a wedding!

May must have been the most fun month ever, because I am still talking about it. The weekend after we got back from Oklahoma, my dear friend, Nina (known as Lauren to some), got married here in Nashville (Franklin, to be exact). Any occasion that gets my best friends from college together is a welcomed one, but it doesn't get much better than the occasion being a WEDDING. Kyla, Katie, and Kasey stayed with us, which made me so very happy. Nina was absolutely stunning, and her wedding was perfect--neither a surprising fact. I couldn't be happier for her and Jared.

Congrats, Mrs. Attig!

oklahoma was more than OK!

Not this month, or last month, but the month before that one, we were able to go visit Grandma and Grandpa, Kevan's grandparents who live in Tyrone, Oklahoma. Only, now they live in Tennessee, which was the reason we went...to see their place in Oklahoma one last time. For Merit and I, it was our first time to go there, and

I absolutely loved it.

Sometimes I wonder if I was born in the wrong time period. As a little girl, I read and re-read Laura Ingalls Wilder books, fascinated even then by life on the prairie. Simple. Not easy, but simple. Kevan's grandpa's family has been on this land since the early 1900's. The old house that Grandpa grew up in still stands close by their most recent house that they built into a hill. All kinds of old things were still in the old house and barn. If you know me at all, you know I was in heaven. I was so thankful that we were able to go. It meant a lot to Kevan, and I loved that Merit was able to see where her great-grandparents (and great-great grandparents) had lived for so long.

She, too, was in heaven. There was attention galore from Grammie, Great-Aunt Pam, and Great-Grandma, wide-open spaces to roam about, Grandma's cookies were handed to her left and right, wheel-barrow rides with Popsy and rides on the lawn mower with Great-Grandpa were frequent, and there was even an Uncle Tanner to play with.

I had only ever driven through Oklahoma. I was surprised at how beautiful it was. I have to think that part of the reason I loved it so much was because of how it reminded me of Texas. Especially the sunsets. Below, we are up on the "roof" of the newest house, looking out into their incredible backyard.

Grandpa let us shoot his gun. I showed the boys a thing or two. :)

The foundation of the school where Grandpa went is actually on their property behind their house. Kevan's dad showed us all of his old stomping grounds around the nearby town, Hooker, Oklahoma, complete with an Albright Street!

The house where Grandma and Grandpa lived most recently was really great. As mentioned before, it was built into a hill. The bedrooms had no windows, so Merit slept until 9:30, a new record.

I loved the old house. (Except for the snake that greeted me on the bottom of the stairs in the old house. I love old things, but not old snakes.)

Since they were moving, they were holding an auction to sell a lot of things they wouldn't be able to bring to Tennessee. They graciously let us have a few things before the auction started. Merit got an adorable little tea set, and we brought home several old magazines and books that were found in the old house--some even had little boy Grandpa's handwriting as he practiced his name and numbers.

On the way back, we drove through Texas one last time, and we stayed in a hotel as a family of three for the first time.

Grandpa told me that one of the things he will miss most about that place is the freedom you feel out there, and in the short 24 hours I spent on their land, I totally got that. I am trying to convince Kevan that Tyrone is going to be the next Music City. A house built into a hill would be a great recording studio, don't ya think? You definitely wouldn't have to worry about bothering the neighbors...

well, hello there, july!

What better time than July the 8th to talk about what happened in May? None better I say.

Merit and I started the month off with a trip to Texas. I believe this was her 8th or 9th flight (thanks to her amazingly generous PaPa.) She has flown more in her first 15 months than I flew in the first 20 years of my life. Here she is showing outwardly how I sometimes feel inwardly on these flights.One of the main reasons for this trip was so that I could get together with some friends from high school. I hadn't seen a couple of these girls in about 9 years, so it was so good to get together and catch up. This pic was taken on the bench in front of Chili's...where many a pic was taken back in our days at good ole Wylie High.The rest of the time was spent with family. It is getting more and more fun to see Merit with her cousins. She was constantly entertained...swimming, box surfing with PaPa, even her first try at gymnastics! We were able to go to my cousin April's daughter's party at the Gymnastics Sport Center. I took Gymnastics there as a kid and nothing had changed about the place...the same smell hit you at the door, the same Mary Lou Retton posters on the walls, I believe even the foam pit was filled with the very same pieces of foam that were there 20 years ago. All of this, of course, made me very happy. (If you look closely in the top left picture you can see that Merit and my cousin Mindi's son Hudson are lost in the foam pit...)Kevan came at the end of the week and was able to spend Mother's Day with us. He's the greatest and I love him. Just thought you should know.
Yet again, another fine trip to Texas. And for the two of you still wishing that you could hear more about May, don't worry, another post or two is soon to follow. Although I use the term "soon" loosely. :)