didn’t really understand, and I think that was my lack in explaining what it was.

Basically, “Vernissage” is the French word for “opening” and used in reference to art openings. So that’s all that means, is we put together our own show (which you’d probably figured out anyways). But since there were a few different majors represented at SCAD Lacoste this past quarter (as there always is) and many talented students, we had a lot of things to find places for, and took over Rue du Four. We were in little galleries up and down the street, in back rooms and in our various studio spaces we’d been in all quarter. There was a lot of stuff, and everything (really, everything!) looked GREAT. I really am going to one day be looking through a magazine, see a commercial or billboard, or be reading a design blog, and will see something someone did and be able to truthfully say, “Oh! I lived in France with them for 8 weeks when I was a senior at SCAD.”

I know talented people, for real.

So here is a little bit of what the Fibers room looked like at Vernissage. Please look at Lissa Nancy’s blog, because I know she is the only one that took before and after photos and while they’re not on her blog yet, I’m sure she’ll put the up when she’s back in the states. (She gets home today, so she can finally feast on our long awaited guacamole!!!!!!!!!!!)

Kara and my kitchen display.

Me with the things I made (and a few of Kara’s!)

Megan and Caitlin making a sale of my napkins!

Cute Kara with her wonderful tea towels.

Kara Wentz- tea towels.

My napkins- 6 sets, 4 napkins in each. 3 designs.

Elise Fornell.

Allison White- off loom weavings.

Erica Parker- beautiful aprons and hats.

Whitney Sharpe- exquisite embroidered portraits.

Caitlin Betsy Bell- quilts.

Megan Kiehna- wonderful linen and French things.

Lexi Paladin0- the best Christmas ornaments I have ever seen.

Caitlin Betsy Bell.

Paige Striebig- Incredible handmade lace, dress. She’s insane. And amazing.

And here are some detail photos of my napkins done with my favorite thing: free motion embroidery:

It was a wonderful wonderful show, and we had a lot of fun.

I wish I had photos of the rest of the things that happened, but browse around the blogs on the right, and see what you can find. I have a lot of people from Lacoste on there, so I’m sure you’ll find something.

Thanks so much if you’ve been reading these blogs faithfully while I’ve been in France. I truly did miss home so much while I was away am I am so glad to be back, but I already feel a little bit like it was a dream! It really was such a wonderful quarter and I wouldn’t ever trade it for anything else, despite how much I missed home sometimes. It was such an incredible time, and I did tons of things. I have only touched the surface of my travels on this blog, but I did the best I could without saying too much. (Although I’m sure I did sometimes.)

I will be in Florida for the next month or so, before going back to Savannah, but I plan on making lots of cute things over the break, and continuing to do fun things and take photos, and continue to update this blog, so it’s not ending here, although it won’t be as dependable, that’s for sure.

But that is all for now. Happy Thanksgiving (tomorrow) and welcome home to my fellow France loving friends.

xoxoxox.

After 81 days, 5 flights, 4 train rides, 5 countries, 1345 photos, 39 youtube video uploads, 28 blog posts, 4 times of crying out of sadness, 2 times of crying tears of joy, and an uncountable number of tears while laughing; 15,000 dance parties, 5 birthdays, 21 embroideries, 30+ field trips, 4 times of eating sushi, 80 songs purchased on itunes, 2 internships set up (Melissa & me), 2 failed attempts at guacamole, 3,000 rants with Lexi, more sweet & meaningful conversations with Kara, a few days of homesickness and despair, but more days of utter joy and amazement, seeing fall change for the first time, 40 sent postcards, dozens of markets and countless vendors, tons of cute dogs, mastery of the Thriller dance, 1 night of karaoke, 1 stolen spoon, lots of coffee & chocolate, an uncountable number of emails, 24 napkins, 6 sales, tons of new and amazing friendships, and I’m finally home.

I have yet to sit and look over my pictures, journal, and blog and to absorb what in the world I just did. It was fun and exciting and I loved it. I am so happy to be home though, although it has been a weird past few days adjusting again to being here.

It is odd that the French culture is so slow paced, but I feel like my life sped up over the time I was there, and now that I’m back in America, where things are supposed to be faster and crazier, I have no idea what to do with myself!

It’s over. We worked and worked. We didn’t sleep. We sewed our fingers to death.We did our art history presentations. We sold stuff. We celebrated.

It is a surreal feeling that it’s all over! But I will tell more about Vernissage and post photos when I get back to the states on TUESDAY!

But for now, enjoy Lexi and my last dance video from Friday night, after one successful night at Vernissage, and we finally had the feeling of being finished. We had finished our art history presentations, and were completely finished, besides de-installing our installations.

It was a reason to party!!!!!

I am counting down the days until I get home.

Melissa and I have decided that we feel like we don’t feel like we are in France any more. (Weird sentence. Sorry.)

But it’s like, the “wow” factor of living here is beginning to wear off and everything we are seeing, although still completely beautiful and amazing, is becoming the norm for us. So with that said, I miss home!!!

I get in Tuesday, November 17th, in the evening… 6.30 or something.

Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

Good coffee

Guacamole & Hummus! (Duh)

Text messaging

Yandala (my car)

Singing really loud when I’m driving

Seeing wonderful family and friends

G12

Calling my sister

Updating my iPhone to 3.0 (yeah, still haven’t done that)

Downloading Phil Wickham’s new album (which is released the day I get back or I would just do it now.)

BIKE RIDES!!!!!!!!!

Florida!

Baby Bella

Being able to understand what people say to me

Sleeping in my comfortable bed

My sack of nothingness (my pillow. It is pretty much a piece of fabric. I’ve been sleeping on a real pillow.)

Wearing different clothes and shoes!

Straightening my hair and figuring out how long it really is!!! (It’s so long. I know it.)

Catching up on the office.

Going to H&M in Florida… I’m just curious.

Sharing a house with Katie Shaw, my new sister.

Talking like a “gangster” with Bianca without being called crazy.

Northwest.

Feeling clean after I get out of the shower.

Flat land.

There are a lot of things I’m excited for. That’s a few.

There will certainly be things that I miss here, for sure. Such as:

Eleanor! She is great!

The beautiful valley.

Fall- it’s like I’ve never seen fall before here.

The cool air.

Mountains.

TREES. (I will miss all of the trees and the rows of trees the most.)

Maison Renard.

Using an iMac all the time.

Hearing French.

Learning about different cultures.

Hoping for mail.

Deadlines for projects.

Field trips to really cool places.

Leclerc.

The markets.

Fresh lavender.

Interesting ice cream flavors.

Chocolate.

Dance parties with Lexi and Kara every day.

Singing “Party in the USA” and having it mean something (hahah).

And I’m sure there’s more things I will miss once I’m out of here and absorb everything.

I still have to upload photos from our day in Lyon at Prelle’s weaving factory. It was awesome. But there’s a huge chance that I won’t upload anything until I’m home, although that’s not certain.

Vernissage (our exhibition) is next weekend and we are all frantically making things to sell and show, and still have to put the entire thing together. It should be great, and I’m sure I’ll continue to learn a lot in the process.