We FINALLY Made it to SEASIDE

It took FOREVER for October 8th to come. But once it got here, it was gone faster than I can say yakahikamikadola! Our long weekend getaway (10/8 - 10/11) is a thing of the past. But it is forever imprinted on my heart. That's exactly what Seaside does to me - makes impressions and pulls on my heart strings. We had a quaint house on Savannah Street, three short blocks from the Town Square (or as I call it, the "horseshoe" because of its shape). I took too many pictures, but I will share a few of my handyworks. I can tell you this... I won't be waiting another 19 months before we make our next Seaside trip. March 2009 until October 2010 is way tooooo long. I'm going to reminisce now...

One Year Anniversary Dinner

I found this pic on Jason's old cell phone, which now belongs to my pal Megan. She saved a few pics on there for me so that I could later email them to myself. Well, I just got around to doing it today... a few months later. This is a photo of the beautiful *and romantic* sunset during our one-year anniversary dinner at Fish Out of Water Restaurant in Seaside/Water Color, taken March 15, 2009.

I will share a little about our experience at the restaurant. I was working at Sweet Grass Dairy at the time of our vacation. I knew the head chef Phil Krajeck since he always bought cheese from us. I told him ahead of time that Jason and I were coming and told of how excited I was to be able to sample his cuisine.

When Jason and I arrived at the restaurant, a gentleman named Jay welcomed us. Before I even told him my name, he asked, "Are you Mrs. Beggs?" That caught me off guard a bit, but I just figured that the restaurant crew was on top of their reservation list. Jay then preceded to ask me and Jason if it was okay for us NOT to order off the regular menu... because Chef Phil wanted to cook several courses for us as he pleased. How were we to turn down this offer? We agreed to this wonderful request. We were seated and greeted by our waitor.

After sitting at the table (window front... beautiful, large window front, might I add) for only a few minutes, lo and behold, Chef Phil came walking around the corner! I was so pleased to see him because I know how busy restaurant kitchens can be. Phil was very welcoming and pleased to have us, especially on mine and Jason's one year anniversary. He could only chat for a couple of minutes before he had to get back in there to work his culinary magic.

And magic it was! Course after course after course, all things local, organic, fresh, and delicious! It was really neat to watch Jason enjoy this type of food. It was his first time in a restaurant like this. (Not to boast, but I have had a little more experience with great restaurants due to traveling and dining while working for Sweet Grass Dairy.) It has been over a year since we were there, and I hope to get to dine there again soon. Next time, I won't tell Chef Phil that we're coming. Jason and I felt like royalty the whole three hours we were there. I made sure to send Phil and crew a thank you letter once I got back home. I felt so undeserving. Jason and I will never forget that experience. (Apparently not, since I'm just now writing about it over a year later!) THANKS, CHEF PHIL!

Two Weeks Remaining to Vote, Vote, Vote!

Vote, Vote, Vote, Goat, Coat, Boat. Makes no sense, but let me tell ya what DOES make sense. Okay, so Thomasville is pretty much amazing. Now that we have this established, I would like to elaborate a little on a specific historic home in Thomasville that is also uhhh-mazing. It's called the Lapham-Patterson House, and it happens to be classified as one of Georgia's State Parks.

So here's the deal... the LP House needs YOUR help. How so, you may be asking yourself. It has recently been shut down and closed to the public due to much needed repairs but not enough funds. Here is where you come in... Coca-Cola has graciously set aside $100,000 to the state park in the US that gets the most votes on their website. About a week ago, I believe, the LP House was in third place!!! But the past few days have left me biting my nails since it dropped down to fifth place.

You may be wondering why I care so much about this dang campaign. Well, to tell you the truth, I can't pinpoint any particular reason. But I do know this, it is one of Thomasville's treasures. It needs our help. And I want to help however I can. If you feel like you would also like to help, here is how to do so. Click this link and vote as many times as you please until August 31st. If you would like to learn more about the Lapham-Patterson House, check out this website. Thanks for hearing me out. Now go vote. (p.s. It helps to turn on your pop-up blocker and your caps lock.)

Enough already with Seaside... at least for now!

Okay... I can take a few deep breaths. I can stop being so dang obsessed with my dreamin' of Seaside mumbo jumbo. You know why????? BECAUSE WE BOOKED A HOUSE THERE IN OCTOBER!!!!!! Hallelujah. Now I can start blogging about other topics, I think. Looks like I'll be testing the waters there for a long weekend in October. I've never been to the beach in Fall, so here's to trying something new. The past few years my husband and I have gone to Seaside, it's been in early Spring. (Well, I take that back. I went in the summer one time with my family.) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather in October will equivalate our previous trips always taken in March.

I believe I will share a few pictures of our weekend getaway house, Snail's Pace.














Snail's Pace & Balcony












Tower Room & view of tower from outside

View from balcony & picture of porch

Outdoor Shower & our entrance to the beach, Savannah Pavillion

Seaside on my mind?

Quoted from The Seaside Institute's website, "Whether it is for a weekend, a week or a lifetime, Seaside must be savored long enough to let time slow down, to allow cares to float away on a balmy breeze. This can only be done through extended porch-sitting, leisurely strolling and sharing time with those you care most about in a way that late-20th-century urban existence rarely allows."

More of my big dreams

I have mentioned this before, that I would really LURRVE to own some real estate at the beach, specifically on Florida's beautiful Emerald Coast. But not just any part of the Emerald Coast, the spectacular stretch between Panama City & Destin called Highway 30-A... where the pace is a little slower than its larger counterparts, the water seems bluer, the beach communities are more colorful, and the people choose bicycles over vehicles.

My Georgia cities map timeline can be viewed as follows. Looks like I keep inching westwardly...

(Click to enlarge.)

Family Pictures

Memorial Day Weekend was pretty awesome. Aunt Amy and Uncle Phil arranged for Granny Lou's Crew to spend the long weekend at one of their favorite vacation spots in Panama City Beach called the Shores of Panama. The Smiths & Subicas from Laurel, MS made the trek. The Lloyds & Stokes from middle Georgia made it down. The Lowerys and Thomases from Waycross took the trip. And of course, the Beggs from Thomasville were raring to get there. Although we all had a major blast, it would have been 100x better if one more family member could have made it.

There were 19 of us present, and we all somehow managed to take a decent picture of ourselves. But there was a visible gap in the photo that was not noticed until the picture was developed. That spot, I determined, was meant to be for that missing family member, Bradley.

After chatting with my cuz tonight on Skype, we decided to add his photoshopped image in that gap. See the before and after pictures below. (Click on each one to enlarge, if you please.)

Busy Week, Dreaming Big

There's a lot of things going on at my workplace this week. We are getting the final touches together for the 89th Annual Rose Show & Festival taking place this weekend. Being that this is my first big event I'm working with my new job, I feel a little bit of added pressure as I try to make sure I ace it. But with the weather warming up and the bright springy garb reappearing in the forefront of my closet, I oft find myself fancying in all things bright, cheery, & afar. Let's call it "Lulu's Dream Land," aka - vacations, future real estate, cute play toys, and shopping. Here's a look into my recent heart's desires...

Absolute Dream Vacation... Bora Bora














Dream Real Estate... Seaside, FL - my honeymoon grounds










Fabulous Play Toys... Pink Smart Car & Lilly Pulitzer Bike










Latest Eye Candy... Nicholas Landon's "Designed to Shine" necklace

Some would call me crazy...

I shall cut to the chase. I won't be cutting the cheese much longer. Thursday January 28th I resigned from one of the coolest places on earth, Sweet Grass Dairy. What are you thinking, Lulu?!?!? I know, I know. But I feel that the time is right, and the time is NOW. After almost three amazing years at the dairy, I will be changing directions in my career as I move on over to Downtown Thomasville Main Street office. Yep, I'm gonna be a Main Street Girl... a.k.a. Main Street Huzzy, as I saw on a random Facebook photo. And I couldn't be more excited!

It all happened in a whirlwind! I'll give you my story in a nutshell... a rather large nutshell. For the past 2-3 weeks, I have been feeling a little less than thrilled about going to work. There have been some organizational changes at the dairy that have left me doing more left brain stuff and less right brain stuff.

I decided I would keep my options open, so I piddled around a little on a couple of websites casually looking for a job that would catch my eye. Nothing did, so I stopped searching. That was a short-lived search.

One night, it was Wednesday January 20th to be exact, I decided I was going to email the director of Downtown Thomasville Main Street, Mrs. Karen. I knew all but one of the girls who worked up there. Those girls always seemed to have fun with anything they were doing. I knew these ladies through events I did with the dairy... farmers markets, Chamber Business After Hours, Chamber Voice of Our Members, and other events. I knew one girl had recently left (We miss you Katie) but they had already hired a replacement for her (Welcome back to Thomasville Megan). I was going to give it a shot and ask the director to keep me in mind for any openings they may have in the future. I sent the email that night.

Within the hour, Mrs. Karen called my cell phone. Some of the first words that came out of her mouth were, "You are not going to believe this, but you have been on my mind for the past three weeks!" (Mouth dropped) She went on to say that less than 2 weeks prior, they decided to merge two part time positions into one full-time person. The Main Street Coordinator Alison decided to leave her position to move into that new full-time position that has just been created. That left Alison's spot open. (Mouth dropped even further.) Hallelujah!

Karen then proceeded to tell me that when she first met me about 2 years ago when I was working a Farmers Market she was heading up downtown, that she would love for "that fiery little redhead to work for her." She said ever since Alison's position became available, she wanted to get in contact with me, but didn't know how to go about it without stepping on anyone's toes or causing some riff raff. My email was the perfect opportunity for her to contact me. God's timing is the best timing if we're obedient and trust in Him.

Towards the end of our phone conversation that night, she asked me if I could meet up with her one day at the beginning of the next week so we could talk brass tacks and business. A mutually convenient time turned out to be Tuesday January 26th. Right after I got off the phone with Karen, Jason and I had special prayer. During the prayer, I felt a certain peace about everything. Jason mentioned in his prayer about all of this being a "divine appointment," and I truly believe it is!

Tuesday came, and I met up with Karen at her office right after I got off work that day. We sat, talked, shared, laughed, and I got the tour of the office. I left that night being so excited. When I got home, Jason and I discussed everything further. We prayed more and marinated in all of it.

The next day, I told Karen to count me in. I know it is what I'm supposed to do. It was pretty clear. And it's rare that moments like this come to me. I had to jump on it. Karen was excited, too. It was all in the air.

Shortly thereafter, my excitement turned into great concern. I was concerned about how my uppers at the dairy were going to handle this. Would they be happy for me and send me off with their blessing? Or would they be less than thrilled? I was prepared for it all. I wrote up my two weeks resignation letter... nervous as a jitter bug.

I went in to work that Thursday January 28th, and first thing... I had to get it off my chest and tell my manager/Director of Operations of the dairy, Karen. (Yes- two Karens) She and I are very close. She's a true loving friend that really cares. I was really concerned about how she would take it. She took it better than I thought. Although she and I balled our eyes out, she was very supportive and proud of me. She's behind me 110%, as I knew she would be, deep down in my heart.

Next, I had to tell the owner of the dairy, Jeremy. He's not too much on showing emotion in front of his employees... so I was really interested (actually, scared) to see his reaction after I broke the news. I shed a tear or two (quite embarrassing). He told me he was happy for me. He said, "You've got to look out for number one." Phhewww.... Thank goodness.

Just so you know, I had a group of prayer warriors praying for me this whole time. The past week and a half has proved to be an emotional roller coaster for me. Just ask Jason. This amount of support and love that has been shown to me this past week and a half has really made me appreciate my family and friends even more. I am truly blessed, and I know all of this is happening because of God's love for me. He knew I was ready for a change, so He put a little bug in my ear to email the Main Street Director, which in turn caused her to call me when she was apprehensive. She would not have called me had I not emailed her. We just don't know what God has in store for our lives unless we listen to that still small voice. It's all about listening and then being obedient. It's not faith until you walk in it.

Anyone who knows me well knows that this new job is right up my alley. Be prepared for more blogs to come on how this new adventure in my life is going. I hope this reading has opened your eyes to the fact that, yes, God looks out for us. He loves us. He cares for us, and He wants the best for us. We just need to keep Him first in our lives. Everything else will fall into place.

Where's All the Goat Cheese?

Since I am the non-official "cheese girl" to my family and friends, I get asked a lot of questions about goats, cheese, and things of the sort. In recent days, I have been asked a lot why we have few to zilch goat's milk cheeses available at the dairy now. The answer is simple... I will direct you to a news article I posted today on the Sweet Grass Dairy website. Jessica Little, co-owner of the dairy, and I wrote this up to share the knowledge with all of our fabulous customers. Enjoy...

Goat Cheese Limitations
January 14, 2010
We get a lot of questions from our customers about the availability of our goat cheeses. Before we are able to produce goat cheeses, there is a series of events that must first take place. We would like to share what goes on behind the scenes before production can begin.

Each summer, we bring in a few new male goats called bucks. These bucks mate with our 150 or so females in August, September and October, hence providing us with future Sweet Grass Dairy milkers. The gestation period for a goat is approximately five months. So between the end of January and March, we have precious little kids everywhere. Just before kidding season (November, December, and January), we give our goats a vacation from milking. This ensures that the animals will be happy, healthy, and well-rested before they start kidding out in winter. What this means for us, is no goat’s milk. And in turn, meaning no goat cheese production for the three or so months we are not milking. We believe in following the natural cycles of the goats and not manipulating their lactation by use of hormones or lights.

Luckily, when it comes to our aged goat’s milk cheeses, we normally do have a supply of these when we’re out of our younger, softer varieties. The milk that was taken from the goats during their peak production in the summer months has been made into cheese that has been aging in our coolers, making our harder, aged varieties ready when the winter months are in full swing. Some of these cheeses include the Holly Springs, Kelle's Blue, and the mixed-milk cheese Hopeful Tomme.

So you see, our cycle of events proves to be beneficial to our animals but at the same time frustrating to those of us who could eat Fresh Chevre, Georgia Pecan Chevre, Lumiere, and so on… all year long! Each spring gives us something to look forward to—fresh and delicious soft goat’s milk cheeses! And of course, we don’t mind watching the baby goats frolicking and bouncing around the dairy grounds as well.

When spring rolls around and Sweet Grass Dairy is full of new life, we would love to welcome you to share with us the joy that the babies and seasonal cheeses bring. We greatly appreciate your interest in our farm and our practices, and hope you get a chance to visit us at the farm and our Marketplace soon!