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It's beginning to feel like FALL!

Last night, Jeremy and I were so excited because the weather was absolutely incredible.

Saturday night we heard and saw the Titans game from our apartment and then with the breeze today, fall was definitely telling us that it is on its way!

The weather was so nice that we decided to take a run, but when we got back we noticed that my front right tire was flat.

That stupid tire was trying ruin our Sunday.

But- Jeremy to the rescue! We were able to use his AAA, which expires on September 1.

So lucky and our Sunday was saved.

Sunday afternoons is also when we do grocery shopping for the week.

So, that meant a trip to our favorite: Trader Joe's.

They have this awesome pre-made organic whole-wheat pizza dough.

While Jeremy was taking care of the flat tire- such a good husband :), I worked my housewife skills to create our favorite pizza.

Chicken and Red Bell Pepper Pesto Pizza.

YUM-O.

For real.

On another note, my grandmother is having surgery on her hip today around 1pm for the second time this year.

If you think about it- say a quick prayer for her!

This weather is making us very excited about fall and a new season.

How was your Sunday?

Clarksville week and half in Pictures

canning and fresh tomatoes.

     

goats: annie and penny

darcy.

libby and belle.

organic goodness.

my mom's garden.

duke and willa.

the duckies.

bingley.

I will NEVER see Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds"

So Jeremy and I have been house sitting for parents in Clarksville for about 2 weeks.

We both love to be at my parent’s house and I have to say that it has been great being back in Clarksville.

(But, I do miss our cute apartment and Nashville.)

Don’t worry, pictures will be posted soon!

My parents live off the road about a half a mile- so we are out in the country.

My mom likes to say that we live on a farm, but I think that it is better known as “The Baggett Family Zoo”.

Seriously that’s what it feels like.

I have been taking care of my parent’s animals and her beautiful organic garden.

It sounded like it wouldn’t be that hard even though we have 10 animals to keep up with, but let me tell you- it has been a rollercoaster ride to say the least.

The first day that we got here- I went down to the barn to check on the goats and donkeys.

YES, you heard right goats and donkeys. And YES, that is plural. 2 of each of them.

Well, there was this tiny bird sitting on their watering bucket.

It wouldn’t move. I thought that was rather strange because most birds were scared of people- so I must be a bird whisperer or something, right?

WRONG.

The poor bird was missing its right wing.

I was devastated and major tears followed.

I was having flashbacks of the bird incidents that we encountered the previous week. There was a bird at our apartment complex that got stuck on the side of our building in the middle of a thunderstorm. Luckily, when we came back the poor bird was gone. So I had to assume that the bird made it away safely. Or at least I hope.

And then the very next day, we were on our way to pick my brother-in-law Nate at the airport and another bird flew right in our car.

You might be thinking at this point that this is all merely a coincidence just like I was. But you would be wrong.

But, back to the poor bird that I found this week at my parent’s house.

Of course I wasn’t going to pick it up, so I made Jeremy pick him up and put him in a box because he literally couldn’t move except to hop around.

We gave him water and some bird seed and until Saturday it was going fine.

Until that morning when I found that the poor bird had gone to heaven.

Jeremy was out of town and I had absolutely no idea what to do with it.

Jeremy buried the poor little bird when he got home.

(He really is a good husband. I mean, come on, how many husbands would do that?)

You might now be thinking that my bird saga is now over, but sadly that would not be the case.

When I was outside taking out the trash, a bird flew down out of no where and hit me on the head.

Needless to say, I FREAKED out.

Fell down to the ground and covered my head.

I am now cautious of going outside because there is apparently a bird conspiracy against me.

In conclusion, this blog post now shows you why I will NEVER watch Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, “The Birds”. Two reasons:

1. I am now too scared of birds.

2. My life is a living version of that movie, so there is no need.

The End. 

Monday Night Out.

On Monday night, Jeremy and I had free tickets to the Nashville Outlaws baseball game.

If I am being honest, I don't really like baseball. I like the atmosphere and the hot dogs and that's about it. 

I also think that getting hit by a fly ball at a game three years ago makes me especially not like it.

I had a bruise on my leg the size of an orange all summer long.

And not to mention that Jeremy was not shielding me at all.

 He's probably never going to live that one down. Haha.

But, we had a fun time anyways. 

It was good to get out, spend some time with each other, and do something different!

And that hot dog wasn't that bad either.  :)

What do you have planned this week?

The Weekend...

So, I've been on a writing hiatus for a couple of days...

..Ok, so like a week.

But we're back on track.

Jeremy and I had a really good weekend.

Friday we had dinner with our good friend Caitlin. 

She was in town, so we had dinner and walked around downtown for a while.

Boy, does Broadway gets insane on the weekends. 

Breakfast for dinner. Yummy.

Saturday was National Cheesecake Day. 

Jeremy and I were starved, so we decided to head over to Green Hills to get our 1/2 off cheesecake.

It was 4pm and the wait was an hour for 2 people.

You must be joking.

We were way to hungry to wait so we headed over to the 12th South Taproom.

They are a little pricey, but the food was excellent.

Then we came home and watched MADMEN.

We are a little bit obsessed with this show and if you could see our Netflix history I might be a little embarrassed. But just a little because this show is that good. :)

Do you want to know what else is just that good?

Sunday Brunch at the Copper Kettle.

Oh my goodness.

 yum. everything that you could ever want for brunch on one plate.

 pecan waffle. my favorite.

if it wasn't enough- they have an entire dessert section.

key lime pie, banana pudding, creme brulee.

good grief.

Later that afternoon, we got to pick up my brother-in-law Nate from the airport.

Nate had been in Europe since the day after our wedding- two whole months.

So we were stoked to finally get to see after so long and are excited to get to hang out with him until he has to move back to Chicago for school.

All in all it was a good weekend. 

This week my parents and little brother and sister are headed to Alaska, so Jeremy and I are going to housesit the zoo that is my parents' house. 

(2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 ducks, 2 donkeys, and 2 goats. Plus taking care of their beautiful gardens.)

So stay tuned for the adventure that is going happen over the next 10 days. 

We're pretty excited. It's a change of pace and we get to hang out with our high school friends.

How was your weekend?

Summer Cooking

On Sunday my mom and I went to the Williams-Sonoma store at Green Hills.

Did you know they offer FREE cooking classes on Sundays at 3pm?!?!

I have been taking full advantage of them for the past two weeks and thought I'd spread the news.

Last week Jeremy and I took advantage of their class on making homemade ice cream. 

It was so much fun and we got to eat many yummy samples.

We cannot wait to put out new ice cream maker to the test.

I mean who could resist Mango and Pineapple sorbet, right?

Mango Pineapple Sorbet:

2 mangos, peeled and chopped

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple

Puree the mangos in a blender- you should have about 3 cups. Add the sugar and lime juice to the blender and process to combine. Transfer to a large bowl and combine with pineapple. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions (usually about 30 min). And you're finished! How easy is that? And it is SO GOOD.

 This Sunday my mom and I went to the salad technique class.

We learned how to make our own dressings and put together some yummy salads, which are perfect for summertime.

And you know I've already put some of those recipes to the test!!

Last night Jeremy and I made an arugula salad with a mustard vinaigrette and grilled chicken on top.

YUMMY. 

It was so good that we ate it all up before I could snap a picture. :)

You would think that making your own dressing would be difficult, but it's actually quite easy.

Here are my two favs from the class:

Mustard Vinaigrette

In a small bowl whisk together 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 minced shallot, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon dijon mustard. Gradually add 1/2 cup olive oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.

Goat Cheese Dressing

In a small bow, whisk together 1/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce. Gently stir in 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

My mom and I had so much fun and met so many interesting and sweet people. 

One sweet lady is even going to bring us some veggies from her garden! Too cute.

Plus you get a 10% off coupon for every class that you take. 

This really is a win-win situation: free food, free class, and 10% off.

We are going to go back next Sunday where they are showing you how to take advantage of your farmer's market! I bet we get to try all kinds of yummy food!

You should join us! 

Sunday 3pm Williams-Sonoma at Green Hills Mall.

Orlando and back again...

All of last week I had the honor of working at the Blume 2011 Conference in Orlando, Florida at Disney World. I interned last spring at the National WMU in the Student Department as a Blume Intern. 

That basically meant that my time was focused on event planning- Blume.

I had an incredible time working for them over the spring. The best part about my internship were the people that I worked with. They allowed me to actually be a part of the planning process, share my thoughts, and be an active part of the team. 

Kym and Suzanne were the best leaders that I and Allison, another intern and friend, could ever ask for. They are such wonderful people and friends.

This week, I was able to lead a conference and volunteer in the Ministries exhibit on Human Exploitation and Trafficking. I was a little bit nervous about speaking in front of 80+ girls a few times through out the weekend, but I found it very easy to relate and to just talk to them. I never stepped inside a park, but I had an incredible week. It was a joy to see all of our planning come together and to see 2300 girls worshipping and experiencing God.

I was very excited however to get back to Jeremy on Saturday.

It was the first time that we had really been apart since we got married, so I missed him A LOT.

 After Jeremy picked me up from the airport, we ate at a great meat and three place in East Nashville called, Southern Bred.

(For those of you from Clarksville-it's a lot like Moss' South and yes, it's spelled without the a)

It was the land of all things southern. Arnold Palmers, homemade biscuits, homemade FRIED CHICKEN, and some yummy veggies.

We will definitely be going back, so if you ever find yourself over in East Nashville- you've gotta try it out!

The rest of the weekend, Jeremy and I just relaxed. We plopped down on our soft velvet couch and caught up on our favorite summer tv shows on hulu- The Bachelorette and Expedition Impossible. After getting Netflix and Hulu Plus- we found that Netflix has WAY more to offer (despite their recent price increase). 

Ice cream and TV with the husband is a pretty great way to finish out an incredible week.

What did you do this weekend? 

What's your favorite weekend spot?

Settling In..

 Jeremy and I are finally settling in to life in Nashville. 

It's been a crazy couple of months, but it has been so wonderful getting to spend every day with Jeremy.

I graduated from Samford in May and two weeks later married my best friend on the beaches of Florida. Our wedding was perfect- it couldn't have been better.

The first week of June, we honeymooned in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

There is not a day that goes by that I don't miss our all-inclusive resort.

It seriously was heaven on Earth.

The next couple of weeks was spent planning and putting together the final details on my sister, Adair's wedding at the end of June. The wedding was at our house. The rain at the beginning of the day made us worried that we would have to go with Plan B, but the skies cleared and Adair had the most beautiful garden wedding. It was like Never-Never land. When Adair and Jamie got back from their honeymoon in St Lucia, we celebrated the 4th of July with our families. I've gotta say Nashville is pretty spectacular and so are our families.

But, what I am really excited about is how wonderful my husband is.

Back in the Spring he had an herb box made out of an old box from a winery out in California.

This weekend, Jeremy and I put it together! 

We went out to Lowe's and bought our plants and potting soil and got to work! 

It really does look beautiful.

We have basil, oregano, dill, lemon thyme, and lemon balm.

I cannot wait to get to use them all.

Tomorrow I leave for Orlando to help with the girls' event Blume. 

It is a week for the girls to dig into Bible Studies and learn more about missions. 

I interned with the the WMU last spring to help plan Blume, so I will get to see everyone that I worked with and see the end result of my work back in the Spring.

I know that I and the whole Blume team would covet your prayers over the next week.

The majority of the staff will be arriving tomorrow and the girls and their leaders will start arriving on Tuesday. 

More updates on Blume this week!

To Be Still.

We have only been back at school for one week. 

It seems like we have been back for two months.

I have been so busy; It is Step Sing season.

Every second of every day has something in it.

Class from 8-5 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Practice from 6-9.

Internship from 9-3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Practice from 6-9.

Saturday and Sunday are full of practice.

Friday has been my day.

The only day that I have some time for me.

I reflected on where I am in life.

 That it is my senior year and that I am getting married in 4 months. (Which is insane- it has flown by!)

So much is happening all around me and I rarely have time to just sit and reflect. 

I just sat in silence, waiting on the Lord. Just trying to be in his presence. 

I try to fill every single day and every single second. 

Sometimes I waste my time with meaningless things, just to fill the time.

But, as I was still on Friday, my favorite Psalm came to mind.

Psalm 62:5-8

"For God alone, O my soul, waits in silence, for my hope is in Him. 

He only is my Rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty Rock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us."

My prayer is that I continue this time of silence and waiting on the Lord. Talking to Him about what is going on in my life. Making sure that I am in His will. Giving up my control on my daily life. Giving Him my plans, my future, and my dreams.

It's always a good reminder to just sit with the Lord. 

To give up control.

And in this busy life, just to sit and be still.

Love Never Ends.

One of my best friends, Ashlee Franks, is engaged. 

We all knew that she would be fairly soon, but you just can't prepare yourself for the excitement.

Ashlee is one of the kindest and most genuine friends that I know. 

Everyone that knows her loves her instantly.

She is one of those people that makes you want to be a better person and friend.

I know that I have been blessed by her.

As Ashlee told the story of her engagement, I couldn't help but tear up.

Connor, her fiance, built her engagement ring from white gold and smaller diamonds from each part of his family.

And the center stone, he bought to represent the start of their part of that family.

They demonstrate 1 Corinthians 13 daily.

And it is my prayer that they continue to grow stronger in their relationship for the rest of their lives.

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." 

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

 Planning, dress shopping, and everything. You and our friends have been so wonderful to me through my engagement and now it's your turn. 

Ashlee I am so excited to walk through this season of life with you and

Jeremy and I are secretly scheming a way to ensure that you and Connor end up in Nashville. 

We love you both.