We have so been looking forward to a few days at home together as a family and the holiday weekend did not disappoint. On Wednesday night, Sophie said something about being nervous because it was her first time to host a family holiday! It was the sweetest thing. Made slightly humorous because my parents host Thanksgiving every year, so the venue didn't actually change, just the inhabitants of the house. I still haven't shared too many details about our current living situation (coming soon, I promise), but my parents own an amazing party party and pool area that will be their new front yard (at some point in the near future). Last year, they hosted Thanksgiving in the barn and it was a huge hit. We decided that, weather permitting, outdoor Thanksgiving should always be a thing. This was ...
concerts
Tennessee Towns
A few weekends ago, Josh and I headed out of town for a few kid-free days of fun. We try to take a big trip every year, but with our house on the market and a big trip with the kids next spring, we decided to stay closer to home. I had mentioned that we were planning to visit the beach for a music festival in May, but we made a last minute change of plans and headed north instead. I have been to Tennessee several times for different reasons, but I had never visited Nashville or Memphis, so it was super fun to squeeze them both into one weekend. We were exhausted afterwards, but we had the best time. It's always fun to spend some uninterrupted time with this guy. Now who wants a list of the highlights? We left midday on Friday and set our sights on Nashville. He looks a lot happier ...
5 on Friday: Life Update
1. The 100 Day Project I loved watching everyone participate in this last year and was so sad that I didn't know about it in time to jump in myself. In case you aren't familiar, The 100 Day Project is the brainchild of Ella Luna and a challenge to choose a creative endeavor to repeat for 100 consecutive days. I was (am) skeptical that this is even something I can complete, but I decided to give it a try and see how things go. I picked up a 100 page sketch pad earlier in the week and I'm filling one page per day for the next 100 days. My pages will likely be floral heavy -- I'm very into flowers these days and in the middle of a web-based floral drawing class -- but I'm not limiting myself to any particular theme. The idea is just to put pen to paper once a day until the book is full. I ...
The Night Before
Remember when I said that beach recap posts would start today? Well, I can't exactly tell you all about our trip without telling you how we spent the night before! Way back in January, I bought Josh concert tickets for his birthday and we finally spent a fabulous weekend in Atlanta in March. When I bought those tickets, there was nothing closer to us, but right after their newest album dropped a whole host of new dates were released. And guess where Houndmouth was playing? Our plan had been to drive down to the beach on Wednesday evening, but we decided quickly that Thursday morning would work just fine. We enlisted Josh's brother and his wife to join us (even though they had never heard of the band) and were super excited for a mid-week double-date. Josh and I debated where to eat, but ...
Saturday Night Kinda Pink
Alternately titled: The post 89% of my readers won't care about, but I share it anyway because it's my blog. For Josh's birthday, way back in January, I bought him tickets to see Houndmouth in concert and got us a room to stay in Atlanta overnight. The kids spent the night with his parents on Friday night, so we got to sleep late on Saturday morning and be lazy around the house for a few hours before we left. My plan had been to eat somewhere fun once we got into town, but we were later leaving and were starving, so we stopped for lunch on the way. We got to our hotel just in time for check-in and had a few hours to ourselves before we had to get ready, so more laziness (and a few episodes of Game of Thrones) ensued. And true to form, we can't seem to ever go on a trip together ...
Letters
Dear Husband, You did good. We've been on a lot of pretty cool dates in the last 17 years, but this was one of my favorites. I kind of laughed when you asked if I wanted to see Moon Taxi since they are actually one of your favorite bands, but I was so pleasantly surprised. For all the years I begged you to go with me to concerts, you have sure made up for it in the last year. I'm not much of a dancer, but dancing with you is my favorite. Thank you for adventures, for fun overnight dates and for knowing exactly what I will love. You are still my favorite. Kristin Friday really was the perfect date. We started out with dinner at Babalu, a new tacos and tapas restaurant in Lakeview. I had heard great things and we were far from disappointed. We had house chips and pico de gallo, ...
Letters
Dear Monday, Thanks for showing up so quickly. You always manage to ruin the perfect weekend. Dear Alabama Football, Thanks for being much kinder to us this weekend. Our Saturday was filled with good friends (and pretty babies), corn hole and more barbecue that one could possible eat. The day was going to be pretty much perfect anyway, but a 59-0 finish over Texas A&M certainly helped. Dear The Most Amazing Dry Shampoo of All Time, Thank you for making me look completely put together and CLEAN, even when I'm not. I have successfully worn three-day hair to work on numerous occasions in the last few weeks because of you. Dear Jerry Seinfeld, Why can't I seem to find the bit I'm looking for on YouTube? You know, the one you've opened with every time we've seen you live? Where you ...
so mothers be good to your daughters, too
I'm sure there are people who think it inappropriate that I carried my seven year old daughter to a rock concert on Saturday night; I even felt a few stares at the show. I can honestly say it was one of the best moments I've spent with Ella in her short little life. When you find out you are having a baby girl, all these thoughts go through your mind about the fun, girly things you'll be able to share. Coffee dates, pedicures, shopping trips, beach weekends. I never really thought about music when making that mental list. She's seven and her musical tastes aren't all that palatable to me, most of the time. There are rare moments when she belts out an old Pearl Jam song or Mumford & Sons or even The Head & the Heart and my heart swells with pride. This kid is going to have excellent ...