Finally Friday

"I see the path, but I don't know where it leads.

Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it."

-Rosalia de Castro

-

Photo by Yunhee Kim / Real Simple Magazine

It has been a long week and I'm stepping back and taking a long look at my life and the relationships around me. I've been feeling a bit homesick. I catch myself letting Nashville and all that it offers take the place of my family and although I'm happy and fulfilled here, there are times when I miss them like crazy. I miss hugging my little brother. I miss reading Teen magazine with my baby sister. I miss fighting with my other two sisters. Yes, I actually miss that.

So today my mind wanders and thinks about how I can get to Missouri more often. The path that leads home is right outside my door. I just need to take it.

Hope you get to spend the weekend with those you love most. Happy Friday.

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A Surprise Reunion

So about that little surprise from my Grandpa...

First I need to give some background to explain why his surprise was such a surprise.

My grandparents (my mom's parents) divorced when I was 13. Their divorce was more difficult to accept than the divorce of my parents. They had been married 27 years and grandparents just don't divorce. I wasn't aware that they did. But they do. My grandpa remarried soon after to a woman named Tracy and my grandma moved to Denver.

Tracy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and passed away this past July. She was a wonderful woman and loved my grandpa well. She and my grandpa had been married 13 years, so her passing was extremely difficult on the entire family. What we never expected was for my grandma (who had not spoken to my grandpa in over a decade) to call my grandpa to give her condolences. We were blown away that she would call and be so caring. Honestly, it was a shock to everyone. I remember saying to my mom, "She called him?!"

Fast forward to last week. My grandpa and my younger sister Jamie decided to visit us on their way to our family reunion. I called my sister the morning they left only to find out that she wasn't able to make it. I was bummed for sure. Later that day I asked for our grandpa's cell number so I could check on him.

I called the number my sister sent and my grandma in Denver answered. I immediately said, "I'm sorry grandma, Jamie must have sent me the wrong number; I was trying to call grandpa's phone."

Her response: this IS grandpa's phone! Surprise!!! She had flown in to ride to the reunion with him.

I had not seen my grandparents together since I was barely a teenager and Todd and I just spent the best weekend with the two of them. I'm still a bit in shock a week later!

Now for the photos! The reunion took place near the most charming little town.

The local art gallery.

An adorable antiques store.







How about this bed & breakfast?





We had to drive through a mountain to get to my mom's hotel.





My family - reunited!

A lot of people are asking me if I think my grandparents will get back together, and honestly, I can't say. All I know is that I feel very blessed to have had the chance to spend time with the two of them together. It was by far the best birthday present I could have asked for.

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Mother Knows Best

Todd and I traveled deep into the Tennessee mountains for a family reunion this weekend. We had such a great time. The leaves are just beginning to change, which made for a beautiful drive. The reunion took place in the cutest little town and I got the chance to see family I haven't seen in decades. Who would have thought family reunions could be so fun? We took lots of pictures, but right now they are all on Todd's iPhone and he is with the boys tailgating before the Titans game. I'll have those photos (and an update on the surprise from my grandpa) later this week.

After the reunion, my mom handed me a bag with another birthday gift. I love it. It's a cookbook written by Sara Foster of Foster's Market in Durham, North Carolina, titled Fresh Every Day - More Great Recipes from Foster's Market. I would make the trip to Durham just to go to Foster's. It's that good! Last time I visited I hinted that I would love one of Sara's cookbooks and lucky for me, my mom didn't forget that little hint! Isn't it great how mothers always pay attention to the little things you say? I probably wouldn't have bought this book on my own, even though I really wanted it. I guess you could say my mom knows me well.

It's full of great photos, which are the best part of the book if you ask me!

I think this recipe might be first on my list: Chunky Chicken Vegetable Minestrone. Yum!

I'll let you know how it turns out!

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Big Apple

My family is visiting - my grandpa and my sister were supposed to come together, but my sister ended up not making it. My grandpa brought a surprise gift instead that I will blog about soon. It's a surprise to my mom as well, so my lips are sealed until it's revealed to her too. I'll say this, it is probably a once in a lifetime gift. But more on that later!

I took some time to sort through the dozens of photos Todd and I took in New York and I'm ready to share them with the world. I won't bore you with too many. Just a few fun ones.

We stayed at the beautiful New York Palace Hotel. I don't watch Gossip Girl, but apparently some of the characters "live" in this hotel and they actually shoot scenes for the show in the penthouse. Not too shabby!

After checking into our hotel we hit the town. First stop: Dean & Deluca for coffee and iced chai.

Our hotel was only a block from Rockefeller Center. I think if I were to go back I would love to stay in Greenwich Village or near Central Park, but for first time visitors, being near Rockefeller Center was very convenient.

We tried to see everything in the short time we were in the city.

Times Square:

Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village:

Ed Sullivan Theater:

Cafe Lalo (a great recommendation from my great friend Suz):

And one of my favorites (I say this sarcastically), the Statue of Liberty:

Do you see it? Didn't think so. We got up the nerve to ask someone to take a picture of the two of us. In front of the Statue of Liberty. I don't know about you, but if someone asked me to take a picture of them in front of the Statue of Liberty, I would assume they would want it in the picture as well. I guess I should have been more clear. The famous statue is behind my head. Yep.

At least we have this one!

That's our New York trip in a nutshell. We really had a great time. I would recommend visiting to anyone.

Just a tip - don't ask a local on the subway how to get to the Eiffel Tower (even when you really mean the Empire State Building). They might think you're crazy. I know. It happened to me! :)

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Back to Reality

"The discovery of a new dish does more
for the happiness of mankind than
the discovery of a star."
- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

***

I love traveling, I really do. I've been able to visit some pretty amazing places because of my job and New York tops the list. Todd and I definitely made the most of our trip and tried to fit in as much as we possibly could in 2.5 days. Because of that, I'm exhausted. I'll sort through the many, many pictures we took and post them soon.

One thing I did learn about NYC is that I couldn't possibly live there. I forget how much of a country girl I am until I take the girl out of the country. I had a blast in the city, but I couldn't help but smile this morning as I took in the rolling hills on my way to work. I fell in love with Nashville all over again.

Since I'm back in my own house and not eating out (although we did eat really well), I decided to make a light dinner. Thanks to Cooking Light, I only had to buy two ingredients to make dinner. That worked out well since I wasn't in the shopping or cooking mood, but I just couldn't eat out again. My clothes are angry at me for stretching them out the past few days! I had to make peace.

Grilled Chicken with Rustic Mustard

Recipe Here.

If you're really good, your chicken will turn out like this:

If you're me, it will look like this:

This recipe is a keeper. It's incredibly easy, tastes wonderful and the smell of rosemary will fill your whole house (well, it did mine because our grill was out of propane, so the Foreman was our only option).

I'll be back soon with photos from NYC!

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