June & July: Ghost Months – Edges Like Sea Glass

The summer is always a busy time, but this year especially, the summer has been ramped up a little. Three weeks from tonight I will be sitting in a restaurant overlooking the Long Island Sound with my best friends, my family, and Rob…eating, laughing, wondering what the next day will bring. Three weeks from tomorrow I will marry this guy I’ve grown to love so much I want to stick with him forever. That is CRAZY! People keep asking me if I’m nervous or stressed. I’m really not. I mean, I worry about a vendor just not showing up, or my dress falling off, or a category 12 hurricane hitting Long Island that weekend…there are so many things that can go wrong…but no, I’m not nervous yet. Standing in front of all those people might freak us both out a little bit, but we love each and every one of them and are very excited to share this time with everyone at home.

So much has been going on. I could write pages and pages. Instead I will let the pictures do the talking because as I look back on the past 60 days or so, I feel so overwhelmingly blessed. I give you the past two months of my life:

Rob and I went to Indiana for his cousin’s graduation party and I met my new family. Some of the coolest, sweetest, nerdiest, most awesome people. Seriously, how did I get so lucky?!

All this goodness came out of the garden! It has been an awesome year for harvest and we have eaten like absolute pigs.

Rob had some skin cancer removed from one of his fingers. He would kill me if he saw that I posted this. Thankfully they got it all and he’s healthy and still has his whole finger. What a day…

There are three other women in my office who I work with everyday. They make my job awesome. We laugh and have so much fun. The girls surprised the heck out of me when they brought in flowers, donuts, and got KATY PERRY tickets as a pre-wedding night out. Oh my gosh, was it fun!! Here’s a blurry selfie of the girls who rocked my world that night. They’re all coming to the wedding. I could not be more blessed to have such amazing women to hang with everyday…and yeah, we get work done too.

By default, I acquired a dog. I am not a dog person, but as dogs go, she’s really sweet and hasn’t tried to eat the cats, just their food. Her name is Lacy. She is the apple of Rob’s eye.

We ate a lot of squash this summer. One of our favorite varieties is lemon squash. As you can see, the garden went totally wild (in a good way) and we could barely keep up with it all!

I finished painting the pantry. It was ugly brown paneling and now it’s white. I know it’s not a Martha Stewart rad pantry like some people have…I mean, I live in a 60s house, folks…but it’s much brighter and cheerier now!

I took this….

And turned it into this…

I hung with my little mom before my bridal shower at home. It was a humid day…the fog makes us glow and smooths out fine lines, no? Some of the most loved ladies in my life came to spend the afternoon, along with my best friend/maid of honor. It was perfect. No stupid games, just lovely conversation out in the screen porch, ungodly amounts of tiny quiches which I ate the next day, and CAKE.

Took a selfie with dad in Bridgehampton at the beach on Ocean Road. Wind, sun, and perfectly crisp water. There is no use trying to have decent hair during the summer up there.

Here is the Kardashian’s pop up store in Southampton. Notice the security guard. There were no Kardash chicks in there when I went in, but it actually wasn’t that bad and the clothes were kind of cute. They can go back to LA now…

My BFF, her hubby, and I walked to the marina down the street and heard live music on July 4th. I met her adorable new baby too! I was a bridesmaid in her wedding two years ago and she’ll be standing up there with me at the end of the month. Every moment we can steal at home is always precious!

I went here…

And ate this. Chocolate cream pie and apple pie from Briermere’s will be served at the wedding.

This amazing sunset happened the night before I left for Nashville. Always makes it that much harder to head back…

Cheekwood had an exhibit of big bugs. The praying mantis is my fave.

I’m not a fan of eggplant, so I made zucchini rollatini for the first time. It was delish and we’ll definitely make it again when the second round of zukes come in!

My BFF sent flowers when I was having a bad day and wanted to kill everyone. She remembered my favorite flower is lisianthus. I love her so much.

Rob sold his house and we moved all his stuff over here. It was a huge decision and a lot to let go of. I don’t know how he did it in the time that he had, but it was a blessing how everything turned out. He didn’t even have to list the place.

I got my old tattoo fixed up! I now have a bigger, prettier butterfly. I love it. Sorry…no pic of that one, so instead…

The butterfly bushes started blooming and I see eastern black swallowtails almost everyday now. They are magical.

I met one of my favorite girlfriends in Asheville with her little daughter. This is the third trip we’ve taken here and we always eat lunch at the Grove Park Inn on the Sunset Terrace overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I’m pretty amazed by all my friends who are moms. All of them are superwomen. Dawn lost a few cosmetics on this trip thanks to a curious little munchkin who likes to squeeze tubes. This kiddo is a trooper though and hung out wherever we dragged her.

At the North Carolina Arboretum we saw this lotus flower in bloom. I think I had a spiritual moment just staring at this incredible plant. I get why people freak out over lotuses. It was breathtakingly perfect.

We sat in these chairs one evening and looked at the mountains. It was a very peaceful moment.

Then we went back and drank because I can’t be around children for more than a few hours without copious amounts of alcohol. Obvs we are totes pals.

Rob and I had a much needed date night at the Grand Ole Golf putt putt place. He beat me on the two small courses, but I killed him on the challenge course. It was embarrassing.

We finally harvested the garlic I planted last fall. I want to plant twice as much this year. There is nothing more fabulous than pulling tiny, unimpressive bulbs out of the dirt and getting this.

We made pizza with tomatoes and basil from the garden, pizza dough from Sal’s, and well…cheese. This was our first attempt and it was freaking awesome.

I stood in this room with a bunch of college students and Sara Barielles. She answered questions before her show at the Fontanel. I’m pretty sure we need to be friends. She is just very…authentic. Maybe that’s the word I’m looking for? I don’t know, but I really loved her. Her new album is on repeat.

We have harvested insane amounts of tomatoes this year. I can’t even compare it to last year. I had the blight last year and thought I had a lot then, but this has just taken the proverbial cake. Last week I threw a ton into a dutch oven, baked them till the skins charred, then cooked them down on the stove for hours until the water evaporated. It made the most amazing puree ever. I’m in love. We’ll have enough sauce to last into next year for sure.

The other day I was able to tour the new Acme building in downtown Nashville. I stood on the roof and looked back over Broadway, remembering how I felt about it when I saw it for the first time…not impressed. After growing up near New York City, it’s rather hard to compare. Nashville is evolving though by leaps and bounds with new restaurants and influxes of people. Broadway still looks much the same as it ever did, but things are a-changing.

All of my daylilies are finished blooming. The dried brown stalks have been pulled off and new fall growth is beginning to appear, but today I walked out and there was this little beauty, just waiting to shine and hoping someone would notice. Every flower is a work of art and I am in awe of the garden, how it shifts and changes, painting a new scene everyday.

There were more moments, more snatches of time to be thankful for, more walks downtown in the balmy summer evenings. My heart is full. I want to remember every moment over these next weeks and hold each one close.

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