...

I'm sorry it's been a few weeks since I've last posted, but I've been pretty busy (as usual). Last weekend Trish and I took a trip to Atlanta to see the Braves play the Arizona Diamondbacks (The Braves lost); which was really fun. We stayed at a great hotel, ate at some great places, and even managed to run in to some really great friends from here in Franklin! We enjoyed IKEA and the Science museum IMAX, and of course, riding the MARTA (public transportation)!!



My work schedule has stayed pretty busy between nannying and the church. I sure am looking forward to some summer breaks! In just a few weeks I am heading to the Washington, D.C. area for my younger brother's high school graduation. They grow up so fast now a days! I'm also looking forward to camping with Katie, a white water rafting trip, lake-housing it with my family, and trips home to KY to see family and friends. I'm also hoping to make it back to ATL soon to visit the cousins down south.

I've been thinking lately about grand gestures. Everyone dreams of someone who will make the grand gesture of how much they mean to them, care about them, etc. You see it played out in movies; lavish affairs with flowers, etc. But what is a grand gesture to you? I recently had a "grand gesture" experience. It was on my birthday, and my mom wanted so badly to have me home for my birthday. Instead, she knew how much it would mean to me to come down to TN for my special day; that she brought my dad and step-dad with her. That gesture spoke VOLUMES to me, but to someone else it may have seemed small.

That day made me think about those things in my life. How can I show those in my life just how much I care? What gesture of appreciation that I know THEY will love receiving more than me giving it? Is it hours spent playing their favorite video game? Is it going somewhere you never would, but knowing they love it, and doing it anyway? In the end, it's all about serving that person, be it your spouse, significant other, or best friend; and putting their preferences before yours. How many times I have fought for what I wanted? How often have I thought only of myself, and not of those around me?

Everyone wants a grand gesture. Everyone wants to know they are worth more than the mundane things in life. It's up to us to show them they are.

Wow, it has been a full week! Full of life, work, friends, etc. Jon and Bethany's wedding was last weekend, along with Mother's Day; which I made a day trip to KY to see my mama! I had a great time with the family, catching up with my brother who was in Virginia for a few months, and planning our first ever "Siblings Vacation"! We are planning on going to Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky this summer and renting a cabin for a long weekend. I can't wait! 

That's right, my good friend (and practically brother) Jon Melton, is getting married this evening to the lovely Bethany Hawkins. It's hard to believe that the day has finally come-and we are all SO excited! Last night we had a hilarious rehearsal dinner, sharing stories and memories and just laughing it up. I'm so excited for Jon and Bethany; I know their life together is going to model a marriage that is full of fun and adventure.

I finally did it. I went Mac. My Compaq laptop breathed it's last breath on Saturday, May 3rd. I couldn't have been any happier! This opened my options for a new laptop, and to finally take the Mac plunge. Originally I wanted a MacBook, but in thinking things through, I opted for a refurbished iBook. It works just as well, and will suit my needs just fine. For the time being. :)

My friend Andy showed me this video, and it's just too good NOT to share. It almost makes playing the flute cool. Almost.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately. I'm not sure what it is, I'm blaming the Springtime in the air, and that I've caught Spring Fever! I find myself sleeping with my windows open and fan on-listening to the rumblings of life outside my window. Listening to little girls and their daddies going to the park, the birds trying to find a tree to land on. The occasional security beep of a car, signaling that they are through for the evening, and the tick tick tick of heels headed home. Ahh...life.

Life Lately. I've been staying busy with CrossFit, going faithfully to three classes a week. I'm tellin' ya, they are KILLER! I've successfully flipped tractor tires and raced against my time to get better and faster. I'm not as sore today, which I am thankful for although I'm sure it will hit me hard tomorrow. I've recruited another to CF-my friend Jon. I'm excited to have him come and get tortured with the rest of us. He's getting married in two weeks, SO crazy! I'm super excited and can't wait. I love them both!

To do a brief recap of last weekend, we (the girls and I) thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the Biltmore. I loved it's rich history and well preserved essence. We wandered through the gardens and investigated the Conservatory (Which was incredible, it was the Festival of Flowers while we were there), explored the four floors of the 175,000 square ft. house (not all of it, of course). It's hard to say what my favorite part of the house was, seeing as I could totally (and will!) return for many more tours of the building and grounds. We were able to go to the Winery, which used to be the old dairy farm; and have free wine tasting. I purchased a great bottle of Riesling for some special occasion, who knows when.

I've had a pretty busy week, working and various evening events. Friday Trish and I headed to Murfreesboro to purchase Trish's new bedroom furniture and to do a little shopping (taking advantage of Tax Free Weekend...) and dinner at Red Robin. Saturday I endured my CrossFit class and then after showering (we were really dirty) Katie, Preston and I hit the Main Street Festival in downtown Franklin. Can I just say that I love living in Franklin? I love the festivals, the small townness- the quaintness of it all.

Preston and I finally learned a valuable lesson at the Festival, that Carnival rides and Roller Coasters are NOT the same thing. We set out to conquer a few carnival rides (after our King Corn Dog and Funnel Cake, of course); and after deciding on the Boat (you know, the one that goes back and forth) and "Superman", we were sold. The Boat should have been our first red warning flag. The six year old who sat in front of us was completely unaware that there were two twenty-somethings about to lose their lunch right behind her. After recovering from the Boat, we chose Superman for our next adventure. Sharing a uni-seat should have been the second red flag, and coming in a close third is the "uni-belt" we had to share. Preston turns to me and says: "tighten that up. we are going to die." I'm so glad that I have an encouraging friend with me! We start out backwards (never a good thing) and are quickly lifted to the top and spinning quite fast. What did it for me was the music that was playing. I had originally been excited that there was music on this ride, but as we were spinning faster and faster, the music was becoming more and more distorted, reminding me that I was stuck at a freaky carnival out of a movie or something. My hands were sweaty, both Preston and I are vocalizing the noises our stomachs were making...you get the picture. We finally stop and we both almost keel over from the pain. We finally meet back up with Katie (who said, "Told ya!" when we walked up) and relaxed for a bit before heading to Pinkerton Park to chill. What a great day!

Today we kicked off our youth Small Group at church, we are totally pumped about it! I'm excited for the summer, it's gonna be good. I had dinner at Kyle's to meet a great couple (friends of his) who are thinking about moving to Nashville. I was able to catch up with a few friends that I haven't seen in a while and just laugh. We shared old stories (mainly some of my series of unfortunate events...) and enjoyed each other's company. It was a great time and I'm glad to meet Chris and Jaclyn!

I have the next two days off, and I'm up entirely too late, but hey, isn't that what days off are for?

I had an absolutely wonderful time with the girls this weekend at the Biltmore. I'll post more later, but enjoy these snapshots for now.

Lately I've been loving answering some of the email "quizzes" I've been receiving. Here's on I got just today, and thought it was interesting.

What I was doing 10 years ago:

-Finishing my first year of High School
-First knee injury
-First date

Five things on my to-do list this week:

-Send in my tax payment
-Go to the Zoo
-Decide if I am going to the Dove's
-Make a hair appt
-Be tortured by CrossFit

Places I have traveled:

-Mexico
-Japan
-Carribean
-VA Beach (my fave so far in USA)


Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

-Have a ROCKIN' house
-Have an car that works :)
-Travel
-Share money with family and church family
-Enjoy a vacation:)

Five of my bad habits:

-Popping my knuckles occasionally
-Slight OCD (it even annoys me)
-Don't like to drive. Ever.
-Running out of gas
-Wearing flipflops too much in the summer

Five places I have lived:

-Louisville
-Taylorsville
-Franklin
-Nashville
-Brentwood

Five jobs I’ve had:

-Chiropractic Assistant
-Nanny
-Membership Coordinator (YMCA)
-Lifeguard (My fave)
-Wedding/Reception Coordinator

I'm sorry it's been a few days since my last post, but I've been hoppin'! I'll start with last weekend :).

Friday Katie Carr (good friend from home) was in town visiting, and my schedule worked out so that I could see her and her new baby for a bit! Katie and I were able to catch up and run some errands before she headed out on the earliest Saturday morning flight back to Colorado. After hanging with Katie and Lily, I caught up with Trish for a late night chat. Our great idea to walk to the top of a hill in her new development was quickly aborted when Trish tried to "dash" across the mud-leaving her shoe in it! We got some good laughs and just sat on the front porch talking and enjoying the nice weather.

Saturday was a early morning! Mark and Natalie Munden were married on Saturday afternoon, so the ladies and I attacked the main room at Woodbine to prepare for the reception. The wedding was great, and the reception (which I coordinated) went off smoothly. Those of us who were left after the reception tear down opted for a calm dinner at a local Mexican place, and I was spent!

Sunday-MY BIRTHDAY! I had a great morning at church, breakfast with a friend, and then lunch with my parents who came in town. We ate at a little place in Opryland Hotel, then did a little shopping at OpryMills. I had just enough time to run home and freshen up before heading to San Antonio Taco Co. (known around here as SATCO) for a birthday party. I picked up Katie (whose birthday is also on the 13th) and we headed down to party. I was so excited to see that almost everyone had made it out! My favorite was that my pastor and his whole crew made it out-even the little Lamb, Wilson (their last name is Lamb..ha ha) You can see the photos here.

Monday was the start of my CrossFit training that my employer's so amazingly gave me as a birthday gift. It was another hard workout, my legs are still hurtin! I went again yesterday (wednesday) and we flipped tractor tires. Now that, I'm proud of. Those things were darn heavy, and I did it!

That's a quick wrap up of last weekend, and I'm sure next week I'll have much to say about this weekend as well. The girls and I (Trish, Katie and Lindsey) are headed to Knoxville and Asheville to see the Biltmore Estate. I'm so excited, I've always wanted to see it!

I love Starbucks, I do. I'm not into the "frou frou" drinks if you will; I enjoy a nice medium roast tall coffee ( with cream and sugar, please!) almost daily. As I was stopping in for my morning treat, I noticed my favorite house blend wasn't on the menu; it was replaced by the new Pike Place daily brew. I'm always up for an adventure, so I asked for the new brew. As I was driving away, I noticed the signature brown sleeve was gone as well. "What on earth is going on?" I thought. I looked down, and noticed (and felt) a change in the cup. Seems as though Starbucks is revamping it's look to promote a new "old" feel, look and brew. You can read more about the changes here. The Pike Place blend was ok, not my favorite House Blend, but better than some I have tasted.
Also with the changes on the cups, the adored "The Way I See It" quotes are missing from their walls.
In their honor, here are some of my favorite quotes I've read over time:

The Way I See It

Well, I'm a day late in posting this, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON! Yesterday (April 8th) was my good friend (and basically brother) Jon's 26th birthday. Bethany (his fiance) got a group of us together to celebrate last night at Nacho's, a great Mexican place in town. We enjoyed laughing, listening to awesome music the DJ played, and played Trivia! We actually won...GO TEAM!
The funniest part of the night was when I was just chattin' away, and suddenly my back was wet and cold. A waiter accidentally spilled water all over me, my chair and the floor. I had the momentary shock while everyone was laughing, but then happily joined it. It was hilarious, and I mean, c'mon. It was bound to happen to me with my luck. The best part is that later in the evening I stood up and noticed that right behind my chair was a large, yellow CAUTION: WET sign. I mean, seriously? :)
After Nachos, just a few of us were left so we headed to Downtown Franklin for a little bit o' Red Pony. We sat on the back deck and enjoyed listening to Bethany and Jon tell hilarious stories about each other. Can I just say, I'm SO glad they are getting married??? I LOVE her!

I'm a believer now. My friends have talked about Crossfit for some time now (ok, like two years) but there hasn't been an actual Crossfit studio in my area-until now. Katie told me that she had signed up with some friends, and it had been kicking her butt ever since. I went today on my first free visit; and became a follower.
"CrossFit is a strength and conditioning system based on functional movements performed at a high- intensity while incorporating variation among planes of movements and metabolic pathways. CrossFit is designed for universal scalability."

Basically, it means an hour of intense pain. At least, that's how it was for me. Todays workout consisted of:
500meter row
40 squats
30 situps
20 pushups
10 pullups (I did assisted, I was weak)
THEN- we went outside to do more strength training.....
20 Kettlerows (weighted things you swing from a squatted position to over your head)
10 single leg step ups onto a plyo box
20 "focus" jumps (jump and "stick" it)
Lunges down the pavement.
Oh, and did I mention that the second part, we did THREE times?
Yeah, OW. Holy OW. I was DYING. But, I'll be back on Monday evening! And I can't wait. The trainers that run CrossFit (ironically both named Steve) are incredible. They are super encouraging and fun to work out with. I'm doing to enjoy my times of pain with them.
After we were all moaning and dying of pain, the trainers suggested we all go to brunch. I loved it! I am so excited about this new venture on many levels. One, it's a great and fun way to get in shape. Two, meeting new people. Just today I met a new chiropractor which I'm SUPER excited about. Three, just having fun in a different way. I'm a person who loves to see change, and I'm excited it's going to happen in my body! Everything was timed today, so I'm looking forward to Monday and beating my current time.

Until then, It's no high heels and wobbling as I walk. I'm THAT sore.

Just a quick shout out to my cousin Nick, and his wife Lara. They welcomed their first baby boy, Ari Nicholas Brown into this world yesterday afternoon. He weighed 7lbs 10oz and has a head of dark hair. Both mom and Ari are doing well.

I'll post photos soon!

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. :)

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. :)