Why I Started Through Southern Eyes
Some ideas take years to come to life.
Through Southern Eyes is one of those ideas.
The name first came to life more than ten years ago—sometime around 2014 or 2015—during dinner with my best friend Dina at McCray’s Tavern. Over dinner and a couple of beers, we were talking about photography, writing, traveling and all of the dreams we had, just like we always did—we inspired each other every time.
I came to dinner that night with a full page of ideas—name ideas for a blog. Looking back at that list now, some of them still make me laugh.
We’re talking names like Sunny Side Up Photography, Edible Perspective, Better with Butter Photography, and Proof’s in the Pudding.
Somewhere between all of those ideas, Through Southern Eyes found its way into the conversation—and the moment we said it out loud, I knew it was the one.
After that night, full of excitement and inspiration, I found myself sitting at a small table inside Circa Coffee—a cozy little shop with rustic wood walls and old airplane seats for chairs, the kind of place that makes you want to stay a little longer and dream a little bigger.
In front of me sat a cup of coffee, my laptop, my camera, and a small notebook.
It felt like the beginning of something.
On one of those pages, I wrote three words:
Through Southern Eyes.
When I first wrote the words Through Southern Eyes in that notebook at Circa Coffee, I knew two things for certain: I wanted to share my love for photography, and I wanted to celebrate good food—especially the kind that brings people together.
That day, the idea started to take shape.
I bought the domain, started thinking about the look and feel of the blog, and even came up with the tagline.
But more than anything, I remember the feeling—the excitement of imagining the stories I might one day share, the places I might go, and the photographs I hoped to capture.
And then… I stopped.
Not because I didn’t love the idea, but because my own confidence got in the way.
Life moved forward, seasons changed, and the idea quietly waited its turn.
Over the past few years, though, something began to change.
I started sharing more of my photos and adventures on social media—snippets of the places we’d been, the meals we loved, and the little moments that stuck with me long after.
And something surprising happened.
People actually enjoyed them.
Friends and family began responding—laughing at the stories, asking about the places we visited, and encouraging me to share more. And along the way, I discovered something I didn’t expect.
I really enjoyed writing.
Now, I have never considered myself much of a writer—that was always where my best friend Dina shined—and something I had always admired about her. But the more I shared, the less afraid I became to press “post,” and the more I realized how much I loved telling the stories behind the moments.
It made me start asking myself a question:
Why not the blog?
The truth is… the idea never really left me.
In fact, I still have that notebook today—the same one I sat with in that coffee shop more than ten years ago, scribbling ideas about what Through Southern Eyes might become.
At the time, it was just a dream written on a few pages.
Today, it’s finally becoming real.
And the excitement I feel now is a lot like what I felt sitting there that day in Circa Coffee—dreaming about something I wasn’t quite ready to begin.
Some dreams just take a little longer to find their way back to you.
These days, life has a much better balance than it once did, and I finally have the space to return to the things that bring me the most joy—photography, cooking, discovering great restaurants, wandering through antique shops, and taking road trips with my husband, who also happens to be one of my favorite travel partners.
Somewhere along the way, I realized something important.
The photos are beautiful…
but the stories behind them are what truly stay with you.
Through Southern Eyes celebrates the joy of good food—especially Southern food—along with photography, travel, and life’s little adventures, all seen from this quirky Southern girl’s point of view.
This blog is for people who love road trips, hidden diners, amazing food, beautiful photographs, and the little unexpected places you discover along the way. It’s for people who enjoy exploring, who appreciate a great meal, and who might just need a little inspiration—just like I did.
My hope is that when you read these stories, you’ll feel like you’re riding along with me—discovering new places, laughing at the unexpected moments, and maybe even adding a few new stops to your own list.
And if something I share inspires you to take a road trip, try a new restaurant, cook a great meal, or simply look at life a little differently…
then I’ll consider this little corner of the internet a success.
