Sweethearts on the Hill

Vacation... It's what I live for...  It's my north star...  The thing that keeps me motivated to continue adulting every single day 2020 threw us all for a loop. Even those of us who managed our way through it relatively unscathed walked away feeling different... it's a weird combination of feeling incredibly grateful and blessed, yet a bit empty and lonely... and for many reasons acutely aware of our own mortality. For me, being acutely aware of my own mortality serves as a really good justification to go big with the people I love the most.   And this year, going big led us down to the Florida Keys. The only input I could drag out of the kids was from Sam, who said that he wanted to snorkeling again...   Quickly, my web searches on "best places to snorkel in the states" led me to the Florida Keys...   I'm not gonna lie... there may have been some wine involved in the moment that I clicked the button to book our fabulous Airbnb home in Layton Key, halfway bet...

We went back to Knoxville this year to have Easter Sunday with Grandma and Grandpa.  Grandma spoiled us with her amazing cooking and hospitality... and always with those Easter baskets filled with the best of the best candy. Aunt Wendy spoiled us with her fabulous sugar cookies... with all new shapes and decorations for Easter.  The weather was perfect ... starting to see the many signs of spring Even Grandpa was smiling... Moments in life we will cherish for years...

  Our first big snowfall in Franklin came in February of 2021, which is  a long time to wait ... especially knowing spring is just weeks away, and there is a chance of getting no snow at all! In typical Tennessee form, it resulted in a full week out of school...  And apparently a full week out of work for all the other adults around (except this one!)  I know, I know...  poor, poor me 😛 I guess the good thing about that is the first time I was able to get out in it was when it was warming up again and things were starting to melt.  I'm sure my kids appreciated getting to sled all the other days without having to stop for a picture every few minutes. We mostly just threw snowballs and laughed at Sara. I really do love how snow can bring out the joy in all of us - it's hard not to embrace it. Cheers to another Tennessee snowfall... looking forward to seeing you again next year 💙