Nashville Thunderstorms

The first day I got to Nashville there was a big thunderstorm in the afternoon. It reminded me on the Tornado Warnings we got while I was there, and where did I turn? To Meg my friend from Missouri who has weather many Tornados. I felt safe in her home! =)

(I hope these videos work, I tried downloading them several times)

Nashvegas Reunion!

Nashville welcomed me with...well, no bags at first. Well, I guess it wasn't Nashville's fault, it was actually Pittsburgh's airport that didn't want me to leave. I arrived at 5:50 am on a Monday for a flight that left at 7:05am. No big deal, right? Just check my bag in (I had already printed out my ticket). But nope, I entered the airport to see 100s (literally) of people lined up waiting at the Northwest Airlines/Delta counter. All I heard an attendant say was the bag belts were down. I found out in Nashville once I arrived that there was a FIRE on the bag belts!! Anyways, I arrived and didn't have the one bag I had checked, but thankfully Meg and I were about the same shirt size so she let me borrow something for the first day I was at the conference.

Another great addition to my vacation was Shannon (my sister-in-law) calls me and tells me that to drive from Atlanta to Nashville isn't that big of a deal, and she'd love to come see me. So Shannon and her friend Sara came to visit! It was fun meeting up and having lunch together my first day in Nashville.

This is inside the Opryland Hotel. Beautiful huh? No not the landscape the hot babes in the photo! =)

Old Sharondale Apartment reunion. Amy and Meg...such great friends during nursing school.

It was so fun to even spend a short time catching up.

It was like there had been no gap of 2 years time!

What's Nashville without Country! I got these cowboy hats at the conference from a little contest we did. I had to get an extra one for Meg, because I knew she'd love it.

I need to photoshop Tobin into this photo because I really felt like a 5th/6th wheel (if you count baby Isaac).

Tonight was the night that Luke (on the far right) who has never met Tobin make an astute and funny comment. He said, "Tobin is like Jesus, I've seen picture of him, but I just have to believe he exists." Hopefully next time my husband can actually accompany me!

Here I am relaxing at the Shifrin's, where I stayed for a couple days.

This is one of their dogs Parker and he was so cute. I only got a photo of Argus in the video (below)

but he was cute too. He loved having me pet him, but before I knew it I had this huge Golden Retriever basically on my lap and I couldn't do anything about it!

I should have taken more photos. Michelle and I had a wonderful visit, had fun taking a walk together with Isaac (in the 90 degree 90% humidity weather)! Such good friendship and such good fellowship. I also went back to Grace Community Church the church I had attended while living in Nashville. Wow! Can I just say that I was blessed. That Sunday the sermon was on Hebrews 12:1-2 :

" Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

I feel like I'm in this marathon race right now with work, Tobin being gone, the future, etc, etc. And all I need to do is FIX my eyes on JESUS! That sermon with the worship, I was so blessed and encouraged. We also sang one of my favorite worship songs (that I never seem to sing anywhere else). Here's the first verse:

In Christ Alone, my hope is founds;

He is my light, my strength, my song,

This Cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

My Comforter, my All in all.

Here in the love of Christ, I stand.

May this be my LIFE-SONG!

Airport sighting...

Before boarding the flight to Nashville, I couldn't help but take a quick snap of this wonderful cowboy hat! Such a quality Coors Box Cowboy Hat. Only in the airport to Nashville...

Pittsburgh with the Shavers!!!

It was so fun because I got to add an extra part on to the trip and visit some good friends from Fox - Vickie and Grady Shaver. Grady just graduated from dental school and Vickie just got her masters. So they were in the process of finishing up their house, to get it ready to sell, so they can move across the United States back to Oregon! I should have taken more photos, but was having too much fun to do so! We just hung out a BBQ'd the first night, then the next morning Vickie and I went for this long walk in a huge park that's right inside Pittsburgh!! It was wonderful to enjoy fresh air and catch up with a very good friend. Then we came home to Grady tearing apart the bathroom, which basically took more than a day so Vickie and I were having fun using the neighbors bathroom, going in Home Depot, and down to the grocery store. Like any project in an old house, you start tearing down and you realize that the transition to new stuff is going to be more difficult than you anticipated. Vickie and Grady have done an amazing job though on a house that was built in the early 1900s!

Vickie and I actually at the Pittsburgh airport right before I left. I had to get at least one photo together!

We look a bit tired, and rightfully so, we stayed up late visiting, watching movies, and playing Guitar Hero...

First time I'd played that game and really enjoyed it!

So Grady is brilliant! He purchased this amazing car so that the two of them will be able to ride in style on their vacation/move back to Oregon! I have always been drawn to Porsche Boxster. I'd get a red one though if I had a choice. Anyways, it was SOOOO fun to ride in and I think it fits me well. ;)

Here I am in the Porsche and Vickie and Grady's house you can see directly in the background. They have a beautiful nice backyard too. If you're looking to move to the east coast this house is For Sale! It is a great house located in a nice part of Pittsburgh. You don't even feel like you are in the city at their house! (My little selling plug for my friends....I do what I can to help out!)

Then I was off to Nashvegas Baby!

More of Beaver Falls and Campbell...

Here's a few more cute photos from Beaver Falls. Taken from my iphone. Campbell and I had a lot of fun playing at the playground just across the street from the Kirksey apartment! I tried to let her have fun so that when she starts getting older she's more brave and wants to try new things!!! That's what aunts are for anyways! =)

Nanny Aunt Christy

So these photos are in reverse order, but I don't feel like changing them now...and it really doesn't matter anyways.  But these are photos from my week with the Kirkseys, mainly Campbell.  It was lots of fun to take care of her while Sarah was at class.  And then Sarah and I had some time together in the evenings to chat and just catch up on our lives and have best friend time.  The Kirkseys are moving the Houghton, NY, so Jeff was gone all week working at his new job.  He came down over the weekend, so it was great to see him as well.  Lots of fun in Beaver Falls, PA.  I got to go running, take Campbell on lots of walks, visit the local and only coffee shop, hang with residence life staff (I felt like I should be back in my own RA shoes again).  It was lots of fun!

So here's some photos of some of the things we did!

My best friend Sarah and I

Having fun with Campbell

You'll always get smiles from me when ice cream is in the picture.

Campbell's first taste of ice cream!  She loved it!

Enjoying a smoothie...yummm!!!

It was fun to use the Baby Bjorn and crazy that Campbell still fits it at 10 1/2 months. 

On one of our walks...it was fun to take a long walk while Campbell took her afternoon nap.

Aunt Christy and Campbell...lots of fun and trouble with two redheads!

Our trip to Walmart, where Campbell makes everyone happy.

Here she was excited to check out if this watermelon was a good one.

She made an excellent selection!

So that's it.  So much fun to be a special Aunt for a week, spend time with one of my best friends, and see a new part of the country!!!!  Makes me want to do it all again, very soon!

Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania

Well, it's definitely not a tourist attraction and I can't say that a few years ago I would have said, "I want to vacation in Beaver Falls, PA some day,"  BUT I'm having lots of fun because I am with one of my best friends and I'm helping care for her very cute 10 1/2 month old Campbell.  As I'm writing this she is actually zonked out in the Baby Bjorn, right next to me.  I'd share a photo, but I'm not quite sure how to download my photos to Sarah's MacBook (which I buy the way love using! Can't wait to get one of my own someday!)  Anyways, I am blessed to be able to come out here and help Sarah.  She is taking this block week of classes and her husband is actually away starting a new job in New York.  They will all be moving up there in the next few weeks but it worked out really well to have me come and visit and hang out with the babe while Sarah goes off to class.  It's fun being the special auntie. =)  The other funny thing is people really think Campbell is my daughter because she has red hair!  No we aren't related at all, but I guess I can't get away from people with red hair.  And some other people though Sarah and I are sisters...which I wouldn't have thought that, but I guess we are about the same size and Sarah has freckles like I do.  But she has curly brown hair and I have straight red hair.  Oh well, it's kind of fun.  We basically are like sisters, just not in DNA terms.  

I made chocolate chip cookies too.  Thought it would be something fun for Sarah to come home to from class.  I feel like I should be blogging this on the Kirksey blog, because Sarah so regularly posts things.  If I can't download photos from my camera, I'll have to take some with her and then download them.  

Anyways, thus begins my travels for the next two weeks.  I get to spend one week here and then I am off to Nashville.  At least it distracts me from missing Tobin.  I wish he could be here with me, but if I wasn't here I'd just be home alone in California...so I think I chose the better option.