...coming at you live from the bustling metropolis that is Lorena, Texas!! I have been intently enjoying my extended vacation from work--we spent nearly a week in St. Thomas with friends (GO if you ever have the opportunity), and then ST headed back to Nashville for work and I skipped on over to Texas to see family and such. I was hesitant to leave work for two weeks--especially with my boss out on maternity leave--but the break has been so much more therapeutic than I expected. I mean... I'm kinda having a difficult time absorbing that I need to mentally check back in to Real Life in the not too distant future.





So, I wholeheartedly indulged in island life for a good bit, then immediately came back to my roots... a dear friend was married the day after I arrived here, and I've spent the past week trekking all over Texas (Dallas to Houston anyway) to love on friends (and their babies!), shopped my little heart out in Waco (a necessary errand every time I come home) and today I'll witness my baby cousin graduate high school before joining my big crazy family on our annual camping trip. 

Life is good today.

In the meantime, as you wait with bated breath for my endless slew of tropical photos, here's a short list of what's up with that!




 ...errr, me: 

reading | Dana Perino's "And The Good News Is..." also really itching to start "The Astronaut Wives' Club" (by Lily Koppel) as I am obsessed with that era and all things space and NASA.

browsing | In a manner that is not at all reflective of my typical habits, I have but three windows open, currently... gmail, blogger and reader. Aside from an influx of shameless vacation photos, I've really tried to disconnect from my phone and technology as much I can. And it has been fantastic.

donning | Old Navy? Shift dress game strong. I grabbed this and this this week. I don't do a lot of mall shopping in Nashville, because my anxiety with rude crowds would inevitably lead to homicide at some point. I also finally found this dress here in Waco! (sold out in Nashville and online). Target has been rocking the swimwear, per the usual--I got this top and this top (and replaced my forever old, but ever-reliable black bottoms... which took a day in St. Thomas to realize uhh, yeah, the elastic in these pups is SHOT. now would be the time to splurge on a $15 pair of bottoms, Meg.)

Otherwise, my "at home" attire consists solely of nike shorts, lululemon crops and old navy tank tops. It's quite a glamorous life I lead.

watching | Catching up on The Bachelorette as I have late night time when pops + jules have hit the hay. also, ST and I started Bloodline and I'm all about getting back into that when I get home

wishing | that "vacation" from work constituted authentic "vacation." I've spent more time on email than I care to mention thanks to summer print deadlines.

jazzed about |  my baby cousin's graduation! seeing extended family on my mom's side... and getting back to Nashville, ST and Maizers... and actually getting into ironing out some of our summer plans.

sipping on | Beer. Texas = beer.

wondering | How the hell could my cousin be graduating?! I remember the exact day she was born, May 16, 1997--my mom called me at school (I was in fifth grade), and I was called to the office--and subsequently had to climb over all of my classmates, as we were sprawled on the floor watching a movie in a dark classroom--to hear the news. Sweet memory.

DGAF | Caitlyn Jenner. I mean, way to go, Bruce... you do you. Why the hell does everyone care so much? Isn't there enough to worry about? Everyone has a freaking opinion about ev-er-y-thang and it just chaps my ass to hear and read so many opinions. Carry on. There are bigger fish to fry... fish you actually can control. Or something.

grateful for | yes, it's redundant, but this vacation was nothing short of heavenly. I've never been one who craved big-time vacations, but we have friends who so graciously invited us to join them on their vacation--and they were an absolute blast. Travel with others can be tricky, but it was such a memorable, hilarious, exciting and beautiful week. I feel really lucky to have them in our lives, and nearby in Nashville--they're the epitome of "good people." 

I promise an onslaught of vacation pictures soon--St. Thomas AND Texas! 

My heart breaks for my hometown today.

You've probably heard of the insanity that transpired in Waco yesterday. Biker gangs opened fire in a restaurant in a well frequented shopping area in what appears to have been an orchestrated plan. It sounds crazy to read out loud: biker gangs. This isn't a series on FX--this is the town I grew up in, the place my parents chose to make a home.

To the outside world, Waco doesn't have a sterling reputation to begin with. I can't tell you how many dozens of times, upon meeting people for the very first time, I'm inundated with Branch Davidian jokes. Or interrogated about Baylor Basketball... basically been the focus of someone's mock concern due to having grown up in what was obviously such a terrible part of the world.

For the first handful of times this happened, the formerly polite version of me would feign amusement, and essentially change the subject. Gradually, I grew more defensive. Now? I curtly reply that David Koresh's reign ended with his death TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO, and seeing as I was the ripe age of 7... no, no I wasn't ever a card-carrying member of his cult.

I don't have a reasonable explanation for what happened yesterday. It's heinous, what happened. I am dumbfounded, that in this day and age, so much hate exists at all, much less for something as frivolous as a turf war. My brother is a policeman back home, and every single time a disaster like this goes down--of any magnitude--I hold my breath as I stare at news tickers and attempt to seem casual as I check in with my family. He's defending the people of my beloved hometown (near it anyway), and when situations like this arise, my anger level skyrockets. Being 700 miles away doesn't help my cause.

While I can't explain the senselessness of incidents like yesterday's, I do, however, get really tired of people instantly labeling a place as "BAD." Tragedy happen everywhere, every day--the difference is, people have come to expect terrible things to happen in large cities:

• Remember that bombing in Olympic Park in Atlanta back in '96? I mean, I remember it, but my first thought of Atlanta falls in line somewhere with the Braves or Falcons, and Coca-Cola and Chick-Fil-A and godawful traffic.
  
• When I think of Boston, I don't instantaneously think of the marathon bombings, even in spite of the recent sentencing. I envision how richly historic the city is, with all of the universities and landmarks... and how I can't wait to visit later this year.
  
• When I envision Oklahoma City, I don't immediately think of Timothy McVeigh. Oddly enough, I think of tornadoes and small-town life and all of the amazingly friendly people I met in college who were Okies.
  
• Perhaps the most debatable example--when I think of DC and NYC, I don't immediately think of 9/11 (and if you did, I wouldn't be surprised)--I am reminded of monuments and museums, shopping and shows, politicos and bustle... and how much fun I've had in both of these cities.

I realize much of this can be attributed to the size of these locations--not many people know about Waco, if you haven't passed through, spent time there, or know someone there. It's human nature to attribute what you know to what you've heard. The closest comparison to be made is that of Columbine or Sandy Hook--I couldn't tell you one thing about either of those places other than the tragedies they've faced at the hands of delirious gunmen.

I'm here to tell you that Waco? Is a pretty incredible place.

Kids grow up with a respect for land and country, a heartfelt connection to their roots. I often liken my childhood to a Rockwell painting--everyone knows everyone (or seems to) in Waco. We were raised with a strong sense of valuing and respecting our elders--and veterans and servicemen and women--and their stories. Waco was where my faith was planted and bloomed. And now, every time I return home, there are a dozen new causes that have sprouted--people everywhere are just yearning to help their fellow man. School rivalries run deep, but the respect is there, all the same. It's rather easy to make a name for yourself in Waco, to use it as a platform to dive into this big crazy world. Yes, I speak from experience.

The size is ideal--just about 200,000 people tucked halfway between Dallas and Austin. There is an abundant medical field, a fabulous university (not biased at all), lots of unique shopping, some of the best Mexican food known to man, my favorite grocery store in the world, and tons of history. And it's home to Joanna & Chip Gaines, as if you didn't know. Dr. Pepper was founded in Waco. The city is home to lots of pro athletes (and former athletes). Several musicians and actors make their homes here. It's an incredible town--as a 22-year-old, I couldn't wait to get out--as young adults are wont to do--but now that I call Nashville home, I ache for the sweet simplicities and familiarities of Waco in a way I never anticipated.

It's beautiful, it's authentic, it'll always clutch a substantial piece of my heart. Waco isn't a sum of its events--it has grown by leaps and bounds from when I was young--in every way imaginable. I daresay it has overcome the many shadows cast over it due to a handful of selfish souls. And I have every faith it'll rise above this tragedy as well.

My ten-year high school reunion was a few weeks ago. ten years. TEN.

just hold me for a minute.

since I was your trusty class secretary, I was tasked with the tag-teaming of planning the reunion... and I'm a little embarrassed to admit that in the weeks leading up to the event, I complained about allocating one of my precious Texas trips for the purpose of the reunion. I have had a ton going on this year--I try to go home every 3-4 months, but with the holidays and my brother's wedding, I've had more to pencil in during 2014 than I've had in the past couple of years. (In the end, the reunion was a lot more fun than I ever thought it would be.)




back story: I grew up in the tiniest, most Norman Rockwell-esque town known to man--my graduating class consisted of a whopping 115 people, many of whom I'd grown up with since kindergarten. most of them are still rocking the same area code. very little about my hometown has evolved since I walked that glorious stage back in june of 2004. with facebook, I've basically known what everyone is up to. people have gotten married, they've become parents. facebook can report a lot, but it can't tell you everything.

the planning process over the past few months really got me thinking: how would my former classmates see me? what would they remember about me? how am I different from my 18-year-old self?

the reunion came and went. we all had a great time (bonus! I heard from more than a couple people that I "look exactly the same" which was sweet, sweet music to my ears)... lots of karaoke with a side of flip cup. and when I got back to nashville, I stumbled across joanna goddard's most recent "personality test."  in it, the person in question is supposed to sum herself up in five words. I loved that Nora Ephron reflected on the fact that her labels were never the same. I was instantly transported back to high school me, and how I've changed... and how I'll evolve even more in the coming years. here's how I'd have labeled my most telling qualities then and now: