Gone to Texas

Hello? Anybody out there? Remember me? It's me, Alyssa. Your friendly sporadic blogger.

Man, it's been a CRAZY past few months. Most of you who read this are also Facebook friends, so you probably already know that Marcus and I are once again residents of the great state of Texas. It is a very bittersweet time for me. I am SO proud of Marcus, who finished seminary at Vanderbilt and accepted a position at Grace Avenue United Methodist Church. We are so excited to make our new home in Frisco and be closer to family. But I was devastated to leave my amazing job at Blood:Water Mission and all the wonderful friends and places we loved in Nashville. To be honest, I don't really feel like I was "done" with Nashville. It feels so surreal to be back in Texas and not have a job or a place of our own (yet!). But I am so confident that God has called us here and feel very blessed for His provision in our lives.

I suppose this little blog will need a makeover eventually. Hopefully I will get back to blogging on a more regular basis that warrants a new design! I have several things I want to post about in the next month, and while I'm on the hunt for a new job, I should have plenty of time for that! To hold myself accountable, I'm listing them here.

-Completion of my Nashville Bucket List
-Books I read in 2012
-Review and Resolutions for 2013
-Progress on decorating our new house

Yes, we bought a house! I could not be more thankful for such an easy house buying experience and I can't wait to share pictures with you. Praying everything goes smoothly until we close at the end of January!

And finally, to celebrate my return to blogging, I want to invite you to join me in a Valentine's Day blogging party! I'm a big fan of The Crowley Party and Alycia has joined with four other bloggers to host this swap. It should be fun!

It's good to be back, blog world! I hope you'll stick around!

Nieces in Nashville!

We just spent a wonderful long weekend in New York seeing the sights, visiting family, and celebrating my sister turning 30! I'll post about that in the next few days, but first I wanted to share some photos of a fun weekend in June when Marcus' parents, his brother and sister-in-law, and our nieces all came to visit us here in Nashville. We had such a good time and I loved having our family in town.

After Marcus got done with his mission trip, we headed to downtown Franklin to explore the shops.

Matt and Marcus with Lucy, Clare, and Abby

Of course, you can't go to Franklin without stopping in at Puckett's!

Abby loves her Uncle Marcus!

We finished off the day with swimming at the hotel pool. We all had a good time...until it was time to get out of the water...

It was freezing!!

On Saturday, we took a trip to the Nashville Zoo! I was so excited to mark another thing off my bucket list, and who better to do it with but three cute little girls?!

Meerkats!

Abby loved the "falingos"! :)

Abby is in love with the cartoon Dinosaur Train, and sang the theme song to us all weekend long! We thought she'd love the DinoTrek exhibit at the zoo, but it was just a little too real.

Abby and Lucy digging up dino bones.

The carousel was much more fun and Clare got to join in too! :)

We love our nieces!!

Cutie patooties!

There was a lot of good food mixed in with all the fun activities, and we even managed to squeeze in a few nights at CMA Fest (an unlisted bucket list item!). We had such a wonderful time and I'm so glad they were able to make the trip to visit us. I know they probably won't remember it when they're older, but it will be fun to show them these pictures of the time they came to see Uncle Marcus and Aunt Alyssa!

I'm Back.....for now!

I have been itching to finally start posting again in the past couple of weeks, but Marcus has been away on mission trips with the youth group, so I just now have the computer back!

Because of your sweet comments on my last post, I was reminded of why I started this blog in the first place. The whole point of Wish You Were Here is for our friends and family to stay in the loop on what's going on at the Womack house. So, this post is just a big ole recap of what's been happening for the past couple of months. I don't really remember as far back as April (except for Easter and finally getting to watch TV again!) so I'll just start with May and catch up to today. Get ready for lots of iPhone pictures ahead!

In May:

• I started working on a Christmas quilt! This is the one I kept promising to show you my progress. Here is the only picture I have. And I haven't worked on it again since then! :) But I'm excited to see it start coming together.

• I visited the Main Downtown branch of the Nashville Public Library! This was on my bucket list, so I was really excited to finally go and mark something off my list!
• I joined a book club! For May, we read Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick. It was absolutely fascinating. I highly recommend it! This month and next, we're reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. It is one ginormous book!

• We spent Memorial Day weekend floating on the river in Knoxville! One of my best friends Laura, and her hubby Rob recently moved there, so we spent the weekend on the houseboat they were renting until they could move in to their house. Lots of fun!

• We came home to an escaped dog who had found some Tylenol (no bueno) and made our first visit to the emergency vet clinic. I don't wish this on anyone. Ever.

• We celebrated TWO wonderful years of wedding bliss. Marcus took me to a fancy restaurant and I made him watch our wedding video. :) For the second anniversary gift of cotton, I gave Marcus a monogrammed handkerchief and a Longhorn cap, and he gave me a beautiful canvas photograph that I want to hang above our piano (when we live in a house big enough to have the piano!).

Who forgot to ask someone to take our picture at the restaurant? Yep, us.

I can't believe how quickly the past two years have flown by. Marriage has been such a wonderful adventure and we love our life here in Nashville.

Stay tuned for some of our June adventures (I promise I won't wait a month to post about it).

Blissdom 2012

Have you heard of the Blissdom Conference? Until very recently, I hadn't. Blissdom is a conference for female bloggers to connect with each other, learn skills and tips to build their business and their blog, and encourage each other. Blissdom is in it's 5th year and is held in Nashville every year.

My co-worker Kellie and I had the opportunity to go to the conference this year to meet people and share Blood:Water Mission with them.  I'll admit that we were both a little skeptical that the whole thing would be a giant girl fest-- a little too much for us! And unfortunately, we weren't able to go to most of the conference.  But we did get to hear the opening keynote session and meet some wonderful people and I was so impressed by how the conference was run, especially for one that is no older than it is.  Blissdom took place at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and when we arrived, we were greeted by friendly staff and handed this ginormous bag of goodies!

Whoa!! (Blissdom has awesome sponsors!!)

After we registered, we grabbed some breakfast and found a seat for the keynote session.  I am so glad we got the chance to hear from Jon Acuff.  You may know him as the guy behind Stuff Christians Like.  He has also worked with Dave Ramsey and he is an author, speaker, and social media guru.  The guy is hilarious. I loved what he had to say- I thought that it was extremely relevant for people.  That's right- not just mothers, bloggers, women, but anyone who works, or has a family, or has ever tweeted or been on Facebook.  That's most of us, right?

Bad iPhone pic. :(

Here are some of my takeaways from his talk:

• Figure out your dream.  You're not the only one who hasn't figured it out yet.
• Never compare your beginning to someone else's middle.
• Instead of asking, "What do I want to do with my life," ask, "What have I done that I loved?" Instead of discovery, think of it as recovery.
• Make time for things that matter.  Use time that others in your family don't need (aka when they're not in the house or asleep).
• You will disappoint people. Learn to disappoint the right people.
• Ignore the voices: both external and internal.
• 90% perfect and shared with the world reaches more people than 100% perfect and stuck in your head.

I can't say enough good things about this guy and all the wisdom he had to share. Go read his blog. Follow his tweets. Buy his books. That is all.

After hearing from Jon, we watched video messages from Zac Efron and Oprah. Yes, OPRAH! Then it was time to mingle and meet some lovely ladies before we had to head back to the office.

My co-worker Kellie and me!

I wish I could share more, but all I can say is that if you ever have a chance to go to Blissdom, you should! Also, big thanks to Alli Worthington for the opportunity to attend Blissdom and share Blood:Water Mission with our new friends. Alli is one of the amazing Bliss Chicks behind Blissdom and she is one talented lady!

Nashville Bucket List

You may remember that one of my resolutions was to create a bucket list of things we want to do while we are still living in Nashville.  It wasn't hard to think of all the things we haven't gotten around to doing, and it didn't take long before I had a pretty long little list of things to do! So without further adieu- my Nashville Bucket List!

1. Visit the Frist Center for Visual Arts- I have been meaning to visit our local art museum for a while now, and even did go one time (but never got inside because there was literally no where to park!). I'm not a huge art buff, but there have been some really amazing exhibits that I missed out on, so I want to take advantage of this before I don't have a chance to!

2. Hang out at the Downtown Public Library- I am already a huge fan of the Nashville public library system, but their online reserve system is the reason I've never visited the main branch! It is really convenient to pick out my books online and then just pick them up at my neighborhood location when it's available. However, the downtown branch is a tourist attraction on its own! I'd love to spend a Saturday just sitting in the cafe and reading a good book.

3. Visit the Nashville Zoo- who doesn't like the zoo?!

4. Walk the trails at Radnor Lake- I'm told this is one of the best parks in the Nashville area and I'm a little embarrassed I haven't been before! There are tons of walking trails where it's impossible to not see some wildlife.  There is so much nature to experience around us and it's definitely time I got around to exploring!

5. Go to a Tennessee Titans game- I much prefer college football over the NFL, but LP field is practically walking distance from our house.  Marcus has been to a game and I think it's my turn!

6. Weekend trips to Chicago, Chattanooga, Asheville, and the Smokies- If and when we move back to Texas, we will never live this close to these places that we can just take a drive for a short weekend getaway. It's really hard to do this when your husband works on Sundays, but I'm determined to make some of these trips happen!

7. Spend a hot summer day at Nashville Shores- We planned a day like this last summer. We planned it a month out so all of our friends were off work and could go. And then it rained. I'm pretty sure there are better water parks out there, and this one's probably nothing to write home about, but I still want to go.

8. Go to the Doyle and Debbie Show at Station Inn- The Station Inn is a legendary bluegrass venue in town, so I've been wanting to take my dad since we moved here, but the last two times he's visited it hasn't worked out. I do want to take in the bluegrass tunes, but I also want to see the Doyle and Debbie show, a country music parody show. They just recently took the show to Chicago and it's gotten great reviews, plus "Debbie" is my Zumba teacher! So this is at the top of my list. :)

9. See Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God at the Ryman- Andrew Peterson has been doing this Christmas show at the Ryman every year for a while now, but we always have to leave town too early to see it. Hopefully we can make it this year!

Wow, that was lengthy. If you're still reading, I thank you. Now you have to come visit so we can do some of these things together! There's no time to waste!

Wish you were here!
The Womacks

Review and Resolutions

As 2011 rolled in, it was hard to believe that it would be able to top 2010, the year Marcus and I got married.  To be honest, I'm not sure any day can top our wedding day (until we have kids) but I do know that every year with Marcus just keeps getting better and better!

Our year started off with my transition into full-time employment. What a blessing! I love where I work and I'm so privileged to be a part of the Blood:Water Mission family.

Then...

We returned to the scene of our engagement...

Alki Beach in Seattle

 And welcomed our beautiful niece, Clare Isabella!

We also welcomed a new addition to our little family!

Maximus Womack 

Look how much I've grown!

Marcus finished his second year of seminary and started his third, with a trip to England in between.

High Five, John Wesley!

 We celebrated lots of weddings...

The Pitcocks!

The Litzlers! 

The Rigdons!

The Robinsons!

The Zeisigs!

...and the first anniversary of our own wedding!

One year!

We went to Disney World...

...and marked U2 and Martina McBride off our concert bucket lists!

I made my first quilt...

...and my second!

All these things are just wonderful reminders of the blessings God has given us, and as I look ahead to 2012, I know it will bring many more blessings.  I can't wait to see how our story continues to unfold.  I'm usually pretty bad at coming up with resolutions, but I do have a few things I'd like to accomplish this year.

1. Get back into the routine of exercising at the Y. This was a resolution last year, and it lasted for a solid nine months. I was pretty proud of us! I want to do better this year, and that may mean I have to give up some things to be better disciplined about staying active!

2. Start a routine of cleaning and maintaining our house. I'm SO bad at this right now. I rarely have any motivation to clean the house, yet I constantly feel frustrated at the state it's usually in.  I really want to be better about this and if you have any suggestions, I'll gladly take them!

3. Spend more time in prayer. Starting this one now with Stormie O'Martian's "The Power of a Praying Wife" devotional.  I can't wait to go through this book and hopefully share it with you!

4. Create a bucket list for Nashville.  Knowing that there is a chance that we'll move back to Texas at some point after Marcus graduates, our time in Nashville is likely becoming more limited. There are several places to go and things to do here, as well as places to visit nearby. Time to write them all down and start checking them off!

I could probably go on, but I think this is a good start. Don't want to get overwhelmed before I even start!

Thanks for letting me share our life with you!

Wish you were here!

The Womacks

Soaking It Up

If you've spent any time at all in the blogosphere, you've likely heard of Design*Sponge (did you catch my pun in that clever title?). The lovely Grace Bonney started the blog in 2004, and since then it has grown into one of the best DIY design resources on the web.

Grace recently published a Design*Sponge book and has been touring the country sharing it with her loyal followers! Last night I joined my two friends, Lauren and Kellie, for one of the last stops of the tour at West Elm (side note: this was my first time to go to West Elm and I will definitely be back- so much cute stuff!).  The book signing was really neat- Grace was obviously there signing books and meeting her fans, there were refreshments from one of our favorite neighborhood bakeries, Sweet 16th, and one of Kellie's friends designed an amazing backdrop for fun photos (I don't know where to find these, or I would share them with you)!

The beautiful book!

After the book signing, we weren't quite ready to call it a night, so we headed to Holland House, a neighborhood "Bar and Refuge," for a glass of wine, which quickly turned into a cocktail. I'm always a little nervous when I order a drink that's not one of my standard beer selections or the always-classy Beringer White Zinfandel. But this drink was a success!

The Original Cinn (Warm Jacket)
Hot chocolate with fireball cordial and ginger-chartreuse whipped cream!

I loved my first book signing and it was so nice to spend time with my sweet friends outside of work! Have you checked out the Design*Sponge book yet? What project will you do first?

Home Is Where You Make It

Today marks my second anniversary as a Nashvillian.  I've heard it takes about two years for a new city to really feel like home.  After two years, it is still sometimes hard to believe that I live here! But I'm so thankful for the year I had to live with one of my best friends and figure out what life is like after college, and for the year I've spent making a home with my husband.

Nashville is far from home and we sure do miss our friends and family back in Texas, but there are so many things we love about good 'ole Rocky Top.  Here's the short list:

• Ryman Auditorium- The "Mother Church of Country Music" and one of the country's most legendary music venues.  We have enjoyed the backstage tours, some great concerts, and a live recording of the Grand Ole Opry!
• Arrington Vineyards- This is one of the first places Marcus and I went together when I moved to Nashville! It's owned by Kix Brooks (the first half of Brooks and Dunn) and is a great place to have a picnic, taste some wine, and soak up the views.
• MAFIAoZA'S and Rotier's- Just two of our many favorite restaurants in Nashville- one has great pizza and the other is a Nashville institution, famous for its burgers.  From five-star dining to food trucks, Nashville does not disappoint when it comes to food.
• YMCA- I never knew much about The Y growing up, but Nashville has several and our neighborhood center is one of the best.  It was recently renovated and I have really enjoyed working out at Zumba classes and lounging by the pool during the summer.
• Blood:Water Mission- I have the best job I could have ever dreamed of.  You've heard the story- when I returned from Africa, I knew I wanted to do something to continue the work I did there, and my job allows me to do just that.  Blood:Water Mission exists to empower communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa and I feel so privileged to be a part.
• Chuy's- Our little piece of Austin in Nashville.  I'll admit, we are snobs when it comes to Mexican food.  Tex-Mex is the best and Chuy's is better than any other Mexican restaurant in this town. End of discussion. 

Nashville is a one-of-a-kind place, with all the perks of a big city, but the feel of a small town. It is full of good food, good music, and good people. Come visit and let us show you our home!

Steps

Two years ago today, I stepped on a plane bound for Africa. It was a step that changed my life.  As I look back on that day, I’m amazed at how that one step had such a powerful and direct impact on the steps I take today.

When I walked into training for my upcoming Africa trip, I had just finished my final presentation for my bachelor’s degree in Public Relations.  I spent three days meeting my teammates, learning about Africa, and preparing for a month in rural Kenya.  In the month between that training and the actual trip, I returned to Austin to walk across the stage and receive my diploma, walked down the aisle at four weddings of close friends, and walked along the beach as my now husband asked for my hand in marriage.  No doubt, these were all pretty big steps in my life.  But I had no idea that stepping onto that plane to another continent would be equally as big.

I spent the next month in Kenya hosting summer camp for hundreds of kids in a rural village close to the Tanzanian border.  Many mornings, I went for a walk with a friend, watching the sunrise over the Chyulu Hills.  I walked down many dirt roads visiting schools and homes of the people in the community. I ran (ok, I jogged) up and down the fields attempting to play soccer with the Africans- not an easy task. I had the profound privilege of walking alongside these people I hardly knew and I fell I love. I walked away with a desire to know more. More walking, more steps toward a life I never imagined for myself.

I got back to the states, went to one more wedding, and spent the next day driving to Nashville to pursue a career in the music business.  A few months later, I found myself walking into Blood:Water Mission, not as a publicist, but as a finance assistant. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but here I am, still walking alongside some incredible people, both here in America, and across the world in Africa.  We are all walking together toward the same goal and it’s a beautiful thing.

So I continue to take steps, not always knowing where I’m going or what lies in front of me. But I know I can’t stop, because wherever I go, I have to believe there is a reason, not only for the destination, but for the journey itself.

Hoppy Easter!

I had hoped this post would be all about the amazing Easter wreath I have been working on for a few weeks now...but I didn't finish it. Womp womp.  It's hard to get any work done with a pesky little puppy who wants to be in the middle of everything. Thus, I could only work on it when Marcus could give Max his undivided attention, and with school wrapping up, those moments were few and far between.  I will finish it though, and I know you'll all be sitting on pins and needles until it makes its grand debut next year!

Despite my crafting failures, Easter was nothing short of wonderful.  With a three day weekend and Good Friday falling on my dad's birthday, I convinced him and my mom to come celebrate with us.  The weekend was way too short, but we had a great time.  It's always fun hosting family in our home, sharing our favorite parts of Nashville (and exploring new parts!) and it doesn't hurt to have a super handy dad to help out around the house.  He even baked up some Amish Friendship Bread.  My only regret is that I didn't get a picture of them with their favorite grand-dog!

We did manage to get a few photos of our adventures, although I forgot my camera almost everywhere we went. That calls for another womp womp.

Easter Sunday!

Breakfast at the famous Loveless Cafe. I refuse to ever pass up a stick-your-head-in-the-hole picture.  Is there a technical name for those?

We celebrated my dad's birthday by taking him to the Grand Ole Opry! So much fun!

...and I was able to mark something off my bucket list...

MARTINA MCBRIDE!!

This woman is my idol. :)

I hope you, too, were able to celebrate this special weekend with family and loved ones. Stay tuned for a special post on pot roast...take 2!

March Madness

No, this post doesn't concern my bracket, which to quote a friend, "looks like a page from the New Testament where Jesus talked a lot."

It is, indeed, a mad, mad world. March has been no exception.

We started the month by welcoming our newest niece, Clare Isabella, into the world! She was actually born on the last day of February, but Marcus and I spent the last part of his spring break in Seattle, visiting his brother and sister-in-law and our three (THREE!) nieces.  Marcus's parents joined us, and we all had a great time.

Meet Clare!

Abby, our oldest niece, with a rousing rendition of B-I-N-G-O! Little Lucy is dying to join in the fun.

We spent our first day roaming around the Pike Place Market, then had lunch at Salty's on Alki Beach, where we had dinner before Marcus proposed! It was fun to return to the scene of the event and remember such a momentous occasion in our lives!

After our trip to Seattle, we returned to Nashville and welcomed a new addition to our own family!

Meet Max Womack!!

We (I) have been wanting a dog for a long time, and after much prayer and preparation, we finally felt like we were ready.  Max was adopted from a wonderful organization called All-American Dachshund Rescue.  His mom was found pregnant on the side of the road in Arkansas and was immediately brought to a foster parent in Brentwood.  Melissa (the foster) kept Penny (Max's mom) in her care and saw Max and his three brothers and sisters come into the world.  Max was the first-born pup and he and his brother were the only two to survive.  We feel so blessed to have been able to give a forever home to a pup who otherwise might be wandering homeless and hungry, or not even alive.

It has been a crazy two weeks! Potty training is probably my least favorite thing in the world right now, and it's not fun waking up at the crack of dawn to let the little booger out! It's totally worth it, though, when he comes and curls up in your lap and falls asleep. :) We are looking forward to all that lies ahead with our new family member!

In the midst of all the craziness, we took some time last week to celebrate Marcus turning 24! We really enjoyed having friends over to the house to enjoy the beautiful weather (and the super moon!) and feast on Marcus's favorite meal that his mom cooks, sour cream chicken enchiladas! I must admit, I was pretty impressed for my first attempt.  And of course, no birthday party would be complete without a delicious chocolate cake!

Happy Birthday, Marcus!

March, you have been good to the Womacks! We are looking forward to a fun April and the arrival of warm weather, a visit from my parents for Easter, and a fun-filled summer!

Stay tuned!!