I just returned from my annual Girls Weekend with Amy and Dana. This year we were visiting Dana in Detroit. It was bittersweet because it is our last trip to Michigan since Dana and Tony are relocating to Missoula, Montana. #Missoula2021
But this year, it was Detroit . . . . we ate, we shopped, we talked, we drank, we laughed and we tried to stay warm. Y'all, it was hard. It was so so so cold.
I had high hopes of finding black shoes, a new crossbody purse and workout clothes. Unfortunately, I purchased none of those items, but plenty of other stuff! Favorite buys were a yellow puffer vest, jewelry from Dana's sister's store in Milford, MI, and Valentines goodies for the house and gifts.
But more fun than the shopping was the catching up with friends. While I had seen Amy this fall for the K-State/Vandy weekend, it had been a full year since we had all been together. It's always non-stop chatter and laughter and it makes me so happy!
Here we are on the eve of the last day of 2017 (New Year's Eve Eve?) and for the first time since the kids got out of school, the house is quiet.
The Clarks were here first. Then Lina, David and the boys were in town. Finally, my sister, Rich and his kids arrived this week. With all three families there have been outings, meals and gatherings for play. I wouldn't trade a second of it. But when my parents, Amy, Rich and the kids left tonight, we all sat down in the family room and for a moment, the house was completely quiet. Nothing cooking in the kitchen, no boisterous card games . . . heck, even the washing machine wasn't running.
Unheard of!
But before long, Bassam was watching college football, the dishwasher was whirling, and the kids were giggling at a video on YouTube.
Back to reality, I suppose.
We are rarely blessed with a holiday where we get to see so many of the special people in our life. It's been a fantastic, frantic, fun-filled 9 days!
We started our weekend at a Vanderbilt baseball game. Dinner outside at San Antonio Taco Company and then watching the Commodores beat Kentucky on a beautiful spring evening? Yes, please!
This picture makes my heart happy. The redhead was laughing non-stop because between innings she managed to take 25 pictures of her self, her shoes, her brother, a bag of Twizzlers. Oh, that smile . . . .
On Saturday, there were friends to see, errands to run, weeds to kill and laundry to do. It was so nice out, the laundry had to wait until Sunday. The weeds were not so lucky. Neither was my bank account, as one of the errands was mailing our taxes.
#hatetaxesbutstillademocrat
Sunday, we were so excited to have my sister and parents over. Amy is in town for a few days and we got to celebrate her birthday a couple weeks early. Yay! Yes, there were selfies. And yes, there were photobombers.
Bassam cheffed up some delicious smoked pork all day. And he even wore the t-shirt the kids gave him for Christmas. They can't figure out why he won't wear it to work.
It's been 6 days since I've checked in and I can tell you a whole lot of the highlights in one picture.
Okay, one collage of 7 pictures.
It was cold in Kansas, I was treated to the "terrorist treatment" both ways by TSA at the airport, chipped a tooth and broke the zipper on my suitcase and it was still AWESOME!
Seems like we've been friends forever. Which since we've been friends for 20 years is pretty much the same thing.....you know, since we're only 26.
Returned home on Sunday night and enjoyed a day off with the kids for MLK day. Actually, "enjoyed" might of have been a bit of exaggeration since I didn't seem to make anyone particularly happy. Matthew was particularly displeased with my decision to get him fitted for his cotillion tuxedo. Question one....when did it get so expensive to RENT a tuxedo? Question two....is there any reason not to offer a special for grumpy tweens that requires limited (or better yet NO) choices? Not only would it have been less painless for me, it would have gotten us out of their store quicker (less pain for them!).
Think about it, Men's Warehouse.
Capped off the night at the Madonna concert with Tammy and Ashley. Spending the evening with them? Fantastic! Madonna? Well, she didn't take the stage until 10:30 pm so I'm fairly certain I was too tired to really enjoy it. Regardless, the people watching was OUTSTANDING!
Right after I last blogged, Bassam left for beautiful, sunny Naples, Florida for a hospital leadership meeting junket at the Ritz Carlton.
Lucky dog.
As it happens, on Friday I left on an even better trip to Detroit, Michigan.
Yeah, you heard me right. This is one of my very favorite weekends of the entire year because it's when I get to enjoy an awesome girls' weekend with besties, Dana and Amy! Our tradition is to take turns visiting each other's hometowns for a weekend of shopping, catching up and good eating/drinking! We've been doing it for 18 years and because of our various moves (No need to do the math. We started when were 10 . . . honest!), we've gathered in a number of different apartments and homes in just as many towns. This year was special because we stayed at Dana's new house in Royal Oak, which is actually also Dana's old house, since she and her husband Tony purchased and renovated her childhood home.
I'm not going to lie....Michigan is cold. Although the locals may have considered temperatures in the 30's "balmy," I was awfully glad for the down coat I got for Christmas. But a little cold never gets in the way of our plans! We shopped the outlet mall, a couple big box stores and tons of small boutiques and artisan shops in Royal Oak and some of the surrounding towns. We long ago learned to pack our belongings in a small suitcase which we then pack in a larger suitcase when we travel, so we have plenty of room to bring home our loot.
Admittedly, this is a better deal when you fly Southwest and bags fly free. #IhateDelta
With Bassam in Florida working hard (you know, on the golf course, deep sea fishing, etc.), we were so grateful to have my parents step in to watch the kids. Thank you, Mom and Dad!
Missing my sweet friends like crazy and counting down the days until Lawrence, Kansas in 2016!!
The seemingly endless April birthday celebrations continue . . . .
So excited that my sister flew in from Chicago yesterday! It was her first time to see my parents new house and we got to be with her to celebrate her birthday! Yay!!
My mom and I spent most of the day shopping with her which was lots of fun and she was able to get exactly what she wanted/needed for her birthday. Then tonight, our crew headed over to my parents for her birthday dinner.
Wish she was staying longer, but duty calls and she is back to Chicago tomorrow. She is a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, so its safe to say, spring is a pretty crazy time for her.
Thanks for checking in, even though I haven't posted since last Wednesday. It has been a crazy, awesome, fun 4 days!
On Thursday evening, two of the very coolest, most beautiful and wonderful girls in the whole entire world arrived in Nashville. I admit that I'm prone to exaggeration, but I'm not here. I'm blessed to have a small handful of amazing girlfriends in my life and these are two of them!
Amy, Dana and I met when we were grad students at K-State. We met in July of 1995 at Housing and Residence Life staff training (we were all Assistant Residence Life Coordinators) and have been friends ever since. We get together every year for a weekend of shopping and fun and this year they all came to Nashvegas.
Can I get a Yee-haw?
We kicked off our weekend of fun in downtown Franklin. Unfortunately, Dana managed to bring some cold weather with her from Michigan (hee hee!), but we still enjoyed wandering in and out of all the little stores. We had to cut our time a little short, because at 1:30, we had to be in the audience for a very special performance.
Matthew performed in the talent show again this year. And while I acknowledge my maternal bias, I have to say HE ROCKED IT. So proud of my guy! He has only played trumpet for just over 8 months and stepped out on stage like it was no big whoop!
We snuck out of the show early and made out way to Opry Mills (aka Shopryland). We were in the mall before 3 pm and wrapped up at 9. If that isn't dedication and stamina, I don't know what is! We filled up the back of the van with our treasures and grabbed dinner before making it back home close to 11. According to my FitBit, I logged over 21,000 steps that day!
Although I did make it to bootcamp that morning, I think it's fair to say that any of us could have worn this. . . .
There were plans to head out the outlets at Lebanon on Saturday morning, but we got a later than expected start and managed to fill up the day right around Cool Springs with trips to TJ Maxx, Kohls, Target and a few other small stores. Bassam thinks it's hilarious that my friends come all the way to here to go to places that we all have. But truth be told, you find better stuff when you are with your friends.
Around 4, we headed downtown for a bit of Nashville fun. We had dinner a new restaurant in the Omni called "Kitchen Notes." Best part about it? It included a BISCUIT BAR! Delish! Don't get me wrong, the rest of the food was very good, too . . . but who doesn't love a good biscuit!??
We walked lower Broadway for a bit, including a stop at Hatch Print Show, before reaching our final destination, the Grand Ole Opry!
During the months of December and January, the Opry is held at the Ryman Auditorium instead of the Grand Ole Opry House. It's a more intimate setting and right in the heart of downtown. Even having lived here for 10 years, it was my first time to see the Opry and loved it! It's a little bit campy (great description from Dana) because you are watching a live radio show, but OH MY GOSH it was sooooo fun! There are around 12 performers in each Opry and everyone performs a couple songs. You see a nice variety of old and new country. Diamond Rio and Clare Bowen (from the show Nashville) were probably our favorites, but I can honestly say I liked them all. The Opry Square Dancers were so fun to watch and the way you sit in church pews it makes it such a uniquely Nashville experience. It will definitely not be my last time I go!
After the show, we walked down Broadway again. The honky tonks were packed because the Predator game had just wrapped up, so we amused ourselves with great people watching and hitting up a cheesy souvenir store for some last minute shopping.
This morning, we caught up with the kids (Matthew scored 6 points in his game yesterday! Another win for the Duck Commanders), the girls packed up their haul and before I knew it, it was time to take them back to the airport. I'm not going to lie, as I cried as I drove away. All good thing must come to an end, but I wish it didn't happen so fast!
So now it's back to reality. Luckily the kids are off school tomorrow so I get an extra day with them. And I can start counting down the days until I head to Michigan for next year's reunion!
Even though the start of school is still a week away, I feel like we got our first taste of the craziness that the school year holds. The teachers had their first official day back and the PTO served up a pancake breakfast to say "welcome back!"
For me and my crew, it meant being up at school at 7 am.
Ugh.
It's not like I'm not up at that hour. I am.
Up, dressed with make up on? Not so much.
However, we managed to pull it together and it was great fun. The kids refilled juice glasses and cleared tables and caught up with their old teachers. A lot of new faces at Kenrose this year.
A lot.
We won't find out until Tuesday who the kids teacher will be. Matthew's 2nd grade teacher moved to 4th grade this year and I discretely asked her if she had him. She didn't, which will be a huge bummer for Matt who loved her. But I've heard great things about the new teachers who are on board, so I'm confident the kids will do fine.
But I can't lie. I want to know as badly as they do.
In other, and much sadder news. My sister Amy lost a dear friend this morning. Sharon and her husband, Joe, live in my sister's apartment complex and as far as I know, befriended Amy shortly after she moved in. Sharon was a feisty and funny lady who was a bridesmaid at Amy's wedding, although I remember her telling me as we prepared to walk down the aisle, "I think I'm too old for this bridesmaid crap. It's good thing I love Amy so much!"
Yesterday, I tried to explain to the kids that Sharon was in hospice. Safe to say, that conversation didn't go very smoothly. They love Sharon and Joe and decided they wanted to make their own video e-card for Sharon. We sent it yesterday afternoon and Amy played it for them last night. She said Sharon wasn't able to see it, but she knows that she heard it, which somehow made the kids take the news of her passing a little easier.
And before you ask, the shaky-handed videographer is moi!
Today we celebrated Orthodox Easter with B's family. As usual, my mother-in-law cooked enough food for 50 people, even though there were only 12 of us around the table.
My sister was in town this weekend and it was her first experience for a middle eastern holiday dinner. They are loud, a bit chaotic and always delicious. Today was no different. Amy held her own, ate too much and was seemingly unphased when the conversations would abruptly switch from English to Arabic.
The only bummer about Orthodox Easter is there were no Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs.
So for as boring as my life was yesterday, today was all kinds of fun!
First, it was "Fun Run" at Kenrose . . . so I spent some time at school when both my kids grades (and a couple others) came out to run. I am proud to tell you that I did not get roped into wearing the KC the Cardinal costume (See? I can say "no!") this year and instead cheered on the kids and did fun things like pass out popsicles.
In the middle of this, my sister arrived for the weekend. We had a couple hours free between my kids' runs at school, so we ran out to the mall and did some shopping. The kids were thrilled to have Amy here when they came home from school and immediately had her outside playing "horse" and watching them do tricks on the trampoline.
But I must say, the highlight of today was Gracie's birthday party with her friends at Schakolad Chocolate Factory. Y'all, it was 27 kinds of chocolaty fun! The kids started by snacking on pretzels and strawberries dipped into a chocolate fountain. They also had cups of the richest hot chocolate I have ever tasted in my life! After that, the kids got to pick molds and make their own chocolates. Then, they decorated boxes for their chocolates, at which point they decorated the chocolates they made and packed them up along with some chocolate dipped Oreos and strawberries that the staff had made for them.
And I just now realized we never sang "Happy Birthday" to Gracie.
But I'm 100% sure she didn't notice. When they weren't making or eating chocolate, they were laughing (okay, really they did that while they were making and eating chocolate), singing and dancing. It was a blast and not a day Gracie is likely to forget!
The kids were back at school today and I found myself back in the busy routine of old. Volunteered in Gracie's classroom. Did a couple loads of laundry. Ran to Sam's, Publix and the Post Office. Returned some things to Kohl's.
Super exciting, no?
Normally, my return to Kohl's would also a quick lap of the store to cruise the sales. But I have to tell you, I had no shopping mojo today. And believe me, it wasn't because I was "shopped out" after my weekend in Kansas.
I think that over the years, shopping has become more of a chore. Except for my girls' weekend every January. Because then, shopping is FUN!
Let's be honest, it's no fun to see a ridiculously tacky sequined dress if you can't hold it up and say to someone "I found a dress for you." Nor is there any joy in spotting a pair of high heel tennis shoes with bedazzled toes and a metallic purple strap if you can't hand them to a friend and she tries them on while you act like a goofy middle schooler snapping pictures.
Sigh. I miss my friends already.
But given the behavior I mentioned above, it is entirely possible that the stores of Kansas don't miss us.
Yes, it was so fun that it absolutely okay to say "funner" even though it's not really a word.
The laughs started early with a slew of texts as Dana and I were at our respective airports and Amy was getting ready to come get us. It began innocently enough when I commented about the abundance of Nashville tourists flying out wearing their brand new (and very stiff) cowboy boots. I love my cowboy boots, but when yours are so not-broken-in that you have to sit down on the ground and yank on them 5 different ways to take them off (and consequently hold up the line) that maybe they are not a good choice for traveling.
The people watching at the airport is rich.
Luckily, we are even funnier in person than we are via text message. The next two and half days zoomed by . . .but not before we had shopped all over Lawrence and Kansas City, laughed, watched movies, told stories, ate and laughed some more. While the quantity of our shopping haul was less than in years prior, there were lots of good finds, including a purple scarf, jeans from Banana Republic, a purple and grey tweed skirt from Loft and blue and purple pajamas from Kohl's (sensing a color trend?) that we all bought!
Dana put it best when she said Amy and I were "good for her soul." I couldn't agree more.
My Southern friends find a lot of humor the fact that in the middle of January I willingly travel to the cold state of Michigan for FUN!
And while it was very cold, it was very, very, very fun!
Amy, Dana and I have been doing these annual shopping weekends since about a year or so after we finished graduate school. Yeah, that's a long time! Every year, we rotate the location to one of our houses---which if you think about it, just with my various moves put us in 3 different states. Then add Kansas and Michigan to the mix -- plus a couple different houses in each of those states for Amy and Dana, and it's never the same adventure twice.
Amy and I flew in to Detroit on Thursday night and spent the next two and a half days talking, eating, drinking and of course, shopping. We started on Friday in Milford, MI, where Dana's sister has an awesome shop called HOOT and wrapped up on Sunday afternoon at Home Goods. In between? Two huge outlet malls, a trip to Kohls, TJ Maxx and a handful of small boutique stores.
Going up, I brought my small suitcase packed with my clothes and toiletries and packed that inside my large suitcase. Needless to say, I returned home with both bags full! Although I bought less than in previous years, I definitely snagged some amazing deals, especially on clothes for the kiddos for next year. But have no fear, there were also plenty of goodies for me, too (and a few for Bassam).
Now I'm back home, enjoying a day to catch up with the kiddos who are off for MLK Day (incidentally, they were home for a Faux Snow Day on Friday, much to Bassam's chagrin). I'm missing my friends already, but looking forward to heading to Kansas in 2013!
It has been an exhausting and over-the-top fun weekend!!!
Dana arrived on Friday morning (and so did her bag --nice surprise, since her flight was cancelled the night before and she couldn't get it back!). We started our adventure right after leaving the airport, grabbing a huge breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then hitting the Lebanon Prime Outlets when they opened. I hadn't been out there in years. When I wanted to "outlet shop" in the past, I always went to Opry Mills, but of course, the flood in May took care of that. Our biggest haul came from Gap Outlet, which was also our first stop. We headed back to Mt Juliet for a very late lunch and did part of the Providence Marketplace, which has similar stores to Cool Springs. Bassam thinks it's bizarre, but seriously. . . . we can easily spend over an hour in Target together (and we did!).
Saturday was spent closer to home. Sutton made her first trip to Trader Joe's and then we hit Anthropologie and Jake's House in the Hill Center in Nashville. After that, it was back to Franklin and Brentwood for Kohl's, Hobby Lobby, Target (yes, another one!), TJ Maxx/Home Goods, etc.
I look forward to this weekend for months. The time always zooms by, but it's fun from start to finish. And it's funny, the shopping is really just an activity that we do while we're talking, laughing and catching up. I mean, really, if you can do those things and score an insane deal on a pair of pants at the same time, isn't that just a bonus?
Today is Amy & Bob's wedding. The rehearsal went off without a hitch and the dinner last night was fabulous. My poor kids were wiped out--which worries me just a bit for today (especially Gracie who will miss her nap), but I'm hoping the adrenaline and fun of the reception will carry them through!
The kids got a trip to Brookfield Zoo and the new dinosaur exhibit yesterday while I was off with my sister and her friend Sharon. According to Bassam, Matthew and Gracie, it is HIGHLY recommended. I'm a bit bummed that I missed it, but I do have a nifty french manicure/pedicure to show for my morning!
Today we have hair appointments--and then off to the church around 2:15! Should be a wonderfully busy & happy day!!
Today we celebrate (okay "celebrate" might be a stretch!) National Weather Person Appreciation Day! February 5th was apparently chosen in honor of the birth of early weatherman John Jefferies. Why not National Meteorologist Day? Well, not only would that title exclude Al Roker, but it would exclude John Jefferies himself who was a physician. Jefferies is considered one of America's first weather observers, when he began taking daily weather observations in Boston in 1774 and took the first balloon observation in 1784.
So there you have it! Consider yourself in the know and wish a weatherperson a happy day! Don't know one? Shout out to my sister, Amy! You can leave a note in the comments section--she reads the blog!!
Amy and Tim are on their way back to Illinois--so Bassam and I busy trying to slowly take the kids "back to reality." They have enjoyed people playing with them, reading to them and otherwise amusing them non-stop the last couple days. But, it's just Mom and Dad now! Although as I type this, Gracie and Matthew are sitting in a chair looking at a book together.
Today's big highlight was bowling. Unlike last time, Matthew wanted to do "big bowling" today because, after all, he's 5 now. Having said that, we had it set up so the kids got bumpers and Gracie used a ball ramp (Matthew used it a few times, too). Perhaps we all should have used them--Gracie had the second highest score!
My sister and Tim came to town last night. They're just here until Friday evening, so we're trying to squeeze lots of fun into a short time. After getting a long overdue run in this morning, we headed off to the Nashville Zoo. Since it was pretty hot, we just did the front half of the zoo, of course including a ride on the merry-go-round. This is Gracie feeding the lorikeets! After lunch, we went over to Third Coast Clay and tried our hand at painting pottery. Amy made a cereal bowl, while Matthew opted for a cross and small bowl. Gracie chose a little dog statue. It typical 2 year old fashion, she brushed every color paint on it--one layer on top of another. Tim salvaged it by at least making sure the the eyes and nose were painted with some detail! Can't wait to see them when we pick them up in a week or so and they are all glazed and pretty!
One of Matthew's favorite parts of having company is getting to use his sleeping bag. Amy is sleeping in his room, so we have let him "camp" on our bedroom floor. He is having a grand time with this and is making good use of both the bag and flashlight!
Officially mixed up since the 4th of July holiday was on Friday, we repeatedly had to remind ourselves that it was SATURDAY, not Sunday all day today!
Everyone, except Gracie (of course!), slept in a bit this morning, tired from last night's festivities. After the neighborhood shin dig, Bassam & Matthew headed over to the Brentwood fireworks with some friends, while Amy, Gracie and I enjoyed a pretty good view (without the bugs no less!) from Gracie's bedroom window. She immediately went to sleep and I wasn't too far behind.
This morning we woke up and decided to go bowling. The Franklin Entertainment Center has some great "kids lanes" that are much shorter and the ball you use is about the size of a bocce ball, with no finger holes. Best of all? You don't have to wear bowling shoes!! They also have it set up where the bumpers will only go up for the bowlers you want. Naturally, Gracie and Matthew used them, while Bassam, Amy and I went without. You'd think we'd all get these amazing scores, but with short lanes with 4 1/2 lb balls, it was actually kind of hard!
After 2 games, we had lunch and then headed back to the house. Before we knew it, it was time to take Amy to the airport. We had a great time having her here! With Tammy staying here followed so closely by Amy's visit, Matthew and Gracie have gotten pretty used to having someone around who is willing to play countless hands of Go Fish, the "take-away game" (what Matthew calls it when you give him math problems!), and Legos.
It's only 2:30, yet it's already been an incredibly busy day!
We started the day early. I ran in the Firecracker 5K at the Maryland Farms YMCA. Even though it starts at 7 a.m., it is always a hot race. I would have skipped it this year, but Matthew had his heart on participating in the kids race, which is a 1/2 mile race, so I figured I might as well run, too. Matthew lined up right in the front with the big kids (that's him 4th from the left), who quickly left him in the dust. Still there were 250 kids registered and he finished in the top 100, so he did pretty well! He is was excited to get a race t-shirt and ribbon!
No sooner did we get home then it was time to head off to the Oakhall bike parade. Slacker mom failed to get stuff to decorate bikes with, so we taped a flag on each bike and called it done. Matthew rode at the front of the parade with the "big kids," mostly so he'd get back quicker to the Popsicles and other ice cream treats that he knew was waiting at the end. Afterwards, the Brentwood Fire Departments came and sprayed the kids, which of course, was a highlight. Gracie was NOT nuts about the hose. She ventured in once, but quickly came out and sought refuge with Aunt Amy.
Friends Andi and Bennett came over afterwards for more wet fun. Bassam filled up the kids' water table and turned on the sprinkler. They played for another hour and a half! We're now hoping to reap the benefits of all this activity with good naps, since we are off to a 4th of July cookout later this evening at our neighbor's house.
Amy was thrilled to make a trip to Chick fil'a for lunch. She was bummed to realize that "Cow Appreciation" day is still a week away (July 11th, just in case you want to mark your calendar!!). If you dress like a cow that day, you get a free meal.
That's a lot of BANG for July 4th! Hopefully the rest of the day will be just as fun!
After lunch, we went over to Third Coast Clay and tried our hand at painting pottery. Amy made a cereal bowl, while Matthew opted for a cross and small bowl. Gracie chose a little dog statue. It typical 2 year old fashion, she brushed every color paint on it--one layer on top of another. Tim salvaged it by at least making sure the the eyes and nose were painted with some detail! Can't wait to see them when we pick them up in a week or so and they are all glazed and pretty!
Friends Andi and Bennett came over afterwards for more wet fun. Bassam filled up the kids' water table and turned on the sprinkler. They played for another hour and a half! We're now hoping to reap the benefits of all this activity with good naps, since we are off to a 4th of July cookout later this evening at our neighbor's house. 
