Country Music & Honky Tonks

A few weekends ago, Rip and I took our own road trip adventure!  My gracious parents agreed to watch our kiddos for three days, and we were off!

First, we had a DATE NIGHT in Nashville. . .we saw the LAST EVER Brooks & Dunn concert!  Rip got lucky and had two suite tickets offerred to him through work, PLUS a delightful dinner before the concert. 

The concert was so awesome, and I was surprised at how many of the old songs I knew.  The best one?  Red Dirt Road.

The next morning we got up at the crack of dawn, rented a U-Haul trailer, and hit the road for Dallas.  Just my handsome hubby, his big ol' truck, me with my stack of gossip magazines, our iPod loaded with fun sing-along music, and an empty trailer in tow.  And we had an absolute blast!  We talked, sang, and laughed for the whole 11 hour drive.

We were driving as fast as we could to make it in time for Christina's birthday dinner. . .and we made it!  We went straight to one of our old haunts, Papi's, for yummy food and beers. . .

And then we went to the Pickerings for cheesecake, singing, and of course, PRESENTS! 

After all our celebrating, Rip and I headed to our house two doors down for a good night of sleep.  We had to spend the whole next day loading our U-Haul full of furniture and stuff for Rip to take back to his apartment in Nashville, and toys and coats and Christmas stuff for me to take back to Indiana for the kiddos.  NOT the most fun part of our trip!  However, we completed the task in record time, and managed to squeeze in an hour of swimming before having to get ready for the BIG BIRTHDAY PARTY!

The birthday girl had a country music style party. . .complete with Mason Jar luminaries, a dance floor coated with sawdust, and attendees in boots!

We had a great weekend, and surprisingly, we managed to do everything we wanted to back at "home" (meaning our house in Texas!), spend some great quality time together as a couple, AND we got all of our tasks done.  A successful trip to Nashville, Dallas, back to Nashville, then Indiana.

Team Yellow

Upon sending out the email that the boys and I were staying in Indiana for awhile, my childhood friend, Lauren, replied with an invitation for Mason to play soccer on the youth league in her hometown.  It's one county over from where she and I grew up, and she lives in an adorable little town.  Even though our lives were in total chaos and upheaval (this was the SECOND DAY of us living here), I really thought it was a great idea.  Mason could spend time with Lauren's children, make new friends, burn up some energy, and do something that felt "normal."  So, I threw caution to the wind and said that we'd absolutely play soccer.

Note to self:  add soccer cleats, socks, and shin guards to list of things we need but do not have in Indiana.  Why not?!?!

The first game (match?  event?) took place in a downpour.  Awesome.  But, I have to say, it was a blast.   The kiddos could have cared less that it was raining, and it was warm enough out that it was far from unpleasant.  And just like that, we were becoming members of the community, complete with friends and a team! 

Where the GREAT ROAD TRIP OF 2010 ends

Rather than retell the story of how our road trip adventure ended, I thought it appropriate to post the email I sent to my friends in Dallas. 

Hi, my friends.



So, my plans have changed drastically. . .

With Rip in Nashville, the kiddos and I embarked on a lengthy road trip a few weeks ago to end our summer. Being stuck inside with the insanely-hot temperatures in Texas was making us stir-crazy, not to mention the fact that we were missing Rip like crazy, AND I was losing my mind trying to keep the house clean so it would be ready for any showings. Since we had nothing on the calendar (I stopped tutoring at the beginning of August), we decided to take an adventure.


We took two memorable days and drove to Nashville (via our old stomping grounds of Little Rock), spent a week with Rip in his apartment, then drove north to Indiana to visit my parents. The plan was to stay with them 6 or 7 days. drive back to Nashville to see Rip for a long weekend (and go to the Titans game tonight!!), head to St. Louis to see Jacqueline for a few days, then get back to get Mason into school. He would have been a week late, but that was our plan.


Over a glass of wine last Saturday, my mom was asking me about our plans for the next weeks and months (with Rip being in Nashville, us being in Dallas, him trying to come back and forth, house hunting, etc.), and she threw out the question that would change my plans: "have you considered staying here?" she asked. No, I had not, but I started to right away. . .


And after careful deliberation, a phone "meeting" with Ripper, and an Excel spreadsheet to compare all our options, we decided to in fact stay in Indiana and enroll Mason in Kindergarten here. We'll be living with my parents while our house is on the market, and Rip will stay in an apartment in Nashville. The biggest plus to this situation is that the boys and I are only 5 hours from Rip as opposed to 10, which means he can make the drive up and see us (mostly them!) every weekend. Being separated from him has been hard on all of us, and this will ease that a lot. Additionally, having the support of my parents will be such a nice change from me being alone with the kiddos more often than not!


It was a hard and sad decision because it obviously means we left town without knowing we were leaving for good, and we didn't really get to prepare emotionally for it. We'll be back at least a few times. . .Rip and I are coming Labor Day for sweet Christina's birthday, then we'll return once or twice before eventually moving.


I miss my "life," but know that this was a really good decision for our family. I am very much looking forward to coming back next weekend and hopefully seeing you.


Here are a few pictures of Mason's first day of Kindergarten. He is going to the same elementary school I attended 30+ years ago, and believe it or not, he has one of my old teachers for his morning class, and one of my old babysitters for the afternoon class. :) Not a lot changes in small-town Indiana, and that's a nice comfort right now.


Hugs and love to all. See you next week!


KR
 
So there is the update!  One day I was making plans to drive back to Texas, and the next day I was frantically looking for a backpack, a lunchbox, school supplies, and Mason's medical records.  We moved into my childhood home, and are enjoying so many facets of life in Indiana.  The small-town feel of community, the leaves on the trees turning amazing hues of red, orange, and yellow, the smell of corn being harvested from the fields, the freedom to let our five year old play outside for hours on end without fear of something happening, spending so much quality time with my parents and having them really get to know our kids, the sounds of the locusts and the creek as we fall asleep at night, running into old acquaintances and reconnecting with dear friends. . .the list goes on and on.  We are happy, healthy, and as well-adjusted as possible, considering Rip and I are still living in different states, BOTH of which are different than the state in which we own a home.  Chaotic, but temporary.  

AND we are HOOSIERS!  WE LIVE IN INDIANA!



"Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!"

Don't be too impressed. . .I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce that! But I DO know that it means "Let the Good Times Roll" in Louisiana-speak. (Okay, it's really French, but that's WAY outside my comfort zone.)



We GOT to EAT 'da CRAWFISH!



Our super cool neighbors, Dameian and Jerry, host a crawfish boil every spring. This is the first time we've ever been able to go, so we had to start with a little lesson. . .



Rip needed NO assistance with the nasty little buggers. He knew precisely the strategy. . .



The kiddos were more fascinated with the live crawfish than the cooked ones. . .they loved getting sticks and trying to get the crawfish to grab on with their claws. Well, all the kids but Mason. Look at the horror on his little face. . .


Admittedly, tearing the heads off crawfish isn't exactly my thing. I have a phobia of any meat "on the bone," and the full skeleton of a crawfish definitely falls into that category. So I stayed close to the table with chips, cookies, and hot dogs. Me and The Boo.



We had a great afternoon hanging out with our neighborhood friends and letting the kids run wild. I may not have loved the main course, but I absolutely loved the party!


"Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!"

"BOO!" to you!

The air is cool, the season is fall,

soon Halloween will come to all.

Ghosts and goblins, spooks galore. . .

tricky witches at your door.

The spooks are after things to do,

in fact, a spook brought this "BOO" to you!

The excitement comes when friends like you

copy this note and make it TWO.

We'll all have smiles on our faces

when we see who "BOO-ed" whose places!

I got "BOO-ed" by my creative and spunky friend Lauren at Doodles by Lauren. Now I'm "BOO-ing" you:



1. Lara at Scrapbook Sussies. Not only is Lara one of my best friends, but she also runs an incredible scrapbook kit club and posts super cool paper crafting ideas. Love it! And love her!

2. Karen at Hello World! Photography. Karen is a wonderfully talented photographer who specializes in tasteful and precious birth photos. AND she's my neighbor and friend. AND she photographs my kids. AND the stories on her blog are so well written. She's the best.

3. Amy at Mod Podge Rocks. Because, well, Mod Podge DOES rock. And so do Amy's ideas. I use them all the time!



Keep the festivities going by following these instructions:

1. Cast your spell within the next 24 hours!

2. Copy the poem and instructions for playing.

3. Pick 2-3 blogs you enjoy visiting, explain why you like visiting those blogs, & remember to link back to me.

4. Go to the original BOO PARTY post at The Tattered Cottage and add your MckLinky.



Happy Halloween!

P.S. What's a MckLinky? Guess I'd better find out, huh?

The SUN and the SAND and a DRINK in my hand. . .

Question: "What could possibly be more wonderful than a weekend at the beach with a group of girlfriends?"

Answer: "Not a whole lot."

Some fun {and some FUNNY} memories from our weekend on Fort Myers Beach:

• watching the amazingly beautiful sunset each evening


• Kelly saying, "consider yourself warned, but your son is going down!" (she meant "sun," but Megan interpreted it as "son". . .not as funny in print as in real life!)


• the "Nelly Furtado" Pot (as in a Neti Pot...NOT marijuana pot!! SERIOUSLY, people!!)


• Jamie and me getting a lesson in the natural habitat of sand dollars from a six-year old


• Megan's version of Beyonce's dance (whoa, oh, oh, ohohoh, whaoh, oh, oh)


• those ridiculous rumrunners at Top O'Mast


• sharing iPods and laughing about shared memories from college


• being kicked out of a 7-11 for loitering (yes, for real)

And the best memory of all? Getting to just be "us" for a few days and not be SAHMs or working moms or wives or neighbors. We got to be friends, be relaxed, and be "us."

Grand Saline, here we come!

Oh, how I love, love, LOVE to scrapbook. You'd think I could get it done at home occasionally, given that I have a scrapbook room and all, but it's just not that easy with two curious "helpers" on my trail all the time. One of whom seems to enjoy eating paper. It seems that the only way I can get any scrapbooking done is to LEAVE TOWN!

So, about twice a year, Lara and I meet up and spend a long weekend at one of these (delightful) B&B's to scrapbook. Initially, we went for two nights. We've now started going for three nights, and we're hoping to start going for (gasp!) FOUR nights next time.

These retreats are the absolute best. We show up, promptly get our piles of stuff we'll never use necessities set up, change into our jammies, and get to work.

You know what else is so great about scrapbook retreats? They FEED YOU! I'm not talking about sandwiches and chips. I'm talking about hot breakfast casseroles, homemade waffles, roasts, delicious veggies that smell like Thanksgiving. . .it's better food than I've ever prepared in my life for sure! AND (I know. . .there's more?) there's always a massage therapist on site at least one of the days.

Here's the little "barn" where we eat. . .fitting for Lara's antics (see her on the far left?).

And here's the pile of pages I got done! We're talking about a big ol' stack of pages. Like 35 of 'em! Now if I could just find the time to actually get them into the albums. Back to reality, I guess!

It would certainly be easier to get the finished pages in albums if I could get that cook and massage therapist to come to my house, huh??!!??