Emily's Homecoming

It is rare in life to have a best friend that has literally been there since day one. That is true of me and Emily Crane. Well, I guess technically I have only been there since day three for her, since we were born three days apart to parents who were friends and have been besties ever since.

 

 Despite the fact that we have been close friends for so many years, we have no lived in the same city since 2008. Auburn, Winston-Salem, Kansas, Mentone, Uganda, Kenya, Cape Town, Wald-Michelbach, Nashville, Chongquing, Cheungdu…needless to say, we have been keeping Skype in business. But those days are over, Emily and I are both officially Nashville residents. And we could not be more excited about it.

We welcomed her in style upon her homecoming from East Asia on Tuesday night.

And, in typical East Asian fashion, she flew across the world with a bike! Poor Tyler had to carry it to the car while the rest of us celebrated Em's arrival!

We sure are glad to have you stateside again, Em!

xoxo

The Pitches #backinaction

Summer nights are here and kickball season is upon us. Pitches Be Crazy are ready to play. We took a break for the winter months (an to let the dust settle on a little team drama…) but we are back in full force! Tonight was our first game and we dominated.

I even scored the first run, which is a rarity for sure. 

I forgot how much I loved some hilarious competition and kickball action on these long, warm nights.

Heres to another great season, hopefully ending in another championship!

xoxo

A Boston Weekend

Back in cold, dreary January, my friends Meg and Jamie presented the idea that we plan a trip for Memorial Day Weekend. Boston was a city on all of our radars, so we booked flights and then went on with our lives. May rolled around and we were all thrilled to have this little trip in the plans.

Boston was beautiful, and this was the perfect time of year to visit.

We stayed in an adorable Air BnB in Beacon Hill, which made us feel like locals as we dined in local hotspots and wandered around the neighborhood.

We did not feel like locals when we went on the Duck Tour, but it was absolutely hilarious and a great way to get an overview of the city.

We stopped by all the must-sees, like the Duck statues and the marathon finish line. We asked this little girl to move for our picture, but she wanted to be in it so we obliged.

The food we consumed was absolutely amazing. Dinners each night were a highlight. And watching the sunset on the river with a bottle of wine before wasn't too shabby either.

Renting bikes and heading over to Cambridge was a great decision. 

 We stopped by the Red Sox game on our way, and loved the breezy ride around Harvard.

The weekend was a breath of fresh air and I cannot get over how much I loved the city of Boston. Cheers to a wonderful mini-vacation!

xoxo

Home again...

The past couple of weeks have been a wonderful whirlwind. I just hung up the phone with my dear 88 year old grandmother who said, "Darling, your life is always exciting!" I don't know that it always is, but the adventures of the past three weeks have been exciting and so much more.

Boston was beautiful and refreshing and full of heartfelt conversation with friends.

Peru was enlightening and colorful and filled to the brim with adventure.

I cannot wait to share details, photos, and tidbits from my travels.

Until then,

xoxo

Traveling.

I am in the 12 hour break between a wonderful long weekend in Boston with friends and my two week galavant around Peru. I am excited, relaxed, tired, enthused, stressed, nervous….quite the whirlwind of feelings. And I also recently came across this quote that I adore.

xoxo

Graduated. Again.

I walked across the stage in a cap and gown and was handed a very expensive piece of paper last week. I've done this three times in the past 7 years, so I kinda know the drill by now. 

And every time, the graduation festivities are bittersweet. They are exciting but they bring forth uncertainty. They are celebrated but they cause sad goodbyes. And my graduation from graduate school was no different, minus the fact that it was tens of degrees hotter than any other graduation I have been a part of or attended. Whew. 

I learned more than I can put into words during my last two years at Vanderbilt, and the counseling skills are something that I will continue to refine and use for the rest of my life. I met friends and colleagues and mentors and teachers, many of whom I hope to keep for the rest of my life. I was supported by my incredible parents, friends, and family, all of whom I am extremely thankful to have in my life.

Part of the weirdness of finishing grad school is that it really seems like this is the end of my formal schooling. I hope to be a lifelong learner. And I could always end up back in school for one reason or another, but, for right now, this looks like the end. 

Cheers!

xoxo

The Bluebird Cafe

I spend the evening last night at one of Nashville's most iconic music venues, The Bluebird Cafe.

I am embarrassed to admit I had never been before, but seeing my dear friends' band, MamaDear, play was the perfect debut for me to this cute, authentic venue.

MamaDear was amazing, as always, and it was really neat to see them play in such a treasured space. I was glad I could be there to support, and with the nature of the venue, we were sitting right up close and personal. MamaDear, it was a great show!

xoxo