A prayer of gratitude.

Blayne Macauley November 26, 2021

Thanksgiving 2021, Kiawah Island, SC

Photos by Blayne Beacham Macauley

Simple and Timeless - lessons I learned from my engagement ring

Blayne Macauley July 30, 2015

For the majority of my life I've been a "more is more" kind of girl. Two bracelets are better than one, and three are better than two. Yes, I do need a gallery wall instead of one painting. Fringe boots and fringe purses GO TOGETHER!

I spent about 95% of my life dreaming of getting engaged. I wasn't super focused on the ring itself, but at one point I was thinking a green stone would be most suitable for me. (I'm sorry to all if you who are judging me - Ginny.) I was hoping for something different and uniquely me. I had visions of my future husband standing in front of a ring counter and finding the perfect gypsy/boho/hippie ring and thinking "that's Blayne."

Jimmy proposed to me with a family piece thats simple and timeless. Although I immediately recognized the ring's beauty, I'm not sure I though it was "my ring" right away. I put it on and showed it off and basked in the glow of everyone admiring it (duh). For a few months I thought about changing it's configuration into something I chose, but eventually I decided to just wear it for a while and see how I felt.

Honestly, it was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made. The ring is absolutely perfect for me. It's a classic three stone configuration that will never look dated and never look anything less than perfect. I've grown to adore the ring, and it's my single favorite possession. I spend a lot of time every day looking at it and thinking, "how in the world did I get a ring that was this perfect for me?" I always look at other women's rings and admire them, but at the end of the day I am so glad that my ring is mine. Every time I look at it I think, this simple and beautiful ring represents the person I am and person I want to be in 50 years. So even if I still wear fringe on fringe on fringe and throw colorful throw pillows around like mad, I can always look at my hand and remind myself not to go overboard. It's a journey people...

Which leads me into the most PERFECT segue into this house. Yes. I planned it. It came to me in the shower, like all my best ideas.

This is the house version of my ring. It's just enough without being too much. It knows when to stop. There aren't rugs in every room. It's gives spaces a chance to breathe. Sometimes a single piece of art is the only statement the room needs to make. Being in the house made me feel so calm. There was not a bunch of stuff cluttering the spaces, and there was room to think and be. I could have stayed there forever.

Fare Thee Well: grateful reflections on being a wife, mother, and me.

Blayne Macauley July 7, 2015

This past weekend Jimmy and I went to Chicago for the Fare Thee Well Grateful Dead Tour. I had a lot of apprehension leading up to the trip. Oliver has become super attached to me, and he calls out "mama" about a thousand times a day. The thought of leaving him induced a pretty severe dose of mom guilt. It's strange to think that just a few years ago my needs were my number one priority. Maybe that's selfish to say, but my main concern throughout the day was getting where I needed to be, doing what I needed to do, and making myself happy. In 4 short years, I met Jimmy, got married, and had a baby. Now it seems like my needs come third, and while I'm so happy where I am in life and wouldn't trade it for anything, I am still struck sometimes by what a major change it is. Being a good wife and mother are my biggest concerns now. Although they are equally important to me, Jimmy does not cry or demand my time, and so sometimes being a good mom takes priority over being a great wife.

Jimmy asked me to go to these shows as a favor to him. I really love music and shows and my friends, but I'm a mom and I'm tired, and getting up the energy for three nights of shows seemed almost impossible. Because I love my husband, and I agreed we could use some time together away from the baby, I packed my bag, dropped the baby off with my mom, and boarded the plane. Almost as soon as we were in the air I felt better. I knew Oliver was well cared for, and I was on my way for 3 days where my biggest priority was being a wife and having fun with my husband. I even started to get kind of excited.

Once we were in the air, Jimmy surprised me and told me that he got reservations at a Top Chef restaurant that night! As you know from this post, Top Chef is my favorite TV show, and I was very excited. It was nice to know he'd done something so thoughtful for me. It reminded me that I am a very loved woman, and my interests matter very much to him.

We met his parents that night for dinner, and it was fantastic! I very much recommend the Little Goat if you are in Chicago.

The next day we actually slept in until 10! It was unreal. Oliver did not wake us up at the crack of dawn! We did not have to go immediately into parent mode. We lounged around for a while and then leisurely decided to meet our friend Adam for brunch. We chatted and laughed and told college stories, and I began to feel more and more like myself.

After brunch we went to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. I felt so calm sitting at the stadium and watching the game. I absolutely adore baseball, and it was nice to be able to focus my full attention on something I love. I sat next to my father-in-law and watched the game and just soaked up the time.