Dec 17, 2012

Peace and Comfort


It’s been a while, my friends!  Let me explain….

I’ve thought about writing a few times since we got settled in here back at home, but I’m in such a quandary about what to write about.  Ok, I admit….I did write a blog on the Chick-fil-A uproar, but it was after I de-friended a few crazies on fb and I was still in a rage.  Thankfully, the hubs suggested I just think about it before posting.  Bless him.

On principle, I refuse to blog about something relatively pointless, like cleaning out the garage (plus, we haven’t done this yet) or a recap of our weekends (to sum up the fall: cleaning, football, cooking out, repeat).  I also know I shouldn’t be complaining about anything (i.e., my husband working too much or my order from West Elm being on backorder) because, I know, these cannot even be considered problems.  Really, I love, love, love our life, and it feels wrong to go on and on about how happy I am right now. 

Last Thursday night/Friday morning, I thought about writing about a small personal struggle I’ve been dealing with lately, but then, like everyone else in the country, I saw the tragic headlines on MSN when I refreshed my computer at work and that little struggle was put in perspective.  What the community and those families are going through is unthinkable. 

In thinking about what to write about last week, I was going to elaborate/relate to this quote I saw on Pinterest first (yep, still a thing) and on the movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel:

Everything will be alright in the end, and if it’s not alright, then it’s not yet the end.

Isn’t this a comforting statement?  On Friday, I thought there really isn’t anything to which this can’t apply.  Even if you think in extremes, like losing someone you love, you can think about that person being in heaven, no hurt, no worries, only perfection.  But I was wrong; I’m sure this would not be a comforting statement to the parents who lost their six-year olds.  While I can still find comfort in this saying for myself, I realize that this statement, along with “Everything is a part of God’s plan,” is not all that encouraging in certain situations. 

Speaking of these phrases that are thrown around flippantly…..Facebook is a crazy place where people just put it all out there, isn’t it?  They post crazy things they would never in a million years say out loud in person.  And frankly, it’s a little disturbing.  Take the ‘I am Adam Lanza’s Mother’ article that has gone viral; people have posted it and added their own commentaries, without putting much of their own thought into what they are posting.  Then today I saw the rebuke, ‘No, You are Not Adam Lanza’s Mother and Yes, Your Kid,’ which was re-posted with, perhaps, just as little thought.  Who knows what to think?  And therein lies the problem – not the fact that social media is a way for people to share others’ opinions, but that so many others’ opinions are shared, rather than one coming up with his or her own opinions. 

So, even before last week’s disaster, I had decided that I needed a Facebook hiatus, partly due to the aforementioned personal issue, but in light of all the recent postings, my need to take a break is confirmed.  It is certainly not that I’m not interested in what everyone has to say (I love all the pictures, after all!), but to regain a little peace and wean off the need to look at Facebook regularly, I am vowing to not log in again until after the first of the year.  Posting it here makes it official, a commitment.

I hope everyone has a very happy holiday season!  And please, remember to keep those who are celebrating without someone this year in your thoughts.

Until next time, sending love,
The Spiveys

Jul 10, 2012

Say a Little Prayer


           This past weekend was the 5th Annual Girls’ Getaway, what my friends from college and I have termed our yearly trip together.  We did a low-key trip to High Rock Lake in North Carolina; we ate lots of great food, got some much needed sun (some of us may be a little too crispy) and spent hours catching up.  Every time we’re together, I swell with happiness and am so grateful for such good people as friends. 

            While we were having a wonderful time celebrating our reunion, families and friends in east Tennessee were grieving the loss of two sweet little boys from a tragic lake accident on July 4th.  (See the story on Citizen Tribune.) I have not been able to get it out of my mind since I heard the terrible news.  My cousin Jamie is the best friend of the mother of one of the boys, and the fact that I have known Jessica makes it seem so much more real to me than when I just saw the news on the night of the accident.  My heart is breaking for the Winstead and Lynam families.  Except for those that have experienced the unimaginable loss of a child themselves, no one can pretend to understand the pain that these parents are feeling right now, but no one doubts that it is nearly unbearable. 

            Over the past 5 days, however, the facebook pages of Jamie and Jessica have served as testaments to their incredible faith and examples of the strength of the east Tennessee communities.  The families and friends are ensuring that their loss serves a higher purpose, even if they cannot possibly understand it, by not losing trust in God and encouraging others to ask questions about the boys’ baptisms.  While their lives will never be the same without their little boys, these families find peace in the fact that Nate and Noah are in Heaven, playing together and swimming together (they probably don’t even need life jackets there!) and wishing they could tell their families to not be sad. 

            Please keep these families in your prayers as they struggle to return to a new “normal” in the weeks and months to come.  And don’t forget to look at the special people in your life and give them a hug and a big wet one to let them know you love them.  Try not to sweat the small stuff – as I posted the blog about our moving disaster, I thought about how petty it seems in comparison – life is just too short. 

Most importantly, if you know someone who does not know Jesus Christ, speak up.  As I learned from Jamie’s fb page, one little boy in Jefferson City has already been saved as a result of this tragedy.  If you feel moved to witness to a friend or stranger, do so in honor of Noah and Nate.


Until next time, sending love,
The Spiveys 

Jul 9, 2012

Our New Nest


            If you had told me 9 years ago that I’d end up back in Kingsport, I’d have tilted my head with a smile, a slight shoulder shrug and a “We’ll see…,” a polite way of saying “Hell no I won’t.”  And yet here I am and genuinely happy to be here and excited to get settled.

            Matthew and I had quite a debacle moving home last weekend.  Long story short, the movers picked up our stuff from storage but did not have a pickup from our apartment scheduled.  After a very anxious hour and a half (ok, and I shamefully admit, a lawsuit threat), movers came, but they were far from happy about it.  They delivered our stuff in Tennessee the next day, and I guess they were still p.o.’ed about the day before because the main guy was cranky.  If you know me, you know that I am beyond nice to people most of the time, and even I was getting fed up with this man.  At one point, I told Matthew I just wanted them to go on and get out of here so I could get back to enjoying the day.  I really can’t complain, though; we’re here safe and sound and (slowly) getting settled. 

            I cannot get over how weird it feels being back here for good.  I can’t imagine how it feels for people that are gone for years and years.  I’m not sure it’s really hit me yet because so far I’ve been busy getting everything situated.  It feels right, though.  Our house already feels like home, even with boxes still strewn about, and while it may not be the metropolis Atlanta is, Kingsport has lots of things going on.  And more importantly, this is where we belong! 

            I hope everyone is surviving this HEAT this year!  Stay cool and enjoy the week!


Until next time, sending love,
The Spiveys

Jun 25, 2012

Farewell, My Friend



The big day’s almost here – that is, the day we’re leaving Atlanta for good.  Matthew’s been here for almost 9 years, and I’ve been here for over 5.  While I am looking forward to getting settled in Kingsport, saying good-bye to Atlanta is a little bittersweet.

            I will always associate Atlanta with where Matthew and I started our life as a family.  Cheesy as it may be, it will have a special place in my heart.  Here, we became grown-ups together, built our first house, started our respective careers, found ourselves and learned about each other.  But there are some things about this city that Matthew and I will both miss….

  • Matthew will tell you he’s going to miss the food the most.  We have our regular favorites and we’re going to miss being able to drive a few minutes to unbelievable, affordable brunches, lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks - $2 sushi at Thaicoon on Mondays and Tuesdays, fish tacos from Taqueria del Sol, pepperoni and onion pizza with esperanza dressing from Mellow Mushroom, chips and cheese and all things unhealthy at Taco Mac watching any kind of game, the absolute best wings in the world at the Wing Factory, salads and wine from Roxx, sangria that will change your life from El Taco– I could go on and on.  Then there’s the places we save for special occasions (our pocketbooks would be empty!) – Atlanta Fish Market, Chops, Paul’s, Nakato, South City Kitchen, Canoe, Wisteria – again, I could go on and on.  If you’re ever headed this way for a visit, give me a call.  I have lots of recommendations!
  • Can I write about Atlanta without talking about shopping?!?  I love the way Lenox Square mall smells.  I’m not kidding…really….I go in there, and I feel like I am at home.  We were doing a little house shopping last weekend, and I told Matthew that we needed to savor our last trip as true Atlantans; from now on, we’ll be tourists.   And although I love the malls, the countless boutiques and hidden shops carry all kinds of gems you can’t find anywhere else.
  • We have spent many a good night at Turner Field, cheering on the Bravos.  Matthew has schooled me in baseball, mainly so I could pay attention and know what I was cheering for. 
  • And there’s so much to do!  Concerts, games, festivals, parks – there’s never a bored day. 
  • If you asked me what I am going to miss most, I would say the anonymity.  We are moving back home for lots of reasons, many of which relate to the advantages of a smaller city, and really, I am looking forward to getting back home where I can run to the grocery store to grab a forgotten ingredient, where my future kids can play outside after dark and where I can get home from work in less than half an hour.  But I love that I can get lost in the craziness of this humongous city.  One of my absolute favorite things about Atlanta is going to a crowded hole-in-the-wall restaurant on any night of the week and being able to have a private dinner with my husband amongst a mass of people.  When I had days off from school, I would go to a movie in the middle of day all by myself, just because I could, and no one thought anything about it.  I love wondering the sidewalks of Virginia Highlands, window-shopping and taste-testing samples, spending some time with myself.  I would not trade the comfort of Kingsport for inconspicuousness, but I would be lying if I said I was not going to miss it at all.


I told Matthew that I am coming back to Atlanta once a month, but our summer and fall schedule is already filling up, and let’s be honest, that’s probably unrealistic.  Plus, I’m ready to embrace Kingsport as my home again, and Atlanta will be one more place where we can get away for a little vacay. 

Thank you, Atlanta, for some great years.  We’ll never forget our good memories here!


Until next time, sending love,
The Spiveys 

Jun 15, 2012

Take Me Back to the Day


Well it’s official….I have a job!  I sent my contract to the school today.  I have accepted a faculty position at a nearby pharmacy school and will be practicing at a hospital in the Tri-Cities area.  I have a huge feeling of relief and am incredibly thankful for this opportunity.  I can’t believe that I’m actually getting to do what I want to do despite not matching with a residency program a few months ago.  Like I told someone recently, if I could do anything in the world right now, it would be teaching and precepting pharmacy students.  It’s easy to preach that God knows what’s best for us and that His plans are better than ours, but this was a chance for me to see it for myself and actually practice what I tell everyone else.

Everything is falling into place for Matthew and me right now.  I go to bed right now and wonder if anyone else is praying as desperately as I am that our good fortune continues.  I know there are people hurting nearby and around the world right now, and I do not know what I have done to deserve such a good life.  I try to remember that all I can do now is pay the good fortune forward as best I can. 

On a lighter note…..there are so many things that I love about Atlanta – they will soon (less than 2 weeks!) be a blog of their own.  There will need to be some kind of alcohol involved because I hope to be in a sappy, feel-good cry mood.  But one of things I love is Big ‘90’s Weekend on 94.1.  It runs from 5 pm on Fridays to Sunday evenings. 

There’s some current pop music on there, too, but I tell you no lie, every song from the ‘90’s makes me think to myself, “Oh yeah – I forgot about this song!  This is my jam!”  Just today, I heard “Waterfalls,” “Livin’ la vida Loca” and “Only Wanna be with You.”  I mean, for reals!?!

It’s funny when Matthew and I are listening together.  I love the late 1990’s (and sometimes early 2000’s) songs, particularly anything by Britney, Mariah or any boy band.  Matthew, on the other hand, likes other people….bands I don’t even know the names of.  Four years is a big difference when you’re that young, I guess.  Unlike the XM ‘90’s station or the Pandora ‘90’s station, this one plays only the songs that were popular on the radio back in the day….so you can sing along with every word.  And those words just come back from somewhere deep in my brain!  I wonder if I had learned history or chemistry in songs if I would remember them?

I might have to tune into this station via their website when we move back to TN or write letter after letter to the local stations to start something similar.  There’s nothing a little Oasis, Whitney, Madonna or TLC can’t fix.  And no week can end badly when you’re wrapping it up with Alanis, the Spice Girls or U2.

     I’m off to dinner now with some co-residents.  Only a few more days left with themL   Hope everyone’s summer is starting off wonderfully! 


Until next time, sending love,
The Spiveys