Dream Closet

I never really had big plans for a dream home.  

In fact, I'm pretty sure the only thing I ever actually said I wanted was a tiny little room, just for me.

Once as my mom tried on dresses in a store, I sat in the fitting room next to hers and had a pleasant chat with my five-year-old selves in the three-sided mirror about how when I grew up, I would have a tiny room just like this, with a comfy chair where I could curl up with a good book.

I almost missed my chance ... when we built our house, the bazillion details took center stage:  lots of windows!  a paint color that glows!  the wonky angle of the house on the lot! ... but I happened to be reading Celebration of Discipline just before we finalized the floor plan and I was reminded of my little girl dream.  Celebration of Discipline isn't a book about building your dream house, but it is an excellent book about developing a deeper spiritual life.  In it, Richard Foster encourages setting aside a place in your home for prayer and quiet time. And as I looked again at the master bedroom on our floor plan and wondered how anyone could use a closet that big, I realized ... right there was the spot for my plenty o' quiet room.  I was so grateful to have remembered just in time.

I had to explain it to Lt. Dan.  He joked about putting a lock on the outside of the door, but was happy to put the room in the plans anyway.  I had to explain it to the builder.  He thought I was crazy but put the room in the plans anyway.  I had to explain it to the electrician.  He thought I was crazy, but put the plugs in anyway. I had to explain it to the closet people.  They thought I was crazy, but took the shelving down anyway.

When we moved in, I defended my space passionately from my own tendency to pile stuff behind closed doors when company is coming.  But eventually, with nothing in there, my little room filled up with framed pictures stacked against the wall, good will donations, unpacked boxes and a broken dining chair. 

BIG FAT FAIL.

And then ... for Mother's Day, my sweet husband and kids surprised me.  

Not only did they give me a reading chair and lamp, 

they cleaned out my closet.   

Oh ... happy ... day!!

I made a memo board from an old mirror...

 added a shelf from Ikea ...

and got this cute little footstool (also from Ikea) that serves as a table ...

Now I'm glad the electrician put a plug half way up the wall even though the light switch was supposed to go there.  It's the perfect place for a Scentsy Plug-In that gives the softest light and wonderful aromas.

I usually start my day here, and sometimes I slip in with my Kindle or my laptop at lunch, or any time I  want a little piece of quiet.  It may look like just a closet on the floor plan, 

but for me it's a dream come true!

I'm linking up with Sarah's Show Us Your House Party at Thrifty Decor Chick

Happy Valentine's Day!

wishing you a Valentine's Day full of things you love ... 

... parties ...

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... balloons ...

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... flowers ...

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... a little something sweet ...

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and best of all ... the kind of love that endures.  

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One for the Bucket List, Part 1

Guess ... 

where ... 

we ...

are...

going?!?!?!  

Did you guess California?  

If you did, then you would be right!

Sometime last fall, my sister invited me to go along with her on a trip to California.  Time with your sister on a fun girl trip?  Sign me up!!  

By the time December rolled around, life was definitely in full motion - in some respects on overdrive - and on the way to the airport we had to make each other laugh about how even the prospect of a good thing has to fight the gravitational pull of life as we know it.  

We both live in Texas.  We've lived in Texas most of our lives.  We are Texas girls.  

But we have California Girl roots.  

So going to California is extra special for us both.  

 

We flew to San Francisco and rented a car to drive down the California Coast.  

Here's our rental car.  It's the silver one.  

No, silly, not the corvette ...the other silver one!

But who cares what you're driving when the road ahead looks like this ...

It was probably at this point when Sandy realized I was not going to stop exclaiming over the beauty of it all.  Every other word was "beautiful!" or "gorgeous!"  

Our destination was Cambria, but we decided to take a jaunt through Pebble Beach, as we were on the "Let's do Everything!" tour.  It was on this little side trip that Jeremy Piven walked right in front of our car, and although my camera was in my lap, I did not take the picture.  

The picture probably would have looked like this if I'd had the presence of mind to take it:

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Well, okay, he was not so nicely dressed on the street.  Nor did he have his Golden Globe with him.  For the record, I don't have a thing for this actor.  I have a thing for my husband, Lt.Dan .  I will, however, be perpetually amused that I had the camera right there in my lap, made eye contact with the movie star walking 12 inches from our bumper ... 

and did ... not take ... the picture.  

Anyway...

You pay to drive through this neighborhood ...

But it's worth it ...

We got peeks through the trees and between fence posts at oh-so-grand houses. 

 Most homes were gated.  Here's my favorite gate ...

How cute are these little round headed people doing gate duty? 

If you live in this house ...

your view is this ...

And your neighbor's house would resemble a hobbit house ...

Such a lovely, charming little seaside house ...

I would love to cozy up in front of one of those windows.

Because the view would be this ...

Our original plan was that we would be in Cambria by the time the sun went down.  Pebble Beach to Cambria is about 100 miles.  In Texas, you can cover that in not much over an hour.  But curvaceous California Highway 1 is no place for speedsters.  Besides, who wants to drive fast when you have such gorgeous views?

So we picked a spot to pull over and watch the sun go down.  We figured these people probably knew what they were doing when they put a wall of windows facing out to sea ...

And sure enough, they did indeed have a spectacular view ...

And the sun is going ...

... going ...

... gone ...

And we are back on the road again.  

We had to stop just one more time.  Because there was the dusky sunset, 

and the sea, and the hills, and the moon ... 

it was an overdose of gorgeousness.

Cambria is a lovely little seaside town, quaint and quiet.

We stayed at the Pelican Cove Inn  ... 

Where you are just across the street from a leisurely stroll on Moonstone Beach ...

this is the path to the breakfast room, featuring the best. waffles. ever.

Cambria is the kind of place where you would  have a hammock in your front yard.  Because your front yard is practically on the beach ... 

Our ties to Cambria started with this house, built in the 1960's by my Uncle Weyman and Aunt Nell.  They called it 'WeyNell'.  When they lived here, there were perhaps two houses to the south of them.  And there were hippies living around the corner.

You can see the ocean from the back windows.

As kids, we'd spend hours on what our family calls "Nell's Beach".  I'm sure there's an official name for it, but that's how we'll always think of it.

 I'll leave you here for a bit to wait for the sunset.  You can listen to the waves ...  watch for seals ... or maybe even migrating whales ... soak up that glorious California sunshine ... 

... and add Highway 1 to your Bucket List.

This One for the Bucket List California Road Trip is a Six Part Series.  

Click below for:

( you just read Part 1 )

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part Last

I'm linking this post to Amanda's Weekend Bloggy Reading Party at Serenity Now!