To Jump or Not to Jump?

Life was rolling along pretty smoothly until that day Bella and I went for a joy ride a couple weeks ago. We ended up at a detour sign because the road we wanted to travel was closed for construction. And there it was. All shiny and new and beckoning: a brand-new community with townhouses for sale.

Of course we turned in to look around. It doesn't hurt to look. It was pretty. Then there was the office, and they were open, so I went in to . . . satisfy my curiosity. Now, both of my parents have visited to check out the area and offer their insights. They both agree that it's a good deal, doable, but completely up to me.

So now I'm faced with this huge, grown-up decision: to buy a townhouse or not to buy a townhouse?

I'm a pretty responsible girl. I've been living in Nashville on a tight budget for two years now. I have a good job that I love with amazing coworkers, and I don't anticipate moving away any time in the foreseeable future. There are so, so many factors to weigh in this, the biggest purchase I would ever make in my entire life. No pressure.

The pro/con list is trucking right along. The friends and colleagues are offering their advice, insights, and stories. I am well aware that "just because you can doesn't mean you should."

I have around 50 days to make a final decision. Your prayers are extremely appreciated.

Best. Night. Ever.

As some of you may know, I "ran into" my idol and her hubby last night at a local Nashville establishment: the one and only duo Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton.

Here's the story.

Several of my neighbors have dogs, and Miss Bella and I have made friends with them. After work most evenings, we have play time on the tennis court. Last night was one of those typical evenings. When we'd finished playing, Bella and I came inside, and I was ready for a low-key evening reading a book I should have finished a week ago. About five minutes after we came inside, someone knocked on my door. It was one of my neighbors. She told me her boyfriend, who is a local musician, was out listening to music downtown and just happened to be standing near Miranda and Blake Shelton, and she thought I'd appreciate that.

Little did she know!

It was around 8:30 p.m., and I appreciated the tip so much that we decided to go see if it was true. In less than ten minutes, we were on our way and at the venue in record time. We walked through the door, and THERE THEY WERE. In the flesh. Right in front of us. Sitting in a booth with a of couple friends. I started shaking.

We went on over to stand with my friend's boyfriend and listen to the music, which was good and country. I really didn't want to be "that person" (you know who I'm talking about: that crazy fan who stalks and harasses famous people). What's more, since I live in Nashville, I'm supposed to abide by the unwritten yet understood rule: locals don't bother artists when they see them around town. And trust me, we see them around town pretty often. (I ran into Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman at the doctor's office a couple months after moving here!)

So we hung out and enjoyed the music. I noticed maybe two or three people go over and ask for a photo. We realized that Chris Young was also there sitting with them. After about an hour, I saw an opportunity, and we walked over. Miranda was talking to her friend, so we waited, not wanting to interrupt. Blake looked our way, and we apologized for intruding and asked if we could get a picture. He was pretty nice and said, "Yeah!" Miranda turned, and we posed. My friend snapped the picture, and then I took one for her. We said thank you, apologized again, and went back to our group. We stayed a while longer (the music was really good!), and Miranda, Blake, and Chris moved up by the stage to better enjoy the band.

It was so indescribably amazing to be listening to a good old country band playing Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and George Strait with Miranda and Blake five feet away. I wish I could've stayed all night. But I was blessed (or cursed?) with the responsible gene and had to be at work the next morning.

I'm so glad we went out on this little adventure and that I got the picture! What an amazing Nashville experience. :-D

Ran Fan Rendezvous 2011

This may surprise you, but I've only seen Miranda Lambert in person three times. Once at Billy Bob's, once in Huntsville, and today at the Ran Fan Rendezvous 2011 (her fan club party). Number four is coming up next month, and I'll be with some of my favorite people in one of my favorite places. :) Come rain or shine, we're gonna have a blast!

The fan club party today was good. It was my first fan club party, and I went by myself. None of my friends are as crazy about Miranda as I am. Sad, I know. But I met two Canadian ladies who sat at my table.

We had lunch, and Miranda played five of her songs with her pink guitar. Then she called up the Pistol Annies. They're awesome. Their first single "Hell on Heals" just released on their website this afternoon, and they had their first band photo available at the merchandise table. I bought one. Hippie Annie and Holler Annie signed it. And I got my picture taken with them. :)

I'm sad to say that I was a little disappointed in the Miranda part of the party. Her acoustic performance was great; I loved hearing Ran sing live. But the "meet & greet" wasn't so much a "meet & greet" as a "Y'all-line-up-Don't-bring-your-cameras-Dude-will-take-two-shots-Then-move-on!" kind of deal. So, being the reserved, polite girl that I am, I didn't get a chance to even say hello to Miranda when our group of three suddenly turned into ten random strangers in our photo before dude snapped two quick photos and shooed us away. She didn't sign anything. That was it.

I'd been so excited about meeting her for weeks and weeks, and that was just disappointing.

But I did get to meet two of the Pistol Annies and take a picture with them and get their autographs. I'm definitely glad I went!

Impeccable Timing

It's official!!!
I'm going to be the new editorial assistant for the fiction team!

Following the concept of the previous post, Trusting God with My Picture, I feel compelled to reassert that trusting Him is always best. His opening doors continue to amaze me.

First, I made a random phone call two years ago to the TNI Human Resources department. I left a message. The lady actually called me back. She put me in touch with Heather. That led to a three month internship. Doors 1, 2, and 3. (For a more detailed telling of that story, check out my post The Big Transition: Nashville.)

Then, there was this lady in marketing named Emily who heard that my three-month internship was ending and that I needed another job. She created an extended internship for me and kept me. Door 4.

About five months later, this same Emily, lovingly referred to as Boss Lady, provided a full-time position for me - with benefits and all! Door 5.

Now, Boss Lady has earned a new nickname, Fairy Godmother, because she makes dreams come true—just like Disney!

A few days ago, everything was fine and normal, and I was planning to be in my current role with publicity for another year or so. Little did I know, one of my new work friends had decided she wanted to work in a somewhat different field. My Fairy Godmother worked her magic and contacted my friend's boss because she knew my heart was in that area. She recommended me for the potential upcoming opening. Doors 6 and 7.

Less than a week after it all began, I met with the entire team. They're great. They think I'll fit. They left the decision up to me. And it's really a no-brainer. It's a dream come true. An open door that I would be a fool not to walk through.

Yet, I struggled for a minute and was pretty anxious about saying yes to this open door. I prayed about it, and my answer came Sunday morning in the service at Cross Point:

"The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of that opportunity."

This is my shot, my opportunity of a lifetime. I have to seize it now, or it could be gone forever. I am excited, and I know I'm following the path He has directed.

Several doors have peaked open and subsequently closed amidst the opening ones over the past year and half, but God had a plan. I knew that all along, but my knowing didn't lessen the disappointments. The timing wasn't right, and the positions weren't right. The events of the last seven days have cemented my acceptance of and faith in the following verse:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
                                   Proverbs 3:5-6 nkjv

How have you seen God direct your paths by placing certain people in your life who have the ability—and the willingness—to make your dreams come true?

The Big Transition: Nashville

Rarely does a day go by when I fail to think about how amazing it is that I am where I am. I live in Nashville, Tennessee, for Pete's sake! How did THAT happen?! I'm just a country girl from the boondocks in south Alabama, and here I am in this huge city working at the #1 Christian book publishing company in the world!

It all started one cold, Winter day during Jan Term 2009 in my tiny dorm room at the Phi Mu house. I was appropriately pondering my future, as graduation was fast-approaching. I only had one semester left at my Alma Mater. Yikes! So many of my fellow classmates had plans and knew what they were going to do——or at least what they wanted to do——following that inevitable Saturday in May. Not me. I wasn't ready. I loved Samford! The Quad... the glorious library... my amazing professors... my friends...

But of course, ready or not, it was time to figure something out.

So I thought, "What would I really love to do?" The books surrounding me on the desk and bookshelf seemed to yell at me that they should somehow be involved. I thought about my favorite author, whom I began reading in 2003. Ted Dekker. Then I Googled: "Ted Dekker's publisher." First I found WestBow, oh but that was an imprint at Thomas Nelson, whatever an "imprint" was! I played around on the Web sites and found the Human Resources phone number. Hmm... why not? I gave them a call and left a message pertaining to my curiosity concerning any internships they may have available. And that was that. I went on with my afternoon, my homework, etc.

Then my phone rang one afternoon in February, I believe. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered. It was an HR lady from Thomas Nelson! We chatted, she gave me her e-mail, and I sent her my resume and a list of what departments I was interested in. Shortly after this transpired, I was contacted by one Heather Skelton. What followed was a couple months of e-mail correspondence and Heather, I'm sure, working her butt off to get me a position. She was successful in this endeavor and secured me a three month internship. Woohoo!! All she needed at that point was to actually meet me and verify that I wasn't some crazy person.

We settled on a day. May 22. I still have the e-mail from Heather:

May 8, 2009

Great! We’ll see you at 1:00 on the 22nd.

When you get here just park in a visitor parking space and come into the main lobby. Tell the receptionist that you are here to see me and I’ll come down to get you.

One more thing, we have a casual dress code that allows us to wear jeans everyday. You don’t have to put on your best suit to meet with us, unless you just feel more comfortable that way. :)

Ok. May 22 was about five days after graduation. I could totally handle that. Oh. My. Goodness!!

After that, everything just flew by, and graduation arrived before I knew what was going on.

I went home for a few days of Summer and semi-rest, then my sweet Nanny and I took off to Nashville. The drive was long, but Nanny kept me company.

My interview with Heather and Jenn McNeil went well. Nanny and I drove the nearly 500 miles back home, and I racked my brain on how I could make it work living on my own, far away from home, making minimum wage. But I was determined, and I made it happen. I officially moved to Nashville on June 12, 2009, less than one month after graduating from Samford.

The first few months were difficult, and I lived in an old, not-so-nice studio apartment. But I managed. One thing——or should I say, one internship?——led to another, and I was finally hired on full-time in March, thanks to the determination of my wonderful Boss Lady.

I love my job, I love my new apartment complex and neighbors, my sweet Miss Bella, and, more importantly, I absolutely love my coworkers and team, The Baugher Group. I am so blessed to be living my dream, loving every minute of it, and looking forward to whatever the future holds.