Halloween Pictures

Happy Halloween!! Max was groomed and bathed yesterday, and they put a Halloween bandana on him. I had to take a picture. He was very tired as you can see... I wish the first picture wasn't blurry. :( It's so funny!

If you are wondering about the fund raiser event, it went GREAT! I hope to have pictures up eventually. I'm still waiting for someone to send them to me. Had a GREAT shopping weekend with Mom too!!

Have a safe Halloween!

Music and Mom

Mom gets here today!! yay!! Tonight we are headed to The Standard to see my favorite performer, Annie Sellick. http://anniesellick.com/ Food and wine tasting, etc. Should be a GREAT evening! The rest of the weekend will be all about shopping and getting more done with the house.

Then comes SUNDAY... I actually was invited to sing at a really big fund raiser for the TJ Martell Foundation. http://www.tjmartellfoundation.org/Nashville-Home.aspx The event is out at our friends' beautiful tuscan style home, Stephen & Robin Collins. We went to France with them last year and Geof is on the same cycling team with Stephen. Anyway... the fund raiser is $125 per person and there will be 40 different types of wine and they flew in a famous chef from Spain. Its' going to be unreal!!! And I am singing!! AGGHHH!!! There will be some big shots there from all over Nashville, etc. I am so excited! I've got a superb jazz trio behind me and we'll be out on the patio as people mingle. Should be an absolutely WONDERFUL event. I cannot wait!

I will try to post more pics after the weekend!

More House Pictures...

More pictures of the house....

Last weekend we painted Geof's study. His desk is absolutely beautiful! You can't see the detail in these pics, but I tried. We found it at the Ashley Home Furniture Outlet just outside of Nashville. We got REALLY lucky. It didn't even have a scratch (other than a tiny little mark that can be covered up or rubbed out). Anyway it was over 50% off just because of that! Awesome! Now we just need to get some deco and book cases, etc..

Here is our happy little family in front of the house! (sorry we are so far away...) I now have some gorgeous mums on the front porch for Fall. I'm so domestic!!

We finally painted the Texas bedroom. Beautiful! I'll try to get pics of that up soon. Mom comes on Thursday. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cement Carvings...

Here is a fun picture! When Geof and I got married and built our townhouse, I carved our initials on the side of our front step after they laid the cement - I know, such a rebel. You can't see it unless you dig thru our flowerbed. Just before we moved out of the townhouse last month, I took a picture. It's hard to read since it is a few years old, but I'm glad I got to take a picture so we can remember it. It says A + G 2005. Have you ever carved in wet cement? It's harder than it looks!
I need to find a place on the new house to do something like this. Maybe the back deck or something. The new house was built in 2001, so there isn't really any wet cement around. Speaking of the new house... last weekend we painted Geof's study. Looks GREAT! I will post a picture soon. And this weekend we are going to be busy painting the Texas room - finally! My mom comes into town next Thursday. I'm so excited!!!!!!

Light The Night

I am so excited to be a part of an awesome fund raiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! If you haven't heard of the Light The Night walks, you should do some research in your area. The walk in Nashville takes place next Thursday night. It is going to be SO fun! The Titans Cheerleaders will lead us all out and we will walk 1.75 miles around downtown Nashville .... around LP Field (where the Titans play), across the bridge over the Tennessee River downtown, down Broadway, and back over the bridge to the stadium where we will finish... It's going to be absolutely beautiful! And what a great cause to be a part of. The entire evening is going to be family oriented so there will be all sorts of things to do for kids like face painting, bounce houses, etc. And of course BBQ too!

My niece, Katie (who turned 7 yesterday by the way!!!) is involved in the Light the Night Walk in the Dallas area coming up at the end of the month. Her cheerleader squad is actually going to lead the massive group of Dallas area walkers carrying a big banner. I know those girls are so excited!

Anyway, if you want to be a part of this fun evening in your area, check it out here:
http://www.lightthenight.org/

If you want to donate on my page (I am so close to my goal!) you can donate here: http://www.active.com/donate/ltnNashvi/2471_mndbrks

You Know You Live in the Burbs When.....

Saturday afternoon I hear loud clown type music playing outside.... could it be? Could it REALLY be?? AN ICE CREAM TRUCK!!!!!!!!!! (no, I didn't really take a picture)

I open the front door and look down the street to see an ice cream truck parked on the corner, and people and children were coming out of their houses and running like mad! I've never seen anything like this! It was as if it were a magnet of some sort just pulling people out of their homes. Like a movie or something. I got this rush of excitement as if I were 10 years old again!!! Of course I didn't have any cash on me, so I didn't get to enjoy, but I did love watching how excited people were over this phenomenon that has (in my opinion) become rather creepy. But Saturday it was GREAT! You know you're living in the suburbs when the ice cream man is BACK IN BUSINESS!!

Don't you remember those days back in the 80s? We'd be inside playing and we'd hear that music... dash to the closet to find our "jellies" and slip them on our feet - then go grab mom for some cash and run outside to meet the man with the goodies! Good times. I love me an orange Push-Up.

Here's to next Saturday! I hope he shows up again. I'll be ready this time.

I get it.

I am CONVINCED today that God knows exactly what he's doing. ha! You know, some days you just gotta wonder - what on earth?? What is He doing up there?!! Why am I going thru this, or why am I in this place, why did this happen, etc.. But TODAY... yep. I get it. Sometimes it takes stepping back and hearing the story of someone else's journey to truly understand our own path and God's journey for our own lives. I spent about two hours with an old friend last night. Evelyn and I were in the ACU Theatre Dept together. She and her hubby, Chris (also an old ACU buddy who happens to be one of the BEST drummers on earth) live here in Nashville and are expecting a baby boy in two weeks! Anyway, Evelyn and her family suffered an unimaginable tragedy about 4 1/2 years ago when her mother's life was taken. And last night she caught me up on the latest and how God has worked within that tragedy. I am telling you, in my 29 years, I have never heard a testimony like this. It is absolutely mind blowing!! I am hoping that when the time is right she will write a memoir of her mother's life and the journey to forgiveness. I was blessed last night and moved more than I have been moved spiritually in years. Last night I was reminded just why I am a believer.