On Sunday, I met up with my good friend Kristi for our weekly bi-monthly whenever we aren’t feeling lazy bike ride. We used to train together a LOT last year during triathlon season, but this year we are taking it easy for a number of reasons. But, mostly it’s just my own laziness. We have an urban adventure race we are racing in on June 27th, so it’s time to get serious again.

Kristi showed up to our ride with a shopping bag in hand and said it was a little gift for me. Oh, how I love gifts! She had recently cleaned out her storage building and came across a little something she thought I would like.

She was wrong. I didn’t like it…I LOVED it!

After she acted silly and said I didn’t have to keep if if I didn’t like it (HA! Whatever!), she explained that it was a delft plate from the Netherlands. It’s a Delftse Pauw piece and is hand-painted and numbered.

The hardest part of accepting this gift was deciding where to put it in my home. We all know I’m crazy for plates, but I wanted to find a really perfect place for this new one. I ultimately decided that it would look great on my nightstand as a little catch-all for all the “stuff” I put on top of it when I go to sleep.

Besides her fantastic taste in Delftware, Kristi can cook like nobody’s business. At the beginning of 2008, she decided that she would visit a local farmers market each week and publish a recipe on her blog using in season ingredients purchased at the market. She’s also been doing a lot of work supporting our local Sustainable Food Center. If you like to cook or just like to salivate over yummy recipes, you definitely need to check out Kristi’s blog, Austin Farm to Table. It’s always fun to be her guinea pig and test out new recipes. She has never disappointed!

A friend who can cook AND gives you gorgeous clayware? What more could a girl ask for? Thanks for being there, Kristi!

As Zack and I made our way back home after nearly a week at the beach, I dreaded what I would find when I walked through the doors. There’s usually a pile of items that my little dog has decided to destroy while I was away. There’s always an inch of dust on all the furniture, even though I cleaned everything before I left. There’s often a never-ending pile of laundry to be done, and all I want to do is sit on the couch and watch the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy.

This time, after a full day of flight delays and long layovers with a 3-year old, I walked in to this:

Yes, yes, yes…my dining room is finally free from all of that garage junk. However, that’s not what I noticed. What I noticed was this:

My centerpiece – a simple and classic coastal vignette. This centerpiece has been on my table for a few months, but it wasn’t until last night that I truly recognized it’s beauty.

Made from a cheap white platter purchased at a discount home store, three wicker spheres, and a couple of starfish I picked up during my last beach trip, this centerpiece represents one of the things I love about vacationing in Destin, Florida. Growing up, my family visited Destin every chance we got, a tradition that was started when my dad was just a kid.

One Christmas morning, we woke up to find that hundreds of starfish had washed up onto the beach. It was beautiful – magical, even. And it was a sight that we had never seen before and will never see again.

Although these are not the starfish, they will always remind me of that morning. This isn’t just any cute centerpiece that I threw together with items I had on hand; it’s a subconscious representation of one particular special memory from my childhood. Now, I understand why my heart flutters when I see it on my dining room table.

Instead of walking into my home and seeing all of the chores that need to be done, I walked in and found joy. Make sure you add a lot of joy and happiness to your decor. Everyone needs to be surrounded by the things they love.