Another busy week

Well this week looks like it's going to be as busy as last week but at least I am having some productive time. I spent all day yesterday downtown at the office and got a lot of stuff reorganized, phone calls made and things checked off my never-ending to-do list. I got home in time to beat the traffic (Monday Night Football was in town yesterday), feed the dog and make it to the spin class at the Y. I then killed about half an hour before meeting up with Randi & Erik for dinner. They had been on vacation in Gulf Shores, AL all last week and stopped through Nashville on their way back home to Missouri. It had been over a year since I had seen Randi and it was so great to see them and to be able to catch up, even if it was only for an hour.
Today has been a work-from-home day and it was quite nice to sleep in just a tad. I did some stuff in the office at the house and then ran a bunch of errands including taking advantage of the early voting. This afternoon I volunteered to work the Way-FM pledge drive for a couple hours and tonight I am hosting a small group to watch scary movies! I am looking forward to tonight!

Weekend with the Girls

So my mom, sister Holly and niece Elaysha came down to Nashville this weekend to have our annual "Girl's Weekend" which always includes lots of shopping :) They got in around 8:30 on Friday night so Holly and I and Crazy Amy took Elaysha to see the late showing of High School Musical 3. It was opening night and Elaysha is a huge fan so it was fun to be able to see this through a 7 year olds eyes. I also have to say that I was really surprised to see so many college age girls in the theater but it made for a fun viewing. Everyone laughed at all the cheesey humor (which was like every 5 minutes) and the girls screamed whenever Zac Efrons character was on the screen. OH to be young again! We took some pictures before hand while we waiting in line. Fun times!

Elaysha and Crazy Amy posing with HSM Cast

I had to join in the picture of course!

Then we had to get all of us in the picture

We slept in a little on Saturday morning and I was able to get up and get in a 2 mile run on the treadmill and then we headed to downtown Franklin for Pumpkinfest (think fall street festival). Elaysha first stopped at the Publix booth and got to decorate a cookie with Halloween treats.

Then we headed down Main Street and stopped into some of the stores along the street. Then Elaysha and I stopped to paint pumpkins. I thoroughly enjoyed this as it was such a stress relieving activity and so much fun to be able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and quality time with my niece.

We even had a celebrity sighting while enjoying the festivities. I spied Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman and baby Sunday Rose strolling down main street. I have seen Keith and Nicole many times in town but it was fun to see them as a family and to see them as just another normal family enjoying the festivities. And of course, thanks to my paparazzi sister, you have this photo to see for yourselves (well it's a shot from behind but you can totally tell it's them..black suits)

After we had seen the sights of Pumpkinfest we headed to Old Time Pottery and then onto the outlets at Opry Mills for some serious shopping. We had such a full day that we enjoyed a relaxing evening at home with pizza, watched college football and Elaysha enjoyed the oversized tub in the master bath. Sunday was church, lunch and a little more shopping at Kohls. Then it was time to get the family back on the road to Indiana and some downtime for me. We had such a great weekend and Elaysha also loved getting to spend as much time as possible with Pinko (the families dog) so I had to post this picture.

Happy Birthday Caron

Tonight I spent the evening with Caron, Michael, Tam and Margaret at the Cheesecake Factory celebrating Caron's birthday. Her birthday was actually on Oct. 19th but this was the first time we'd been able to get everyone's schedules to line up. It was a fantastic night! Caron was the first person that I met when I moved to Nashville 4 years ago and her and Michael are like my family. I am so blessed to have them in my life!

Happy Birthday Caron

Caron and Michael

Celebrity Sighting

Well you never know who you will meet in Nashville. Today I was running a quick work errand in Brentwood and I decided to stop in Fleet Feet Sports (my running store) and pick up a couple new pairs of my favorite Balega Socks and that is where I ran into James Marsden. The name might not sound familiar to you but when I tell you that he's been in movies such as "X-Men", "The Notebook", "Superman Returns", "Enchanted" and "27 Dresses" it might ring a bell. He along with his beautiful wife and daughter were there stocking up on running goods and he was standing next to me at the register talking to a store associate about half-marathon training. If only I could have had enough courage to break out into his infamous song from Enchanted....that would have been priceless.

It just doesn't stop...

That is the work just doesn't stop because my boss is out of the country. When I tell people that they are gone, they always act like I am enjoying a vacation or something...NOT hardly! I feel like I have spent the better part of this week just digging myself out of the mounds of work that have been piled on top of me over the past couple of weeks prior to their departure. At least I can say that I have "job security" and at least I don't have too much new stuff coming in.

Today I got to attend my first meeting representing The Ayers Foundation and met with the CEO of Bethlehem Centers of Nashville . I got to share the mission of the Ayers Foundation and talk with them about the foundation and then got to learn more about the Bethlehem Centers as well as take a tour. The highlight for me was to be able to walk through their onsite daycare/childcare center and to see those precious kids (3-5 year olds). We caught them as they were finishing up lunch and getting ready for nap time but they were so friendly and gave us a warm welcome. To know that some of those kids have been exposed to less that perfect environments and yet organizations like Bethlehem Centers is there for them to take care of them, teaching them how to read, etc and giving them unconditional love...well it really touched me! I cant think of a better way to spend my morning.

Despite keeping busy, at least I feel like this week has been pretty productive. I've even got up early twice this week and ran a couple miles on the treadmill before starting my work day. I am hoping that I can get everything wrapped up today and I plan on taking a "mental health" day tomorrow. I know that I am waiting on some phone calls and return emails but just to have some scheduled downtime would be great! A girl can dream....

What Weekend?

I sure don't feel like I had much of a weekend but what little I did get to enjoy was good. Friday night I worked at Pottery Barn Kids which was fun because I got to work with my close friend and previous boss, Caron. We always have such a great time working together! And somehow I found enough energy after getting off work to go hang out with my friends Patrick and Tim. Patrick had a small group over to watch "scary" movies but I of course had to come late because of work. We ended up watching a scary movie comedy called "Shaun of the Dead". If you like and get the British humor along with "scary" movie themes then you would enjoy this. I thought it to be quite hilarious and not so scary.
Since I didn't get home until 2 am, I slept in on Saturday morning and enjoyed a relaxing morning watching tv and catching up on some magazine reading. I then managed to pull myself off the couch around 1pm and spent the next 3 hours cleaning out my closet. You might ask how someone could spend so much time on just a closet...well I have a small obsession with clothes, shoes, handbags, etc. so that along with the seasonal wardrobe switch and a trip to the goodwill to get rid those old items adds up to the 3 hours. It was much needed! I then grabbed a quick bit to eat for an early dinner and met my friend Bri for a movie in Franklin. We saw "The Secret Life of Bees" which I thought to be heartwarming despite some sad moments.
Sunday was a busy day filled with Sunday School and church and then a quick brunch with some friends before I headed back to Pottery Barn Kids to work again. I got out early which was nice and then headed back to my house to get some more stuff to take with me to move in to the mini-mansion. I will be there mostly while the family is out of the country. I am totally comfortable there and just makes sense since I have to take care of the dog and can work from the office at the house. It's a great home away from home.

Time to Rest

Well I have been rather absent from my blog due mostly impart to an insane work schedule over the past two weeks as I tried to keep pace with the family before they left the country...again! Now that they are back at sea...I finally get a little time to rest! Don't get me wrong...I have more than enough to do while they are gone but at least I can set the pace and I am going to get back in a "normal" routine and hopefully get back to running too!
I don't have much planned for this weekend other than attempting to clean out my closet and transition the wardrobe from summer to fall and I might even start painting my big wicker dresser to the new espresso color. If i can at least get the drawers done, that would be a good start. We shall see. And if I don't have enough stuff to do, I am working at Pottery Barn Kids tonight and on Sunday since they will be busy with their Friends and Family promotion. Fun times! As much as I like down time, I sure do like to keep myself busy!

Weekend in Columbus

To say that my life has busy lately is a tad bit of an understatement and this weekend it didn't stop. I ventured on a road trip with my friend Crazy Amy and Claire. We drove to the ATL and stayed with Claire's family on Friday night and then we headed south to Columbus on Saturday afternoon to see my friend Alabama Jen (even though she really should be called Georgia Jen...but it doesn't sound as good to me as Alabama Jen). Anywho...the wild thing is that Crazy Amy spent a good part of her childhood living in Columbus with her family so it was fun to see her travel down memory lane. Jen took us to downtown Columbus and to the riverwalk on Saturday afternoon and here are some pics from the afternoon:

My friend Alabama Jen
Amy took these pictures of some old downtown buildings and they turned out great.

Jen works at the River Center Theater in downtown Columbus and she gave Amy and I comp tickets to that evenings show called "Celtic Crossroads". I have always loved all types of music but this music or should I say the musical talent of these people literally left me speechless. It was such a good show. Afterwards, we were all starving so we went to grab a bit to eat and then went to this old Irish pub called Scruffy Murphy's and sat out on the back patio (actually it was the back of the building that was missing it's roof) catching up. Nothing like good conversation among friends.

Crazy Amy and I on the patio

Jen and I

It was the best Saturday night spent catching up with old friends and making new ones. I think we all wound down somewhere around 2 am. Sunday was another busy day of travel so we didn't get to sleep in really. We drove around Columbus and found the old homes that Amy and her family lived in and then we got to have a classy brunch at none other than a Waffle House! We said goodbyes and then drove back up to Atlanta and made a quick stop at Phipps Plaza and then picked up Claire at her families and headed back to TN. We tried to take a dinner break in Chattanooga and eat at Sticky Fingers but they were out of a good majority of their food (are you serious...really?!?) so we ended up grabbing a bite to eat at another downtown restaurant that's name has escaped my mind at the moment but it was good.

It was a great whirlwind weekend and another fun road trip to add to my book of memories. But to say that I am a little tired is an understatement. This week is going to be crazy busy as I get the family ready to leave the country. No rest for the weary!

Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was all that I had hoped it would be. I had nothing planned or really scheduled for my weekend and it was great to spend it at home. I slept in a little on Saturday and enjoyed a lazy morning. I then ventured out to Home Depot with my roomie to look at mums and pumpkins and also bought my spray paint. We then had lunch at The Corner Pub on Hwy 100 and it was evident to both of us that Jonathan's was no longer our favorite place to eat in Bellevue. (they should have never done away with the steak fries...that's all I'm saying). Once we got back home, we both worked on getting the mums potted and did a great little job of cleaning off our front porch.(see picture below)

I then thought that it was about time to tackle my grand idea of repainting my wicker furniture. My friend Becky had inspired me to use spray paint and it was a fairly easy project. What she failed to tell me was the strain that my forearm/hand would have while painting. I managed to get through with the painting before any major cramping but on Sunday I could barely write (note to self, use left hand next time). All in all, I felt very accomplished and was pleased with the outcome. Now I somehow have to compose a team to help me spray paint my wicker dresser. Here are my before and after photos

Before

After

This is what I use it for in my room.

Back to the grind...

Well my vacation was so great and I can't believe that I've already been back to the grind for two days. I actually had to do some work stuff on Monday while I was technically still on vacation but it was just a couple quick phone calls and some emails. Nothing too crazy. I definitely will say that I have built job security like I have never had before. I was only gone two "business" days and I came back to plenty of "i missed you" and "what would I ever do without you" as well as a 2 page list of things to do. Oh, i love my job (slight sarcasm).

Last night was our first book club meeting. I have never even had the slightest care to join a book club but since I am trying to overcome a disorder known as "seasonal reader", I thought this would be the best form of therapy and accountability. Our first book was nothing over stimulating or remotely interesting...just the same ole spin of modern chick lit. I did think a couple parts were funny but we all agreed that it was pretty lame. I have already started reading our next book though and I can tell you that it's already ten times better.

I guess vacationing on a Monday is one way to make sure your work week is short because it's already Thursday which means another weekend is lurking around the corner. Other than some plans tomorrow evening, I am looking forward to a weekend of no set plans. Of course, I do hope to be productive and get some things done that I've been wanting to do but it's so exciting to not have a million things already planned. I have been somewhat inspired by my friend Becky to redecorate my bedroom. That space has been driving me crazy for a while so I am going to try and refresh the space. I learned from Becky that a can of spray paint does wonders :) We shall see!