Well, it has been a NUTTY summer…one which will live in infamy, and I will tell you all about in due time. But TODAY, this wonderful day, my hubby and my in-laws and I are on the way to Panama City Beach.
This photo is actually from our Jamaica trip, but I think you can get the idea.
Y’all know we love to travel, but this will actually be my first time traveling just the four of us. I’m so thrilled! We have a condo booked for four nights, and all I want to do is get a tan, shop, eat fish tacos, and read the Stephen King novel I just picked up at the library. Keep an eye on my instagram for updates, and see you back here sometimes next week! WOOT WOOT.
We had such a fun trip to Jamaica with our friends John and Lindsey! Things have been a little crazy since we got back, so it’s taken me until now to get organized with my photos. Here’s a little snapshot of our trip…
When the hubs and I had been dating a few months, he drove me over an hour and a half, out to the middle of no where, through total boonies, SUPPOSEDLY to go to a CONCERT and I thought to myself places like this do not have concerts OMG WHAT HAVE I DONE.
But then he pulled up to the Cumberland Caverns, and told me about Bluegrass Underground. There were cars and people and signage, and I felt much better about the whole ordeal.
Recently, we went back, and brought a few friends with us.
You guys – it is even more beautiful than I remember! It is NOT a comfy spot to sit for a concert, but it’s worth it for the ambiance. The caverns stay a balmy 57 degrees all year round – I would relate it to going to a hockey game. You’re chilly, but you’re okay. I sipped on apple cider, and all was right in the world.
Also, the artist was really fun. A unique cellist, with an amazing voice, Ben Sollee was entertaining and relatable. Here is a photo from my iPhone, which is about a million times worse than my friend’s amazing samsung photo:
If you are ever in Tennessee, like bluegrass music, and are willing to take a bit of a drive to the middle of nowhere, then I HIGHLY recommend it. Nothing compares!
We had a great weekend enjoying beautiful Tennessee weather and lots of good time with my husband’s family and a few of our friends. Here are a few pictures to sum it all up!
This guy!
My in-laws with their grand-babies
Me and the hubs with his sister’s little family.
Baby Harper – 9 months old
Hubster and his sis with our niece and nephew!
Me and Sis-in-law with little Jack
Cousin babies Emily and Harper.
New daddy Matt with his baby Cash.
Little Jack checking on baby Cash.
Jack is the only one who could walk…so he shared his eggs.
The scene: a bunch of adults watching a toddler pick up Easter eggs. Next year, there will be more mobile children!
This weekend, I road-tripped myself down to Nashville LIKE A BOSS. The hubs was out of town on a fun, long weekend, so I decided to bring the Pupster Ryman along with me for the ride. She loves playing with my in-laws’ mini-doxie, Minnie Pearl. While this photo is a bit deceiving, since it took her TWO HOURS to settle in, I just have to say how much I love this little bugger and how much I miss her. She’s staying the week with the in-laws and Ms. Pearl since we are planning to drive back down again on Easter weekend.
Once she arrived, she settled in quite happily to the sunshine of Tennessee, and her and Ms. Pearl got right to playing…
Nothing better than sunshine and barking at squirrels…Two little rascals.
Meanwhile, I was in town for a Chapter Leadership Conference at Vanderbilt. Basically, all the presidents of the Vandy chapters across the country get together to share ideas and learn more about how to be ambassadors to our chapters. It’s a great time!! They put us up in a brand new hotel right across the street from my old college dorms. I stared out my window for a solid ten minutes thinking about all the wonderful times I had in those tall, ugly buildings. Junior and senior year… OH. Cue: I wish I could go back to college.
Oh, Towers.
The night before my graduation, my mom just could not understand why I wouldn’t want to stay in her hotel room instead of in my ugly dorm room, which had already been stripped of just about everything except my bedding, a lamp, and my graduation gown. I just couldn’t leave! I didn’t want to leave!! I was happy to graduate, but it was by far not a very joyous occasion. I was a “late bloomer” as far as college is concerned. Coming in as a naive freshman, it too me a year to get my bearings and another year to settle in. I mean, the first two years were great, but the SECOND TWO YEARS were AMAZING. And they were spent in those high-rise brick boxes pictured above.
The admissions building. The first building I remember seeing on my very first visit to VU.
Being back on campus this weekend felt so special. I worked for the university for the first five years of my career. I took for granted being there every single day. It was my work place more than my alma mater. Now that I’ve taken some space, coming back feels like I am truly revisiting the wonderful place of my 18-22-year-old-self, and I just can’t describe it. If you loved your college experience, then I think you know what I mean. Anyway, cheers to nostalgia, college, and the best of memories. I know that more amazing memories are coming down the road, but man, nothing will ever be quite like those four years. Am I right, or am I right?
Last year for our belated honeymoon, Jonathan and I took THE MOST AMAZING TRIP to Negril, Jamaica. We loved everything about it, and while part of me feels like maybe we should try other resorts down the road, a much larger part of me just wants to go back here every time we can.
Recently, something beyond exciting has happened. WE BOOKED ANOTHER TRIP TO JAMAICA! And the other night, I felt so moved to create a paper chain countdown out of old magazines to tick away the days until our trip. I’m a nerd. I was procrastinating. I really wanted to do this.
And this time with our friends, John and Lindsey. We will be celebrating a few fun things while there:
1. Jonathan’s 30th birthday
2. Jonathan graduating from grad school
3. Lindsey being accepted to grad school
4. John and Lindsey’s first wedding anniversary
5. Jonathan’s and my second wedding anniversary
6. Hopefully a job for Jonathan?!
Basically, me and John (Lindsey’s husband) are going to be all like “congrats to you guys!” and sitting at the “I don’t have anything to celebrate but my wedding anniversary” table, but it’s allllll good. I cannot wait to share this place with them. The boys can golf. Lindsey and I can lounge and yoga. We all drink the most amazing smoothies anyone has ever had anywhere in any life.
