Musician's Widow

My husband had this weekend off. I think its the first weekend he’s had off in two or three months, and I am pretty sure its his last one off until sometime in November. So, of course, we looked at each other and went, “Well what do we with this time off?”

We haven’t gone on vacation in a long time, but we want to be able to go to Oregon to see my husband’s family for Christmas this year. So our logical brains prevailed and we decided to, basically, go on a stay-cation. Every day, we got out and did something different… and it was wonderful!

One day we just took off for a drive and discovered a cool “Wall of Honor” literally in the middle of nowhere.

The next day, we visited the Farmers Market, where pumpkins are already on sale…

… then over to Yazoo Brewery’s Tap Room,where we finally got to have dinner from the Grilled Cheeserie, a popular food truck in Nashville…

…then ended up having drinks on a patio in an area of town I’d only visited once before.

 The next night, we headed out to a small Cruise-In and had dinner at a Drive-In. Hamburgers, tater tots and a milk shake for dessert! Yum!

Finally, after finding we couldn’t watch the Oregon game after all, we headed out to Arrington Vineyards. We’d heard it was a fun outing, but we weren’t prepared for the beauty of the area, the delicious taste of the wine, nor the romantic mood the whole thing created. Heavenly! We will SO be back… often.

I often remind myself and my husband that we live in a city that people come to on vacation… perhaps we should take the time more often to explore areas we never visit. I am SO glad we took the last several days/nights to get out and visit different areas of our city. Can’t wait for our chance to do it again!

I sat staring at my laptop screen. Visiting the usual haunts. Twitter. Facebook. Flickr. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

I felt lethargic. The previous day’s lawn work and heat left me aching all over. All I really wanted to do was lay on the couch with a cup of coffee. Beautiful sunshine, however, beckoned me outside. I finally consented, grabbing a book and my coffee. I stepped outside, braced for heat and humidity. Instead, a light breeze ruffled my hair. It was warm, but not too hot. I found myself wanting to do cartwheels in the yard or make chalk drawings on the driveway.

Instead, I plopped myself down in my porch swing. I put my feet up, and I proceeded read four chapters of my book, breaking only to refill my coffee mug.

I found myself wondering why I don’t do it more often. I listened to a neighbor mow their lawn. I watched cars go up and down the street. My American flag fluttered in the breeze, making the pole creak gently against the house.

My life won’t always afford me the time and opportunity to take moments to slow down and enjoy the moment I am in… I need to take the opportunities I have now and embrace them. Memorize them. Save them in my soul for when times get crazy and stressful.

The next chance you have to enjoy your world. Take it. Put down the phone. Close the laptop. Just BE. It’s amazing.

November was once a month I would become downright GIDDY about arriving for the simple fact that it meant my birthday was near. Today? I look at my November calendar and all I see is… a lot going on!

November Birthdays

First and foremost is definitely BIRTHDAYS! My friend, Anne, has her birthday on the 5th. I’m right behind her on the 10th. My husband is the 19th, and my Mom’s is on the 22nd! Not to mention the countless other friends whose birthdays land this month… I think if we tried to have one big joint birthday party we’d have to have two full size sheet cakes to fit all the names!

Right there with birthdays, I can’t forget Anniversaries. My brother and sister-in-law got married on the 11th (14 years!) and our friend’s Brian and Kristen got married on the 19th (4 years!).

Important holidays: Veterans Day (11th) and Thanksgiving (26th). And of course we can’t forget National Deviled Egg Day (today!), Pack Your Mom Lunch Day (15th), and Stay At Home Because You’re Well Day (30th). (For more of these days, visit this list on About.com.)

Among these days, I am participating in NaNoWriMo. I’ve mentioned this before, but now its begun. I’m glad to say that as of right now, I am right on target to do this. Ask me again in a week how I’m doing. Then again, don’t ask. I’ll tell you on my own soon, I am sure.

On November 9th, I end my very first Project 365. In one way, I will be really glad to see it come to an end. In another, I’m sad to see it end, and I am trying to come up with my own project to replace it. I might continue on with it, but give it some sort of twist. I don’t know for sure yet. I have 8 days to decide. I’ll let you know what I decide then.

10 Years Later...

November 18th is the 10 year anniversary of the Aggie Bonfire collapse. You can rest assured I’ll have a full entry that day about it, but it is yet another anniversary that lands in this month.

In another sad memory, 10 years ago my brother was in an auto accident (on my birthday) that certainly changed my driving habits, what I drive, and without a doubt made me stop taking mine and my family and friend’s safety for granted.

Finally, big games to be played by Aggies this month. They will face Colorado, Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas this month. The Texas is back ON Thanksgiving, where it rightfully belongs. Again… that’s another entry for a later date.

Lots going on this month! I just hope I can keep up!

Drive-In Intermission

I don’t know what came over me this afternoon. I’m sure my husband even wondered what came over me.

See, out of the blue, as we sat on the couch thinking about the day — Memorial Day, a day to honor and remember all the men and women who serve our country so we can enjoy our many freedoms — I blurted out, “Do you want to go see a movie?”

Movies are just so darn expensive to go see these days! And we’ve had to tighten down to get through. So for me to suggest going to see a movie was about like my suggesting that the sky had turned green and the grass blue.

After some discussion on what we’d go see, my husband suggested going to a drive-in movie. I was skeptical, just thinking that with it being a Monday night there would be no way we would find one open. However, a quick Google search not only found a drive-in close by — about a 45 minute drive for us — but one that was showing a double feature of the two movies we couldn’t decide between in the beginning! Besides all of that, the ticket prices couldn’t be beat. It was a no brainer, and a date night created.

This was my first visit to a drive in. I still remember the drive-in that was such a prominent feature in my hometown. I also remember it being torn down in the late 1980s. Today, that lot holds a nursing home, as my hometown became one of the many towns and cities in which the drive-in has disappeared.

Me and my seat at the drive-in

With that disappearance, the experience of attending a drive-in theater has also disappeared. That’s a fact that has always made me sad, and after tonight it makes me all the more sad.

I absolutely loved watching movies sitting in chairs in the bed of my truck. Two great movies — both of which I definitely recommend, “Star Trek” and “Angels & Demons” — and great food at the concession stand. My husband insisted I take a blanket with me, which I am so glad he did… it came in handy! We snuggled up under the stars, surrounded by lightening bugs. I have to admit… it was rather romantic.

This was one of the cheapest, yet most special, date nights we’ve ever had. I can’t wait to do it again!

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Stardust Drive-In is located in Watertown, TN. A short trip into the country from Nashville, just south of Lebanon, TN.