Back Tracking: Easter in Nashville

B-man and I have been planning on visiting Nashville for a while. It was on my list of 23 things to do before I turn 23, and it was part of expanding B-man's horizons. I can now say I only have 22 things left to do, and B-man can say the furthest West (in the US) that he has been is now Nashville! We also got to see extended family, and B-man got to meet relatives that were unable to make it up for our wedding.

We arrived Friday afternoon. I love visiting my Aunt & Uncle's home. It's always so beautiful, and every one is so welcoming and kind. I don't know how we managed to draw the longest straw, but we ended up sleeping in a room that felt more like a hotel than most hotels I've stayed in.

We also snagged our own bathroom! Both were so spacious and beautiful. It definitely felt like a vacation, which is wonderful - because I was in desperate need of a comfy bed, and a bigger bathroom.

On Saturday Brandan and I made a trip to Franklin (which get's its own blog post). We did a bit of touristing, and then went back to the house for...

Some quality swim time. The pool was so nice and refreshing. See! Just like a hotel, but with better company!

After church we opened up Easter baskets! Ours was German/European themed!

My Aunt The Easter bunny also include these for me!

Because I'm One Shiny Star! I'm also a big fan of post-it notes. Yes!

Then every one had a job to do...

Some how Brandan got the best job, but I think he ended up playing video games any way. I think he really enjoyed getting to be around some guys his own age!

As people started arriving, my cousin's boyfriend decided it was a good time to try and rescue this kite... again. They had tried on Friday with little success.

So every one trounced out to the field, and with a bottle of some car fluid tied to a rope, they put in their best effort to get the kite down. It had only been there two years!

Succes...?

Nope.

Oh well... I'm sure my Aunt's dog Rocky enjoyed being out there while the fun lasted!

Then it was dinner time!

The food was delicious and the company was fantastic.

My Dad's brother's family was not able to make it up for the wedding, but they finally got to meet B-man, and I'm glad we got to see them (well... almost all of them, once of my cousin's had to work).

B-man in a food coma!

I was nervous about leaving the dogs, but everything turned out fine... better than fine! I am really glad we went! The dogs were happy to see us when we got home, but Zuko had chewed off his harness.... gah! I had bought the one that was a little more sturdy and expensive, in hopes that it would last... but apparently puppies left to their own devices will chew on ANYTHING. At least it wasn't his bed! Now he has a new, blue collar. I prefer the harness... it's like a puppy-handle!

We really did have a fabulous time though, and I'm hoping it won't be too long until we see every one again!

If you can't say anything nice...

Over the last week I have started many blog entries, but generally I get about two words in a realize I don't have anything nice or positive to say. It's kind of a problem. I am home for the summer, and getting used to living with a bunch of people who don't quite grasp "personal space" or "personal property" is very challenging.

Last summer flew by so quickly. This year flew by so quickly. For all the nights I spent whining and complaining to Brandan that time was never going to move and it was going to take forever for this summer to get here... I was wrong. It feels like just last month Brandan spent the night at my apartment for the first time, the weekend he helped me move in. Everything in between that is a blur. The week we spent together at Thanksgiving, the entire month that we were glued together for Christmas break. It seems like those long weeks in between visits were mere seconds now.

Considering how quickly a year has flown by (Brandan and I will have been together for a year this Thursday), I know that the next 95 days are just going to disappear. Sometimes I think "maybe I'm not ready for this" but I know it's what I want. I know that I am ready to start this new portion of my life. If 12 months seems like nothing, then three months is even shorter.

Lately I have been trying to just bite my tongue. I'm not very good at it, but I am sick of arguing with people. It's not worth my energy, and I don't want to spend the next three months just fighting. I want to remember the last three months of "single life" as something better. I don't know. I'm just kind of rambling now. It feels like, everytime I open my mouth, regardless of intention, some one takes it the wrong way, or twists it to something that they can be offended by. I hate feeling like I'm the bad person, and the only thing I can do is shut-up. I guess it's good practise.

Don't say anything at all.

Roll with the punches...

A few days ago some of my family told me that they would not be attending my wedding, for various reason. That really hurt my feelings. I've gone to their things, even though it was different from my own faith - but apparently tolerence only applies to certain people. It's disappointing, but I know that my family loves me, and it's going to be ok.

In other news! When that small internal crisis had passed, something else blows up. That something else being Becca's spleen. So... it hasn't exploded yet - but it sucks. A week ago she was diagnosed with mono, and they told her that he spleen was very swollen. So, they put her on some pain killers and told her to wait it out. Well... now she has a kidney infection, so she can't take the pain meds, OR her asthma medicines. It sucks to be Becca right now. I feel so bad and helpless. Not that I would be any more help if I were in the same state, but all I can do is spam her with messages of encouragment. 

Sometimes I just want a little sympathy. I want some one to say "yeah, that does suck - I'm sorry!" and then let me move on. When people tell me that my worries are not warrented, or that my feelings are invalid - it just makes me more upset. The last week has had plenty of emotional events, throw that on top of it being the week before the curse, and all I want to do is sleep. As I so ellogquently informed B-man this morning "the oxygen supply to my uteral lining has currently been cut off, and I don't know if that's ever happened to you - but it's rather painful right now... so give me a break. I'll be nicer tomorrow."

On a happier note! My bff Chrissy is coming down to visit me for her (super early) spring break. It is Wednesday, and she will be here on FRIDAY! Like... when I wake up tomorrow, I will be seeing Chrissy that next day. It is beautiful. We have Friday - Tuesday. My birthday is on Monday, and then she is going down south a little bit to visit some other friends, and then coming back up, stopping at my apartment for the night, and then Saturday she is driving home to NoVa and I am driving to VA Tech to pick up b-man, since he doesn't have a car. Then we get to spend a whole week together!

It really sucks being so far away.  For a while Brandan and I were reading scriptures together every night, but with the different homework loads (neither of us has as much as the other at the same time!) so we don't do it together very often. We have read books together, but we finished that one. I guess we're kind of taking a break from the reading together for a while. That's ok. I hate reading. We also send each other pictures so that there is always something new. I write him letters, and usually I scan and e-mail it to him, but once a week I actually write him a card or letter and mail it off.

I'm sure every one has spent some time away from their S.O., so how have you dealt with it? Did you have any "traditions" to help you guys stay on the same page?

How much more?

So the other day I wrote this beautiful long blog entry about getting engaged, and I included pictures and everything and it was so wonderful. I showed it to Brandan and it warented an "awww! I love you!!!" from him. That means it was good. In any case, Blogger decided it was not worth holding on to and has thus disappeared from any one's reading scope. Normally I would just re-write the entry, trying to recreate the feelings I was having at the time, but I am currently so over whelmed with negative emotions that any hope of rekindling that flame is gone, for now. One day I will get around to it again (and I will save it on my hard drive before publishing!). 

In the mean time, I am rather upset, as of lately. Some of my extended family has (not so) graciously informed me that either a) I am not planning a wedding that meets their expectations, or b) they would rather go on vacation. Yes. You read that correctly. Noting that the vacation plans where made months after I announced my wedding date AND them saying that the wedding is too close to school starting (let me get this straight... it's ok to go on vacation the week before school starts, but going to one of your counsin's weddings is too much to ask? Oh, you only have 8 counsins to begin with? oh... ok... I understand. not.) I'll just cut to the chase.

That really hurts my feelings that I do not deserve your love and support at this time. Heck, what is family for? In any case, I have been rather worked up over this whole thing, and I have a head ache, and I'm going to take a nap. 

The End.

Here's the plan...

It is 9:00 am right now.

At 10:10 I will turn in my works cited page

At 11:00 I will get a call from Nick about where to meet him.

At:11:30 I will be going to the airport.

At 12:00 I will be checking in.

At 1:00 I will be on an airplane.

At 5:40 I will be in Washington DC with my Daddy and my Dog.


And then I will sleep.