Farm-Fresh Goodness

We've been craving some sweet corn and other fresh summertime fare, but the grocery store just hasn't delivered. Nary an ear of corn can be found at my local Kroger. So, on Saturday we decided to do something we SHOULD have been doing all summer - head to the Nashville Farmer's Market to get some fresh eats.

If the scent of warm peaches and freshly baked pies weren't enough, the vibrant rainbow of produce was certainly a feast for the eyes. We went there to actually buy some things, but I couldn't help but take a few pictures. (I could have spent hours snapping away!) I loved how the items were stacked so neatly in their baskets. I wanted one of everything! It made me think of all of the things we could make. But, my refrigerator would only hold so much.

The place reminded me of home and how lucky I was to have all those fresh fruits and veggies right outside my door growing up. It almost makes me want to plant a garden...but not THAT much. I have a brown thumb and no backyard. So, for now, I'll go to the Farmer's Market and take advantage of all it has to offer.

In her sleep...

Bailey is funny when she sleeps. We swear she's chasing rabbits in her dreams. We haven't been able to catch that on video yet, but we were able to catch her snoring and whimpering in her sleep last night. It's a bit hard to hear with the TV in the background, but it's still funny!

Good Song

Ever hear a great song that you can't stop singing in your head? Well, that happened to me yesterday....at church! I know that church isn't the typical place for picking up new favorites, but yesterday I did. We have a contemporary worship at our church, Our Savior Lutheran, with a fantastic praise band. I've always wanted a church that has one, and now we do!

At the tender age of seven, my Aunt Sharon introduced me to Amy Grant. In no time, I had several of her tapes (yes, tapes!) and all of her songs memorized. I thought her music was a terrific way to worship. I was always puzzled why her songs were so fun to sing, yet we had to sing such boring songs in church. I didn't get it. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy traditional hymns. But there is something pretty uplifting to "rock out" with praise.

It's amazing to me how long it took, especially for Lutherans, to pick up on the concept of contemporary worship. There's still plenty who haven't grabbed on to the concept. I'm just glad that my church has.

Anyway, back to the original point of this post - the song! It's a wonderful interpretation of Psalm 23, so I thought I would share the lyrics of the song. If you'd like to hear it, you can go here (though I think our praise band did a MUCH better job!). Hope you enjoy!

Never Let Go

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

Bailey Pics

It's been fun taking pictures of Bailey lately. She's just so silly! She LOVES going to puppy day care and the dog park. After all that excitement, she is SO pooped.

This is Bailey after our trip to the dog park today.

Our sleepy Bear. Bailey after Puppy Day Care yesterday.

Our little bat dog!

Bailey says: "Is this as fun for you as it is for me?"

Even though Bailey weighs 80 pounds, she still thinks she's a little puppy. She loves getting her Daddy's lap.

Updates of the Random Kind

It's been a while since I've posted on here, so I thought I'd give an update of the past few weeks. After coming back from vacation last month, we've really taken it easy, which has been nice. There hasn't been anything huge going on, but we've had some fun nevertheless.

Friend in Town

At the beginning of the month, our good friend Jeff (or as we call him, Curbo) came in town for a visit. Curbo was one of Garth's fraternity brothers, and he sang in our wedding. We enjoyed getting together at Bosco's for dinner and drinks. It was good having Curbo in town for a few days. We're really hoping he decides to move back to Nashville!

Frat brothers - Curbo, Garth and Blair

I decided to throw the picture of me with the guys as well. Fun times!

Beth's Wedding Shower

Later that weekend, I went to a wedding shower for my friend, Beth. She is getting married in August and I'm very excited for her! The wedding shower had an Italian theme, as Beth and Jason are going to Tuscany for their honeymoon.

Here is Wendy, our lovely hostess, and Beth during present time.

Beth and I at the shower. I'm so glad she is my friend!

Art Fair

Last weekend, we went to the American Artisan Festival at Centennial Park. Beth, see above, had a cute booth at the fair, so we got to see all of her wonderful goodies. We brought Bailey along and she had a great time meeting all the people and dogs at the park. She was definitely a hit!

Here's the cute purse I bought from Beth!

Happy Belated Father's Day

I was feeling guilty this morning that it has been nearly a full week since Father's Day and I have not yet made a post to celebrate the occasion. Granted, I did talk to my dad on Sunday and Garth's dad came here for the day, but I still feel compelled to officially acknowledge our dads! Better late than never, right?

So, here's to Dad's and the many things they teach us. Although there are many things, here's my top 10 list of things my dad taught me:

1. How to throw a softball (however, much to dad's dismay, I still throw like a girl).
2. How to do many, many things on the farm (i.e. walk beans, feed baby calves, vaccinate pigs, and bopping rats with a shovel, though that's a story for another time)
3. Alegbra.
4. Integrity is paramount - just yesterday he said, "you don't burn bridges without it coming back to get you". Well said.
5. The best techniques for riding a mat down a water slide, doing donuts on a jet ski and avoiding the water hazard on the putt-putt course.
6. I'm capable of anything I put my mind to.
7. God comes first.
8. I'll never be too old to help out on the farm or fix him a bowl of ice cream.
9. Hard work pays off.
10. I still have many lessons to learn.

Thank you, Dad, for the many things you've taught me. I think we often take our parent's wisdom for granted until it's time to use the advice we've been given. Right after I graduated college, a light bulb went off - my parents were right all along! There are so many things we don't want to believe as children. We think we have it all figured out. But, the truth is, we don't. Our parents were right all along. It just takes time for us to realize it.

So, thank you to all the Dad's out there who patiently teach us and prepare us for life. Happy belated Father's Day to my Dad, Greg, and Garth's dad, Henry! We love you both!

My Dad at their neighbor's pond.

Henry eating a frosty on Father's Day.

Top 10 Reasons I Love CMA Fest

For those of you that don’t live in Nashville, you might not be familiar with CMA Music Fest (formerly known as Fan Fair). Once a year, every country music lover in the whole wide world descends upon Nashville to show their fanaticism. It’s awful and awesome all at the same time. It also happens to be the one and only time when you see thousands of people in Nashville wearing cowboy hats. I promise you, no one who actually lives in Nashville walks around donning a straw hat, cowboy boots and a sparkly belt buckle.

At the beginning of the week, I was dreading the impending festival. As someone who works downtown, it would mean terrible traffic, nowhere to park and my favorite lunch spots overtaken by throngs of annoying tourists.

But then, as the fans start pouring in, I remember why I love the CMT Fest after all….people watching! My co-worker, Laura M., and I decided to spend our lunch at Panera Bread. The patio was the perfect spot – it looks down 5th Avenue, which connects the Sommet Center and the Nashville Convention Center, places where many of the festivities take place. During our hour-long lunch, we saw some interesting things. Here’s a Top 10 list of what we saw:

1. About 500 straw cowboy hats (no, we didn’t count, but there were a lot!)
2. About 700 neon orange CMT souvenir bags (again, just an estimate)
3. Seven or eight guys on Harleys
4. Random musicians/group practicing on the sidewalk
5. An old woman in a tank top, but NO bra
6. People wearing shirts about three sizes too small
7. Several tattoos that used to be a bit smaller than they are now
8. People wearing fanny packs, tube socks, tennis shoes, cowboy hats and cameras around their necks
9. A mullet or two...and last, but definitely not least…
10. The Naked Cowboy
    

Yes, that’s right. We saw man strumming a guitar wearing nothing but cowboy boots, a hat and lovely whitey tighties that said “Naked Cowboy” across his derriere. Kid you not. At first, I thought we were the only ones who noticed him. But before long, there were throngs of people dying to get a picture with this guy in all his glory. Here’s a picture Laura M. snapped of him from her iPhone. It's a tad small, but you get the gist.

When we got back to the office, we looked him up and realized that this was not just some random guy who likes to get attention, but someone who has some really bad songs and likes to take his semi-nakedness cross country. You can see a better picture of him doing his thing here. Believe it or not, you can get your very own pair of Naked Cowboy underwear for $15! And, just like the Web site says, they are skid mark free – what more could you want?!

I would spend more time at the CMA Fest, but I’m afraid I might explode from seeing an overload of shirts adorned with rhinestones and airbrushed designs. I think, for now, I’ll savor my hour-long memory until next year.