Celebrating March.

What? A monthly update that isn't backtracking to catch up on more than one month at a time? Written within the first week of the new month? It's a miracle! (Well, it's a Friday off, which I'm thankful for!)

I'm so excited for spring to kick it into high gear in April, but really, March was lovely. Here are some highlights...

Our new church website launched! I'm part of the communications committee, and we had been working on this revamp since the fall. It was so cool to watch it come together with the ideas and hard work of so many dedicated people, especially our communications director, Sara. I love the fresh, clean look and the many photos of our wonderful community - plus the new logo!

Davidson basketball. My beloved Wildcats had some exciting moments in March, especially towards the beginning. We earned our first at-large NCAA bid, which was a huge achievement, and though the game itself wasn't so hot, it's always a joy to hang out with fellow Davidsonians - in person and via text - and bother everyone else in the bar with cheers and shrieks. (But post-second round, I haven't been into March Madness at all... not much of a Cinderella year, huh?)

Lunch with a dear friend. My Maid of Honor Jessie lives out west and came into town for a couple of days, during which we got to have lunch and watch the Davidson game on a big-screen TV and devour cookies and brownies a la mode when things didn't go so well on the court. I was so happy to have some quality time with her.

Bridal shower. One of my wonderful childhood friends is getting married this summer, and we celebrated her - on her March birthday, no less! - with delicious food, gifts, laughter, and the fun moment when her fiance surprised her with his homemade apple pie. Can't wait to celebrate Allie and Sam in a few months!

Meals with family. Sean and I have gotten to have multiple meals with both of our families this month, which is lovely, and one of the prime reasons we chose to move back home. It was especially fun one weekend to meet new additions to the family from Tennessee and to go through old photos at my grandmother's house, laughing over good memories (and bad hairstyles).

The farmer's market. There's a Tuesday farmer's market near my office, and my coworkers and I have started making a regular trip. Of course we usually wind up with sweet treats instead of organic vegetables, but who says that's a bad thing?

Books! I have absolutely loved my reading list for this MFA semester, and feel like several have really moved me in particular. Literarily (is that a word?), Roger Rosenblatt's Boy Detective: A New York Childhood is sharp and cool, so snappily written it makes me want to write his way instead of flowing on and on like I tend to do. Literarily but also life-wise, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry have been beautiful reads and have inspired me to try and live more simply and gratefully. Let's just say it's an ongoing process, but I was really drawn into both books and their characters, but also their rootedness in faith, community and simplicity.

Marilynne Robinson. Speaking of that esteemed author... in March she spoke at a conference at Emory, where they had a book signing afterwards, so now I have a little shine of Marilynne Robinson in my book where I hope it will somehow seep through into my own fingers to give me a little boost on writing and life through the years. 

Before work... I've really been enjoying my morning routine, sitting in the dining room (we have a dining room! in my old place I barely had a place to sit), drinking jasmine green tea with skim milk, munching on granola and a banana with peanut butter, listening to NPR. Writing and reading sometimes, or just watching the birds outside. 

After work... Since the time change, Sean and I have made a point to take a walk through our neighborhood most every evening, which has made for a new and beloved part of the daily routine. We catch up on the day, meet neighbors, walk quietly, enjoy the now-blooming trees... A great way to end the day.

P.S. Food, y'all. Some of the best eats this month... almond butter cookies, sauteed garlicky kale, white bean chicken chili, pimento cheese sandwiches, chocolate peppermint biscotti.

Winter is going (finally!)...

Well. So much for a good blogging schedule to start off 2015, huh?

Although, I have to promise you that I have a good excuse. I'm in my third semester of my MFA program, which means that I am actually writing all the time, just not where you can see it. Hopefully someday you will see it in book form, but to get to that point, it's nose to the grindstone in Microsoft Word, not the blogosphere. But hang with me - I'll be back one of these days.

So, since we're a week into March, I thought I'd recap the best bits of January and February. That's logical, right?

What I'm doing when I'm not blogging.

January:

- Rev. Bill Mallard was a beloved professor at Emory's Candler School of Theology and a devoted member of our church next door. He passed away on December 23 after nearly a year of hospice care, and his funeral service at the start of January was one filled with stories, laughter and singing, which we ended with the spiritual "Amen," his trademark. It was yet another moment that gave me gratitude for my communities of faith, from beginning to end.

- I went back for my third residency week at Goddard College in Vermont, where it was very cold and snowy, but at least this year I knew what to expect! And I have wonderful friends there now, so going there for a week of fellowship, good food and writing workshops is a joy. But suffice it to say, I'm more excited about the weather for this summer's residency.

- The night I returned from Vermont, around 11:30 p.m., I made Sean stay up as we looked through every.single.one of our wedding photos that had arrived while I was gone. They are the best, and Jeff captured the day in all of its joyous thunderstorm and sunshine mess. If you're getting hitched in Atlanta, check out Jeff Roffman Photography.

- My sister-in-law recently got engaged, and we had a fun dinner gathering for the adorable couple with both families. That's one of the reasons I am so grateful to be living near family; it's been wonderful to get to see them more often (on both sides!) and to be present for special occasions like these.

- If you haven't been paying attention to college basketball (who are you?), little Davidson College is doing pretty well in its rookie year in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Won the regular season outright, in fact, and today, swept conference Coach of the Year and Player of the Year, among other things. [Although technically that didn't happen 'til March... shh!] This is the first season that I have not witnessed *in person* in nine years, so I've suffered some withdrawal, but local watch parties with alums, Twitter, and texts always make me feel like I'm side by side with all the Wildcat faithful.

- My graduate program at Goddard requires that in my third semester, I teach a writing class in my local community. (Yeah, that's another reason why I haven't been blogging.) I began doing that in January, and it's been such a treat. I really enjoy leading the group and watching folks realize what they can do with their memories on the page. It's my first time teaching, and I'm grateful to be having the experience with such dear folks.

- Our church did a Children's Sabbath Sunday, where children led every part of the worship service. Every part. They prayed (wonderful, relevant, honest prayers), sang (the beauty of a young brother and sister singing "Jesus Loves Me" with their choir member mom I will never forget), and a fifth-grader preached an amazing sermon with a message that has stuck with me since: it's better to be kind than to be right (something I always need to learn). Oh, and there were balloons. 

- One of my closest friends from college and Charlotte years came to stay with us for a night, which was a blast. I am continually thankful that distance and time apart never seem to matter with my Davidson friends; we always pick right back up where we left off.

- This is not a happy thing, and by including it I don't mean for it to sound that way: Someone I went to church and high school with passed away unexpectedly at the end of January. I had not seen him in years and did not know him well, but I do have many happy memories of him, and I know he brought great joy to his close friends and family. His deeply moving funeral service was full to bursting, with so many faces that I had not seen in years but knew in a snap. It was another reminder of the significance of community in our lives, and how I feel uniquely tethered to this one. Please say a prayer for this awesome family.

- The month capped off with a lovely girls' night dinner with three colleagues who have become friends in these last nearly-8 (!) months. Fruit, cheese, quiche, kale salad, baklava and laughter - what else do you need?

My first visit to Davidson back in 2006, and my most recent visit, nine years later to the day.

February:

- The weekend before Valentine's Day, Sean and I took an evening jaunt over to Decatur Square, where we browsed in Little Shop, ate at Brickstore (maybe my favorite restaurant in town), and topped off the night with a-maz-ing Jeni's Ice Cream. I got a scoop of dark chocolate with a scoop of honey pistachio and homemade whipped cream - okay, *really*, what else do you need?

- Former President Jimmy Carter spoke at Emory, and I was one in a packed classroom to hear him. His talk was  great, his responses to questions were thoughtful, and his faith palpable. Also, you could not once tell that he was 90 years old. It was also pretty neat to see this byline a few days later. 

- I had coffee with a fellow Davidsonian that I knew mostly through other friends, and it was awesome to have one-on-one time to catch up and get to know each other better.

- There was one weekend where I had, I think, three? meals with my family over the course of a day and a half. Again, I'm so thankful that this is possible nowadays.

- Our office had a Mardi Gras party and lunch, which was fun and delicious, and a time to connect with co-workers. It also meant that I got to bring Sean one of his favorite things: King Cake. 

- We gathered for another Davidson basketball watch party in the middle of the month, and this group is so dedicated that when the bar found out that the game was actually blacked out in our area, someone drove home and got their laptop to bring back to the restaurant. It was set up just in time for us to watch the second half, where we won on a last-second three pointer.

- Three beloved cousins came into town for the weekend and we got to catch up over dinner one night and breakfast the next morning. It was wonderful to see them!

- From there, Sean and I headed up to Davidson for a basketball game and to see friends. We saw so many people in less than 24 hours that when we got home, we collapsed from introvert exhaustion. But we wouldn't have traded it for the world, getting to see so many people that we love in one place that we love. It helped inspire my piece on our most famous Davidson basketball player (who's also getting some good press these days - well, all the time), too.

- I had an unexpected snow day in the middle of the week, which was a perfect time to catch up on writing and reading, and lunch with my brother and mom, where she had Ella Fitzgerald on the CD player just like she would when we were kids. 

- The youth of the church put on an excellent rendition of "The Music Man" at the end of the month. Having idolized the youth group musical "stars" when I was growing up, and then acting/singing in six productions myself, this tradition has a soft spot in my heart and the energy and joy is just the same no matter how many years have gone by. It's so neat to see these youth embrace it just as deeply as my friends and I did. And now I've had such good tunes in my head!

If you've gotten through this list, boy do I salute you, and thank you for putting up with me during this time of writing-where-you-can't-see. Blogging is one of my favorite things and I mean to return to it as soon as I have the time!

[I should also mention that we finally started Game of Thrones four years late and by started I mean purchased and watched the whole four seasons and 40 hours of epic awesome television in an ungodly amount of time but YOU GUYS JUST IN TIME FOR SEASON FIVE!!!]

Revisiting 2014: My end-of-year personal summit.

Thanks to Rosie Molinary for inspiring this exercise!

1. Describe yourself at the beginning of 2014.

At the start of 2014, I was physically and mentally tired. My beloved grandfather had just died, we were driving back and forth between states and homes during the holidays, and on the first day of the year, I flew to a polar vortexing Vermont for a week of intensive workshops to begin my grad school program. It was the year of our wedding - though still nine months out - and plans and decisions about the big day were always underlying. I liked my job well enough, and loved the folks I worked with, but after nearly three years, it had begun to feel rote and not challenging.

2. What are five words that describe your 2014?

Transition. Struggle. Fulfilling. Joyful. Weary.

3. Recall 2014. What are three images that pop into your head?

Leaving my house in Charlotte for the last time.

Walking down the aisle at our wedding.

Our first Christmas tree in our cozy little home.

4. How do those images make you feel in retrospect?

Leaving Charlotte feels very far away - six months ago this week - and yet not at all. I/We are still hashing out what it means to be not there. The transition has been daily, difficult, and inwardly chaotic. And yet I find myself grateful and filled to be so near our families here in Georgia. Looking back, without that element of family gatherings and closeness, life in NC seems like it was a little emptier. 

Walking down the aisle makes me rejoice that our wedding ended up just as it should have, surrounded by friends and family and the touches that made it us. I'm glad that I remember it so clearly. I'm also glad that the planning, waiting, and preparation are all over and done!

I'm looking at our Christmas tree right now because we haven't had the heart to take it down yet. It fills me with gratitude that after weeks of searching on Craigslist, driving down streets, and everything in between to no avail, a home became available to us the week Sean moved to Atlanta. I'm thankful that it has every element that we looked for, and landlords who are kind and attentive. No matter the ongoing stresses of this transition, it is a joy to have a house that feels like home.

5. What did you do this year that you had never done before?

Went to graduate school. Left a job. Got married.

6. What dates/experiences from this year will remain etched in your memory and why? (Maybe I'm being lazy, but I feel like the "why" is answered in that I remember and note them!)

Sitting in my car and hearing a job offer over the phone, feeling equally elated and terrified.

My going away party at my job in Charlotte, where I bawled.

My first day at my new job, when my heart was in my throat and my stomach felt liquid.

The in-between surreality of going back and forth between familiar places (but we can only inhabit one at a time! Argh!) while we did long-distance for two months.

Putting together our wedding invitations in the calm and quiet of the office where we met.

Fun and humbling wedding shower celebrations.

Moving into our rental house.

Our full, clear-as-day wedding weekend, surrounded by loved ones from near and far.

Exploring the streets and squares of Savannah.

Sitting outside in our backyard struggling to finish my school work.

Moving moments from all three memorial services for Sean's grandparents.

Standing in the back of my home church on Christmas Eve, hearing "Amen" resound around me in a different and more meaningful way than it ever had. (I'll be writing more about this soon.)

Sharing our first Christmas together.

This list would get way longer if I listed the countless small moments that have brought such joy.

7. What was your biggest challenge?

Leaving Charlotte, a place that we think of as home, for Atlanta, where we grew up but haven't lived in quite awhile. I also started a new job, finished planning our wedding, and successfully completed a semester of grad school all at once.

8. What was your biggest triumph?

I can't describe quite how good it felt to read my grad school advisor's final evaluation of my semester, especially since he knew all that had been going on in my personal life. Finishing the term on such a good note - hell, finishing at all - felt like a massive accomplishment.

9. What are three to five great things you did in 2014?

Celebrated amazing lives, including three of Sean's grandparents, as well as inspirational church members - probably the record number of funerals I've attended in one year, but each felt moving and meaningful.

Had a dance party blast at Chris + Michele's wedding with some of my favorite people.

Gathered my best girlfriends together for brunch on the day of my wedding.

Went to Savannah for a fun, restful, adventurous, sunshine-y, delicious food honeymoon.

Watched childhood home movies with my family on New Year's Eve, smiling, sighing and cackling with laughter.

10. What are some important things you stopped doing?

Twitter. I'm almost completely off, and it's so refreshing.

Driving 30 miles to see Sean. Hooray for one house!

Ongoing process, but attempting to slow my brain-crippling anxiety.

Another ongoing process: I feel like I've stopped (or started to stop?) worrying about putting on a good face when things are challenging or messy in life. I feel surrounded and supported by people who will take me as I am and who also know what it's like to live into the questions.

11. What are some important things you started doing?

Going to a women's group at church one night a week.

Riding the bus to work - using less gas and walking more.

Jessica Smith workouts.

Thinking about what home means for me and others.

Figuring out my identity as an adult and wife within the community where I grew up.

12. Looking back, what was this year’s gift to you?

2014 showed me that I (and Sean and I) can take a lot and get through a lot. Leaving a place we love, a new job, the job hunt, an intensive school semester, a wedding, beginning a marriage, the passing of three grandparents... It reminded me of the messy, deep love and support we have on all sides of us and within us. It also brought us to a new/old home that we're getting to know and grow into. It's given us more time with our families and a vibrant church community that I love experiencing anew and sharing with my husband. The start of a new year doesn't end the time of transition, and doesn't make me stop wondering about home... but it does help me to take a deep breath, give us both a major pat on the back, and say thanks.

13. Describe yourself now.

At the start of 2015, I feel the weariness and heft of all that happened over the last twelve months (which have gone in a snap, by the way). But at the same time, I feel refreshed and forward-looking. I'm heading back to Vermont (hopefully not as polar vortexing) to begin my third graduate school semester. I feel like I have a decent handle on where I'm going with my writing - but I know I'll have to buckle down and get words on the page, rather than ideas floating around in my head. I'll be teaching a memoir-writing class this winter/spring, and I'm nervous and excited about that opportunity. I am in a job that challenges me, in a high-energy higher ed environment whose mission I believe in, working alongside dynamic co-workers and friends. It's wonderful to be in the same town as my parents, my grandmother, my brother and his girlfriend, my in-laws, my sister-in-law and her fiance - all great folks who get along well with each other. Most of all, I am so thankful for Sean and all that he is. Even in the midst of transition, I feel settled and joyous with him. Building a home and a life together, and sharing that on good days and bad, was the best and most rewarding part of 2014 and beyond.

Cheers to 2015! (And hopefully a more frequent blogging schedule...)