Valentine's Gia

Last year, I wrote a post about my dear friend, Erica, and her darling daughter, Gianna. One of the things I mentioned was how that little girl brings such a true smile to my face. I just had to mention her again today because, well, I smiled from ear to ear when Erica sent me this photo:

She took Gia to a Valentine's Day party at a neighbor's house this morning and snapped that photo. :)

One of the hardest parts of living in New York for me is being away from my parents and sweet friends in Georgia. I have to watch Gia grow up in photos and I have to schedule phone dates just to be able to catch up on each others' lives. It's tough on me and, as I get older, I recognize more and more of the things that truly matter to me. There are many things I miss about Georgia such as the peaceful quiet when the sun goes down, summer cookouts at the pool, big clean grocery stores, running with my dog - I mean, the things are really too numerous to count. But, what pains my heart the most are missing out on cherished time with my parents and friends. I think I've become quite reflective as I look 30 in the face and I've begun to prioritize my life in ways I never have before. I was actually chatting with both Erica and Allison about these things this morning and those women are such a rock for me. I simply don't know what I'd do without them. I actually joke with Allison about how I will be packing her with me if I do decide to move back to Georgia next year, hehe. I have some big decisions to make over the course of 2010 but, for now, I'm just focused on my 'one day at a time' mentality. Those days are made much easier because of sweet moments like having a picture of Gia pop up in my emails. God is in the small things, too. :)