It's a hot one here today in Nashville, as was yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that...I think you've got the picture. While I love the warmth and sunshine of summer, I'm pretty much over the humidity and constant bug bites. I seriously can't be outside for more than a few minutes before I get at least a couple of those suckers. We are SO looking forward to fall - it's definitely my favorite season of the year, and we've heard that it's amazingly beautiful down here once the leaves start to change color. I'm already getting a hankering for big mugs of hot chocolate and my extremely worn-in leather boots - I need to get those puppies resoled! We've had quite a bit going on around here lately - here's a taste of our life in words and photos:
My family came down South to Franklin, TN area for vacation this year. For those of you who don't know, every year my parents choose a city for us to spend a week together in. They rent a big 'ole house, and we plan activities for the week, which always include a minor league ballgame, a lengthy game of bingo (with some hilarious prizes up for grabs), and an evening of water balloon games...and a huge water fight! The ironic thing about our vacation being just outside of Franklin was that my parents had decided on this location before Seth and I even knew that we were moving to Nashville! It felt a little strange to not have to travel a great deal, but I still felt like I was on vacation, tucked away in a huge log home out in a very rural area.
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| My niece Kayla & me makin' funny faces |
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| My nephew Casey & my sister Shy |
After a fun-filled week with with the fam, I trekked up to Cincy for my good friend Sarah's bachelorette party. All the girls met up at NADA (THE most amazing Mexican restaurant outside of California - side note: If you're ever fortunate enough to go there, you MUST have the guacamole & homemade tortilla chips and the pork belly tacos. I'm salivating just thinking about them.) for dinner & drinks, and then moved on to bowling at Newport on the Levee. I had never been to an "adult" bowling alley before, so that was definitely a first. Not to mention that we all were sweating our (bowling) balls off because it was so hot. But we had a great time! I'm pretty sure I came in dead last. What can I say - it had been a while since I'd bowled!
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| Pork belly tacos AND chicken tacos?! YES PLEASE!!! |
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| Bowling in style |
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| Me with the Bride-to-Be (What's up with my limp hand?) |
I can't believe she's getting married. It seems like just yesterday, we were dressing up in the weirdest outfits with the intention of parading around Central Quad at Miami in efforts to burn off excess energy. Man, we were weird. And I LOVE that about Sar. She always, always allowed (and still allows) me to be my goofy, emotional, extroverted-introvert self. And she welcomed (and welcomes) me with open arms. I can't wait to celebrate her and Josh in just a few short days!
Just last weekend, I was given 3 days off, so we decided to take advantage of that time and drive up to Cleveland to visit my grampa. Grampa Stolarski is 95-years-old, and, God-willing, will be turning 96 this December. Here are a few things I think about when I think about Grampa:
1. He has HUGE hands. He did factory work for years, was a pro at repairing giant cranes, and also poured quite a bit of concrete. I think this caused his joints to swell in his hands or something, because, I'm telling you, he has the biggest hands I've ever seen. Even after all of the hard laboring he did to provide for his family and the many hours working outside on their lawn and in their garden, they're surprising very soft to the touch. I feel blessed and privileged to hold his hand on a walk, supporting the man that supported me throughout my childhood.
2. Bacon. You're thinking, what? That's weird. But seriously, I think about bacon. Growing up, when my dad was a single parent, Grampa and Gramma would watch me and my 4 biological sisters all the time. Gramma was an excellent baker and cook, and she was always serving us delicious meals and whipping up yummy treats. But when BLT's were on the menu, Grampa was ALWAYS in charge of cooking the bacon. I think part of that stemmed from the fact that he was afraid Gramma would get splattered by the grease. And he wasn't cookin' no turkey bacon - he was making the real stuff, on the stove no less. And he always was wearing a white butcher's apron while he was cooking. If we were lucky, he'd sneak us a piece or 2 before dinnertime.
3. Time heals all wounds. I know that things weren't always easy when my dad was a kid. Grampa had a few demons that he wrestled with. But it is amazing to see how gentle his heart is now, and how much he loves my dad and us grandkids.
4. When he refers to me, he always says "My Kelly". This is SO special to me because growing up, my parents never gave me a nickname. Even now, while most of my close friends and family refer to me as "Kel", my parents still just call me "Kelly". For Grampa to say "My Kelly", it gives me a sense of security that I am known and protected. It's almost as though he's echoing what the Lord says as He looks down on me. "My Kelly".
Leaving Grampa is always quite difficult, but this time was really tough. While he's mentally sharp, his body is growing tired. His eyesight is failing, and his stomach is constantly upset. He takes several naps a day, and is constantly ingesting or applying some type of medicine. Grampa's been ready to go to his eternal resting place for quite some time now, but I know whenever that time comes, it's going to be difficult for me to accept. He's my only living grandparent, so it will be strange to close the chapter on that book. When we were leaving, I stood up to hug Grampa, and he held on a little longer than usual, and pulled back to gaze into my eyes for a moment. I could see where my brown eyes came from, although his were a bit cloudy. Both of our eyes filled with tears and I whispered, "I love you Grampa. I'll see you soon."
Just last weekend, I was given 3 days off, so we decided to take advantage of that time and drive up to Cleveland to visit my grampa. Grampa Stolarski is 95-years-old, and, God-willing, will be turning 96 this December. Here are a few things I think about when I think about Grampa:
1. He has HUGE hands. He did factory work for years, was a pro at repairing giant cranes, and also poured quite a bit of concrete. I think this caused his joints to swell in his hands or something, because, I'm telling you, he has the biggest hands I've ever seen. Even after all of the hard laboring he did to provide for his family and the many hours working outside on their lawn and in their garden, they're surprising very soft to the touch. I feel blessed and privileged to hold his hand on a walk, supporting the man that supported me throughout my childhood.
2. Bacon. You're thinking, what? That's weird. But seriously, I think about bacon. Growing up, when my dad was a single parent, Grampa and Gramma would watch me and my 4 biological sisters all the time. Gramma was an excellent baker and cook, and she was always serving us delicious meals and whipping up yummy treats. But when BLT's were on the menu, Grampa was ALWAYS in charge of cooking the bacon. I think part of that stemmed from the fact that he was afraid Gramma would get splattered by the grease. And he wasn't cookin' no turkey bacon - he was making the real stuff, on the stove no less. And he always was wearing a white butcher's apron while he was cooking. If we were lucky, he'd sneak us a piece or 2 before dinnertime.
3. Time heals all wounds. I know that things weren't always easy when my dad was a kid. Grampa had a few demons that he wrestled with. But it is amazing to see how gentle his heart is now, and how much he loves my dad and us grandkids.
4. When he refers to me, he always says "My Kelly". This is SO special to me because growing up, my parents never gave me a nickname. Even now, while most of my close friends and family refer to me as "Kel", my parents still just call me "Kelly". For Grampa to say "My Kelly", it gives me a sense of security that I am known and protected. It's almost as though he's echoing what the Lord says as He looks down on me. "My Kelly".
Leaving Grampa is always quite difficult, but this time was really tough. While he's mentally sharp, his body is growing tired. His eyesight is failing, and his stomach is constantly upset. He takes several naps a day, and is constantly ingesting or applying some type of medicine. Grampa's been ready to go to his eternal resting place for quite some time now, but I know whenever that time comes, it's going to be difficult for me to accept. He's my only living grandparent, so it will be strange to close the chapter on that book. When we were leaving, I stood up to hug Grampa, and he held on a little longer than usual, and pulled back to gaze into my eyes for a moment. I could see where my brown eyes came from, although his were a bit cloudy. Both of our eyes filled with tears and I whispered, "I love you Grampa. I'll see you soon."
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| Seth, me, & Grampa |
My sister Ginny also lives up in Cleveland, so we got to spend the night at her place and hang out with her for a bit. Gin and I always have a ball together, laughing till our sides ache at everything and anything. I love that girl.
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| Partners in Crime |
This next weekend, we'll be heading up to Oxford, OH for Sarah & Josh's wedding, and I know it'll be a great time of seeing old friends. And then a week after that we leave for none other than...::drumroll please::...MAUI!!! Yep, that's right! We're celebrating 5 years of marriage with a trip to a place that's a little piece of heaven here on earth. Other than a weekend getaway or 2, Seth and I haven't taken a trip together with just the 2 of us with intentions to spend time alone. We've traveled several times to visit family and friends, which were all great, but we are looking forward to recreating our honeymoon and experiencing some new adventures. Stay tuned for photos!
