For some people "home" is easy to define. It's where they grew up or where they live now. I have lots of homes. A home is waiting for me in a mansion some day. My earthly homes are more meager though. But of all the places I call or have called home, I have to say that right where I am seems to really fit.
It is so rich here. We have a great little townhouse. The people are friendly and strangers stop you to say hello. There's country charm in abundance. Beauty surrounds you on every hill side and the warm breeze carries with it the smell of wild flowers (or so I imagine since I don't actually have the ability to smell anything).
We spent yesterday exploring our wonderful, new home town. We began with a trip to the local farmers market. I went with every intention of buying everything from locally grown, organic produce to milk and eggs from the farms I pass by everyday on my way home. Turns out local farmers charge a lot for products like milk and eggs (about twice as much.) We did buy some green beans, potatoes, and squash though. After eating some green beans last night I can definitely taste and see why organic, local produce is infinitely better. I just wish our pockets were infinitely deeper so we could afford to buy the other products sold there like milk, eggs, cheese, and meat. Oh well.
After the farmers market we went to the Factory. The Factory began in life as a stove factory. Like all stove factories, I imagine, it dreamt of being something cooler. Now, 50 years later, in the prime of its life it is an awesome little shopping center and home to two churches (and the weekly farmers market camps out in its parking lot). Our church is located in one of the buildings, but most of the shops are closed on Sunday. Actually, most of the town is closed on Sunday. So yesterday we took a walk through. It’s filled to the brim with local crafts, arts, artisan guitars, fancy little restaurants, and an awesome antique dealer. I could have spent a lot of money there yesterday.

After the factory we took a four block trip to down town Franklin. Again, a place filled with cutie-pie shops, fun places to eat, and loads of charm. I found my new favorite clothing shop, though I think none of the clothes in there will fit my largeness. It’s called Philanthropy and its tag line is “Clothing with Compassion.” The store’s filled with awesome products, many of which have portions of the proceeds going to awesome causes like Hands and Feet and Sudan. There was even paper made of recycled Elephant poo. I also found a place where I scored (well a future score) a free hair cut. They need participants to come and get their hair cut so they can train their “Apprentices.” Fancy!
We ate at Puckett’s. Puckett’s is the quintessential definition of Franklin. It’s a replica, filled with authenticity. Franklin is home to the bloodiest battle of the civil war, and one of the last battles of the war. It was here that the Confederates decided they can’t keep up with the Union and should call it quits. Or something to that effect – American history is not my bag. Anyways, there is an original Puckett’s grocery and restaurant in Leiper’s Fork, a nearby farming community. This place has been around since forever – before supermarkets were the trend. It’s a place where you could go pick up what you didn’t grow on your farm and grab a bite to eat while you catch up with other folk. Now there’s a smaller version in downtown Franklin. It’s history and modernity all rolled up into a delicious glass of sweet tea and a yummy burger.

This is Puckett’s, Franklin. They still sell groceries; they’re on the wall behind us.


Our church, located inside the Factory. It’s way cool!

One of the farms on our way to Franklin

There are all these “dry” stone walls, a lot of which have been here since the battle of Franklin.


Downtown Franklin.


This is my favorite picture. Kevin took it yesterday, and I think the angles make it look all artsy. These history signs are about every 10 steps. The civil war history here is sort of a big deal.


This is what I mean about Franklin. Here’s a 100 year old+ building with a Starbucks in it. It’s unique – as in odd.

CONGESTION GO AWAY!!!

I was supposed rerecord the voicemail to include myself on the list of extensions today at work. The unfortunate thing is that once again for the millionth day in a row I'm completely congested. To make it even worse my 15 letter full name consists of almost all consonants. It's nearly impossible to say!! Bs, Ds, and Ts don't work when I'm congested! AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOTHING WORKS to get rid of this!! Take allergy pills some suggest. The problem: I was tested for allergies in October(!) for this very problem and I'm not allergic to anything!!!!!!!!!! What the crap! So the pills don't work. Decongestants over the counter don't work. Nasal Sprays and Sinus rinses work for two seconds and then the old schnoz reacts with a vengeance. I'm to the point where I'm ready to use a coat hanger to rip out my sinuses! With my luck I'd get some horrible face infection from the unclean coat hanger. RATS! I probably should go see a doctor, but alas we have no health insurance and it's not like I'm going to die.

On a happy note - my job is practically perfect. I get to play with brochures all day, talk on the phone, and best of all: build nerdy databases that impress people. That's right I spent half my day in Excel heaven making the graphs coordinate to the season they represented. Pure nerdy bliss! Plus - we found a Wingstop not too far away, but I think only Kevin and Krista will understand the happiness found there.

Pictures tomorrow, I promise. Once again the camera stayed home while I went to work.

Excuse me, I think you have my stapler...

After what seems like eons of waiting I finally have a job! I am the new Office Manager for the Williamson County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Yes, I am aware that's the longest name for a company ever - especially since I have to say the FULL thing every time I answer the phone and add a snappy greeting, well at least my name gets added. The new job is in the heart of historic Franklin - a cutie pie town. Think Havana, FL then add modern shops and fun restaurants.

I find it somewhat hysterical that I work for the Visitors Bureau in a county I've lived in for only a month. People called in today with questions and I had to research every answer. I feel badly for this poor tourist who called: "Where's the vineyard?" Uhm...let's find out together shall we, I mumble under my breath as I quickly Google the answer. "Doesn't one of Brooks and Dunn own the vineyard?" Uhm..."I think I remember reading that." Who are Brooks and Dunn? Arg...why do I have to loathe country music so?

The Williamson County CVB (as those on the inside say) has never before had an Office Manager. This is both good and bad. It's good because I'm not compared to some former guru that could hula while simultaneously perfectly answering tourist questions and creating exceptional charts. It's bad because there is no answer. How do you transfer a call? No one knows. They've only had the phone system for a few short months. How should I order these items that are needed? No one has a great answer - no company cards, no company checks, no petty cash. It's all brand spanking new! I'm sure in a month I've have them all straightened out - that's what I do best. In the mean time I'll wade through the mountain of brochures that are on my desk.

There are several perks that come with the job. A major perk - I get to see all the touristy stuff for free. Also, when there's big events going on, I get to not be chained to my desk and go play with the rest of the town. Plus, I got to meet the Mayor and his staff today. He's kind of a big deal in these parts. Finally, I get to find out where all the stars live. This leads me to my golden nugget of information I got today. I LIVE LESS THAN 5 MINUTES FROM BILLY RAY CYRUS. I know! You're all jealous of me now. I get to rub elbows with the king of mullets.

One more thing to tag on from today - my new boss took me to lunch today. The place where we ate was an actual GROCERY STORE / RESTAURANT Combo. That's right, here in the heart of Williamson County, home of Christian Music and Country "Stars" you can pick up your groceries and have a decent lunch at the same time. Who has time to waste going to a grocery and then a restaurant? Silly city folk! You can get your snow shovel and your fried chicken platter and be back in your office within the hour. Now that's fine country living!

Pictures to come tomorrow - I forgot the camera today.

Sniffle

Many thanks to my kind and adoring husband. He's so great, he shares everything - even his cold! If only I didn't find him so irresistible, then perhaps I could have quarantined him during his sickness, throwing Gatorade, tissues, and medicine in every so often to "nurse" him through. But i didn't and so now it's my turn to be stuffed up. It's super professional to go to an interview like this, dressed in my suit and heals and a box of Kleenex under my arm. Why won't they shake my hand?

Not really though - no new interviews. I am waiting, semi-patiently, to hear back from a couple of places that want to hire me, but don't know it yet. In the mean time, I've been watching our DVD collection. We don't have cable and I've run out of things to clean and organize. Today was Audrey Hepburn day - it made me miss Natalie terribly! (both Natatalies that i know - ironically).

On to another topic - we hit the jackpot! We've found a church on the first attempt. This place is definitely my third favorite church! First being Morning Star, second Oak Leaf, and now Journey to Ecclesia ranks number 3. They do need to work on the name. They were just Journey, but then merged with a church called Ecclesia and so they just kind of stuck the two names together - oh well. This is the first church that I've been to in SO long that i feel like I'm fed gourmet spiritual food - I'm talking the Smith and Wollensky of steaks, high-quality, right-on theologically spun preaching that fills the soul and demands another trip week after week. LOVE IT! Oh, and the worship is not just good, or thrown together. We have a christian recording artist as our music pastor - Drew Cline. The worship there is sweet and fills the place thickly with the presence of God. You can check out the website: www.journeyecclesia.com

The horizon looks bright and filled with goodness. It seems like we will settle in well here. We're starting to make friends, we've found a place to worship, Kevin found his dream job, and soon I'll find a job and we can start to put down roots here in the "hills" of Tennessee. They call them hills - I call them baby mountains.

Easy Come Easy Go

Yesterday I was filled with both excitement and moral angst when offered temporary employment with a mining company. Excitement at the paychecks to come and so that bills can be paid. Angst because I have to say that I've never seen anything positive come from mining. They strip the land, raping it for minerals that we use in products we don't need. At least they are legislated here in the US but in Africa and elsewhere they pollute souls not just the land with their corrupt politics and Chinese influence -- don't' get me started.

But, I need money and so I agreed to work for them on a temp basis until I found a permanent position. I was open and candid about that fact with them and with the temp agency. I was to start work tomorrow. All morning while trying to sleep in all i could think about is how my entire career has been filled with positions that help people and tried to change the world for good and now I'm going to work for a company that rapes the earth for a profit.

Well, now I don't have to worry about selling myself to evil. The temp agency that arranged my temp work was also to arrange an interview for a permanent position. Long story short, they decided to arrange the interview for the permanent position but then take away the temp work. Moral dilemma solved - financial dilemma still here.

I'll just trust Alicia Keys that every thing's gonna be alright. Well, Alicia Keys, Kevin, and my mother. Oh, and that whole Romans 8:28 thing or for the more obscure reference Nahum 1:7 - read it. Ooh and Proverbs 3:5. Good thing I've had lots of practice at this trusting God thing.

"I'm smiling at you because you're crazy"

I've watched an entire season of Gilmore Girls in two days. I'm filled to the brim with spectacular quotes and no one to share them with. Kevin HATES the Gilmores, hate perhaps is too light, he loathes it, it fills him with ire, his feelings for Gilmore Girls rival those of the Unibomber and Oklahoma City. (Did I mention I've watched a lot of Gilmore Girls?)

Why so much Gilmore Girls? Easy. No Cable. No job. Our new house is pretty much put together and Ellie's tired me of making her dance for my pleasure. I need to make friends or become gain fully employed. I've alphabatized our dvds, our books, and our food. Ok, not the food but there's always tomorrow.

So, now without a great tranisition - I LOVE MY NEW HOUSE!!! It's as close to perfect as I could hope for. I shall take pictures once I get batteries and then I shall be posted. Ellie likes it too, except for the cows that scare her when they moo (or lowe if you will). That's right cows. We live a stones throw from several ranches. I assume they're ranches - they have cows, cows that become yummy steak and are pretty to look at before they become my next Strip Steak. I digress.

We live in a cute small town about 30 miles outside of the Country Music Capital. We have yet to meet anyone famous, but the people who used to live in our house know a lot of famous (to me) people. The wife works for INO records (Mercy Me, the Afters, and more) and the husband plays bass for the Afters and some other bands that I've forgotten. They don't know it yet but we have plans to force them to be our friends and introduce us to their famous musician friends. It's only a matter of time.

So tomorrow I shall find to find new ways to entertain myself between interviews. Hopefully I shall soon be employed and all my creative, crazy, energy can be put to use making piles of cash. Ok, maybe not piles, but at least a stack large enough to pay our bills.

Ta ta for now dear friends. (See, too much energy + Gilmore girls + boredom = craziness from Bridget. But you all love me for it.)

Extra Extra Read All About It!!!

Ok, so it's time for an update. I know I said that I was going to blog every day, but who actually believed that!

So the count down to the move is 20 days! We heard back from Kevin's job. He'll be one of the newest coaches at Let It Shine Gymnastics, a Christian gym in Franklin, TN. I'll be doing something. There's a church that wants to hire me, but not may be very good benefits and a bunch of other places I've applied. We're still debating where we're going to live. We found a townhouse deal that might just be fabulous. The question is if it's in our budget. The townhouse has two bedrooms and is two stories. It's got hardwood floors, a fireplace, and fenced in back yard! Plus there's a potential that they will lease to own it so that all of our rent payments will one day count as a down payment if we want to buy it.

In the mean time we're trying to get in all the sightseeing we possibly can. This past weekend we went to the Cherry Blossom festival, two of the Smithsonian museums, and tried to squeeze in the Holocaust museum but it was closing. We've got quite an extensive list; yet to be seen: the spy museum, the Holocaust museum, Arlington Cemetery, the Library of Congress, the rest of the 6 or 7 Smithsonian museums we haven't seen, the top of the Washington Monument, the National Archives (to see the Constitution), the National Geographic museum, Rock Creek Park, and an Baltimore Orioles game (they're playing the Yankees. )

Oh did I mention that we have to pack all our belongings, figure out where we're going to move, etc.

Busy, Busy