Nashville

My mind wants to have themes for these blogs but everything I want to fill you in on is random. New found friends, good coffee, great conversations et cetera. If I tried to rack my brain for ways to make them all fit into a nice little story it would never get written, so I'm just gonna write out a few highlights and revelations.

First, I have found a new friend. Callie is someone I've "known" my whole life. Her extended family are our family friends so I get to see her randomly at parties, graduations and the like. She was also involved in Young Life in college so we tended to run in the same circle and our paths crossed that way a few times. Well, she up and moved to Nashville a few months ago and so when I was looking for a place to stay her name came up! All I can say is- "instant friend". After spending a solid 5 minutes trying to put on our best we quickly learned that neither of us excel in small talk that we are in fact kindred spirits. We have spent almost every waking moment together (except for when she works...not everyone has the luxury of being a bum like me!) We hit a lot of coffee joints, putz around cute shops, read at bookstores, take long walks, scout out future husbands and start conversations with strangers. It has been a wave of refreshment. I have not only gotten to be totally myself but have had a friend enter into my "selfness" with me, haha! It's a rare and special gift. And it came at a much needed time. I will be flying home for Christmas. You'd think the closer it gets the more excited I'd be...and I am, but it's like an anxious excitement, I just want to be there already which sometimes makes it difficult to be present in places/spaces that I am. But having Callie around has made this week so fun...made my heart feel light.

Second, I continue to make more random connections. My good friend Kevin has a friend Tyler who came to visit from D.C. a while back and I got to meet him. After finding out that our book souls are the same we embarked on an inevitable friendship. Tyler and Kev went to school in Knoxville at UT and thus have friends all over the surrounding area. So when Tyler heard I would be driving through he took it upon himself to make sure I had people to hang out and stay with. I stayed with his friends in Memphis (the kinda people you feel instantly comfortable with...shown in the fact that I practically shared my whole life story within the first few hours of being there! TMI!!!) And now I'm staying with another couple he knows, Kristen and Shane, in East Nashville...it has been such a calming place to be. They are never on the run out or in, their house is warm and cozy...makes me spirit feel like it's wrapped in a sleeping bag, drinking cocoa! And last night I got to meet up with 2 of his guy friends, Carl and Brent, for dinner at a great little sports bar. So fun to just hang with the fellas, watch the game, eat a burger...ya know?

More often than not during this trip I'm engaged in some kind of deep thought or conversation so it was so good to just sit and talk shop. Although you know me, I had to dig deep at one point during the night and it ended up being a great conversation on Grace. Brent was explaining the 'theme' of his life up until this point and it was his call to be a Grace-giver. He explained that when you sign up to follow Jesus you not only receive grace, you are placed with the opportunity...the duty, to also give it! He said something that has continued to challenge me. He said something along the lines of:  "As good as accountability can be...to have people to call you out, hold you to a certain standard...I think we lack people that extend grace and understanding." My mom and I had a similar conversation awhile back and so this notion of Grace....extending and receiving, has been heavy on my heart.
Anyways, how cool that for the last few weeks, extending back to Memphis, I have had shelter, food, support, conversation and friends that all stem from my relationship with Tyler?!? That is pretty dang neat!

Last few highlights...great coffee here (probably have a cup or 2 too many each day)! Also...fried pickles dipped in ranch are the shit! Lastly, it's celeb central and I plan on finding a cast member from 'Nashville' to marry. (Saw Will Lexington (don't know his real name) the other day at lunch...so its possible...maybe...cross your fingers for me!)