Three years.

Three. More than 1000 days...

How?

This place has officially--as of today, June 1--been "home" for three years--longer than any other home base I've had since college. I made the move to Nashville for a few reasons--mostly for ST and our relationship, but largely because I was satiating a nagging itch for a change of pace. New surroundings. A fresh routine. And bit-by-bit, I found it all... but mostly, I expanded my family and I found a home.

Life as a resident of Nashville kickstarted with a job I appreciated, residing in a trendy-esque zip code, and finally experiencing day-to-day--the good, bad and ugly--with my guy. My familiar comforts of a few decades at home virtually dissolved overnight--the fact of the matter is, I committed to little to no mental prep about all I was leaving in Texas... my hometown, my network of family and friends, my beloved job. I felt my move date imminently creeping up as I packed box after box and rattled off my tearful goodbyes, but looking back, I vaguely sensed an eleventh-hour minor panic about making new, good friends, about fitting in. Mind you, my prototypical ESFJ self had never really let me down in the avenue of melding right into most groups I was ever dropped into, and yet, as the first few weeks of Nashville life rolled by, I desperately missed the company of my Texas girlfriends and felt the gnaw of their absence in my life. Aside from a few Twitter contacts (some of whom have since become some of my best friends), I had absolutely no one to lean on aside from ST.

But as it happened, most of these distant Twitter girls had also recently transplanted to Nashville: we were all braving the gray, murky water in the same proverbial boat.

And brave it, we did, wholeheartedly diving onto the pathway together, one happy hour and TV night at a time. As I did my part to foster these friendships, I eased into what I now think of as my grown-up self (if I can be so bold). ST and I immersed ourselves in a church we love, and I joined the junior league. I (somewhat impulsively) became a nanny to fill my scant spare time, and ST and I carefully honed our own routines of menial tasks like grocery shopping and exploring new dinner haunts.The weeks became months, I was confident in not summoning my GPS app on a daily basis, and suddenly? I had my grocery store, and my dry cleaners, and my dog groomer, and this? This was home.

As infectiously charming as Nashville has been for me, the people are truly what have done it for me. They're family. ST, especially... who knew sharing a home could deepen and season a relationship, right? ;) In all seriousness, he has been so tremendously supportive and encouraging of every single thing that I do and I couldn't for one second imagine trotting down this trail without him.

I'm actually home in Texas this weekend for a wedding, a graduation and a camping trip (yes, I know). Last night at the wedding, a good friend began with, "so... are you feeling it? Nashville lifer?" And without hesitation, I felt the smile spread across my face as I nodded slightly and said, "you know... I think so."

There are absolutely some elements of Texas that will unequivocally never be able to be replicated elsewhere for me... but all things considered? I daresay I've found my way home.

Favorite Things Parties are all the rage back home. I was surprised to hear from friends here in Nashville that no one had really heard of the concept--which naturally fueled my desire to host my first one. Oh, you've never heard of a Favorite Things Party either? Quite simply, you corral your BFFs, all of whom bring a snackeroo and five of their favorite under-$5 item (or whatever you decide on, collectively--some people go for a three items under $10 situation. I say, you do you, boo)... you nosh on all of the food, swap items and go home with something fancy you otherwise likely wouldn't have bought for yourself.

More specifically, here's what I did:

• Sent a crafty e-vite to all my best girls. It was a prime opportunity to overlap my friend groups, all in the name of food and fancy little surprises.
• We agreed upon the five under $5 model, and everyone decided which dish they'd bring--we stuck to appetizers, desserts and BYOB which worked like a charm. Gifts were to be wrapped and kept a surprise.
• Pre-party, I wrote everyone's name down on five colored snippets of paper and tossed them into a fishbowl--after we socialized and stuffed our faces, everyone was instructed to grab five slips from the bowl (being careful not to grab their own color).
• Keeping their names secretive, we gradually went around our circle, describing our item of choice, and joyously passed each of our five items to their new owners!
• At the conclusion of the gift distribution, I passed out a quiz I had created, listing all kinds of favorite things--everything from favorite breakfast food and favorite quote from a parent, to favorite part of town and place to spend a rainy afternoon in Nashville. It was a really funny way for everyone to get to know each other better. Each girl got a point for an original answer--just like Scattergories (for each answer that was duplicated, the responders had to mark that one off--no points gained!). At the end, the girl with the most points received a prize I put together (Starbucks gift card tucked in a paper cup, reusable Target bag, fun socks, etc.)
• Prior to the party, I had also personalized bags, so each gal had something to toss her gems into (as seen above).
• I also put together some of my favorite things as favors for each attendee: sharpie pens, Tazo teabags, stationery that I created just for the occasion.

Here are my spoils from the evening! Nail polish was a huge trend--I gave my beloved top coat away.


Some of the other goods that were brought were mascara and coffee mugs. My friend Mikki has a friend with an etsy store who created custom hair ties for our party--and stamped Mikki's face as a seal of approval on the tag!


Sidenote: Mikki (who originated as a work friend) is leaving Nashville in a few weeks, and I have now immortalized her adorable stamped face in my office forever.

And some more snapshots from the eve (forgive the shoddy iphone origin):






Happy planning!

So, 2014? you weren't half bad. Here are some highlights...

With spring in high gear, the foodie trend continued on. Tried a Nashville staple (hot chicken!) for the first time (subsequently fell in love). Completed a Pure Barre challenge and managed to genuinely love it through the pain (21 classes in 30 days sounds a lot easier than it is in reality). Partied at Highballs and Hydrangeas with my girlfriends and ST, and knocked another Nashville to-do off my list. Discovered a recipe for Oatmeal Cream Pies that is insanely good and instantly became a new go-to. Chopped off my mane in favor of a springy 'do. Started winding down my days with my favorite little four-year-old. Indulged in springy foodstuffs from Trader Joe's. TJ's gets me every. damn. time.


Watched my favorite teeny girl become a tiny dancer... right about the time they had to move on to a full-time nanny and my heart broke into a million pieces. Kicked off the first of many grill sessions with ST. Spent Memorial Day in Birmingham with the dearest of old friends. Watched ST build some badass shelves for our living room with his bare hands. Introduced Maiz to Home Depot (she loved it. obvi). Jumped headfirst into freelance event work. Had some pup playdates. Worked Vanderbilt graduation and had a bittersweet lunch date before sending my fantastic little student worker back home to St. Louis to change the world.



Invested in camping gear... for everyone. Headed home to Texas for the first of what is promised to be a traditional summertime camping trip (complete with this 8-person raft that is undoubtedly the coolest thing I'll ever float on). Took Cary to DC for a little educational escape--prompting lots of memories from my childhood trips. I sneaked away to the Library of Congress for a rainy afternoon while the boys finished at the Natural Science Museum. The Peach Truck became a sweet, sweet staple in our home. I helped throw a baby shower for my dearest Chelsea, and we carried on with Daddy Day Donuts as a Father's Day tradition.


We practically swam in fresh vegetables, they were everyone in our house. Partied for Chelsea's birthday with an extended girls' night out. Was "inducted" as a skimm'bassador. Witnessed downtown Independence Day fireworks from our rooftop. Officially celebrated Cary into being a teenager. Logged lots of outside time with Maiz. Found a chocolate cake recipe that quickly became ST's most requested dessert. Hosted my dear college friend in Nashville for her second visit. Dug up a peach shortbread recipe (to alleviate the leftover peach problem from the Peach Truck obsession, clearly) that is a new favorite (never really realized quite how much I bake before drafting this post).

Ahhh... The Month of Work Travel! August kicked off lots and lots of travel for us. I headed first to Charlotte for a work trip, and a few days later, another one in Houston (where I was fortunate enough to stay with my BFF Jorden and soak up a few days with her). Celebrated Grace's birthday on the farm. Headed back to Texas for my ten-year high school reunion and the first Baylor game at McLane Stadium. Hosted more dinner parties at home (and I find myself thinking, "when were we home?!"). Had the hottest date at my reunion, and spent really good quality time with my childhood BFF as well.


Celebrated my third brother's wedding in Texas. Loved on sweet baby Luke (born August 25th!) and his awesome parents. ST and I heard Griffin House (an old favorite of mine) play as part of the Americana Music Fest... and I saw my first Symphony performance earlier the same night (we're hardcore like that). Had a super successful first Family Weekend at work. Kept up with our routine of allowing Maiz to accompany us to Home Depot. Volunteered with some sweet kids with our church. Saw the Wild Feathers at Live on the Green with my girlfriends (all of me was there, despite the photo evidence).


November was the month that rivaled August with the travel bit... fall was officially in full swing in Nashville. My awesome boss and I headed to San Diego for an incredibly inspiring conference... and I got to see my sweet aunt, uncle and cousin! The girls and I kept on discovering new happy hours locations (heyyyy, the Sutler!). I got to spend some sweet, sweet time with my two favorite Nashville girls. I wished a dear work friend farewell as she moseyed on to a new job. ST and I headed to Charleston for the first of two weddings... we had a fabulous time celebrating Nicole and Todd--and Maizie appreciated her beach time. We celebrated my birthday dinner there (Fleet Landing is fabulous), before heading to Texas a few days later for wedding #2 with Courtney and Joey. We hosted our dear friends for Friendsgiving, and spent Thanksgiving in Texas with my family--and managed to squeeze in a Baylor game too.



Happy, happy new year to you and your's. Thank you for sticking around with me.

Just checking in to say I hope you've had such a wonderful Christmas, wherever you are, whomever you're surrounded by. My parents jetted in to Nashville on Tuesday (!!!)--I knew I'd love having them here. Sure enough, we've had such a wonderful few days together... and tomorrow we're playing up the tourist scene and heading to mosey through some museums I haven't even ventured to (residential hazard!).

Christmas Eve marked two years since my mom passed away... so having my parents here is even more heartwarming, even more of the safety net I can finally admit I need in a month that has historically been pretty rough throughout my adult life. And weaving in two of the people who know me best into the city I've come to know as home? Suffice to say, this has absolutely been one of my favorite Christmases to date--which is saying a whole hell of a lot, seeing as there was a stint not long ago where I was convinced the luster surrounding the holidays was to be blamed on a childlike mirage of meaningless excitement and misplaced joy. I was so, so very wrong... and I'm so happy for that. The week has been so fantastic, the best way to round out 2014.

Once again, Merry, Merry Christmas.

xo