A weekend of hoops and jazz hands!

This past weekend I went home to see my brother Jacob play in the City tournament and my brother John perform in CenterStage! They were both wonderful and I had a great weekend! My cousin Brad was able to make the trip with me and Chandler. We sure did have one packed car on the way home. At first I did not know how Chandler felt about Brad being in the front seat..he kept on looking at Brad like he was saying, "Hey, do you know that you're in MY seat?" So, after 30 or so minutes in the car, they made a compromise and Chandler was able to ride home on Brad's infamous 'Thomas the Tank Engine' pillow! It was definitely a "kodak moment" as my mom would say. But, if you would have been in the car with all of us you would have wanted me to just keep two hands on the wheel! Ha. There was so much going on! 

Saturday morning Chandler and I made his first visit to the groomer! I am not sure how he felt about it. But, it sure does look cute and shaped up and I felt like I took him to a "Mother's Day Out!" Ha. 

After the grooming experience we went to Guntersville to see Jacob and The Aggies compete against in the championship game of the City Tournament!

They, of course, were in the championship with our biggest rivals! We HATE Boaz and were SO excited to beat them..even if it was by ONE point!!! I don't understand how we can be up 16 points at one point in the game and then only win by 1. But, none the less....Congratulations to the Albertville Aggies on their win in the City Tournament against the ugly Boaz Pirates!!

Now, on to Albertville's new Fine Arts Center to watch John Barkley perform in CenterStage! The whole show was choreographed around the tornado the went through Albertville this past year. It was very touching and amazing all at the same time! We have a lot of talent in our schools and I am so thankful for the program that we have! Sweets and Songs was so much fun! And, check out John in those white skinny jeans!!

A "Yellow Rain boots" kind of day

As most of you know, Nashville along with everywhere else, has had quite a bit of snow! But, yesterday was a rainy day..so I got to wear my new yellow rain boots! Yesterday was my day off from work...aka...my lazy day with Chandler. We woke up, took a walk, watched the Today show and watched...my favorite...Regis and Kelly. Well, soon to be just Kelly :(. I can't decide who I would like to be her new co-host. I personally would love to wake up to Mark Consuelos every morning. That would definitely start my day off right!

I enjoyed a nice rainy day reading and going to the gym for a overdue workout! It was a very long overdue workout..that I am now feeling the effects of taking that long break. As I was riding that bicycle yesterday I was thinking...man why have I done this to myself? But, I justified it by saying that when it's pretty weather outside, I enjoy running/jogging. But, when it gets cold I don't want to go outside..I just want to stay inside all cuddled up! But, I am overcoming my "cold fear" by going to the gym at Lipscomb! Wish me luck..

After my dreaded workout I came home to get ready for dinner with Brad Shrader! This, of course, was the highlight of my day. I took Chandler over to play with their dog, Zack. Let's just say that Chandler was excited to see him, but Zack, not so much. Zack wants no part of Chandler. Uncle Gary said that Zack was had the "traumatized" look for a whole day after Chandler left last time. So, this time, they tried to prepare Zack and talk to him about "that little terror" coming over again! Ha. For those of you that know Brad, you know that his favorite place to eat is...the one and only.. Cracker Barrel! So, off we headed to Cracker Barrel! Brad enjoyed a big plate of pancakes! Spending time with Brad is one of my favorite things about living in Nashville. Brad is the happiest, kindest, and most genuine person I know and I am very thankful to have him in my life!

Hello Blog...I have neglected you for so long!

Well, I guess the initial move to Nashville and getting settled in was a little more overwhelming that I thought it would be! Blogging has been the last thing on my mind. I have decided to take a little break from facebook, so of course now I need somewhere else to focus my attention....SweetHomeMusicCity Blog it is! Since July many things have happened! I am now halfway finished with my MBA program at Lipscomb. That sounds so crazy! My, my, how time flies. It seems like just yesterday that I was applying for the program and preparing for the big, bad GMAT! Now, I am revamping my resume', networking like crazy, and researching companies on LinkedIn. Nashville has been great to me! I have found a church home, really great friends, and started to make a new life for myself. I really do believe this place fits perfectly with who I want to be and that is a great feeling!

One of the best things about living in Nashville is that I am close to the Shrader family :)

Andee, me, and Melanie at the Pat Green concert at Tin Roof

Being tourisst and going to the Parthenon!

I have found the sweetest children to baby sit. I love Hannah and Kaden Knapp!

An evening at the Piano Bar

I love when Livi comes to visit!

Cheering on the Tide at the Crow's Nest

Burgess Falls

UT vs. Bama game in Knoxville!

Meagan came to visit!                All the girls carving pumpkins at Erin's apartment!

The Nutcracker at TPAC

My favorite Christmas present from Livi!

Our little apartment was quite the Winter Wonderland! 

Chandler loves the snow.

We have had many snow days!

My best friends at 3rd and Lindsley to see Andrew Belle, Amy Stroup, and Matthew Mayfield!

And church shopping is underway

I love so many things about being here in Nashville. But, one of the things that is so wonderful is that I have many churches to choose from! I have been "shopping" around for about two weeks now. I love going to church and I want to find my new home so quickly and get settled in, but it's so hard because I am having to visit so many! Mel and I have had some interesting experiences...that just make the "shopping around" a little comical. Well, as you know...we are no longer considered college students, therefore the next class in line in the singles class. We were really excited to hear the Otter Creek had a class that is "Young Adults." So, Sunday morning we bee-bop on into class. We are all sitting in a circle, about to go around the room and introduce ourselves, when I notice we are the only two in the class who are not a couple. Did we miss the memo....? One of Mel's friends, Courtney, reassured us that the class was for everyone in their 20's, but apparently all the other un-married people weren't in attendance this past Sunday. Thanks for leaving us with all the newly weds!!

Sunday night we visited Ethos, and it was very refreshing because I felt more at home with the age group and all :) Ethos meets on Sunday nights and it's something I really want to get involved with! I loved the service and look forward to being a part of all their active missions among the community. 
http://ethoslove.com/

Mel and I have laughed because their are so many different churches that we are interested in, so we have something "church associated" planned for just about every night of the week!! Ha.

Last week was my first week of work as a graduate assistant at Lipscomb. I really love everyone I will be working with and I am excited about the things I will get to do! I am really excited about starting my classes!! I have met several professors and I know they are going to be great. I also ran into many professors who have Alabama Daniel Moore prints in their office. :) Roll Tide! I felt right at home! 

right place at the right time

About a month ago, I got to teach the high school girls' class at UCC. Of course you know what usually happens when you teach a class like that; you end up getting way more out of it than they probably did. The series they are on is about writing your spiritual autobiography, or telling your story. I think it's a really important process to look back over your life, see where God has taken you, and how he has worked, so I was really excited to talk to these girls about it. During the class, one of the girls casually mentioned something that has been on my mind ever since: the people that God brings into your life at exactly the time that you need them.

Whatever "season" of life I've been in, God has always put somebody in my life who was exactly who I needed at that time. There was the friend that was there when my best friend moved away, the friend who was there when my heart was broken, or the friend who introduced me to everyone when I was the new girl. And of course there are countless other examples of people that were so perfectly placed in my path, sometimes just because of a conversation we had, or a card they sent me, or because they understood exactly what I was going through and didn't think I was crazy.

So now, as I'm about to encounter a lot of change in my life, I've been really comforted by that thought. God has always provided. I've learned firsthand how faithful he is: the statement that God is faithful is no longer just another phrase for me, but rather something He has proved to me. So I have no reason to doubt that God won't provide the people and support I need this time, too. That's definitely hard for me to remember at times....but isn't that why it's helpful to write a blog post about it? :)