Half the battle...

...is getting there. I'll assume the other half is returning home.

Our Dallas to London flight was slightly delayed causing us to miss our connecting flight to Kenya. We arrived at the British Airways desk with 35 minutes to spare, but they told us the flight was closed. Lame.

Luckily, we were able to get on another flight. Leaving in EIGHT hours. We'll arrive in Kenya at 6:30 in the morning and then catch our flight to Tanzania at 9:30. The original plan was to arrive in Kenya tonight at 9:35, get a hot shower and sleep in a bed, and then make the morning trek to Tanzania. Still, all is well. Minus missing the hot shower (I've been warned about the cold water at the girls' home).

Already the Lord is working. On the first 8.5 hour flight the guy in front of us engaged the stranger next to him with the gospel. Gideon accepted Christ. Yes, I was eavesdropping. Yes, it was beautiful.

Across the aisle from us (where there are four seats together) two empty seats sat between and man and woman probably around our age. They were chatting away before the plane left the ground and Kitty and I joked about how long it would be before they were sitting next to each other. Two and half hours! Though the dude later moved back. I then caught him reading his Bible and secretly wished I was in the empty seat next to him. :)

Kidding.

Maybe.

I'm going on little sleep (maybe 2 hours) and haven't had many real thoughts! I still can't wrap my mind around what's coming. It's like I can feel change already happening, but I can't exactly interpret it all.

One funny story: I've been telling everyone my itinerary included a stop in Germany. Not true. It wasn't true before the change of flight plans either. I have no idea why I thought that, but I was convinced we had an extra stop on the flight over!

We'll be celebrating the new year at the girl's home. Check back here soon for an update on that experience. Much love, folks.

Wrapping up the year and beginning another...

What a year it has been for this girl! In January my sweet nephew was born. Three weeks later my mother was diagnosed with cancer. In May, I quit my full-time job to chase my dreams of photography. And now, I'm headed out on my first (but hopefully not only) trip to Africa to work with a non-profit organization and share the message of the gospel. I’ve cried tears of joy, tears of pain, tears of relief, tears for dear friends, and tears simply because I'm a girl and that's what I do.

The Lord has been very real in my life this past year and especially this last month. It's safe to say he's been preparing this trip for a while, but has recently had to be harsh with my sinful heart. It's been painful, but oh, so beautiful. The Lord's grace is amazing.

I've had friends, family, and complete strangers contribute financially and prayerfully to help make this trip happen. I haven't forgotten about any of you and am extremely thankful and overwhelmed at how perfectly this has all come together.

If you know me at all you know I'm a planner. I like to know all the details about pretty much any situation. I pry into my friends' lives and can be OCD when it comes to my calendar. I like control. :) I can honestly say that I know very little about what's going to be happening the next 3 weeks and am at perfect peace with that. I know the goals of the trip as far as the non-profit is concerned, but I know the Lord is going to do big, big things. Bring it on.

I make no promises that there will be more blog posts while in Africa, but I'll try my best! You can (and should) bookmark http://livingoutofaziplocbag.blogspot.com/. Elizabeth (the mastermind behind this trip), or Kitty as I affectionately call her, will be able to paint a much better picture of what's happening. There, you can also read about her past trips.

I can't wait to return and share stories and, of course, lots and lots of pictures! Thanks for standing beside me, especially when I've acted straight silly!

I'm oh, so excited to both wrap up 2010 and begin 2011. On. Another. Continent! How crazy is that?!

Chihuly at Cheekwood

I checked out the new Chihuly at Cheekwood exhibit and loved it! It's seriously worth the $15 bucks to get in. I'd recommend going later in the day on a Thursday or Friday when they have the Chihuly Nights deal. I bet those sculptures would look great lit up at night.

I posted an article with many pictures on examiner.com, but I'd like to show off a few more! These are the more artsy ones plus a bee on a flower - not exactly Chihuly fitting. Hope you like them!

Cheekwood

What a huge contrast in the weather this weekend compared to last weekend. Though I was in Chicago last weekend and missed out on the torrential rain, I'm very thankful for the beautiful weather Nashville has experienced the past few days. On Saturday I went with a few friends to Cheekwood. I went back in the fall (here and here), but ran out of time and didn't get to see the many botanical gardens. This time, I headed there first!

She was framed!

After Mike tried to strangle Heather we put him in jail where he became very deranged.

Brayan at 3 months!

Sweet Lil Dude is THREE months old! I really can't believe it. I spent a few days with the little guy and managed to avoid the crazy Nashville flooding in the process.

His hair reminds me of Albert Einstein. I think that means he's going to be a genius.

So sweet.

Happy baby.

Look how long he is!

Love his big eyes.

The iPhone picture is becoming one of my "go-to" shots. I'm a fan.

Happy Blogoversary!

One year ago today I started this here little blog with an intro blog post. It's been a fun and crazy year, both in my life and in my blog's life, but today is not about looking back. Today is about looking forward...

You see, today was my last full-time day at Abingdon Press. Yep. I'll be there part-time a bit in May, but have decided to jump off the ledge and pursue the things I love. It's something I've been thinking about for a very long time and finally felt confident enough to make the move. I'm going to pursue writing and photography—mostly photography—and hopefully still be able to pay the bills!

I'll be working part-time as marketing coordinator for a real estate broker. I think it will be a fun and interesting new gig where there will be a lot to learn and a lot to do (I like to stay busy). Working less hours during the week will free up time for me to focus on my future. The small paycheck will be nice (and needed) while I get my website up and start marketing myself.

It's a strange and terrifying transition, but I'm excited to see what the next few months, and years, of my life bring. I'm someone who likes structure in my life. A weekly schedule that stays the same. A fixed income that pays the bills. A comfort zone. This will not be any of the above things, which in some way convinces me that this is why it is right. I'm being led this direction and it is definitely not something I would choose to do on a whim.

So, keep an eye out for the new things on the horizon. I plan to have the new site up by the end of May, but hope to keep this blog going for personal use—separate from the new website.

It's about to get real interesting around here...

Meet Backup

Backup is my dear pal Heather's doggy. She's not the bravest of dogs, but she is darn cute. Take a look...

Suzy Wong's House of Yum to donate 100% of proceeds during Dining Out For Life event

The annual Dining Out For Life fundraising event is happening today (or Thursday) across the country to raise money for AIDS service organizations. More than 60 Nashville restaurants are participating in this year's event, but only Suzy Wong's House of Yum has pledged to donate 100% to the cause!

The restaurant's name references the popular 1950’s novel, The World of Suzie Wong. It is the story of a beautiful Asian “lady of the evening” falling in love with an American diplomat. The sleek, trendy design of the restaurant is extremely fitting for its name. The small space is well used and the food presentation is superb. read more...

A day trip down the Natchez Trace

This past Saturday I took a drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway. A friend suggested it would be a great drive for photo taking and was interested in the history so we jumped in the car and made our way south. The drive took us to Tupelo, Mississippi where Elvis was born! It was a long day with lots of stops between Nashville and Elvis, but was totally worth it. The drive was absolutely gorgeous and the weather was great. I'd love to make the drive again in the fall and maybe turn it into a weekend trip so I can make it all the way to Natchez, Mississippi.

The first stop was to see the double-arched bridge. The bridge is just south of the Loveless Cafe. Very cool.

Probably my favorite shot from the day. Simple, but I'm a fan of it. I'm also fairly certain that this bench has no historical significance. I doubt the early explorers placed it there!

Funny story about this here tobacco barn. We pull up at the stop and read the large posting that says it's a 10 minute loop to see the tobacco. This barn is directly in front of us (about 20 feet maybe) so we start walking down a road thinking that's where the 10-minutes come in. When we realize it led to nothing we turned around. On the walk back I remembered that the information stations (I have no clue what they are actually called) have a button that, when pressed, allow you to hear an old man talk about the tobacco. I assume that if we listened all the way through it would have taken approximately 10 minutes. Oopsies!

This is the Grinder house. Or a replication of what they think the Grinder house looked like. This is where our dear friend Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark) was shot. It was actually quite interesting as I didn't realize he was only 35 when he died. And, his death is a mystery.

See that small hill, or mound, in the background? The indians built that around 1000 A.D. Crazy, I know.

Ah, Elvis. This part of the trip didn't quite mix with the rest, but it was pretty interesting. I'm kind of amazed at the Elvis obsession.

This is the car that Elvis may or may not have been in when he moved from Tupelo to Memphis. It also may or may not be a replica of the car or it may or may not be a few years off from the actual car. Yep. Really, that's about how confusing the letter framed next to this car was. I actually only know that this car doesn't get dusted very often. And it's sea green.

So, there you have it. What you didn't see in these pictures are the 100's of turkeys along the parkway, any of the "overlooks" that were disappointingly lame, or the non-existent lunch spots along the way. If you're thinking of driving the parkway, pack a lunch. My counterpart for the trip did not heed my advice so we ate crackers and Reese's eggs until dinner in Tupelo. :)

My sweet, little nephew

I've been meaning to get these picture posted, but I'm a little behind. However, he is so precious that these photos are well worth the wait. Enjoy!

I so love this guy!

Only a few days left to donate!

Just a sweet, little reminder about my friend Elizabeth and her rad 5K. You can read the full details here. If you want to donate let me know!

Another sweet little lady!

My sweet, old roomie (old as in former, not senior citizen) Emily had her first child just a few weeks ago. Here are a few photos I took when I visited her last week.

This is how Bella's first photo shoot began. She loves me. Really.

Luckily, we were able to get a few sweet smiles out of her.

Probably my favorite. I love how uncomfortable she looks. I think I may try sleeping like that tonight.

Once she fell asleep she was content to sleep anywhere. That includes on a bench. In the park. Where limbs may or may not have fallen from the tree overhead. :)

Daddy wasn't around for the shoot so we only had one ring.

How sweet is this little lady?!

Celebrating National Food Month with the best the city has to offer

April is National Food Month and what better way to celebrate than to discover the best Nashville has to offer on some American favorites? Each day has been dubbed with a different food. Many of these items are available at local establishments. Want to know where to find the best of the best in the city? Click the “subscribe” button above to receive an email when new articles are available. read more...

Read about National Caramel Popcorn Day

Read about National Coffee Cake Day

With an inspired heart...

First, I apologize for going so long without an update on my mom. It's been hard for me to put into words the various emotions I've felt through the past few months and a simple "this is what's going on" type update didn't seem fair. I tend to put up walls and only let a few people in on how my heart is doing and what I'm feeling as a result of all the changes happening. To put it all down on paper (or in a blog) and know that anyone could come across it is not an easy task. My slight perfectionism doesn't help either!

To provide a quick update on her status, mom has had two chemo treatments and is still recovering from her surgery. For the most part, she is back on her feet (when the chemo hasn't knocked her out), but still has a little soreness in her stomach and two chemo ports. She has been very lucky to have minimal side effects from the medicine and even plans to try and work here and there a bit. We have moved past being hopeful that the chemo will treat the remaining cancer to being confident and praying expectantly that her cancer is already gone.

I feel very fortunate to have a mother who is as strong and positive as she is, a father that loves her, his children, and of course, his grandson, and a sister that I can relate to on so many levels (and, I can't forget about my brother-in-law who adds humor whether he's awake or asleep!). Though the past few months have brought challenges and heartache, no day has passed where hope and peace did not dwell. I feel closer to my family than ever before.

That's all for now. My heart has so much more to say, but isn't communicating that to the typing fingers. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Ps- stay tuned. Pictures from Easter with the fam are coming soon. Including my precious nephew and my cousin's sweet, little baby!

My new mini-cards from Moo.com!

I ordered some fabulous mini-cards from moo.com! Take a look.

(please ignore the poor quality of this photo)

I'm quite impressed with the quality. On the mini-cards you can choose up to 100 different images! I choose something like 27 of my favorites so I received 3-4 copies of each.

There are tons of things you can do with these little guys aside from ordering business cards. Take a look at this moo.com idea book.

Hillsboro Village offers hip, trendy, and casual dining options

In addition to shopping, banking, and other entertainment, Hillsboro Village along 21st Avenue offers a variety of dining options. This unique collection of neighborhood merchants is hip and trendy while capturing and maintaining historic charm. The historic Belcourt Theatre, opened in 1925, remains a key part of the village’s character.

A handful of unique restaurants fill in the spaces between the fashionable retail selections along 21st Avenue. Each provides its customers with a diverse menu and distinctive atmosphere. Whether you’re seeking an Italian meal, a place to catch a sports game, or a simple soup and sandwich combination Hillsboro Village is sure not to disappoint. read more...

Spring!

Chicago-style hotdogs available at The Dog of Nashville

Chicago-style hot dogs are quite the hit, even outside the state of Illinois. The traditional Chicago-style dog is an all-beef hot dog steamed, boiled, or grilled and served in a poppy seed bun. The toppings, added in order, consist of yellow mustard, green relish, fresh chopped onions, two tomato wedges, a pickle spear, two sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt.

The Chicago metropolitan area boasts more hot dog restaurants than McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger Kings combined. While Nashville doesn't offer quite that many hot dog joints there is one place that serves up the Chicago-style dog along with a variety of others. read more...