...

This morning I decided to venture out and create a healthy alternative to the ever-so-delightful- sugary frozen treats. It was incredibly simple, actually!

I used two containers of low fat, organic blueberry yogurt, and mixed it in a bowl. Then I gently blended the organic mixed berries (Raspberries, blueberries and blackberries) with a hand blender. I didn't want to puree them; I wanted to have some texture in the yogurt once frozen. I mixed the two together , and WOW! what great color the fruit brought. Very rich...I wanted to eat it right then!

I used 2oz Dixie cups for the freezing, and I was out of popsicle sticks...so I used toddler spoons for the handles. Just popped those in the center of the cups, and in to the freezer they went!

*I apologize for the low quality of the photos, as I only use a basic point and shoot digital camera. *

I am really getting into buying local, so I think next time I make these, I'll buy fresh fruit from the local farmers market, freeze it, then use that for the frozen fruit. Right now I've got fresh strawberries, blueberries, grapes, bananas and pineapples on hand...I wonder what tomorrow's concoction will be!

This past weekend I traveled to my hometown of Louisville (and surrounding areas), KY for Mother's Day weekend. Whenever I'm in the area, I try to visit as many people as I can, and it gets a little crazy. This weekend I decided to not see any friends, but give all my time to my family. How rewarding it was!

I drove in late Friday night, and spent the late evening with my dad. Saturday morning my sister and I took my Grandmother out to breakfast for Mother's Day. I had not seen the new development of Westport Village; usually when I'm home visiting I don't have time to see all the changes to the city! It was so quaint, full of unique boutiques and restaurants. We ate at this fabulous place called "Wild Eggs", which was so different, but completely delicious!

I caught a matinee of the new Star Trek with my dad-and I LOVED it! Being a child of a sci-fi fan dad, I grew up watching all the old ST's with him. I give it a two thumbs up! After the movie, I drove down to Elizabethtown, where my mom and her husband now live. They are in a beautiful farm house temporarily (major damage to their home in the winter ice storm), but we had a fabulous time. Fished, cooked, laughed, cried, sang...we had a wonderful time.
Sunday I was walking back and forth setting the picnic table outside, and it struck me. I miss Kentucky. I looked down at myself and thought how I would never dress this way in Nashville....boots thrown on, jeans haphazardly halfway tucked in or halfway down my leg. Old faded jeans (ok those are a must no matter where you live!), white button down shirt, my hair was all windblown from driving home in the truck. I looked down at myself and I realized how incredibly comfortable and at home I felt. I was in my element.
So WHY am I moving? Well, I know that it's what I'm supposed to do next. I can't describe it, but I just know. I am secretly hoping that my next destiny is to move to a county home in the south....haha.

All in all, I had a wonderful weekend celebrating my mom and grandma. All of my siblings and I bought my mom a beautiful silver diamond necklace, mom loved it. :) Hopefully I'll have some photos up tomorrow.

In the past month I've celebrated my 25th birthday, had family visit from out of town, stayed in a hotel, purchased my first pair of bon-a-fide cowboy boots, went to a new restaraunt, saw three concerts, packed my apartment up to move...and the list goes on. Can you see why I haven't posted?? :)

My 25th birthday party was held at Arrington Vineyards, and what a bash it was! Every Spring and Summer, on the weekends; AV hosts "Music in the Vines", a free live music venue. And WHAT a venue!! A spectacular view, amazing music, and the fabulous wine....oh the wine...

The Tasting Room (aka The Lodge) sits atop a grand hill that overlooks the countryside of Williamson County. So beautiful. The vines were not "leafy" just yet; that's what you get when you have a vineyard in Tennessee! My family came down from Kentucky, and my friends all came with yummy food....I couldn't have asked for a better birthday celebration.
Everyone brought cameras, the scenery was too beautiful not to capture! Enjoy these snapshots from various friends..

The Tasting Room (the Lodge)

AV kegs flanking the gated entrance to the Vineyard

My one and only request: IveyCake.
Sweet little Emerson!


The whole crew...minus a few who had already left.
What a fun and fabulous night!!

The John Boat Experience

It was summertime in the hills of Kentucky, which meant my brother and I were outdoors. It was either be outdoors under the shade the woods provided, or indoors where central A/C was a foreign object and we could quite possibly get sucked into the attic fan in my brothers' room. The fan pulled air so hard through the house, it was scary!

After wandering around one afternoon, my brother Scott and I asked my mom for some help on finding something to do. I'm sure it sounded something like this: (thick Southern accent here) "Mama, we're BOOOOORED!". This particular day mom's idea was for us to carry our little john boat down to the "pond" and go "canoeing". We, of course, thought this was a FABULOUS idea; and quickly ran to the barn to dig out the boat. I'm sure it was buried under all kinds of interesting things in there....I'd rather not think about it.

So, here we were, two little kids struggling to carry this metal boat over our heads and down the hill to the "pond". After what seemed like FOREVER (and I'm sure was only a handful of minutes), and a few drags through the mud, we were here. Our afternoon of bliss. Our boating adventure. We quickly hopped in the boat, so excited to be on our way to expert boatmen. Boatwomen. Boatkids. Aquatic Professionals. Whatever.

We're paddling, paddling, paddling; then all of the sudden "crash! smash! nails on a chalkboard noise! (cattails scratching the sides of the boat)." It seemed that our "pond" was nothing more than a glorified puddle. A sinkhole filled with water. A hole in my heart. But we were not dismayed! We simply reversed positions, and "STROKE! STROKE! STRO"-crash! smash!...we had now arrived at the north end of the "pond". Again, we were not dismayed. we reversed positions, and continued on our journey through the muck.

I'm not sure how long we continued this back and forth process, but eventually, our trusty john boat began to fill with water. Being the girl in this situation, I began to panic. Even though our "pond" wasn't really a pond, it was oddly deep and over my head. As my heroic brother was so frantically trying to bail out the water, I was concerned with getting my feet on dry land as soon as possible. Being the sweet brother he was, Scott paddled enough to get me to the bank just before the unthinkable happened. The trusty john boat sank, and took my brother down with it! While the entire time this tragedy is happening, I was screaming bloody murder for my mom. Soon enough, Scott's head popped up from under the nasty greenish brown murky gag-me water.

He was standing up, his feet stuck in the mud below the waters surface. Ol' Trusty John Boat was stuck in the mud below the water as well. My mom came running, and helped pull my brother out of the mud. I'm sure my dad came home that evening, driving up the dirt road to our house, and was perplexed to see the corner of a familiar john boat sticking out of a really big puddle.
He never asked what happened, and I never returned to the "pond".

Got 30-40 minutes? Live near a park? Want to be active and enjoy the outdoors?

Well, have I got a little present for you! I thought I would share my workout today; so simple and effective! Having a best friend for a personal trainer; I've learned a few good things over the years. One of them is how to have a quick, yet effective and enjoyable workout. Did I just say enjoyable workout? I did.

Items you will need:
Park with a picnic table (Or backyard, whatever works for you)
Beach towel (or yoga mat)
Water
Medicine ball (I used a 6lb today, it's the only one I have)
iPod

Start by warming up with a light jog for 2 songs. I'm BIG into having a good playlist to work out to, and also use it to judge my time by.
You can do the following exercises in any sequence, but I prefer to alternate legs and arms.
Here is what I did today:

20 Walking Lunges w/ medicine ball (MB) over head (be sure to keep your arms straight, and sit down through your butt.)

20 Incline Push Ups-use the end of the picnic table and place your arms shoulder-width apart. For a harder workout, scoot your feet farther away from the table. Be sure to keep your back straight, don't let your lower back and butt sag towards the ground. This can cause back pain!

20 Sit Ups w/ MB. Find a flat spot on the ground and use your towel (or yoga mat) to lay on. Grasping the ball between your hands, be sure to keep it directly over your chest. Let yourself feel the additional weight as you sit up. Do not strain with your neck; let your muscles in your core do the working!

10 Single Leg Squats-lightly holding on to the end of the picnic table, sit down as you would sit in a chair. Feel your you glutes burrrrrrrn (at least mine do)! Be careful not to hold too tightly, rather grasp lightly and let your leg do the work. Switch legs after 10 reps.

Repeat workout as many times as you like. I did this workout 5 cycles today, and finished with a brisk walk around the parks' trail. Be sure to stretch!

My playlist for today:
Dancing Generation-Matt Redman
Bigger Than My Body-John Mayer
Miles to Go-Dave Barnes
These Days-Rascal Flatts
Up and Away-Dave Matthews
Sovereign Hands-Hillsong
Back At your Door-Maroon 5
Angel-Jack Johnson
Yes-Coldplay

After years of dreaming, hoping and wishing I could attend a Brad Paisley concert, my dream is becoming a reality! Thanks to a good friend (and his good friend) for incredible seats at a ridiculous price! I'm super excited, we're talking ever since Brad came on the country music scene I've been dying to see him live. He is an incredible guitarist, songwriter, and just plain funny. Opening for him is Darius Rucker (more commonly known as the Hootie and the Blowfish frontman), whose country debut cd was pretty good! I'll admit, every time I play his cd I'm taken back to the "Hold Myyyyyyyy Haaaaand!" days...
Also opening for Brad is Dierks Bentley. While I enjoy his music, I'm not a super huge fan. I do like his new single out on the radio right now though "Feel This Fire". All in all, I'm super excited and can't wait for Saturday! Good times to be had!
See below for yourself :)

I'm a girly girl. However, I don't keep my toenails painted year round. In fact, as I sit here typing, my toenails have the remnants of last years' pedicure still on them. Don't worry, I plan to fix that this week. The warm weather and my addiction to flip flops is my incentive to get a pedicure.
I like country music. Always have. Have tried to deny it at certain times, but have given myself completely over to it. I think it's the stories the songs tell. Some remind me of frog-giggin with my brother and the neighbor boy when I was 10, the others make me wish I was "the girl" in the songs. Some may say it's wrong to get swept away in a song. I say they are wrong. Be swept away. Favorite one right now?
'Cause there ain't nothin' like the sound
Of a cooler slushin' on the bed of your truck
And ain't nothin' like the sound of real country music
C'mon, turn it up
And I love to hear the whippoorwill sing any night
And the crickets out in the woods
Ooh, don't it feel so right
Don't it sound so good'
"Sound So Good, Ashton Shepherd"


I like my Mac. Alot. Although I'm not very technological, I love my Mac. I may not know how to sync my Twitter feed and Facebook updates, but I love my Mac. I also like having a cell phone. I may not take photos with my phone, upload them to TwitPic which is synced to my Twitter feed which then uploads to my Facebook, but I love my phone. I may not care too much for texting, but darn it I have a super cool 'whooshing' keyboard that pops out and everything. I'm fancy. In my world. Only to me :)

I'd like to consider myself a safe risk taker. Ironic, I know. But I like to take a risk, get a rush, but have investigated it beforehand. Maybe it's my lack of free flowing funds that keep this in line for me; I have a feeling if I had all the money in the world I'd blow it left and right on fun little risks. I like to travel. I like going to a city that I don't know much about (other than transportation and where my hotel is!), and just walking around. Seeing the sights, smelling the smells of something unfamiliar. There are moments in my life when I stop, think about the last time I experienced something unfamiliar, and decide right there to change it. My next unfamiliar adventure? Driving to Alabama. I spent some time in my childhood there, but haven't been back in ages. I think I may take a little trip to the coast and be with my family. This could be interesting. And unfamiliar. But fun.

I'm coming to the realisation that I don't really like clothes shopping. How on EARTH did that happen? I'm constantly asking myself as well. I'm not sure. I'm realizing that it's not as much fun anymore. Again, maybe it's the lack of free flowing cash that's changing my life. Maybe this is a good thing? Nah. I hope my love for shopping is simply being stowed away in the back of my heart for a time being, and will resurface when the time, (and free flowing cash) comes.

I have about thirty pairs of high heels that I don't wear anymore. Part of that is my job change; I went from a corporate environment to a laid back atmosphere that involves kid spit and a lot of snuggles. But I miss my heels. I only wear my black patent leather point toe stilettos anymore...no time for the others. They miss me.

I miss home. Yes, I'm home now, but I'm talking about the home in my memory. Sad thing is I won't ever experience that home again. I drove back home last year, only to find the farm of my memories was crumbling away, one crusty paint layer at a time. That, and the current owners painted the original green tin roof PEACH. Yes, peach. I'm not sure why. I've always thought in the back of my mind that I'd buy that place back one day. I think I may. Lots of memories in that barn. Friday night parties, hay loft adventures, my brother almost dying from bee stings when moving hay, my first cigarette smoke, the carvings from the 1800's builders in the walls. The smell of of tobacco leaves in the dirt. The overgrown cattle stalls. The scary ice house. The memories are endless, and I miss them.

I love warm weather. I'm not sure why I live in a climate where it gets cold. Oh, I enjoy the cold. For just a few days. Then I'm over it. Maybe a trip to a northernmost state will change my mind; since I've never really experienced true snow. Except in the "blizzard of 1994", when it snowed 12" in my hometown in Kentucky. We jumped off the roof of our house into a snow pile. We walked to the store. I thought I was cool and walked off of the road, only to be completely submerged in a snow drift up to my chest! I love the water. Lakes, creeks, waterfalls, the ocean, I love it all; and want to live by a body of water someday. And own a boat :)

So there you have it. Just a little bit more about me. Enjoy the sunshine today, I know I am. :)

This past week has been quite the week! Full of its ups and downs, that's for sure. I have been battling a upper respiratory/sinus infection for 10+ days now. We're talking a sore throat that has not let up! It feels like I'm swallowing glass every time I swallow. PAIN. I woke up this morning to PINK EYE! What the heck?! I haven't had this since I was a little girl. The doctor said that it is stemming from the infection in my system. I was sent away with an armful of drugs, hopefully I'll be feeling better soon.

Over the weekend my car was hit. Nothing major, but a few scratches and dents. SO glad it wasn't anything worse, and that no one was hurt (I was not in the car). So, that's never fun...then on Monday I went to have my tires rotated and balanced (been feeling some shakiness when I'm over 50 mph), and was told that I need all new tires. Mine are shot, and ready to blow out. Again, what the heck?! So, I'm in for a big purchase in the coming days; and I'm super excited. Can you tell?

We we re supposed to go cold camping this weekend, but we canceled at the last minute due to the weather. As always with TN weather, we totally could have gone. The rain stopped midday, the sun came out, it snowed overnight...how fun would it have been to wake up to the snow! I had all the food packed; heck, I even bought my fishing license!

So, those are my series of unfortunate events; luckily there were plenty of good times this weekend to counteract all the bad. :)

Because we didn't go camping, we decided to go for a late night bowling adventure. We got to the alley about 12:30 AM, and left by 2am. I bowled my best ever game of 106! And what's a late night without IHOP? So off we go to eat pancakes in the middle of the night. Because we didn't go camping, we decided to "camp" inside at Trish's. Every came over after their late sleep-in; piled on the couch and watch Jack Black movies. We even had a Wii intermission, which we found out that I dominate at Wii boxing HAHA! So random, but so fun.

Sunday I visited Grace Chapel with Jessie and Greg; and LOVED it! Saw a few people that I haven't seen in a while, had a great lunch with the Breeden's and Ecrement's...I loved it. After lunch we decided to catch a matinee of Taken (see preview HERE) , which was incredible! We hung out at Starbucks for awhile before going back to Jessie's and watching Changeling. Not sure what I think about that one just yet. The cinematography was odd, and the plot was a little slow. Can't believe it was up for Oscars! Monday night was Mike's birthday party before he goes back to Iraq (so sad :( ), so we had dinner at Moe's, then to see a movie.

All in all, the positive WAY counteracted the negative this weekend :) Now let's hope I can kick this pinkeye super quick and get back in the swing of things...hope your weekend was fabulous as well!

The key to any great workout is great music. Even having a "power song", if you will. My power song would have to be "Breathe Into Me" by RED. You know the moment in your workout when you are tired, want to go home, bored with your w/o..etc. I wish I had THIS! It's perfect!
I'll be honest, it was hard to get motivated to the gym tonight. I wasn't feeling so good, had mountains of laundry and....HAVE YOU BEEN OUTSIDE? It's cold! Really cold!
But, I overcame the cold, the ickiness and ran my little heart out.

Here's what kept me going:

Green Light-John Legend
Summer of 69-Bryan Adams
Spotlight-MuteMath
Good Morning Revival-Good Charlotte
Staple It Together-Jack Johnson
Keep Your Hands to Yourself-The Calling
Better-Brooke Fraser
Annie-SafetySuit
Hide-RED
Viva la Vida-Coldplay
The Moment-SafetySuit
Free Fallin-John Mayer version (GREAT cool down song!)

Saw this video, thought it was incredibly creative; and wanted to share! Enjoy!

A friend 'tagged' me on Facebook to do this, and thought I'd share. Kinda funny!

Here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button


1. What's my mood like right now?
Human-Jon McLaughlin

2. How's tomorrow going to be for me?
Call Me When You Get This-Corinne Bailey Rae

3. What kind of person am I?
Crazy Little Thing Called Love-Queen

4. Am I loved?
The Fever-Garth Brooks

5. How can I achieve my highest potential?
A Foggy Day (in London Town)-Michael Buble

6. What should I do with my life?
Fight for Your Honor-Chicago

7. Is everything really going to be alright in the end?
Better is One Day-Kutless

8. What is my best quality?
Making Memories of Us-Keith Urban

9. How does my social life look?
Body Language-Queen

10. What's the meaning of life?
If I Have Not Love-Matt Redman

11. What do people think of me?
This Time-John Legend

12. How crazy am I?
Eyes-Rogue Wave

13. Where will I be a year from now?
Here Is Gone-Goo Goo Dolls

14. What is my fondest wish?
Fool for Love-Jonny Diaz

15. How did my parents meet?
The Maker-Dave Matthews Band

16. What will I dream about tonight?
Home-Shaun McDonald

17. What should I be working on right now?
Goodnight Goodnight-Maroon 5 (No joke! I need to be asleep right now! ha ha!)

18. What's my roommate up to currently?
Time Alone-Phil Joel

19. What did I do last weekend?
Tell Me Bout It-Joss Stone

20. Describe me.
You and Me-Plain White T's

21. What does my music player think of me?
This Is Your Life-The Killers

Wow, it was one busy Holiday Season!

I enjoyed every moment of it though...well...except for the 6 hour drive to Kentucky in a terrible storm! I met up with my family for an early Christmas in Gatlinburg, TN. We enjoyed the hot tub outside, a little east TN mountaintop skiing, SHOPPING, and of course tons and tons of laughter. My siblings CRACK ME UP!
We had the biggest surprise (well, we found out about a week beforehand), but my youngest brother Sam proposed to his girlfriend, Tiffany. Who would have thought that the youngest sibling would get married first? Christmas Eve we all headed in our different directions; me on my way to my dad's in Louisville, my other siblings to their significant other's, and my oldest brother in Virginia. My dad and I enjoyed some long over-due Daddy-Daughter time; which we thoroughly enjoyed! Christmas was low-key, brunch, gifts, Grandma's, etc. I loved it.
I headed back home to TN on Saturday night, just enough time to rest up and get packed for my New Years trip to Chicago with Trish! We had a great time, FROZE myself to death (what can I say, I'm from the south!), shopped, laughed, coffee'd it up and had a blast. We rang in the New Year on the shore of Lake Michigan with hundreds others, huddled together against the cold. Fireworks shot out over the Lake, it was beautiful. After we got back to our hotel, we changed and went down the the hotel's Bistro/Bar. It was so cool, all decked out and had a live jazz band. We enjoyed a late New Years drink then finally turned in around 2am.

As soon as I got back, I launched right in to 2009! It's crazy to think it's 2009! I have such an anticipation for this year (as do many of my friends), and an expection for it to be WAY different than last year. I'm going to try new things, conquer old habits, and LIVE MY LIFE. I'm planning a early spring/summer cruise with some friends, and hopefully a trip to Europe in the fall. I'm excited to meet new people, and do new things. I can't wait! I wish I could describe my excitement further.....

Sam and his Finacee Tiffany
The crew

Wow, I just can't believe it's Christmastime! I have been enjoying every bit of it, however. I've stayed busy with many Christmas parties (some mandatory, some not ;), shopping, TONS of coffee, and plenty of conversations had with friends while sitting in traffic. :) I had a small blip on the Christmas Spirit radar last week; I came down with a 48 hour stomach bug. Not fun. Other than that, I have completely enjoyed myself!

A week from today I will be in cute, quaint Gatlinburg! I can't wait! My family has decided to spend an early Christmas in a cabin, skiing Ober Gatlinburg. I know, NOT real skiing, but hey, we are from the south, this is as skiing as it gets for us! I'm looking forward to chilling by the fire, soaking up in the hot tub, skiing (and tubing) the slopes, and of course..SHOPPING! I love Gatlinburg. I love how quaint and country it is. Granted, I wouldn't buy something from every store; but I love it's ambiance! Some girlfriends and I spent New Years there last year, SO FUN! I'm excited to spend some much needed time with my younger brother and sister; sans their boyfriend/girlfriends. What can I say, I'm being a little selfish?? We'll head out on Christmas Eve, and I'm hoping to make it back to New Song Woodbine's Christmas Eve service; then on to my dad's in Kentucky for Christmas day. We decided instead of having Christmas dinner, we are going to have Christmas breakfast. I can't wait, SO YUMMY! My dad may be a handyman; but that doesn't limit him from the kitchen. He's just as handy in there as well. I'm hoping to catch up with some friends while I'm home; always so hard since I'm not there that often. Who knows, maybe they will read this and decide to come to Nashville! :D

Well, it's off to finish the Christmas shopping list (only a few more to go! ). Doesn't it just feel good when you purchase a gift for someone else? Makes me want to do it WAY more often. Merry Christmas!! Oh, and by the way, here's a throwback to the Student Intern Days. Enjoy this rendition of a "Cajun Christmas".

A few things that make me smile during the Holidays....

Getting a Christmas card in the mail (it's like being able to open a present early!)
The smell of a fresh Christmas Tree
Starbucks Holiday cups
Cinnamon
Fires in the fireplace
Shopping for others
Endless Christmas music
Endless Christmas movies
Finding the perfect gift, and the anticipation knowing that you have it until the moment they open it!
Seeing Christmas lights and trees while driving down the road
Hearing someone say Merry Christmas, because they say it way more than someone saying hello on a regular day.
Discovering out how other cultures celebrate Christmas
Wearing scarves, hats and gloves
Baking
Building a gingerbread house, and then eating it piece by piece :)
Seeing the presents pile up under the Christmas tree
The smell of "holiday" in the air. Everything is just magical :)
Road Trip CD mixes for the ride home to see family
Listening the the roar of laughter crammed in one room at my Grandmas

I know there more things, but I hope that reading this list brings a smile and memory to your mind.

Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas!

Even though I have stopped being a member of CrossFit, I still very much adhere to their prescribed workouts; with less intensity. Fran is one of the most popular Workouts of the Day (WOD's). The prescribed WOD for Fran is:
Reps-21-15-9 (FOR TIME)
95lb Thrusters
PullUps

It's a very intense work out, and has been completed in 2min 2seconds by Josh in California. CRAZY!! Anyway, here's a new and interesting spin on Fran from a CrossFit affiliate...

Yes, please! I'm always on the hunt for a bargain, (as are all of my friends, thank goodness) and it's like a triple score when I come across something for free. As a life-long fan of Dr. Pepper, and more recently, it's Diet counterpart, I was ecstatic to hear of this release:

"Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality. The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday. Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28."

Enter Dr. Pepper's site HERE.

Enjoy!

I wish I could say I found this amazing site first, but alas, I did not. A friend on Facebook posted this, and I had to share. If you appreciate art, then you will love this!

Take a look HERE.

Click here for Matt Chapels' Tennessee Titan Town....

My kinda Sunday afternoon football song :)

Thanks Jon...

I haven't had many words lately. Not sure why; if you sit me down face to face, I could talk all night! I've been needing to update this blog, and email dear friends out of town for weeks; and I just can't seem to sit and type out the words lately. Strange.
Well, I can't believe this weekend is already coming to a close! Friday night I babysat for the family I nanny for; which is always a pleasure. James (the toddler) is such a sweetie and an all around good little boy. Saturday I had an allergy medicine induced sleep-in! I wasn't feeling well before I went to bed, so I took my allergy meds...and slept until 11am! Woops! Not gonna lie, it felt pretty good. I met up with Julie for a quick hike around the Natchez Trace, SO beautiful this time of year! Great conversation, as always :). Ran home to meet Mark, who was putting together my shiny new TV cabinet (he did a fab job, and it looks great!); and get ready for the DRIVE IN!!! WOO HOO! This was my third time this year getting to go to the drive in movie with friends, and I'm hoping to be able to go at least one more time (although I may be staying IN the car this time...). A ton of people showed up, we loaded the cars with blankets, food, coffee and hot cocoa and were off. We piled on the ground and saw Madagascar 2 (hilarious, by the way) and Eagle Eye. Had a wonderful time with old friends, getting to know others, and meeting new people all at the same time!

The past few weeks have been eventful, the family I nanny for had their much anticipated little girl! Emerson Elizabeth Mulvey was brought into this world at 12:46am on October 23. She weigh 8.5oz and was 19.5in long. Such a sweet little girl! I've enjoyed watching her grow and changed in the few weeks she has been with us. For Halloween (which is also James' birthday), James was Peter Pan, and Emerson was TinkerBell! HOW CUTE!! They stole the show, that's for sure.
Let's see....I took a trip to KY to send off my younger brother to the Marines, and celebrate his birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years since he will be in Basic Training. We celebrated how we always do: a shooting contest. I love my family, can I just say that? All the boys got out their guns and ammo, and we headed out to the field to shoot. Went bowling, to the movies, etc. Had a great time all around .

Over the past month since I've last posted, I've enjoyed a few trips to Arrington Vineyard; seriously one of my new favorite places! We've gone to the Drive In Movies, regular movies, birthday parties, night on the Fort at Trish's....the list goes on. I do need to give full attention to probably one of the BEST things that happened to me this fall. Over the past two NFL seasons, I have become an avid Titans fan. Must be something about them being in the city that I love and live in! Of all the games this season, I wanted so badly to go to the Monday Night Colts/Titans game. I went two seasons ago when we stomped the Colts, and wanted to see it happen again. But, it wasn't looking likely at all. So, I settled for attending a party at Jon and Bethany's (which was looking to be supa fun!). Then, Saturday night, the miracle happened. Some friends of mine have season tickets and a box suite...AND THEY CALLED ME! They invited me to go to the game, which I very quickly said yes! I was so excited. Seriously, of ALL the games this season, THIS was THE ONE I wanted to attend. So, Monday night came, and we all layered and bundled up (it was freezing) and headed to the stadium. Not before of course having a pre-tailgate tailgate at the Williams! Kelly had quite the spread, and Jeff whipped up some fabulous pomegranate martinis. Soon enough we were off to the game, and the tailgate party. Unfortunately, we were stuck in traffic so long that we missed the tailgate. Lucky us we had the pre party already! When we walked in the stadium, it hit me just how good our seats were. 40 yd line, home side...close to the field, I was in football heaven! The game was great, close, and exciting. In the 3 quarter, Todd leans over to us and says: "Let's go up". I didn't know what he was talking about, until we were headed up to the Box. Yup, the box. We all agreed that free food, drinks and HEAT were great, but the outdoor seats were way more fun. There's just something about the yelling, screaming, cursing, beer smelling guys in the stands that make a football game great. So, I'm ever so thankful for the William's inviting me to go along, making my NFL dream come true; for this season :) .

Well, I've used way over my quota of typed words for the day, I hope you all have and will enjoy the fall weather while it lasts! Be sure to stop by Starbucks and try their Signature Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate-it's fabulous!

History was made last night. Democratic or Republican, Black or White, NoBama or McPalin....it's all over. Barack Obama is now our 44th President-Elect of the United States. I personally did not note for Obama; and do not agree with his opinions and standings. However, he is now in line to be our next President and I will support my country's leader. In my opinion, God knew this was going to happen, and I place my trust far more in Him than a leader. We elected a President, not a Saviour, as my pastor so frequently states.
In another perspective, it was so cool to see other ethnicities grab hold of this election; where in the past they may have felt they didn't have a voice, or it would not be heard. Seeing seas of African American people shouting for their country, USA; brought tears to my eyes and shivers down my spine. How cool to see our country truly uniting to elect a President (again, standings and opinions aside). I know for my short adult life, I haven't seen that happen to this extent.

It's time to unite, support and love one another. We all love this country so much; it's time to show it.

I do. This weekend I am planning on going home to Kentucky for a quick visit. I'm hoping, SO hoping to be able to go to Six Flags for their annual "Fright Fest". I don't think I have been to Ky Kingdom since I was in high school! In addition to the roller coasters, (Yes, the Hellavator is closed..) they have people in costumes lurking around, a haunted "forest" and numerous other fun fall frightening things. I can't wait!

I'm absolutely loving this artist! She's so eclectic and funky, yet folk-sy at the same time. Her lyrics are somewhat random; but always sweet in a way-and she's definitely in love with Autumn. Who can blame her?
Folk-lover or not, you've got to give her a listen. Hope you enjoy!

I know some friends have already posted these new CD's on their blogs, but being a fan of both, I thought I would share the love. I have both of their previous cd's, and LOVED them. I'm excited to check out their new ones!






And coming soon in concert....(just a little over a week away...)

I guess blogging isn't one of my best things I do-I always forget to update!! So sorry....

The past few weeks have had their ups and downs (like any week), but two weekends ago was one of my favorites so far this fall. My dad came to spend the day with me (he lives in KY), and we decided to take his new Jeep Wrangler for a spin on the Natchez Trace. The weather was just starting to cool down, so we took the top down, grabbed some coffee (and Trish!!) and headed out to the country for a drive. We stopped in Leiper's Fork, seriously one of the cutest little towns around for some fun photos and a refill on the beverages; then headed out to cruise the Trace. After about an hour of fun filled driving and a quick hike up to the Lookout, we headed back to Downtown Franklin to have lunch at Puckett's.


After Dad headed back home to Kentucky, the girls and I met up to grab a fancy dinner of cheese and crackers before heading out to Arrington Vineyards for their weekly Music in the Vines. There we met up with Julie and Merari and got situated on the hillside for our evening picnic. the Jazz band was fantastic, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We laughed, talked, enjoyed the wine and music; all while watching an amazing sunset. Once dark, we could even see fireworks in the distance! Absolutely amazing.
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The following day (Sunday) I enjoyed catching up with a friend at Fido's, one of the local (and one of my fave's) coffeeshops. After that I headed home to put in a quick walk with Trish, then we loaded up three different kinds of S'mores-and headed out to Travis's. We had the perfect bonfire, perfect weather, and the perfect debut of Ree'More's, (Reese smores), CarMore's (Carmello Smores), and your traditional Chocolate. My fave is the Ree'More's, THANKS TRISH! Travis and Scotty broke out the Acoustic and ukelele, and sang wonderful campfire songs (ok, some goofy Scotty songs too..). A perfect ending to a great weekend. OH, and the Titans went 4-0, first time in Franchise history! Even Better :)


This past weekend was much more low-key. Friday night we started our annual Movie Nights at New Song Woodbine, and it was a HIT! We showed the Bee Movie, and I convinced my friend Jon to wear a bee costume that I had rented. I'm not sure how much convincing it took, he is always up for a laugh. Saturday Trish and I headed over to Katie's home to paint her much needed living room. I will say, we did a fantastic job! I wish I had photos to post, I'll track them down and put the before and afters up-it's amazing! Saturday night...I honestly can't remember what I did Saturday night. I'm sure it involved hanging with the girls. :) Sunday was mellow, I wasn't feeling well and left church early to go to Trish's . Her house is SO warm and comfortable, the couch is addicting!! Trish made me lunch, and we just rested all afternoon. Caught a movie on TV, and watched the Titans game...they pulled it off AGAIN 5-0!! I just can't believe it. Sunday night we went to Katie's to see her final product (She still had to paint her built-in bookcase); and again, we were so satisfied with our painting jobs! Monday I had the day off and went for a hike at the Natchez Trace again (I just can't stay away! ), and enjoyed some much needed Julie time. After a quick stop in at Jocelyn's, I was headed home for the afternoon. I met up with Katie to do a brutal workout, then hit the sack. So all in all, I had a relaxing, but full weekend.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, I have community service to serve in KY for a speeding ticket I got this summer (I know, I know); and may try to make it home to see the fam and friends. I hope you are enjoying this wonderful fall weather as much as I am! Coffee and sweaters, here I come!

Check this out!!

Pastor Andrew talked about Geocaching in his sermon a few weeks ago, and it piqued my curiosity. I googled it and was completely in love! I enjoy discovering things, and this is basically scavenger hunts, on crack. You use coordinates to locate the cache, which is hidden in, under, and on things. Today Pastor Andrew called and invited Mindee and I to join his family in an afternoon of geocaching, and I was SUPER excited about it! At one point, we had PA scampering up a street light corner post, another time Jake (Andrew's son) was given a boost to scour the top of a sign. Both times we were "Skunked" (couldn't find it). The final cache Jocelyn found, the clue was "Under JBS". We looked and looked...it was near a cemetery so we thought it was near a headstone (morbid, I know). After we had given up, loaded the kiddos back in the car, Joc goes running off with the GPS one last time, and finds it! It was under a street sewer thing. Good lookin' Joc!
All that to say, I am now addicted, and can't wait to go next week! I am officially joining team Lambinator.....so if you see some crazy people searching for things in crazy areas....just smile and know we are searching for something not everyone is looking for. :)
I dare you to try it, it makes you think, thats for sure!

I am so excited that fall-ish weather is on its way to Tennessee! It's time for football (praise the LORD), sweatshirts, bonfires, hayrides and more. I'm excited to plan a trip home to Kentucky soon, just to have the worlds' largest bonfire, built by my brothers. SO much fun!

Sorry I haven't updated the past few weeks! My weekends haven't been as action-packed as those previous...other than the my Labor Day trip to Florida; which was fantastic. I was able to stay with Karl and Lena Pugh, just a hop, skip and jump away from the beach. It was so wonderful to fall asleep with the waves crashing in my ears, wake up to fresh coffee (thanks KD) brewing, and a little 3 year old begging me to play. We relaxed on the beach, enjoyed great meals in great company! I also was able to catch up with Eric and Melissa Belcher who moved there not too long ago as well. Their kids, plus the Pugh's....we had a blast! I loved visiting my "family" in Florida.

As soon as I returned I jumped right back in to work, meetings, and then working some more! I injured my back about two weeks ago and was down for about 4 days...NOT so fun. It's SO much better now, thank goodness. I think I can handle a broken foot or knee surgery, but not being able to move due to pain? That was almost unbearable! I missed out on so many fun things that weekend, a friends concert, hanging out, etc. I was bummed, but in so much pain. This past weekend was no shortage of fun....was able to catch up with Preston and Katie and had a great time! We frequent this great little place in Franklin called Dan Mcguiness, it's a pub/restaurant that has fabulous outdoor seating (and great fish and chips too!). Sunday I chilled at Katie's house watching football almost the entire day! Can't say that I do that too often, but it was SO nice. I think I even snoozed there for a while, and missed the Colts pull off their win over Minnesota!

This week has been great so far! I was able to accomplish so many little things that have needed to be done at my house! Finally hanging some things up, cleaning the patio from the construction, re-sorting and organizing my storage unit (I know, I know). You can now open it, find what you need, and not worry about something falling on your head! It's things like knowing my storage unit is clean that enables me to sleep at night. :) Last night a group of us headed out to Exit/In to see Preston's band play, and they did really well! I haven't seen them perform any of their new stuff, so it was a really good show. Tonight we are off to pick up Katie's new couches that she got off Craigslist for an AMAZING deal! New Pottery Barn couch/love seat set for such a steal! She is so excited, and I'm not gonna lie, so am I. Many, many football games to be watched!!

I hope you are having a fabulous week and enjoying this fall weather as much as I am!

This weekend Trish, Jon, Bethany, Josh and I set out to conquer the Ocoee River in East TN. We chose to do the "Upper", which was the Olympic course in 1996 for rafting/kayaking. We had a fabulous time, and other than Josh popping out at the beginning, we had no losses on the trip down the river. We had a great guide, "Dobbs" who left us laughing and sometimes scared-he was super serious.

After the rapids, we headed to our campsite at Gee Creek. The guys (and Bethany) set up camp while Trish and I went back out on an adventure to find firewood. You would think that a place that has so many campsites; that they would also have firewood. NOT the case. We were lucky that our guide told us that he was selling some. So after tracking him down, we filled the back of my Rodeo up and headed back to camp. We grilled hot dogs, "Reemore's" (Smore's with Reeses, named by Trish), enjoyed some Phase 1o and just hanging by the fire. We were able to sleep in a bit despite the sprinkling rain, and packed up camp. We tried to toss the disc a bit, but the wind (or our lack of energy) wouldn't allow us to throw properly, so we called it a day. We grabbed some Sonic and headed to the site of the Olympic course to watch the rafter's go down the river. It's so funny to watch someone else do what you just did the day before-I hope I looked as good as they made it look!

I woke up that morning with severe allergies, and didn't pack my meds-so I had to dope up on Benadryl. Needless to say I was quite drowsy/loopy by the time we headed back home. I slept most of the trip home!! As soon as we got back to my place, we jumped in our own cars (we had taken mine) and headed straight for church. I could only stay for the first part since I was so loopy on Benadryl! I headed home as soon as I could, quickly unpacked and crawled into bed about 830. I slept straight until this morning!

So far, the last few weekends have been packed full with activities, and I wouldn't have it any other way! I'm sure my boss would love it if I didn't come to work every Monday with my hair in a ponytail and coffee in my hand.... :) This coming weekend is hopefully going to be my most favorite of the summer. Trish and I scored great flights to Florida; and we are able to stay with dear friends of mine, the Pugh's. The Belcher's also live in the same town, so I am so excited to spend some time with both of them-ON THE BEACH! :)

More updates to come, I'm sure-until then-as a friend of mine emailed me-have a splendid week!

I promise I have a life that doesn't include posting videos to my blog. :)

Have been amazing lately. It feels like my life has been turned upside down these past few weeks! I briefly mentioned it a few weeks ago, but WOW-there are no words sometimes!

I have had the busiest summer, and I have loved every moment of it. I am so glad that I have been able to take many trips home to Kentucky, small trips with friends, camping, caving, flying, seeing baseball games, football games, going to the drive in, celebrating birthdays, the list goes on. I have missed plenty of hours of sleep, but have gained so many fun memories along the way, that it has been totally worth it!

I'm excited for this weekend of White Water Rafting and camping, then the next weekend soakin' up the sun in Florida with Trish! We are going to visit Karl and Lena Pugh, as well as Eric and Melissa Belcher. Can't wait! There may also be a NYC trip in the mix for September, I'll keep you posted.....

Trish and I went shopping today. No, we didn't skip work, we shopped via the internet and chat. How ridiculous are we?? :) This was my bargain for the day...SO CUTE!

Such a touching story. I saw this on Trish's blog and thought I would share. Click on the video to the left.

In honor of the graduating student interns, I thought I would share some past graduation videos that appeared at various graduations while I was a student intern. Unfortunately, these videos do no include all of the super sweet and funny photo slide shows, just the skits. Enjoy!

January 2006 Graduation
Graduates: Kyle, Lauren and JT


August 2006 Graduation
Graduates: ME!! Stoney, Sarah


This was for our Host Home Celebration...2003


Another Host Home Celebration...circa 2004?

A friend of mine recently "updated her status" on Facebook to read: "I've got a crush on clouds lately". It made me think about clouds, naturally. This is what I found. Pretty incredible.

Wow, this past week has been so powerful in my personal life, my world has pretty much been turned upside down! It's a very good upside down...no worries there. I'll give a brief update on my "stay-cation" last week before sharing about everything else that is going on.

Last Saturday I packed up the car and headed to Dale Hollow Lake to meet up with my brothers and sisters for a weekend at the cabin. We had a fantastic time jumping off the top of the boat, chatting by the fire, climbing rocks to jump off of, playing hours of Phase 10, etc. Oh, and did I mention that we NEVER stopped eating? We seriously ate constantly. It was insane how much food we all brought! My favorite part of the trip was the last morning, we are checking out of the cabin at the marina and it was SUCH a beautiful day...that we all decided to take the boat out for a few last hours of fishing (for the guys) and catching some sun for the girls.

Tuesday Katie and I took a last minute trip to Mammoth Cave, KY to go on the Wild Cave tour. I've actually done this tour before, but it is so much fun that I could go over and over and over! Our guide actually told us that there was a person who did the tour 101 times, and never went the same place twice. Talk about crazy! So, we did things that I didn't remember on the last tour, got a little freaked out by the tight squeezes, got completely soaked, and completely dirty. It was entirely too much fun! Luckily, someone brought there camera on the trip so we were able to have photos of the trip. Such a fun day! It's almost a week later and I am still sore on my legs from crawling. Did I mention it was 6 hours? Yeah. We're talkin' serious spelunking here. Or, as Katie would call it.."kerplunking".

more to come...

This is what I do, to an extent. This is was the CrossFit games 2008 in California. Obviously, they are competing for a much better time than I ever complete, but it's the same workouts essentially.

I found Eli Mattson online recently, a singer/songwriter who recently auditioned for America's Got Talent. He has a unique sound, and definitely made me want to follow his music career.

More details to come, but enjoy these photos until then!

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Washington, D.C. to visit family. Due to a series of events, I had to fly in to Baltimore, MD and take the train into Union Station in D.C. I had never taken a train before, and I was doing it alone. I didn't know what to expect. In the end, everything was fine, but as I sat on the train (it was about a 40min ride), my mind began to roll. I was lost in deep thought, and I decided to write some of them down. Here's what I'll share:

As I sit on the train watching the trees pass by, I realize that my life is extraordinary. Not just ordinary, but EXTRAordinary. I was created for this. I was created to experience life; MY life that He has given me. Be it the simplicity of watching the diversity of people on my train, or meeting that sweet old couple who just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. That’s life.
How often do I get stuck in my own bubble, not realizing that I’m breathing recycled air? What will it take to get me outside that bubble? Some event, be it unexpected, to give me that life-giving rush of fresh air? Like stepping into the clean air in the mountains, it kind of burns when you breathe in. That’s the life I want to live. I love more than anything to experience something more than ordinary.
What is your outcome?
I know mine. I choose to live my life.

Yes, it's finally happened. On July 3, 2008, I received my very first speeding ticket. The ticket aside, I will say I entered into the world of offending the law with a bang; and NOT by choice.

So here's what happened. I was on my way to my mom's house in Kentucky for the 4th of July. I decided to buy my little brother some fireworks before crossing over into KY (we have better fireworks than KY)...and missed the exit. I turned around and headed south on 65, lost in thought about the awesome purchase I was getting ready to make; when I noticed a cop car. Immediately I looked down, saw that I was going roughly 70, which was the speed limit. In that split second it dawned on me that I was in a construction zone, and the limit was 55. How could I have NOT seen the sign? Sure enough, he flipped on his lights and came cruising after me. After he took my information, he informed me that I was going 74 in a 55. NINETEEN mph over the limit! I was so mad at myself for not remembering the 55mph sign.

So, the policeman takes my info back to his car, and I wait. And wait. And wait. Then I notice in my mirror that there is a lot of commotion behind me. I turn and look, and there are now two cop cars! AH! What the heck?! Soon enough one comes to one side of my car, and the other to my drivers side and ask me to step out of the car and join them in the back. I'm clueless at this point. What on earth is happening? He gives me my ticket then asks me the question of the day. "Do you have any narcotics in your car? May I search your car? Do you have any weapons?" At this point I want to laugh out loud. I'm dressed in a polka dotted skirt, red tank with sparkles in it, cute hair and accessories-I'm about the last person that would have any of the above mentioned things in their car! So there I am on the side of the interstate, two policemen surrounding me, searching my car, asking me scary questions. I feel mortified, and so thankful that this happened in KY and not anywhere remotely to where I lived. I would have died if someone I knew saw me!

The policeman that was standing by me at the back of the car got to asking me questions about myself (why make small talk when you have a GUN?) and asked what my degree was in. When I replied "Biblical Counseling, I went to a bible school"...he laughed. Not at me, at the situation and the grumpy cop searching my car. He then apologized and tried to get me out of my ticket! So sweet, even though I was well deserving of the ticket. As the other cop re-joined us at the back of the car, he seems satisfied finding nothing. That's when I tell him that I'm sure what he smelled (he mentioned that he smelled something in my car earlier) was my perfume; and he doesn't seem phased. He thanked me for my cooperation and left me with my $200 ticket.

Happy Fourth of July.

I didn't buy the fireworks.