may flowers

It's hard to imagine cold and dreary days anymore and that is just fine by me. Everything is warm and blooming. Tonight Miriam and I stayed outside in the driveway drawing with chalk until bedtime. She tell me what to draw, princesses, animals, etc., then she colors them in. Daddy is traveling a couple days a week so there's lots of girl talk and tea parties with a baby bouncing in the doorway. Oakes is obsessed with his jumper and those little chubby legs are getting mighty strong from all those squats. We're finally in a groove around here and I even manage to get a real dinner on the table from time to time.

I had a very short, but very fabulous get away with some girls in the mountains. We laughed so much my stomach hurt and I don't think there was a silent moment the entire 24 hours. there was so much to catch up on! Little dance party before supper and a serious good meal in between the chatting too.

Then came Christmas, I mean Steeplechase. My favorite day of the year in Nashville. Our Greenville friends, Mary Frances & Austin, came in town + my brother had his college buddies in and we all had the very best time. The horses, the people, the pims cups… my perfect day. After an incredibly long day we woke up early Sunday and spent Mothers Day out at my parents house with all the out-of-towners. Little fried chicken, mashed potatoes and okra to soak up all the good times.

a tennessee scene

The other night I was in the kitchen prepping supper and American Roots came on KXT which was so perfect for a Sunday evening. Some zydeco mixed with Billie Holiday mixed with blues and all sorts of little songs I'd never heard. I love the calmness of Sundays. Wrapping up the weekend and taking time to get things in order before the work week. Miriam was playing with her new baby doll Sue (a gift from May-May) and tucking all her animals in for bedtime. I love to overhear her talking to her "friends" and creating this whole imaginary world. Trevor was outside checking his new smoker and working on the yard, which is looking mighty fab I must say. After our trip to Nashville our weekend was very purposely laid back.
We drove home (won't be doing that any time soon or maybe ever) for a visit and had a ball. Though we did bring in some major rain in with us that first weekend. I was all set to go to see Widespread with a group of friends, but ended up bailing last minute, because the show was outside and it was cold, muddy, and pouring. No thank you. I do believe I have seen my fair share. Of course Trevor put on his full rain gear and went full steam ahead. Tough guy. I retreated inside and had a lovely supper at The Wild Hare with my brother. Smart lady.

The clouds finally broke and nature gifted us with the most beautiful Tennessee scene. Each morning I would cruise to Currier's with the windows cracked and cool air breezing in. Fields of green and bushes blooming… Spring was alive in Franklin. Who knew driving to work could be so durn pleasant?!

By the end of the day I was coated with spray mount and my fingers were stuck together, but we got so much accomplished. Momma was the perfect babysitter and not once did Miriam put up a fight when I walked out that door. She was over the moon. A busy little gal, picking peonies, feeding carrots, and searching for critters outside. Life was good. Obviously Brando made himself right at home as well. I swear he smiles when his paws hit that open field. Sweet buddy cakes.

We fit in a rainy day playdate with the cousins and I can't tell you how much I love seeing them together. Warms my heart.

Our final weekend we packed a lot in and made it to Steeplechase at Percy Warner. It's by far my favorite event of the year. We hadn't been in a while so I was extra ready for the races. We were graced with picture perfect skies, cool air, and glowing afternoon sunshine. There were some thrilling races and folks were deep in the sauce by days end.
The weekend finale was a Mother's Day cricket match at the farm. We lounged around outside and enjoyed time with friends stopping by. Fried chicken, rolls, artichoke dip, and gazpacho was the hair of the dog for those still weary from a long day of revelry.

Dogs wandering, the percherons hitched and giving kids a ride. The match was won by the Brits which started rounds of Pims all over again. But we retreated inside, ordered pizza and collapsed after all the fun. One of my favorite weekends in a very long time. Then it was packin' time. Time to head back to Texas. Sad to leave and sad to say goodbye, but I was ready to say hello to our home and life in the Big D.

warm welcome home

We landed in a drizzly, foggy Nashville last weekend, but it didn't dampen my mood one bit. I was thrilled just to be home. A wedding Saturday night and then a party on Sunday - that is my kind of homecoming! If rain really is a lucky charm on a wedding day then this couple certainly got their fill. It poured and thundered right as we sat down for supper, but it made for a very lively mood inside the warm tent. Lots of hugging and chatter and a few spins on the dance floor with my family - such a ball.

Then my dear friend (and partner in crime) threw me a little shindig on Sunday. I've told ya she's special! She fixed a ton of delicious food, my mom made champagne punch, and friends stopped by. Miriam ran around the whole time, scurrying between legs and grabbing a ham & roll whenever they were in her reach. I am so lucky to have these beautiful ladies in my life. So, so lucky.
 

the thankful feast

There is already tinsel strung all over town, but I'm still soaking up the gifts of Thanksgiving. This years feast was different in many ways. We stayed in Texas and hosted a small group of friends here at the house. It was our first year to not be with our family which felt strange, but, surprisingly, it also felt exciting to be in our house and not have to travel. Our best friends in town, Whitney & Chris, came over with their family and everyone divided duties on the cooking.

The girls played and twirled around in their fairy wings from Whitney's momma outside and managed to entertain themselves which was sort of miraculous. I loved setting the table and fussing around the house the days leading up to the main event. The weather couldn't have been nicer and even allowed us to enjoy our new patio furniture. Conversation was easy, food was divine, and so on and so on. The only thing missing was a call from Marilyn. Holidays can be especially bittersweet when you've lost someone and that sinking feeling kept creeping in even with all the joy in the air.
 
What keeps bringing me back to the now and drawing me back to the joy is my family. I'm incredibly grateful for my husband and my baby, so grateful for my family back home, and grateful for my new family of friends here. Whitney's daddy said grace as we all held hands (even the littles) on Thanksgiving and I was steadied by his words and by the feeling of family and support around us.

I read this, by Anne Lamott, about saying grace… "We savor these moments out of time, when we are conscious of love's presence, of Someone's great abiding generosity to our dear and motley family, these holy moments of gratitude. And that is grace."

going home

I know Dallas is technically my home now, but I visited my real home last week and had the most jam packed, wonderful, working, wild time. That's how it is every time I go home. We rolled in Wednesday afternoon to cool temps and heavenly blue skies. I swear, it's like the air is just a little bit sweeter there. I know, I know distance makes the heart grow fonder! So, we rolled into the farm and dropped Miriam off so we could scoot downtown for the Americana Awards show. It's just about my favorite thing all year. Always great bands, always great vibe, and always at the The Ryman. It was also a reunion of sorts for me and Currier. We talk every single day, but hadn't seen one another since April so we were chatty-chatty all night long, just having us the best time. Our excitement carried us on to Broadway where I found myself snapping pics of Broadway like some tourist. I seriously have no idea what got into me, I was just so thrilled to be home.
For the next couple days Miriam got right back into being a farm girl. Feeding the donkeys carrots, riding the tractor, the jeep, 3 dogs, the golf cart, a new mr potato head… endless entertainment and I think she was ready to move in permanently. Life is good there.
Lately I'd been really  missing all my friends so this trip was pretty great timing. We talk and I see pics online and email, but there is something about that face time that's irreplacable. Plus, I was dying to see all their sweet babies. They're changing so fast and I feel like I'm missing it. It's the most amazing thing to see someone you've known your whole life become a mother. You get to witness the pure love that's grown between them and that baby. It's big I tell ya!
We had a small play date at Parmer Park and wouldn't ya know it, the toddler of the group, Miss Miriam, was the big baby. Reminder not to wake her up from a snooze, even if that means you're going to be late to the date. I repeat, do not wake up from nap. Oh well, gotta roll with it so we sat on a blanket and caught up and gossiped and talked "motherhood" until it was time to head home for supper. I could've stayed much longer squeezing all those baby legs.

One thing I made sure to plan was some all important cousin time. Momma and I went over to Laurens Friday afternoon for some champers and watched Charlie & Miriam run around like crazy chickens. Little legs flailing as they ran up and down the driveway giggling. They were hilarious and so were the grand-mommas scooting after them. I loved just observing them together, because we talk about one another all of the time. Charlie says prayers for Mimi and Miriam says prayers for Charlie. Sigh. Two peas in a pod those little nuggets. And of course I can never get enough time with my Lauren. Can I just teleport you here please?! She's also looking mighty fine lately. Girlfriend has been doing boot camp and I'm so impressed. Now, if only her motivation would rub off on moi.
The final hurrah came Saturday night when we had a small penthouse party. My brother was out of town, so Trevor and I invited a few friends over to his place to watch the big UT/Florida game. UT was completely pitiful and depressing, but I didn't really care and we had the best time ever. It was the first time I've hung with my best buds without kids in… I don't even know how long. It'd been a while and we certainly made up for lost time. The tunes were flowing and there might have even been a late night dance party happenin' in the wee hours. The perfect send off to hold me through until my next visit back home.