About Me

Friday, December 16, 2016

| Sometimes There Really is a Bright Golden Haze on the Meadow |


It's been 6 weeks since we packed our bags, scoured our little apartment to an obsessive level, hired a carpet cleaner (a fact I'm still feeling SO very smug and adult about) and left Birmingham for our newest endeavor.

OKC y'all!

I married adventure.  He also happens to be a film producer.  And while every film he's worked on (October Baby, Mom's Night Out, Coffee Shop, Grace Unplugged & Woodlawn) has been shot in our home state, this new movie required a western Texas/Oklahoma look for location.  So here we are!

Our original plan was to stay through Christmas then go home to have our little boy, but the more we talked about it the more peace we had about giving birth here in Oklahoma.  I truly believe everything happens for a reason, and besides the struggle that is "getting hospitals to talk to each other", we're finally set up with a new doctor and a great hospital here and are confidently looking forward to meeting our baby in a few weeks.  AHHHH!

Oklahoma City has been a great town, I'm learning my way around (Trader Joes & Nordstrom Rack only 8 minutes from my house, thank you!).  They have some great neighborhoods and lots of fun things happening.  Even the restaurant scene is great!  The people are wonderful as well, we've met so many sweet people.

The first few weeks here were spent with Josh up to his whiskers in pre-production.  I spent most of that time with him editing emails, marketing our big scenes out to possible extras and meeting with  community leaders.  It's been really fun for me to see this part of his life, but listen let me tell you, I have slowed down so much in the last 6 weeks due to pregnancy.  I'm close to admitting defeat and my schedule has changed to include sleep, more sleep, daytime television & hallmark movies, hot tea, pregnancy reading, usually a quick visit to set (hey! they have unlimited snacks over there!) to check in with Josh and besides feeling a little guiltily lazy, its a pretty sweet life.  I have no complaints.

You know the old musical "Oklahoma"?  Those crazy backdrops with the orange and pink sunsets?  They really happen here.  Everyday.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

| 27/40 |



You know those moments in life where you are completely aware that your life is about to be forever changed?  It's surreal and terrifying, although I have found that though my biggest life "sea changes" I've also been overcome with a deep sense of peace.


I remember the exact moment I decided I was done pondering everything that could be or may never be between Josh and I and it had been long enough.  I picked up my phone and texted my mom to tell her I needed to talk.  Since I'd turned him down 6 months earlier and hadn't stopped thinking of it since.


I know the afternoon I spent methodically getting ready for the date that would hold the biggest question of my life and a very large and very sparkly ring.  I don't know why I ever contemplated what my answer would be, in my heart I always knew it wouldn't be no.


And more recently I've known the moment where it was more than a feeling and it was all about to change again and I handed the pregnancy test to Josh because I couldn't be the one to read the results.  It was too big.

"Abbe, you're a mom." was his reply as he held me and let me cry. , Over the moon happy and scared, a million and one emotions all at the same time.

And again, because I'm such a chicken, "Abbe, you're going to be an amazing boy-mom" after he opened the little envelope with our ultrasound photo.  We cried together that time.


I'm 27 weeks pregnant with our precious little boy.  Which explains why I'm awake and typing this at 3:48am and finishing it a good week later.  Gah, pregnancy side effects are no joke.

It's been a long time since I've stopped to write.  The words just haven't been there.  My journal doesn't even know the good news yet.  I've neglected it all.  Finding it a much harder discipline than I expected to even sit down and write thank you notes for my birthday and a little love note to Josh to find when he got home from Nashville late last week.

I've felt more than I knew I could over these past 6 months, I've been emotionally, physically, and spiritually overwhelmed, carrying a child is more than meets the eye.  I spent over 4 months in bed doing nothing but sleeping and throwing up, trying to keep liquid down so that I wouldn't end up in the hospital and crying when it was time to shower because I swear I could smell the water and it was not good.  It's truly a full-body experience.  My thoughts are choppy and the words are stuck somewhere between my head and heart.

For the longest time I thought I'd exit my 20s married, with a busy little family, etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.  Imagine my surprise when I realized that despite my best efforts I couldn't make those dreams come true.  It took a lot of waiting and lot of wondering why God wouldn't give me what I wanted.  There were some pathetic seasons of self-pity, hard seasons of surrender and then just when I least expected it, there was another lesson waiting for me in what is called "faith" and I had to learn anew what it meant to trust God when I fell in love with my best friend.

That was my plan, God had other ideas.  It included marriage at age 27, life in the deep south, and an almost-instant little family (something I don't take for granted, as so many of my friends are struggling to become pregnant or have lost a child, I was afraid of that too).  I'm so grateful for these things, especially the gift of a healthy healthy baby.  And did I mention IT'S A BOY!

I'm still a little bit in shock over that one.  While we were dating Josh and I joked about what our future family would look like.  We'd settled on 5 fancy little girls and 1 messy little boy to keep the girls on their toes.  Now he's pretty sure we're going to kick things off with a fancy little boy instead.  Like, he thinks my fancyness is going to rub off or something...

Who are we kidding, it probably will.

Today is Josh and my's 7 month-iversary and I can still say, with all my heart, it's been the sweetest season of my life.  Marriage is much better than I ever anticipated and I love these two boys of mine more than you could know.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

| Snacks You Should Know About |

Three things:


1.  Hi Chew
My gummy candy obsession continues on.  These are fantastic!  I recommend the grape flavor.  Available at your local Targets.


2.  Takis Fuego
Like Flaming Hot Cheetos, ONLY BETTER!  Josh and I worked on set for a movie that was being shot in Birmingham the other weekend, okay, so, he worked and I tagged along.  But mostly importantly, my being with him gave me full permission to help myself to the amazing assortment of food over at the Crafty Truck (that's movie set speak for THE PEOPLE WITH ALL THE SNACKS!).  They're not gluten free, but they are spicy and lime-y and I could hardly restrain myself from licking the inside of the bag.  Sorry for saying that.


3.  The Bu - Honeydew Kombucha
On a healthier note...  This kombucha is just wonderful!  And by far the prettiest bottle of fermented mushrooms I've ever had the privilege of sipping.  The pink and green bottle pairs perfectly with your summer Lilly Pulitzer and a good tan.  I found mine at Sprouts, but I believe it is available wherever else you can find kombucha.

Friday, September 2, 2016

| Weekending | 8.13.16 |



I feel the need to preface this post by stating that I am not a motorcycle fan.  Not even a little bit.  There's was even this one time where I had a level 10 freak out over driving a Vespa scooter through a Caribbean Island.  It's a good story, it ends like this: I did not drive the pink scooter, my little sister did and I rode on the back of a friend's scooter because I at least knew he had a motorcycle license (not that that mattered in the Dutch Antilles...) and I'M ALL ABOUT SAFETY FIRST.  Also, the man I would marry was there too and saw the whole thing, but what better thing than to end up with someone who knows all your stories.

Anywho...

The other weekend I was in a museum-y mood, per usual, and came across the Barber Motorsports Museum, the reviews were fantastic and since I'd absolutely enjoyed the BMW Museum in Munich last fall I had a hunch this would be fun too.  I threw it out there to see if Josh was interested and he was all for it!


I'm such a lucky girl to have a guy who is spontaneous and who loves museums too!


From the minute we walked in we were impressed by the sheer size of this place!  It's a privately owned museum and the collection of vintage bikes and race cars is over 700.  There is also a lower level that is only opened once per year that is a working shop where the restoration process takes place.

Josh offered to add this one to my birthday list, but I don't think it would be able to hold all of my Trader Joe's groceries.


This is one of Steve McQueen's own bikes!  They had a full display of military bikes and notes about the history of the companies that made them for specific needs and different parts of the military. 


This was one my favorites, a 1957 Aermacchi Chimera 175 (I totally just googled this because I had no idea and I'd hate for my blog to lead you astray).  The color scheme was just too pretty!  And the design with the lovely curves and cream colored leather, sigh...

If you're in the area, be sure to stop by, you might just walk out a fan of fast things on wheels!

Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.    Tickets are $15 per person with an option to add on a docent guided tour that includes the lower level.  The park also includes a race track and we were able to watch the preliminary runs from the 4th floor, I'd love to go back to watch a race!  

Monday, May 2, 2016

| SSC3D |




Last Thursday night we were back at the Alabama Theater for an unforgettable concert.

There may be no way to humble brag my way through this post, because I had just the best time!

Steven Curtis Chapman and Third Day were touring together and stopped in Birmingham for a concert at the Alabama.  I kept hearing the ads run on the radio (north to south culture shock: SO MUCH CHRISTIAN RADIO!) and texted Josh to say "does this sound fun?!?"  

Yes!

I ordered tickets for the two of us and then he contacted one of his awesome Birmingham mover and shaker friends who said "Can you be downtown at 5:30 for a backstage meet & greet?" 


Yep, we can do that.

She ushered us though the theater into one of the back rooms where we laughed and joked around with the WDJC radio crew (they are a blast!) until the band came through.  I was closest to the door so Josh and I met Mr. Chapman first.  Josh is always great about remembering to get a photo and keeping the conversation going, I'm like like "hey!".  

Marrying him has reduced my social anxiety by approximately 972%.

We talked bbq and being introverted with the drummer to Third Day, snapchatted with another band member and just soaked up the gloriousness that is Mac Powell's vocal cords.

The hilarious morning show hosts, Roxanne and Chris!

 Between the the two of them, Steven Curtis Chapman and Third Day have something like 70 number one hits.  That's pretty incredible.  They sang through a ton of them, I kept expecting them to wrap up, but they played on.  Their own songs, each others songs, through them together.  I loved hearing Mac Powell sing through SCC's well known songs, their vocal qualities are very different and he brings such a different sound and depth.


The crowd was alive as they kicked off the concert with a stand-and-holler version of "Sweet Home Alabama"!  And then shut it down with "The Great Adventure" and "Soul on Fire" with everyone singing along.

Absolutely memorable.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

| What a Bright & Blessed Day |

I was running through the Targets the other day and stopped dead...


With all the moving and marriage and excitement, I hadn't realized that I now live within driving distance of Blue Bell Ice Cream.


Which is probably a bad thing, since I also discovered that the Cherry Vanilla is over the moon delicious.  

But don't worry, Josh and I have an ice cream strategy.  

It's going pretty well...

Thursday, April 14, 2016

| Weekending | 4.10.2016 |


We wandered into the Alabama Theater last Sunday, baseball hats, jeans and Revelator iced coffee in hand.  Josh wanted to show me around before we went to see what the cool kids were doing at the food truck rally a few blocks over.  The door was unlocked and he pulled me into the lobby.

It felt like a sacrilege.

The iced coffee that is.

The renovations were breathtaking.  High ceilings, sconces and chandeliers, the funkiest restrooms with oriental influence.  The checkerboard floors, the walls, the little red details on the end of each row of chairs... Everything was perfect.  Josh gave me the tour for a change and told me about the events that he worked and about the one time that he was trying to rent the theater and the old director talked his ear off and played the organ for him for hours.

Golly, I love these old buildings and the people who keep them alive.


We happened upon a concert for said organ.  It was absolutely perfect.  The two of us up in the balcony as an audience of 15 people (that had to be the max), listened to someone from some theater organ association played jazz and standards on a gorgeous old organ for an hour. 


I felt I'd stepped into a movie, a perfectly time musical, the kind where the girl goes off to work in show business and somehow we just watch and pretend that that's a respectable profession to choose.  It was wonderful.  And Josh just shakes his head at this girl he married and the crazy things that she gets into.  

Things like old theaters and impromptu organ concerts and waiting out in the sun for 2 hours to get a taste of Eugene's Hot Chicken.

It was worth it.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

| Well, hello |


On March 19, 2016 I married my best friend, Mr. Joshua Michael Walsh.  He won me over, heart and soul.  Then made me his mrs. and a southern belle.  Dreams do come true.

We planned our wedding in 10 weeks flat, honeymooned on a perfect tropical island and moved me to Birmingham, Alabama.  I'm currently soaking up every minute of life in the "Land O' Chik Fil A" and everything that is big city living.  (Population Lake Geneva, WI: 7,710, Population Birmingham, AL: 212,113.  See!)

These past three weeks have been the sweetest and happiest of my life, everyday we wake up and say "Can you believe we're here?" and then we fall asleep and say "I never want this to end.".  If you've ever met Josh Walsh, you know he's the kindest and funniest person in the world, living with him has proven that even more true than I could have known.  

Deeply in love here in this Magic City.