wipeout weekend

T-minus three days until Funny Hill's participation in Nashville's ROC Race. 

That's right, this Saturday while Allison is waking up and considering how she won't be getting out of bed just yet (or ever!), I will be cruising around the TN Fair Grounds for the Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge (ROC) 5k with my neighborhood buddies.

 

If you haven't heard about ROC Race, and I quote, "We took a 5k course and combined it with the crazy game show themes from favorites like Wipeout, American Gladiators, Double Dare and MXC."  'Nuff said.  More to follow...if I live to tell the story.  Did I mention there is a belly flop drop??

What the scrap?!

Well, folks, Summer 2013 is coming to a close. Seriously?!?! Some moments I just can't believe it!

 Just yesterday it seemed like we were bringing out the shorts and tank tops, planning the weekend canoe trips (that one is for Sarah, obviously) and thinking about how we could take advantage of every drop of sunshine these middle months had to offer. And just like the summer season is winding down, so is my 2012 scrapbooking project. The photos have been assembled, the mementoes organized by date, and the handmade elements are almost complete.

 

 

As I journeyed through the memories of last year, I couldn't help but see how busy the late summer/early fall time of year was in 2012 and still is in 2013. The picture above gives you just a glimpse of what the Lunchbox Buddies were up to a mere year ago, taking in the sights (*ahem, baseball pants) of the local minor league team, catching some legit tunes at LOTG, and tapping into our theatrical side with Nashville Shakes and a trip to TPAC. And this year is proving to be no different, and that is just the way we like it. Full of laugher, full of activities, full of connection, and full of life. Sarah and I can't wait to share with you what the next few weeks holds for us and hope that your moments of reflection about how you spend your time are as exceedingly good as ours.

fall{ing} for LA

Oh, Fall, it is nice to hang out again! 

Last year, Allison and I celebrated the beginning of cooler weather with Live on the Green's Thursday night concert series featuring the Alabama Shakes here.

 

This year I am taking in Local Native's Live on the Green performance with a just-moved-to-town friend, Anna.  She is a big fan and was so excited to catch this free show (did we mention it's free??!!).  After cyber stalking YouTube videos of the band, I have to admit I'm really looking forward to tonight's show. 

 

Nashville friends, join us for some fun on this beautiful Thursday evening! 

 

And, Southeastern friends, don't fret!  Local Natives is spreading the love with shows in Birmingham and Atlanta at the end of this month and beginning of October. 

 

Their music is described by Sarah Bellman for LA Music Blog as

"...understated at times and powerful at others — is the point at which the psychedelic and folk genres intersect. The band calms and provokes their audience both lyrically and melodically, and they consistently deliver music that transports listeners to a beautiful, thought-provoking world."

 

Click here to read full review of their sophomore album Hummingbird. 

In case you are still in doubt, check out the video below!

 

 

matt & ben

Last Thursday I stumbled upon a poster advertising the upcoming showing of a small play at a local school. This one weekend only special was being presented by Red Quill Productions and students at BelmontUniversity , brining to life a play written by Mindy Kaling  and Brenda Withers. Yes, Mindy Kaling, as in Kelly Kapoor from The Office and Mindy Lahiri from The Mindy Project. What some people may not know is that one of the first breaks Mindy had as a writer was when she and her bff Brenda wrote a two person one act play (which they starred in as well as directed) titled “Matt & Ben.” In her book, Is Everyone HangingOut Without Me?, Kaling describes “Matt & Ben” as “ weird but simple” with a tone “somewhere between the X-Files and The Odd Couple.”  The gist is the story of the Affleck and Damon friendship and how the epic success we know as “Good Will Hunting” might have come to fruition.

Since the opportunity kind of “fell from the ceiling,” I obviously had to attend.  Jenna Pryor (Ben Affleck) and Lauren Knoop (Matt Damon) gave an engaging and entertaining performance as a couple of Boston besties just trying to make the writing/acting thing work. While the setting might have been modest, just like Matt & Ben, Pryor and Knoop had a hit on their hands. What a treat it was for fate to bring me this play, just days after finishing reading Kaling’s book, and give me the chance to see it manifested in front of me. Word to the wise: keep your eyes peeled for unexpected opportunities to present themselves. You never know when something exceedingly good will land in your metaphorical living room floor.  

something borrowed, something {true} blue

In a previous post here, the Lunchbox Buddies celebrated those unique friendships which are "measured by how long into the future you can look back at the photos...and replay the adventures and the laughter in your head; still feeling like it was one of the "bestest" times of your life."

 

Well, I am blessed to have a true blue friend who twelve years later

(seriosuly...like, our friendship is totally entering middle school?!!)

I can literally

read through old notes passed (I think we single- handedly kept the campus mailman employed),

look at printed pictures taken (because disposable cameras were still a thing),

replay memories made (ummm, like the time our car broke down...and we waited for-ev-er for the tow truck in some serious Alabama heat...and then the kind mechanic shared that the only problem was that cars tend to need gas to run...)

and be humbled beyond belief for the laughter, tears and love. 

 

Above is a picture of Nat and I eight years ago at my wedding.  There we are, frozen in time, as bright-eyed 21-year-olds ready to take on the world.  I was getting hitched and moving to Boston; she was entering grad school and heading to Denver.  We had met four years earlier as Freshmen at Samford in Birmingham, AL.  So much transpired from that first meeting to this picture.  We were stretched as indivdiuals and as friends.  And so much as happened from this picture to now.

I had Nat by my side on my special day and I was grateful for the opportnity to be there by her side last weekend cheering her on at her own very special wedding ceremony.  When I confirmed my RSVP, Nat's one request was that I make a gift rather than buying one.  The pair of canvases above were crafted for the occasion.  His and Her bookends with corresponding zodiac constellations imprinted with the beautiful lyrics from Dire Straits Romeo and Juliet:
 

on the left, HIS (Virgo)

A lovestruck Romeo sings the streets a serenade
Laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made
Finds a streetlight steps out of the shade
Says something like you and me babe how about it?
 

on the right, HERS (TAURUS)

You said I love you like the stars above, I'll love you till I die

 

And since I didn't include a card in my gift, I hope this post suffices as a little glimpse into the depth of my gratitude for you, true-blue Nat.

take-out thursday

 The last few weeks have been banana-grams for Sarah and I. We have both been on trips, me to California and Say to Fall Creek Falls (post about that trip in weeks to come!) and have had very busy work schedules. And while we have passed each other in the hallway and exchanged the occasional text message, we haven't really had a chance to just sit down and catch up about not only what has been filling the hours of our days, but also the spaces in our hearts and minds.

So that is what the last two Thursday nights have been for us. Journeys of faith, challenging decisions, and exciting revelations have filled our moments together as we have let friendship simply happen in our midst and be manifested through our actions. The best things in life don't have to be forced. So whether it's an evening spent checking out a new coffee shop, walking around a college campus sharing sentimental memories, or chowing down on some take-out food, our hope is that the you and those closest to you take a step back from the hectic day to day and take notice of the exceedingly good things and people around you.

the ever sunny days

Cost of living and pretentious tabloid socialites aside, California is a favorite place of mine. Since my journey to Southern California three years ago, the blue skies and effortless breathing of The Golden State have crossed my mind on a daily basis. Thus the reason my heart leapt and my eyes welled with tears when I learned the same dear friend who originally introduced me to California would be the catalyst for our reunification. 

Our days were saturated with Napa Valley vineyards, orchards at Hurley Farms, Sausalito, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Muir Woods; each with their own charm and beauty. Sights I had only observed on the silver screen were alive and vibrant around me. 

The culmination of the trip was the beautiful union of Kaitlin and her groom, Dave. No setting other than wine country could have more perfectly matched the class and grace of this couple and their commitment to one another. As we gathered around the table to share communion, I was overwhelmed with the divine nature of these moments. We were witnessing and playing part in the message of Christ; the sacrifice of His life through the breaking of bread, and the union between Him and his bride, the Church. I believe it was evident to each witness that the love we observed and experienced in that place was perfectly ordained by Love himself.