Today I'm linking up with Emily at the Anderson crew to embrace the camera - a fun activity to nudge you out from behind the camera to get in the shot! We turned the self-timer on and had some fun!
Mazie's willing to participate as long as she can keep her finger in her mouth.
We have had one beautiful week! The temps have been in the high 70s. If it never got warmer than that, I would be one happy girl! As I pushed the triple stroller this week and felt the beads of sweat start to surface on my forehead, I contemplated moving to Antarctica until next October. Seriously, does this mean I'm stuck with the heat for the next eight months? I only got to wear my winter coat twice this season. That is not enough for me. I need more time for wearing boots and scarves and sweaters!
We've been welcoming spring with picnic lunches outside on the deck and lots of playtime in the sun.
The front yard sidewalks are great for drawing shapes with colorful chalk, pushing trikes, and blowing bubbles. More than a few times, a car has rolled down their window as they've driven by and commented on the girls. One morning this week, a couple pulled over to ask if they were indeed triplets. The gentleman went on to tell me that he was getting ready to celebrate his 81st birthday, had twin granddaughters, moved to the United States from Ireland in the 60s, and how his mother and grandmother were suffragettes during the women's movement. He had the sweetest accent and lots of stories he wanted to share, and I'm sure whoever he shared with next heard a little story about the triplets. :)
We also had a couple days with severe weather warnings and tornado watches. To stay safe, we had to move our fun to the basement. I happen to be really good at building forts. We even took our sleeping bags and pillows and had a couple fun slumber parties, all camped out on the floor. Pure sweetness!
Early in the week, I stopped to sing Happy Birthday to Johnny on my way home from work.
I still need to pinch myself that things like this are something I can just go do on any old day. When I first arrived in Nashville and didn't yet have a lot to fill my time with, I began a hunt for celebrity gravesites in the area. So thankful for parents who will spend long days driving all over the mid-state and willingly walk through huge cemeteries searching for the right headstone with me - if they weren't willing to complete these silly projects I come up with, I don't know who would! Anyways, one such cemetery is one I drive by often. Its most famous residents are, of course, Johnny and June. But there are lots of great gems at this place! (If you come on a tour with me, each stop will include a history lesson and a couple YouTube videos.) At the Hendersonville Memorial Gardens, you can also find Mother Maybelle and a whole bunch of the Carter clan, Merle Kilgore (Ring of Fire, Wolverton Mtn.), Luther Perkins, and Ferlin Husky (Wings of a Snow White Dove)...
...but my favorite person to visit at this site is Sheb Wooley! When I first read his name, I had no clue who he was, but boy was he fun to learn about! He was on Rawhide, Hee Haw and The Muppet Show, just to name a few. Get this - he wrote the song Purple People Eater! And the coolest thing, he's credited as the voice behind The Wilhelm Scream. I had no idea what The Wilhelm Scream was, but this is so interesting...
...The Wilhelm Scream is one of those old canned sound effects that can be heard in countless films. Listen!
One evening this week, I met up with my friend Sarah (who I met through one of Kelly's Show Us Your Singles Link-Ups!) for dinner and a show at the Bluebird. It was Sarah's first time and I was thrilled to introduce her to one of my favorite spots in Nashville. Songwriting just blows my mind. SO MANY times I'll hear a songwriter play who's name doesn't ring a bell and looks like any guy next door, and then he'll start singing hit after hit that I've known by heart since childhood and it just blows.my.mind. that these people are all just walking around the same grocery stores as me. They're all around and nobody has any idea what they've accomplished! You can go to any writers' round at any tiny venue in this whole city on any night of the week and hear a song that you love and it's like, "Dude! You wrote that?!" Hands down, I'll always pick a show like this over an arena show (unless it's Celine Dion or Garth Brooks). So this time we saw Steve Bogard, Hannah Thomas, Charley Worsham, and Ryan Tyndell. Good good stuff, my friends.
Before heading back to my car after the show, I ran into Whole Foods really quick. I like to look for new taro chips and lychee juice, but mostly I like to look for celebrities. You never know who you'll see in sweatpants with no makeup in the frozen food aisle of the Hillsboro Whole Foods. I did get three Las Paletas Hot Chocolate bars - one for me and two to take home for the folks. If you come visit me in Nashville, we will go to Las Paletas. They're a local place that makes unique flavored gourmet popsicles - my favorite being one with chocolate and cayenne peppers.
A couple days ago I sat behind a truck at a red light that had a Wall Drug bumper sticker. It made me smile to see someone else who knows where to get free ice water.
They dismissed school three hours early today, due to the threat of severe weather. I do see the destruction on TV and know it's serious business, but as an outsider, I can sometimes catch myself teasing Nashvillians about their reactions to inclement weather. We had tornados all the time growing up - we just hunkered down in the hallway at school. There might have been two feet of snow, but we were still in class. I know they're doing the right thing by taking precautions and you can bet I'm praying for those who have been affected tonight! Today we had sunny skies and almost 80 degrees, and those lucky kids got to go home early and play outside! This evening, it finally rained for about five minutes at our house. We had some strong winds that ripped part of the rain trough off the barn and we lost a big limb, but all the chickens have been accounted for. Within a half hour, my Dad was outside with his chainsaw, cleaning up. I do love me a good storm.
Now the week AND the month have both slipped by. Where do these things go?!
March 1st marked two years of nannying my triplets! I can clearly remember the first day I walked into their home to meet them for the very first time. The two years since have flown by! There really aren't words to detail how grateful I am that our paths crossed at just the right time. They've not only provided me with a job that has allowed me to spend this season at home, but have become family and friends that I love from the depths of my heart.
Coming into this job after spending so many years doing full-time volunteer work, I knew it would be an adjustment. This family has done such a great job of easing that transition! They are always quick to reassure me that I'm needed and appreciated. That makes all the difference for me - being able to wake up each morning, knowing that there's a need I must go fill. I love the exhaustion and fulfillment that comes at the end of the day. I love that my sleeves are always covered in snot. I love that there is never a shortage of cheeks or necks or toes to kiss.
To celebrate my workiversary, we headed for the zoo! You guys, Nashville has one of the greatest zoos ever. Nashville is just the best! The temps soared to the high 70s and I donned a pair of capris for the first time this year. This was the girls' first visit to the zoo since last fall, so it was extra fun to see how much they've grown since. They were able to recognize the animals and loved making note of what each animal was eating. They seemed to get a lot more out of the whole experience than ever before.
The first stop was the monkeys. When you ask the girls about them, the word they'll use to describe them is "loud". Yes, so loud. You can hear them whooping from the parking lot.
They thought the meerkats were hilarious.
They LOVE the reptile building. They're now big enough to be able to step up to each window on their own and search for each hidden snake, frog or turtle.
Fish are just so exciting! Seriously, they talked a mile a minute while watching them!
Flamingos are pink and stand on one leg.
I had a brave moment and decided to try letting them out of the stroller to walk for a while. They all did so good! They listened to my instructions and stayed right with me.
For reals. The Nashville Zoo is totally better than Disney's Animal Kingdom safari ride.
Annabelle had been looking for the "long necks" all day! It was so fun to watch her as she recognized them!
This is not something you see every day! The zoo is adding a dino exhibit that will open later this month. We rounded a corner to find this T-Rex being lowered into the woods.
Not only is the Nashville Zoo the best, but they also have the best playground!
They each had to kiss this hippo about seven times before we could leave.
I walked them to the top of this tall twisty slide and jokingly asked if they'd like to go down, knowing full well that there was no way they'd go into this dark tunnel. To my complete surprise, they tried it! And loved it! This occupied the next twenty minutes.
We enjoyed a nice snack of goldfish crackers and raisins and hit the road for home. I hope the girls had as much fun as I did, because I had a wonderful day! Can't wait for our next visit! The day ended with an extra special delivery...
...workiversary flowers! See what I mean? This family had already given me the amazing gift of allowing me to spend such a fun day with such sweet girls, and then this!? They are too good to me!
Welcome to the world of ELL. Or TESOL. Or TEFL. Or whatever the correct term may happen to be at the moment.
On my very first trip to Asia during my DTS outreach, our team unexpectedly found ourselves spending A LOT of time teaching English. Before then, I guess I never really knew how sought after English teachers were. I mean, I'm sure I figured that foreigners would be interested in learning English, but I had no idea just how big of a world it was. I especially had no idea what a great tool it could be in ministry.
On that first trip, I found myself teaching to elementary aged kids in private classes. Most parents would approach me after class and ask me to give their child extra homework. The kids were all so smart and well behaved. In the evenings, our team would teach teenagers in a very fun gameshow-style class, which is where we had the most freedom to build relationships with our students. Some evenings after class, we would visit a local American-run coffee house and participate in their English corners. And then we had a few scary opportunities to teach at some giant universities. I remember one time, I was lead through a set of double doors that opened onto a stage, and I found myself looking out over a few hundred-seat lecture hall. The teacher swooped his arm with a big, "Here you go!" and left me to fend for myself. I was nineteen years old. I was terrified of speaking in front of people. These were students that were all older than me. They were all studying subjects that I couldn't even pronounce. But as these classes continued, hearts and ears were opened for me to talk about things far greater than the English language.
After I returned to The States and completed my DTS, I decided it wouldn't hurt to brush up on my own English and learn some more effective methods of teaching it. I ventured to a base in Pennsylvania and got my TESOL certification, and it was during that time that I really learned just how far of a reach this ministry had already taken. I was able to learn from people who had already spent years in the field and was eager to put it into practice once again.
My second trip to Asia was split into two different job contracts. The first one had me shuffling between two elementary schools where I taught back-to-back classes with forty plus students in each. These public school students were nothing like the sweet private school kiddos I had previously taught. These classes were wild and uncontrolable and I don't think an ounce of English was learned by anyone. I did, however, have a teachers assistant assigned to guide me to each class and translate for me, and that was a very sweet friendship I'm thankful to have built. I was also able to live in an apartment during this time with another young lady, a teacher from the Phillippines. Teaching those crazy kids was so worth it, just for the time it allowed me to spend living life in this foreign land I loved. The second half of that trip was spent teaching at a super intensive college-prep camp. I loved loved loved each of those teens I got to spend my days with. They worked so hard and made me feel so adored. Oh, do I ever pray over their precious lives!
I then had some small opportunities to teach in Norway. Teens in China are extra eager to raise their hand and participate in class. Teens in Norway, not so much.
Though my last stint in Asia was not with the purpose of teaching English, there really was no way around it. You can simply be walking down the street and someone will stop you and ask if they can practice their English with you! Sometimes I grumbled about it or didn't make the most of each opportunity, but today I can say how thankful I am to have been given grace and new mercies each day!
When I moved back to The States and landed here in Nashville, I knew I would have more opportunities to interact with other nationalities than I would have if I were still in Wyoming. I looked into a few community programs for immigrants and non-native speakers, but nothing seemed like a good fit.
Last fall, I finally learned of a ministry that had been started out of a local Haitian congregation (that just happens to meet in the church building where my triplet family attends church). It did my heart so much good just to be surrounded by foreign languages once again. And praying! And worshipping! It sounds so good when you can't understand what's being said! My new Haitian friends have welcomed me into their lives and are definitely the highlight of my week.
So life has done another circle. I spent the weekend with these books on my lap, typing out lesson plans. I never could have known this would give my heart joy. But my Father did. And I'm sure glad He's taken me around the world to find out.
This semester, I've been assigned the task of marketing coordinator. We're hoping to expand our English Language Learner ministry and open the door for other nationalities to join our classes. That's scary and exciting! Please pray for our ministry as it grows!
I like to make little felt flowers and fabric rosette hair clips for my triplets, so for Valentine's Day, I decided to branch out a bit. I tried attaching the rosettes to giant bobby pins and hair elastics, and they actually turned out pretty neat.
I made individual goody bags for each of my homeschool girls from the foster home, each with several handmade hair accessories and a long handwritten Valentine's Day card. I bundled them all up together in a big package, thoroughly covered the outside in heart stamps, and sent it on it's way.
This morning when I opened my Facebook feed, this photo was waiting for me.
Modeling their new hair accessories.
Be still my heart! I love them so much it hurts! I wish I could be in so many places at once. I'm missing them tremendously right now.
Last weekend, I took the triplets' two older brothers out on a date. Though I see them on a daily basis, we don't ever get to spend real quality time together. We went out for pizza and followed it up with cosmic bowling. Alec got a strike and closed out the game with the highest score. Wyatt got some awesome rolls in and it was always so fun to see the look of excitement on his face after knocking down a few pins. On the way out, they twisted my arm into letting them do the bungee jump thing. It was worth it - they were so proud of themselves.
Wyatt getting hooked in.
Alec in the white shirt at the top, and Wyatt in the background in green.
This week, the girls and I took a field trip to the always fun Discovery Center. They had a new Tinker Toy exhibit upstairs. It was a big hit with us all.
It's now time for a restful weekend - putting away laundry, writing lesson plans, and eating popcorn. Life is full and well.
I know I've mentioned before how much I love reading blogs. I have a long bookmarked list that I scroll through each week. I'm so encouraged by other ladies who are willing to share their lives!
One of the blogs I read is written by Kelly, a beautiful Mommy to two little girls. She has a weekly series titled 'Show Us Your Life' - each week features a different topic, and others are encouraged to share a link on her page directing readers to a blog they've written pertaining to that weeks' topic. This week's topic is 'Show Us Your Singles.' It's a chance for her readers to write a blog introducing their single friends. Apparently there have been a few 'matches' made when this particular topic was featured in the past.
I linked up last time she featured this topic, and as a result I was able to make a couple new girlfriends here in my area! You really can't beat a new friend, and if linking up again will provide the chance to make a new one, I'm totally going to do it! So here I am! I'm single! I'm going to write about myself and link up over on Kelly's Korner Blog.
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Hi! I'm Nicole. I'm twenty seven years old and am currently living near Nashville, Tennessee. If you flip through some of the older posts on this blog, you'll be able to read a bit about how I've spent most of my adult life. After a short stint in college, I moved into full-time missions work - studying and staffing with YWAM Las Vegas, teaching English overseas, and foster care in China.
I moved to Nashville almost two years ago and am currently working at my DREAM job, as a nanny to triplets! It's been an interesting adjustment from missions work to a paying job, stepping back into life in America, and building new friendships. I'd be thrilled if this post brought some new friendships with other single ladies or manly men who live in my area!
Whether the future takes me back overseas or keeps me here, my heart's desire is to be a Mommy-figure to those who are without. I'd love to foster and/or adopt a whole bunch of kiddos, and help equip and encourage the Church to live out James 1:27.
It's been so encouraging to read all the comments from Kelly's readers who have been praying for all these singles that are linking up. If you're one of them, THANK YOU! And seriously, if you're in the Nashville area, let's be friends! :)
You've followed me from my home in Wyoming to a homeless shelter in Las Vegas. We've laughed with friends in Norway and cried with orphans in China. Now sit down for a bit with me here in Nashville, Tennessee.
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