Nashville for the Night.

Stevie and I took the quickest road trip ever to Nashville two weekends ago for our friend's wedding. It was our first time leaving Everett over night, and I was super nervous about it, but we all did GREAT! In fact, Everett was so happy the entire time that I'm thinking we need to make some more plans to leave him again soon. Not too soon, obviously, since his leg incident. But in the near-ish future, when everyone is healed and happy. :) My parents were amazing to watch him for the evening, thanks Mom and Dad!

So, Nashville! I wish we could have had more time to explore! It felt a little bit like a tease of a trip, because we were only there one evening, and we spent that evening at the wedding. We had the most whirlwind experience but SUCH A BLAST. I'll share the few things we did, but honestly, my list of things I wanted to see/do/eat is longer than ever. I guess it just leaves lots of hunger for another trip!

The wedding was at Vine Street Christian Church (such a lovely spot - an enormous wall of sun-lit windows!) and the reception was at the Cheekwood Botanical Garden, which I hate to say, but puts Atlanta's to shame. It was SO STUNNING. And I tried to be a good wedding guest and not tote my enormous camera along for the evening, so all I've got are a few shots of us all pose-y, pose-y. Needless to say, we had a ridiculous, almost epic kind of time. This wedding was bonkers fun. Congratulations, Justin & Jade!

The next morning, we took a hike for wake up java, which we found at Just Love Coffee. We wished we could have been crazy late-night party animals and hit a few of the rad restaurants/bars on Demonbreun Street the night before, but you know, Intentional October has me falling asleep like a grandma these days. Mental note - come back! We pranced around The Gulch, a newer LEED-certified development, gawked at the line outside of Biscuit Love, decided not to join the crowd, and just kept walking.

I heard Sambuca is cool. But I've only heard it.

We wanted to drive by Vanderbilt on our way out, and we couldn't resist getting out on the open lawn and pretending we were students. I don't know what it is about big campus lawns, but I just love them. I want a book and a blanket and I want to lay out there reading Steinbeck all day, bettering myself just because I CAN. Actually, I can't. We illegally parked, jumped out of the car, checked out the central area of the school (we think?) and then jumped back in the car and blazed outta town before anyone could nab us for being STUDENT IMPOSTERS. Vanderbilt is just lovely in the fall, sidenote.

One of my favorite parts of our trip was actually just the road trip part. I know that might seem silly, but to have like 4.5 hours in the car with Stevie BOTH WAYS was just such a decadent, rich amount of time to talk and laugh together. We don't get that kind of time when we're just doing day-to-day life, and it reminded me of our road trip days when we were in ministry school in California. We drove back and forth from Atlanta to Redding four times, and there is just nothing like a multi-day cross-country road trip to give you an opportunity to really get to know your person. This little trip to Nashville was a sweet reminder of "the good old days", and the thing is, I think we are still living in the good old days. I know I will look back on this season of life with a smile and the warmest kinds of memories, because even though life was freer before we had Everett, it's immensely better with him.

The views of the Tennessee countryside on the way home were stunning. There weren't words. We got out a few times and just stared at the mountains and the water. Because when do I ever take the time just to stare at mountains and water? I feel like they are always telling us something, if we're listening.

So Nashville, we might not have seen your fine bars or listened to the next big country star or toured your epic distilleries - but we had a refreshing, meaningful, ridiculously fun time. Thanks for giving us a night of your time. xox.

Intentional October Update: Week 2

Happy Monday, friends! It's always nice to have a fresh start on Monday, and we are entering our third cycle of the Intentional October journey today! I wrote this update last week, but to be fully transparent with you, my Intentional October goals were the furthest thing from my mind in the days after my son broke his little leg. It has been a whirlwind of figuring out what he needs and wants, since he still can't really tell us everything he's feeling. I could go into details about his break and our emotional journey, but I will save that for another day. Or never. Because it is still just emotional. Today I want to focus on Intentional October, because it's still on! In fact, I am feeling more motivated than ever, and I'll tell you why.

Life Happens. That's what Grace is for.
As you know, the purpose of Intentional October is to create healthier, more productive habits that can be continued onward, past the end of this month. If you're unfamiliar with what Intentional October is all about, you should check out what it means for me, and how I am attempting change this month. The hope is that we all are able to continue to implement these positive tactical changes, whether it's to drink more water, exercise in the morning or tackle the biggest item on the to-do list first thing in the morning.

All that being said, these goals should stretch us past our comfortable zone, but still exist in the realm of REAL LIFE. Because you know what? Real life happened to me this week. My son broke his leg, we were up in the ER until 2am, then he got a cold (probably from staying up in the ER until 2am) and we have all been trying to recover since then. I could easily take this awful circumstance and become consumed by the enormity of it. Or - not.

Intentional October isn't supposed to disqualify me from normal life, it's supposed to help me do my normal life better. It's supposed to help me get stronger, healthier, and be more productive, so that I can have even more love and joy to give to my family. And my family really needs me right now. So I have to cling to my goals even more than ever! It's not a matter of being militant or hard on myself - it's actually about believing in myself and being extra good to me. Real life requires us to have so much grace for ourselves. I'll admit, I've done some dramatic reacting since last week. And because of it, I needed to sleep in. I needed to not exercise for a few days. I needed to cry.

But then something amazing happened. My body almost started shouting at me -  it was craving some of the habits I have been working so hard to cultivate for the past few weeks! I had to go for a run because I felt like my legs were twitching. And look at that picture above - how pretty it was out there! And I was so thirsty and I realized I had been blasting my brains with coffee, but not enough water. And even though I needed to sleep, my eyes have been popping open early the past few mornings. Maybe not 5:30am early, but still early.

I've been learning a lot, friends.

Intentional October is still on. We are halfway (okay a bit more than halfway) through the month, which means we still have a few weeks more for growth. Today is a brand new day, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to live another day so fully.

Focus on the Family.
The first few weeks, the central focus of the month was on our own personal positive change. Keeping all those same tactics going, I want to pivot focus and concentrate on purposely pouring into friends and family. Our community is such a rich, integral part of our lives. It's the ecosystem we exist in and the litmus test for our choices and decisions. These beautiful people are the ones we lean on for support and encouragement, and I feel compelled to focus special effort on them this week. Intentional October should benefit everyone around us. What does that look like to you? It could be writing an encouraging letter to your out-of-town best friend. It could be cleaning your parents' house when they're not at home. It could be taking a little extra time to figure out how to love your spouse best. Figuring out my husband and family's Love Languages has helped me find the best ways to serve them. If you have other tactics for purposely pouring into your loved ones, please post it in the comments below!

I'm sharing this to encourage you - what you're doing this month matters. It's making a difference in your personal life and creating a rippling effect all around you. People will be impacted by those ripples. People will be inspired by your devotion, your discipline, your passion. You are a powerful person! And I know it because I believe it, too. We are powerful people and we are taking a hold of our lives. We are having grace on ourselves and continuing to seek challenge. It's a big deal. It's not cheesy. It's awesome, actually. YOU are awesome.

Talk to me! What's going on with your Intentional October? Give me updates, encouragement, rants, everything! Need some troubleshooting? Don't be afraid to chime in, friends!

Everett the Strong.

Yesterday my 14-month-old son Everett broke his leg.

Babies should never ever break bones. It's the worst. We are a mess about his pain. But we are grateful it wasn't worse. And we are optimistic about his recovery.

There is a lot to say, a lot of details that I could dole out about the whole experience, but I will stop before I get emotional. Even though he's okay, we are still pretty emotional about it over here.

But the good news is that today he is laughing, eating ice cream and trying to jail break out of his cast.

I will ask one request of you. If you read this blog, then I consider you a friend of my family. And as a friend, I will ask that you say a prayer for my boy. Pray out loud. We are declaring positive affirmations about Everett's health, his perfect recovery, and his strong body that is fearfully and wonderfully made in Christ's image. My son is absolutely amazing. I know that everyone thinks their kid is the most amazing, but I DO think he is the most amazing. He's so resilient, fierce with conviction, quick to laugh and even quicker to hug my neck and not let go for a while. He's a hugger. And he has inherited his name - he is so so strong. So if you think of my little family today, I ask that you speak that out loud, agreeing with our words and echoing our love for him into the Heavens.

Everett the strong. Everett the healthy. Everett the healed.

Thanks for the love and support, friends. xox

P.S. - If you're following along the Intentional October journey, let's check in on the progress here on the blog Monday. I'm going to spend the weekend playing with trucks and feeding my son half almond milk, half whole milk (his beverage of choice) and gold fish. His favorites :)

Roasted Tomato Soup

I went to an afternoon class at Williams-Sonoma a few weeks ago with my dear friend Liz. We were learning how to use our high-powered blenders to make some autumn recipes. Side note - did you know that Williams-Sonoma offers free technique classes every Sunday at 1pm? I am overjoyed! You know where I will be on Sundays from now on. That store is my happy place. My Christmas list is already brimming with kitchen must-haves. Okay, enough crushing on WS. The point is, at the class I learned how to make a roasted tomato soup. Then I went home and played around with the recipe a bit. And I'm not going to say I'm happy - I'm thrilled. This soup is divine. Skip your way over to the grocery store and snatch up these ingredients. You are going to want to make this tonight.

Ingredients:
- 3 lb. Roma tomatoes
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 5 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 bunch of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
- fresh grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the tomatoes in half and place in a large glass baking dish, insides facing up.
3. In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp. olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and whisk together until well mixed.
4. Carefully drizzle the glaze over the open-faced tomatoes.
5. Place tomatoes in the oven and roast for 1 hour.

6. Heat a dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
7. Add the onion, saute for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so the onion doesn't burn.
8. Add 1 cup of the white wine and bring to a simmer.
9. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock to the dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
10. In batches, puree the mixture until smooth. I used a Vitamix, but you can use any high-powered blender.
11. Return the pureed soup back to the dutch oven, heating over low. Add the parsley, making sure to mix well.
12. Ladle into bowls, top with a bit more parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve immediately.

Seriously, this soupppppp. It's just so incredible and autumnal and just what the doctor ordered. And if you want to get fancy, this would be simply perfect if served with a side salad, grilled cheese or toast points. Bon Appetit, friends!

Garden Update Vol.2

Oh, the garden. My, I have learned a lot since I started gardening. I had my first harvest this past week - my radish seeds reached their days of maturity and some lettuce was ready to be plucked. Exciting times in the garden world. So I scampered out in the hazy drizzle and fetched my fair food. And the things I found!

Out of all my radishes, this is the only one that came to maturity. This particular variety is supposed to be long and thin, but this clearly didn't grow to it's full potential. I looked up the variety and tried to figure out why mine didn't grow big enough, and apparently, you have to wait a lot longer for the fall harvest than in the spring. Oops. I was probably premature in picking this one, even though I followed the instructions. So, no radishes for now. But you can see below that I planted a whole slew of more of em, so hopefully I will enjoy a radish salad before winter's end.

While I was harvesting, my gorgeous husband dug up bushes and moved them around the yard for me. When we moved into the house, our box garden was full of bushes and thick hedges. Little by little, we are moving them so that I have more room to grow vegetable plants. He doesn't love that I'm doing this, because he thinks the bushes are pretty, but he is kind to me. (Seriously though, look at that plant in his hand - it's not that pretty.) So he's been moving them for me. I really had to make some room this time, too, because I had a ton of kale that I've been growing from seeds that had to be transplanted into the ground. So another hedge bit the dust. Or you know, got moved to the side of the house. EXCITING STUFF YOU GUYS. I know you are riveted.

My new radish sprouts! This variety will look like the traditional radishes you buy in the grocery store. I mean, hopefully they will look like that. In like 6-8 weeks.

Carrot tops! Cute, right??!

My lettuce is seriously lush. Leafy. And yummy :)

Radish top.

Oh, my heart breaks. This is my sad, sad cauliflower. I hate the demon caterpillars and the havoc they wreaked in my garden. I've plucked off over 60 caterpillars from these leaves, clinging to the underbelly of the leaves and creeping deep inside the plants - it's truly alarming how much damage those little guys can do. I concocted an organic garden spray to ward them off, but I ended up bleaching out the leaves and now the plants look worse than ever. Diseased. They're not diseased, they're just bleached. And eaten through. What's a girl to do??

SAD CAULIFLOWER.

I'm not going to lie. I've been praying for them.

But oh! A bowl full of lettuce! I actually learned a lesson after harvesting this time around. I picked too much! I only need to pick what we will actually eat on any given day, because otherwise the left overs wilt. Like I said, I'm learning! Only pick your salad for the evening.

My lettuce babies. Such good babies.

Is that creepy sounding? Stevie says it is.

But.

They are my babies. I grew them. I tended to them. I watered them when it was annoying to do so and fed them fancy organic plant food and, you know. That's it. That's pretty much all I did.

You're about to see it. That move I've always wanted to do.

LETTUCE BABIES!!!

And that's the update! Things are growing over here! I'm excited to see how everything does as we really transition into fall. Apparently, the cooler temperatures are supposed to help the lettuce and kale taste sweeter. So we will see how that goes. Thanks for coming to my garden, friends!