Friday Favorites - life, reading/listening, and last lake day {10.14.22}

 

Let's cover the "life" part first. . .I'm adjusting.  This Empty Nest thing is no joke and I realize it's been my life for well over two months now but it's still hard.  This change has been SO BIG. . .I've tried more than once to sit down and write about it. . .but something comes up -- a distraction, an inability to load pictures (a struggle for me all of a sudden), or a "who cares?" attitude.  OK, my guess is no one really cares (HA!) but *I* care. . .I love looking back at the last 11 years here on the blog and seeing where we've been and what we've done. . .and I've missed a lot too b/c of life, busyness, etc.  Time to jump back in!!!  This is first and foremost for ME but I get so much enjoyment out of "meeting" people through blogs and podcasts. . .I'm a relational person and hope that maybe there are others out there that share some of my likes and interests too :)

I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika who I'm thankful don't stop blogging, even when they have "blips and busy seasons" in their lives.  I hope you not only enjoy this post but head to their blogs to check out who else is linking up today.

A weekend of football with the VJ's!

A picture from last year with three of my kiddos and the VJ's

Last year my sister and BIL wanted to experience SEC football so they bought tickets to the TN-GA game and took these three with them. . .it was such a good time that this year (before the season even began) THIS weekend lined up with everyone's schedules (or it did in August) and they bought tickets to the TN-AL game.  Who could have guessed that we would be ranked #6 playing #3 this weekend???  It is CRAZY here in Knoxville -- the BEST kind of crazy. . .College Game Day is coming back (they were already here for the TN-FL game!) and SEC Nation is descending on the campus too.  

Picture sent by one of my kids at the TN/FL game

Twenty or so years ago, when we still lived in Dayton, OH, I saw a news story on Football Saturdays in East Tennessee.  I was NOT a football fan at the time, but I loved the excitement and preparation and all the stuff that was portrayed in that story and said, "wouldn't it be so cool to live in Knoxville and experience something like that?".  And, wow, here we are, with no "plan" to get here, but we are here all the same. . .and I am in love with it all.  So. . .really, really looking forward to all this weekend holds for our team.  Gotta confess, the crowds are not my thing, but the vibe, the energy, the excitement, and these college kids make me so, so HAPPY.  And spending time with my sister is the best FAVORITE.

Tyler Merritt is my new favorite person.  I wish he knew it. . .all my friends do :). I don't know which blogger suggested his book I Take My Coffee Black 
but I took a picture of the intro and posted it even before I read the book

 because I knew it was going to be THAT good.  And it was.  And now I'll get the audio version so I can hear him tell his story (and, apparently, there are other voices commenting too) and also so now I can re-tell everything to everyone again and/or make them listen with me ;). You know how you read about someone and wish you knew them -- I wish I knew this guy.  I learned A LOT (that was the point of the book - to let the world know his world, his black man world) but also just related to  his ambitions and look on growing/nurturing relationships.  And his realness - boy, he is HONEST.  Wow.  Gotta be able to take that too.  That might not be for everyone.

Actually, I have a few other books I've recently read/listened to that I would recommend:

Carrie Soto is Back - the main character is a tennis player so, well, it should be a slam-dunk, right?  Honestly, I wasn't crazy about the main character but it really inspired me on the tennis court and was a really, really good story. . .my sister loved it so much she sent it to me on a Friday night with a message, "you HAVE to read this" and I stayed up half the night doing a puzzle listening to it.  I highly recommend.

Nora Goes Off Script - I just finished this one and don't think I've even posted it on my Facebook book group yet.  Not the type of book I generally gravitate to but I had heard so much about it I pushed through -- and ended up really, really liking it.  Another I would highly recommend.

The Patron Saint of Liars - my aunt recommended this one to a group of us. . .it was an interesting story. . .it's been a long time since I've just read a story -- no real plot line, just a story about life, from three different perspectives within the span of about 20 years.  I'd say the time frame was 60's to 80's maybe?  In rural KY.  Not a Top-10 recommendation from me, but glad to know what others really like to read and recommend.

My Wife is Missing - again, a "good enough" book.  If you like suspense, twists and turns, and "I didn't see that coming" this one is for you.  I think you have to be in the "mood" for something like that and I'm not right now.  I'm glad I listened to it, I did stay invested, and think if you are someone who loved Girl on a Train or The Last Mrs. Parrish this book would be for you.

I'm currently listening to The German Wife and loving it.  There is so much in there to talk about -- I wish I was a part of a book club!!

There are others -- if you are interested, ask to join my Book Buzz FB group -- I try to post everything there, as well as my favorite blogger's round-ups too.

Puzzles -- I've gotten into these with my downtime. . .this is the one that I started with the Carrie Soto

book.  I had finished a puzzle earlier this year that my family had run through (my MIL and daughter both love puzzles too) and posted it on our neighborhood FB page.  I ended up trading with a neighbor -- I knew most of the ones she gave me were missing a piece from her then-puppy but I can live with 1-2 missing pieces in a 1000-pc puzzle that is FREE. 

Just started another the other night from that same neighbor -- love sharing/trading like that!!

Spotify

Ha!  What a funny thing to comment on, right?  A couple of my kids got me turned on to this music service a year or so ago and I have built quite a few playlists.  I also listen to TONS of podcasts through Spotify.  Two of my kiddos have built lists to share with me -- Robert made a "DHL" playlist for the lake and Laura sent me one this summer titled "Headed to VBS" -- she put together songs she remembers from childhood when we would go to VBS and/or current music that seems like it would be music you would listen to "on your way" to VBS.  Do you have playlists like that??  We always had one for going to school -- almost the same five every day --just to get us pumped and ready for the day.

Here are some of my playlists - 80's, Worship, Jenni and one that I've told everyone "if I'm ever in a place where I can't play my own music or communicate with anyone, please play this list for me" - it's called  King of Kings

and is the Truth that I cling to every day of my life.

Anyway, I took a screenshot of this as we were pulling in our driveway Saturday from our last trip to the lake (Favorite #6 if saving the best for last or Favorite #1 since my last post in August) -- it was the perfect, perfect song to be playing at the end of the day -- I LOVE THIS LIFE.  Honestly, truly, completely.  It's not a perfect life but it is the BEST life for me.  Sometimes it's a hard truth because I get so incredibly lonely or sad or aimless. . .but I am surrounded by the BEST people.  I'm so, so lucky.

And my most favorite, favorite, as in "save the best for last" -- our last trip to the lake this year.

It turned out none of the kids could go with us (it was their Fall Break so they had their own things going on) so it was "just us".  I don't know when this has ever happened but I do hope it happens again :)  Just us.  

As a quick re-cap -- we are a boating family.  Our kids grew up going to the lake.  My husband grew up going to the lake.  The first time he took me out on their boat in high school I never, ever wanted to NOT be on the lake on a boat.  In 2006 we were lucky enough to move near the lake that was our vacation spot.  Now we got to go to Dale Hollow Lake whenever we wanted!!!  Then, in 2015, we moved away from that lake. . .but have never moved the boat.  We just love it so much.  We continued boating and loving the boat that Tom's parents bought in the 1980's -- until last year.  Because of COVID a big family trip we had planned in December 2020 didn't happen so we took the money we had saved for that plus the money from the house we finally sold in our old town (it had been rented for years) and bought our very first boat.  And with a boat we "needed" a new truck (both "new-to-us") and here we are. 

Vacations and weekends and more memories to build for decades to come!!

We didn't rush out the door at the crack of dawn like normal (it's a 2-hr drive one-way) b/c the high for the day was 70 degrees -- normally way too cold for me but this was our last chance so I bundled up, brought a blanket, a few snacks, and headed out.

Co-captain for the day. . .going to pick up the captain after he dropped the boat in

We were hoping for a few more fall colors but not quite yet.

The sun was bright and beautiful -- but the wind was also pretty strong. . .we had a hard time finding a place that blocked the wind.

Then we found out the Tennessee Volunteers were WINNING the game against LSU so we brought the boat in and went to the dock to eat and watch the last quarter.  

We went back to our storage shed and Tom did "all the things" for getting the boat winterized.  

I guess there are a few more items to check off, but he won't have to move it again to do them.  

It's been a GREAT season and I'm already counting down the days until our next days on the lake -- a good 6 months away -- boo.

Each year we say we want to move the boat closer to us so we can use it even more but there is just NO PLACE like Dale Hollow Lake.  And if there is, we have not found it :/

Goodbye lake. . .until next year. . .

And that is IT for me.  Man, I've missed this. . .just the catching up, the recording of memories.  I think I figured the picture thing out too -- it's taken seven hours now to get them all downloaded -- hope it was worth the trouble and you'll see me around here more :)

Love,

Jenni