November, 2009

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Thanksgiving, Nash-style.

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Thanksgiving 2009.

There’s a lot I want to say. It was beautiful. Truly.

The downside: I didn’t get to spend Thanksgiving day with my family. Though, I did spend the entire weekend with my parents so surely, on some great scoreboard in the sky, that counts for something.

I knew I should get that out there first because otherwise the email. from the mother. would be stern.

So.

Let me tell you what was amazing about my Thanksgiving: it was full of Nashville.

You saw video footage of my first Thanksgiving. It was with our small group from church. We sat around Marisa’s living room and we laughed. And talked. And I teared up [duh] when we all held hands and Andy prayed, “God, thanks for us.”

The second Thanksgiving dinner I attended was Cowboys Pilgrims and Indians. Which I’m embarrassed to admit to you, but I brought sweet tea. I know. I love to cook. And I usually love to show out cook for my friends. But a long train of disastrous scheduling had this little pilgrim showing up with 2 gallons of tea instead of my grandmother’s famous mashed potatoes.

I think Paula Deen just disowned me.

Here’s a photo of some of the gals- you know Betsy- the Indian on the top left [we called her by her Native American name, "Lounges on Chair"] and then Molly beside her. On my left is Laura and on my right is Marisa. And on our laps? It’s rude to draw attention to how much what a group of ladies ate for dinner. Look away, please.

tgiving

My third Thanksgiving feast was on Saturday night at the family’s home where I nanny. It’s funny, I started working for them in January. I got to be friends with them over the next few months. And then, all of the sudden, they were my family.

My family. They love me well, y’all.

There were too many good things that night. So many of my dear friends were there. The night was full of conversations that I want to hang on to and a pile of other moments that I’ve tucked into some small box in my heart that I treasure.

So I’m not going to blog about those.

But a week later, I’m still bubbly with thanksgiving. I still lay in bed at night and thank God for my people. I’m reminded of how I felt a little over a year ago, when I was really sad and really new to Nashville:

It’s to be expected. I know that. I know that at some point in the future, Nashville will refresh me. Somebody (or somebodies) here will get me. They will join the vagabond group that are my people. And I will feel like me here. Right now, I don’t. I mean, hilarious stuff happens here and I’m happy, but at the core, in my knower, I’m not brave enough to be me.

The EXACT things that I worried about and prayed for God to change are the EXACT things I’m thanking Him for this year.

Tell me we don’t serve a personal God who knows our hearts.

To say I’m thankful is an understatement.

- – - – - – - – - – -

Tomorrow… a full recap of my trip to NYC for the parade! [And by "full recap", I mean "Everything except the details of my food poisoning." Ewwww.]

Posted in Nash-livin' | 4 Responses »
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Seth “you’re gonna wanna hug him” Philpott.

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

seth_philpottThis is one of my dear friends, Seth Philpott.

This photo doesn’t do Seth justice. You can’t see him smiling. You can’t see how the world entertains him. You can’t hear him CRACKING ME UP. Cause if he’s talking, I’m laughing. Game over.

But because he wanted to be sure to look cool, here’s the picture I’m allowed to show you.

[Whah whah.]

You win, Seth. You look super cool.

So Seth is releasing his first EP today titled Good Hearts. And y’all. He is good. The stuff he writes is high quality. I mean, he’s not paying me a single dime to say all this. So you can believe me. I love the songs on this EP.

seth_album

It’s only $6. That’s all. So I’m thinking you should head over and buy you one.

And.

Because Seth is a giver, for the FIRST TEN PEOPLE who comment, I get to email you a free song! I know, right?!? How cool is that? But there’s a catch: you have to tell Seth that you think he’s awesome in your comment. Today is his birthday, so why can’t we give him the gift of kind words? I mean, you can elaborate on that as much as you please [but err on the side of not creepy], and the only way I’m counting your comment is if

  1. You have left me a working email address when you leave the comment
  2. You boost up Seth’s ego a smidge

So if you are one of the FIRST TEN to do that today, I’ll happily email you an MP3 from Seth’s album [sometime soon- I'm currently in flight to NYC! so I may not get to it right away, but soon].

And y’all should get your own copy of Good Hearts.

It’s a good choice. I promise.

[By the way, make sure you are keeping up with me via twitter for the next couple of days as I head to NYC to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Booyah!! I am way past excited.]

Posted in Sounds good to me. | 21 Responses »
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I used to teach school.

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Saturday night, I attended my third Thanksgiving dinner in Nashville.

Good. Gravy.

Literally.

[I'm sorry. But that's funny.]

Nashville Thanksgiving 2009 was super wonderful. But more on that later this week.

As I stood in the kitchen and talked with a friend, he asked a question, and within my answer I said, “did you know I used to teach school?” Then I moved on with the conversation, using the teaching thing as just a point on the map to better locate another place.

Teacher Art Show piece. 2007.

Teacher Art Show piece. 2007.

Like “I used to teach school” isn’t a big deal. Like it was just a job, just a season of life that used to be.

It was NEVER just a job.

Teaching elementary school was all I ever wanted to do. The first day in my first classroom, I cried. Because my childhood dream was reality. I cried a lot of days after that [insert shock here]- 3/4 of the crying days were out of pure exhaustion or frustration, but 1/4 was joy, happiness, and just what love from kids does to me.

Here’s what I wish I would have said:

“I used to teach school. I taught 5th grade for 2 years and 4th grade for 3 years. I loved 180+ kids over a five year span and I can tell you every one of their names. I still pray for those jokers, and I plan to love them forever. Crafts were my joy and I sang stupid made-up songs every day. My favorite subject was Social Studies and I actually liked grading papers. I wrote a joke on the board every Friday and speaking of boards, I can write in a perfectly straight line on a white board. We laughed everyday. A lot. And I read out loud every afternoon. My classroom was an extension of my home (and me) – messy, but pretty sweet. I used to teach school. And there are days, like today, when I totally miss it.”

That should have been my answer.

I am thankful [Thanksgiving tie-in? You betcha.] that God took my career dreams, birthed when I was in Mrs. Albers’ 3rd grade class in 1989, and gave them to me. And someday, when I get tired of being a starving artist with a zillion part time jobs, maybe I’ll go back.

Cause a spiritual gift like my white board skillz is a terrible thing to waste.

Posted in School dayz | 17 Responses »

It’s SheSeeks vloggy time.

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

I don’t know how much I’ve even told you about this.

I know I told you that I wrote an article for SheSeeks.

But I DON’T think I told you that I am on the She Seeks Team of writers.

SSQQQEEEEEAAAALLLL!!

Um. Hello. What. An. Honor.

I must now bring my emotions under control and pretend like its really no big deal [it is] and I’m cool [I'm not] and collected [I think I am] and etc.

__________

Done.

Ok, so this week, my sweet friend Shannon wrote an AMAZING article about struggling with doubt.

READ IT HERE.

Seriously. Read it first.

Because then I made a video to follow up with the article.

And HERE IS THE VIDEO.

I just think y’all will enjoy how I videoed in the car: I took the flipcam, put it in my rubber iPod holder, and wedged it between the windshield and dashboard. That is some classy [redneck] behavior, my friends.

I’m sure that makes you proud to know me.

Posted in AnnieWrites, video blogs | 16 Responses »

It’s glaze, not grease.

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

So this weekend, my mom came to Nashville [also known as "the best idea we've had in a long time"].

And she came bearing a life-changing cream cheese experience.

Of course, giving dairy credit where dairy credit is due, this recipe is originally from BooMama, my mentor in many things of life and all things of cheese.

So Mama and I, we went to a party to watch some Georgia football. And we brought along what has since been named “Heaven On A Cracker.”

delicious

Trust me. I tried to take a picture before people started eating, but it didn’t happen. Apparently, my friends have a strong like for all manner of cheese dips.

But, I did have to keep saying, “it’s a glaze, not grease” because when you pile bacon on cheese and then pour a glaze over top, believe you me, it looks like grease. Which honestly, didn’t stop some folks. In fact, I think Sonnie said, “that’s a lot of grease, but everyone is eating it, so….”

Please. Try it. I mean, I may not really know you, but I know you enough to know that you won’t hate this. [That statement is not true at all. But I still hope you like the dip.]

Captain Rodney Cheese Bake

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 6 Ritz crackers, crumbled
  • 8 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
  • ½ cup Captain Rodney’s Sweet & Spicy Glaze or Boucan Glaze

Mix first 4 ingredients, then spread in a square casserole dish.  Sprinkle crushed crackers on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then sprinkle bacon on top and drizzle with glaze over all.  Serve with Ritz crackers, pita chips or your favorite cracker.

Note: Captain Rodney’s is available at Whole Foods. Boucan Glaze was the old name and Sweet & Spicy Glaze is the new name. The glaze is available online from www.bellbuckle.com if you don’t have a Whole Foods nearby.

We doubled the recipe and put it in a 9 x 13.

[Also, just FYI- we used light mayonnaise and turkey bacon. So obviously, it was a healthy alternative to the other snacks, such as carrots and hummus.]

And y’all. It was gone by the end of the evening and we had about 20 people eating. Which you KNOW Mama loved cause she got cook for and hang out with 20 of the cool kids of Nashville.

Like Marisa.

marisa

And Chris and Ansley. [who have recently started an INSANELY awesome blog for wives who have traveling/on the road husbands- a much needed area of ministry here. Check it out.]

chris_ansley

The only thing I would do differently is that we served the cheese bake with ritz crackers and I would opt for a saltier cracker, maybe a pita chip. Cause I’m not a huge fan of ritz crackers. I’m not one to fear an overly rich experience, but you know how ritz crackers are so buttery and kinda soft? Yeah, I just wanted a hearty chip. Personal preference maybe.

But hello. It’s my blog. This place aboundeth with my personal preferences.

Posted in That's delish. | 10 Responses »
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Just a smidge behind….

Monday, November 16th, 2009

in my real life.

You know, the one where I have writing deadlines, emails to answer, job(s), and laundry.

So, I’ll see ya tomorrow.

Posted in Ze Bloggy Goodness | 3 Responses »

SarahRuppBlogs

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Here’s another installment of YouBlog- where I introduce you to one of your fellow blogmies. Remember the goal is to get to know each other! Many of you readers/commenters were born to be friends- I just know it. And I’m out to prove it!

Sarah_RuppI know, long blog title, but I had to use her first and last name since we’ve already had a “SarahBlogs“. [Way to hog the name, Sarah Markley!] :)

Meet Sarah Rupp. Sarah is a darling little friend of mine. Okay, officially, she was Shannon Primicerio’s friend first, but I just tag along in their friendship.

I met Sarah at the SheSpeaks conference in August and think she is probably one of the most talented writers I know. Puts my skillz to shame. Sarah writes both fiction and non-fiction. She wrote a short piece on her blog titled Vacuuming that I think is brilliant and detailed and makes me FULL ON JEALOUS of her ability to write.

Jealous in that loving way. Of course.

Also:: NEWSFLASH :: Sarah and two other cutey-patooties have started an awesome blog about modern and modest style. And as you know, I struggle. :) So check out that new site as well.

Seriously. Go ahead and bookmark her blog, read up on Sarah, and make sure you are fully capable of being able to say, “Yeah, I knew Sarah back when she was finishing high school….” cause the child is going to be some kind of famous writer. I’m praying for Sarah today, that God would continue to raise her up and hone her gifts. She rules.

That’s it. Phew. About 2o bloggers in 20 weeks featured on YouBlogs. That is super awesome. I have really enjoyed being able to introduce you to some bloggers that come around here and hang out with you in the comments every day.

We’re gonna take a break for a while, but hang in there. If you wanted to be featured and missed the chance, or if you just enjoyed hearing from a variety of people on Thursdays, it’ll be back.  :)

Posted in YouBlog | 4 Responses »

Pretty.

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

First of all, I’m so glad y’all loved hearing about RebaFail2009. You laughed AT me, mainly, but I’m okay with that. Oh, and by the way, Emily is really concerned that you hate her over the whole thing – I told her that you don’t.

Now, on to things of a more serious nature.

It’s come that time again. It happens to me once in a while. So far in Nashville, twice.

I get into a slump. A lot of outside forces [and inside forces] affect the situation, and here are the warning signs:

  1. I bite my nails off. Big time.
  2. I start wearing the same things over and over and over again.
  3. I make a lot of self deprecating jokes.
  4. I eat a truckload of carbs.

Diagnosis: I have forgotten that I am pretty.

Now. I want you to take that the way I mean it. I’m not bragging about my looks by any stretch of the imagination, being all [insert valley girl voice here]:

“Like seriously, I’m so cute, you can NOT even handle it. For real. I am, like, the prettiest girl in our high school and like, I don’t even have to try. Like, some people say ‘pretty’ and I turn around thinking that they are talking to me.”

Yeah, not at all. What I am saying is that it took the Lord years – LITERALLY YEARS – to get my heart to a place where I could look in the mirror and not be sad about what I saw. Younger Annie had some hard times in the self-esteem department, bless her heart.

“Good thing I’m funny.”

That was more my quote.

But that evil-inspired mindset is a thing of the past. Most of the time.

I don’t know why [maybe I do] this old mindset was able to creep it’s way back in, but it did. And I found myself, over the last few weeks, believing lies all over again. And about a week ago, it broke me. Or, better said, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back Annie’s heart.

I’m not all better. But I’m fighting. Which is more than I can say for October Annie. [Or Younger Annie, bless her heart.]

And I’m not really sure why I’m blogging about this- it surely isn’t the sexy stuff the fellas want to read that will get me a date. But on the other hand, I don’t know one. single. girl. on. earth. who hasn’t dealt with ugly days, lies in your head, or tears over your looks. So we might as well talk about it. Cause it’s there.

Sometimes believing truth is a for realz battle.

So because I want to believe truth, and truth needs action, here’s what I’m doing:

  1. I’m remembering that God has made me.
  2. And that He thinks I’m pretty.
  3. I went to Urban Outfitters yesterday and shopped a bit in their $9.99 section. Cause let’s be honest- a new shirt, scarf, and necklace can make all the difference.
  4. I’m taking care of myself. Because just like my robe, my body deserves to be treated well.

And now that things are moving in the right direction, I may get all sorts of crazy and buy some jeggings.

Nah. Probably not. :)

Posted in Ze Bloggy Goodness | 25 Responses »
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REBA

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

rebaI think you know this. But I’ll remind you. I live in Nashville and seeing famous country music stars isn’t totally weird. And I’ll be honest and say that when I pass any famous person at the grocery store or wherever, I’m cool as a cucumber.

Who would I not be cool around because I love her and want to know her? REBA.

And because the following story still breaks my heart a little bit, my friend Emily is going to tell you the story. Emily, take it. [I'm going to shoot some thoughts in here- they'll be in red. Like this.]

__________

Dear AnnieBlogs readers,

I’m going to tell you the story of when Annie and I stood beside Reba and Annie didn’t even know. [That sentence alone still makes me sick.]

Annie, Ashley, Betsy and I went to go see Michael…finally. [The Michael Jackson movie "This Is It" is what she speaks of.] And after 2ish hours of pure genius, we exited the theater and followed Betsy, who had an enviable sized Coke during the movie, to the restroom. [Betsy is a heavy Diet Coke drinker.] Annie, Ashley and I waited outside the restrooms with a handful of other people doing the same. I’m a people watcher, so naturally I stood there and looked around. There were 3 people staring down the 2012 cutout, a boy dressed in too many shades of blue from head to toe, aaand REBA. Just standing there. [Ugh.] I’m not really a huge fan [ridiculous] so I didn’t think anything of it.

I noticed Annie whispering something to Ashley and giving the head nod that usually goes along with telling someone to look a certain way. So I figured for sure she’d seen her, right? Wrong. [This is true- I was pointing out the Ashley that a VERY D-list musician was standing about 10 feet past Reba. You read that right- I was looking PAST Reba to see said D-lister. Sickening.]

After a couple minutes, REBA’s husband walked out of the restroom and they headed to the escalator. Figuring it was an okay time to let REBA fan Annie start re-living the fact that she was standing 3 feet from the woman herself [THREE FEET, y'all], I mentioned that I figured that’s what she had whispered to Ashley. Except that comment was met with a “WHAT?!” [I thought she was joking. Then I panicked.] Annie looked just in time to see REBA & Co. halfway up the escalator. Betsy emerged, found out what she missed, and shamelessly bolted up the escalator to catch a glimpse [which shocked me because Betsy is my biggest Reba-love critic, but her true colors came out right then]. Ashley was close behind. And Annie disclosed that had she known in time, she would’ve been so excited that a “run and tackle” would’ve been appropriate [I think I said "hug"].

And thus ends the night I saved REBA’s life.  You owe me, Ms. McEntire.

Love, Emily

____________

So pretty much, Emily allowed me to stand RIGHT BESIDE REBA and not even say anything.

Trust me, I went through the appropriate phases of grief, and it ended with Emily and I having a very serious conversation about how we [SHE] should do things differently next time.

As in, “Emily. I’m serious. If this EVER happens again, you say something. You say something right away.”

At least I saw her going up the escalator.

And I did scream, “I might have been born just plain white trash, but FANCY WAS MY NAME!!”

Posted in Dreams Coming True, Nash-livin', Ze Bloggy Goodness | 20 Responses »
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My home.

Monday, November 9th, 2009

This is my home:

Nashville

But really, so is this:

family

This was my home:

IMG_0439

IMG_0438

And when I sold it to move to Nashville, I thought I had lost home. In some ways, I’ll confess, it still feels that way. Mainly because that beautiful couch is in storage and I miss the warmth of that sunshine coming in on the rocking chair.

I guess I gave up that home for this home:

n16804059_40957012_3992393

And it was a trade I would make again. For sure.

But this home has been there a long time:

us

Even when this is my home:

IMG_0733

So what is home? I thought it was that red couch living room in 2006. But I also thought it was my parents’ living room in 1986. I also think it is this living room I’m sitting in as I type.

Maybe it’s all three.

It’s my family. It’s my friends. Home is the friends that become like family.

Home is my kitchen table. Home is my guest bedroom.

Simply, maybe home is just where your…. oh no…. it can’t be true.

CHEESE. ALERT.

Home seems to be where my heart is.

[UGH. I hate that one billion times more than you do.]

Let me restate that- Home is where I’m good at being Annie.

Like here:

july

I think this move to Nashville has taught me something I’m not sure I would have learned anywhere else. The truth is that I have a lot of homes, a lot of beautiful places (and people), but in the end,

Jesus is my home. The one that will not change. The one that makes me the best Annie. The one that safely holds my heart.

Where is your home?

___________________

My friend Elizabeth asked a few of us to write about home, so head to her blog to see what some other folks are saying about home.

Posted in Nash-livin', Ze Bloggy Goodness | 22 Responses »
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