Kentucky





So this week I took a whirlwind trip to Louisville to catch a showing of the Easter Pageant and meet up with some friends. Wednesday I went straight from work to meeting up with an old friend Austin for dinner, then we headed to see the Easter Pageant (which was very good!) and then to Steak and Shake to reminiscence and laugh about middle and high school. I met Austin in middle school, I was 12, he was 14. We "went out" in middle/high school; so it was great laughing about all the things we did, dances we went to, etc. I had a great time.

Thursday I spent some time at a local coffee shop lovin' some great joe and catching up with a girlfriend of mine Becky (seen above). We had a GREAT time shopping in the Highlands (my favorite part of Louisville) and playing around taking photos. I was able to accomplish everything I wanted except having coffee with my dear Heather...so sad! I had breakfast with my real dad, took my other dad to lunch, another lunch with Grandma, coffee and shopping with Becky, stopped in to say goodbye to Austin, then I was back on the road! I'm quite impressed with myself and my awesome skillz.
So, that was my whirlwind trip to Louisville! On my next trip, I'm hoping to catch up with Heather and have dinner with Sarah and Scott. I haven't seen them since they were married! How lame is that?

I was thinking about my old Honda today, and remembered that Trish had created a loving poem about my car (and it's issues) a few years back. Luckily, I have it saved and am able to share it with you. It's pretty incredible!

The Week of the Car: Ode to Stacey
By Trish Dubes
There once was a girl
who had trouble with cars
they didn't seem to like her
Or let her travel very far

She had a white honda
full of all her cds
but when she was in goreville
someone broke in without keys
 They took her stereo
and all of her music too
Stacey wanted to cry
because it made her feel so blue
Then someone came to bless her
gave her money for the repairs
said "fix whatever is broken,"
and Stacey threw her hands in the air
She took it to a shop,
where she trusted it was fine
but just a few days later
the car stalled in a traffic line
 People were not kind
they yelled and honked their horns
for a very brief moment
Stacey wished her car had never been born
 After lots of drama
a friend came to help her out
she got back to the church
and took some guys back to the route
They took a look at her car
and tried to get it started
But when it wouldn't budge
they labeled it retarded
 One of these young men
had a thought that came along
"why don't we push the car
All the way back to NewSong?"
 So at 4:30 in the afternoon
Five guys and a girl
rolled the car to the church
all the way up the hill
 Stacey was so blessed
but still a little bummed
she didn't have a car now
how would she make it home?
 Once again, God was good
and sent Jon along her way
said "Stacey you can use my car
until the end of the third day."
 The third day came
a Sunday it was
Stacey got in Jon's car
but it didn't even buzz
 The first thought came
"This has to be a joke"
the battery was dead
Another car Stacey broke :)
 Why was the battery dead?
Many of you might say
Someone left the lights on
through the evening and the day
 So this is my poem for Stacey
a rhyme for her week of cars
A week that doesn't seem so funny
but later she'll laugh real hard
 I have just one more thing
my tiny piece of advice:
Just sell the little white honda
and use the money toward a bike. :)



Wow, it's been a busy weekend! My mom and sister Stephanie came in town late last week for Stephanie's audition for the tv show Nashville Star. She made it through the audtion and on to the National's! Go Steph! The National's were held here in Nashville the next day. She spent her day practicing and standing in line-then in she went! She won't know for a few weeks of her results. Let's hope she makes it!
Easter Sunday was great! I didn't want to drive to my mom's since I had to be at church, so I opted to celebrate with my Nashville Fam-the Lamb's (my pastor). They were having their house worked on, so we went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse (I know, right?) and Trish and Ernie joined us. We had a great time laughing and just hanging out. After lunch, I went home to do laundry and relax before chillin' at Trish's. We haven't talked in so long it seemed, so we chatted before deciding on having some people over and making a home made pizza. Ian and Chris came over and we landed on watching Hot Rod. If you haven't seen that movie, I highly suggest it! It's SO funny. We laughed and laughed....
Last night I was so glad to have a night off and not do anything! I made Chili, did laundry and watched some tv before chatting with Lindsey, my roommate. Can I jut say that I absolutely love her?! I'm so glad we are roommates! Tomorrow (Wednesday) I'm headed to Louisville to see the new Easter Pageant at Southeast (my home church). They have totally re-done the Pageant and I'm so excited! You can view the trailer here. I was in the Pageant for five years when I lived in KY, so I'm really pumped about the new look, sound and feel of it. I'm also uper excited because I'm getting meet up with SO many people! Tomorrow I'm meeting with a friend that I haven't seen in SEVEN years! I can't wait to see him! Thursday I'm having breakfast with my Other Dad and his fam, various coffee dates with Becky, Heather, Patrick and Sarah. Lunch with mom and Grandma.... By the time I have to drive back to Nashville, I'm going to be POOPED! But, I can't wait!

My fellow Blogger friend Trish recently posted "Six weird things about yourself"; and I thought it was interesting and enlightening. I was tagged to continue, so here goes!

1. I have mild Obsessive Compulsive Behavior tendencies. I cannot stand it when walking a sidewalk not to have an even number of steps before the next segment of pavement. When working out, either push ups in the gym or sit ups on the stability ball; I have to be going parallel to the lines on the gym floor/stability ball. My friend and trainer Katie can vouch for me. I count all the time. I count my claps at church or concerts, I count steps (21 at my church, 11 at home) wherever I go.

2. I can't handle bridges. It started as a child, but has carried over into adulthood. Lucky for me, there are no bridges in my city! I really freak out. I think of how they move while I'm driving on them, how they could collapse with me on it, etc. I was taking a road trip with Katie this past year to VA Beach and we had to drive over a series of bridges. I was freaking out and she was reassuring me; only to have a series of tunnels (Katie hates tunnels) to go through as well. It was quite the sight!

3. I have to rearrange my room constantly. When I finally land on a set up I like, I can usually take it for about a month before launching in to my next phase of "what works best" for my room. Just last week I rearranged my closets (yes, I have two in my room) and chest of drawers. I do have to say, I did increase my space capability for my growing show collection.

4. Dirty dishes bother me. I can't not wash the dishes. Even if they aren't mine (I'm sure my roomie loves that I have this problem!), I clean them up. Of course, there is the occasional mess from a party the night before, but 99% of the time, my kitchen is spotless.

5. I say "might could" and "breakfrist" alot. This has to do with my upbringing in the South; however I find it funny that I can't kick this habit. In MY head, it makes perfect grammatical sense. But when I'm with a group of people, (one of them being a English teacher), I suddenly realize I sound like the hick from the sticks.

6. I've been shot in the head, twice. I know, I know. I'll let you recover from the shock. When I was about 10, (mind you, we grew up in the country) I took my younger brother Sam (who was about 3) out to shoot my pellet gun. I was showing him the ways of the rifle when he says to me "I'm gonna shoot you!" I laughed, because, after all, he's just a kid! He continues to laugh and point the gun, so I take off running down the hill. As I'm running I feel it hit the back of my head ( a 3 year old with good aim!) the rest is history. I would love to say that was our last time with a gun, but indeed it is not. Fast forward 6 years. I'm 16, my older brother is 17. We're playing with a pistol bb gun and he ignorantly puts it to my head and pulls the trigger. Yep. Blackness. Pain. Pain all over my left side. He gets grounded BIG time. Again, I'd like to say that we've learned our lesson; and we have when it comes to safety-but shooting guns is a tradition with our family. The bigger, the better. Let me reassure you, we HAVE learned the safety course. :)

Sanuk's!


These are the new shoes I just ordered! Trish and I spotted them at Dillard's over the weekend, and we both loved the different styles. She the classic and clean white, me the 'Starlets'. I bought them that day, then went home and found a better deal online. So back to Dillard's I went! I just ordered them, and they should be here in 3-6 days! Yipee! I love them because they aren't a shoe, but a sandal. They have a sandal bottom and a very basic, natural canvas on top to protect your foot. Very comfy, and for those who know me; I'm a fan of comfort. :)

Carl the Snowman

Friday evening Nashville experienced snow actually worth talking about. We received about 4" of snow in a matter of hours! Roads were closed, traffic was stopped, it was the blissful silence only a snowfall can bring. Friday evening we were gathered at Travis's house for a game night of Chili and Jungle Speed (the best game ever!) when it began to snow. We were so engrossed in our game that it took a phone call from a concerned friend in Franklin to alert us of the heavy snowfall. One look out the window and I knew I wasn't driving home. Jon and Josh quickly left, (Jon has a 4x4 Jeep) and we settled back in for some snow-watching and a movie. After the movie (it was quite late) we noticed that the road still had not been plowed, and it was then that we all decided to stay put for the night. We talked and hung out until the wee hours of the morning before heading to bed. Before hitting the sack, however, we indulged in a mid-night's snowball fight; and it was fantastic! The sky was a soft pink, the night bouncing back off of the twinkle of the snow, creating the perfect amount of light to see. We prepared battle stations, practiced our aim, and bombarded our friends. It was a glorious battle that night.
After some much needed sleeping in, Brady made us REAL homemade French Toast, and it was perfect! We noticed that the sun was shining and our chances of making a snowman were quickly dripping away from us. We all bundled up (Mindee brought us clothes) and headed outside to make the wonderful Mr. Carl. C. Snowman. Mindee, Katy and I invaded the front yard next door (no one lives there) and began to roll huge snow piles. We did it for no reason, it was just funny. After satisfying our snow appetite, we all crashed inside for food and warmth. After deciding it best to go home, freshen up and shower, we all parted ways for the afternoon. I headed home to clean clothes and laundry, then headed over to Kyle's to help paint for a bit. We all reconvened at the Gravette household to make dinner and home made Thin Mints! They were fantastic. We watched the Goonies (oh, how I love that movie.) and again, stayed up way too late!
I felt so wastfulof my weekend, but hey. Everything I had to do on Saturday was canceled, so why not enjoy a weekend? I'm paying for it today though, having a hard time waking up. I will say that it was for sure the most fun I have had in a LONG time. My cheeks will permanently hurt from smiling and laughing, that's for sure.
Hope you stayed safe this weekend, and enjoyed the snow as much as I did!


This weekend I headed down to the Atlanta area for a whirlwind trip to see family! I had a great time. Mom drove to my place late Friday night, and we hit the road Saturday morning. We made it just in time for Lara's (my cousin's wife) baby shower. We were using mom's GPS system...and yea. They don't work so well! We entered the destination, and it was taking us everywhere except where we needed to go! We made it and had a great time. I was so excited to see my cousins at the end of the shower!

We headed to Nick's house for some chill time, then took Andrew home (he got sick). Nick let me drive his BMW! I was so scared of wrecking it....he kept saying "just punch it, just punch it!" It was great. Sunday morning we all reconvened at the cutest little cafe in downtown Kennesaw (where Nick lives). It's called the Whistlestop Cafe and it sits right on the railroad tracks. They make home made "cathead" biscuits, (It's a southern thing, ask your closest true southerner) the best pancakes and a million other southern niceties.

After brunch, Mom and I headed to Atlanta...and IKEA! I love the new development, Atlantic Station. It's similar to what we are getting here in Franklin, McEwen. It's very urban, with lots of retail and new housing. After a quick run through IKEA (I had to return some things and pick up some things) we headed home. It was a quick trip but so fun!

When I got home I crashed and got ready for the week. When I got home on Monday night, I got a call from an old friend whom I haven't talked to in seven years! It was a delight to hear from him, and I hope to continue our friendship. I love it when someone pops back into your life!

Newer Posts Older Posts Home