My days are full of joy and underwear

Hello Dear Ones,

The last week or so has been full of all sorts of fun and adventure!

I took a trip to Nasvhille, to visit the beautiful Lynn Russell who is interning at a Christian Record label over the summer. What joy to see a Seattle friend in my home state! We bummed around downtown Franklin (a little town near Nashville) with Lynn's lovely intern friends, dressed up like cows for free chick-fil-a, listened to some live Johnny Cash covers, ate copious amounts of frozen yogurt, and laughed - a lot. I, unfortunately, got so caught up in the excitement that I forgot to take many pictures. . . . I intend to steal some from Lynn's friend, Marie, who took some with her camera. I have a few though:

We just can't escape the rain. . .

I love this girl.

New friends: Amanda and Marie. We delighted in some homey southern food. I love me some grits.

Then, Lynn came home with me and spent a couple days in Jackson! One of the days was spent getting her car fixed. We found ways to entertain ourselves at the dealership:

A couple days ago, Emily, Will, and I went to see their brother Andrew's dress rehearsal of "Lil' Abner"

We had to take Andrew some underwear (theatre kids, I tell you. . . you just never know what to expect!)

"Take a picture of me and Andrew's panties!" I'm sorry. I'll never grow up.

This is Andrew, he and I might be the most photogenic people I know.

HA. fave.

That's all I've got for now, folks!

Other happenings:

- Reading: Country of My Skull by Antjie Krog. A fantastic, but very difficult to stomach, account of Krog's experience as a reporter during the TRC hearings.

- Drinking: lots of sweet tea

Coming soon:

-Nashville pictures once I steal them from Marie

- Epic Wagner Family Road trip beginnings: we leave Monday for three weeks of lovin'

5th 'o July lovin'

Because of the wedding over the weekend, we celebrated our Independence on 7/5 with the Riggs/Kent clan. The day included much food and water and laughter. Volleyball, high jump competitions, synchronized swimming. . . Joy abounded.

(Andrew's a great sous chef)

I love my life.

There and Back Again - A Hobbit's Tale

This weekend, my friend Michelle got married!

Quick background story (You doubt I can tell a story quickly, don't you?).

On our way home from vacation last summer, my family missed our flight out of Paris's Charles De gaulle airport and was stranded in Paris for an extra week (what a pity!). The morning we missed the flight, a girl approached me in the airport and said "Oh, you speak English! Can I stand with you? I missed my flight too!" Her name was Michelle, she had been traveling through France, teaching some American study abroad students for the summer. Dad invited Michelle to share my hotel room with me that night, as we thought that we'd be able to get a flight out in the morning and Michelle had been staying an hour outside of the city. At this point in the story I remind Dad how lucky he got - for all I knew, he had just volunteered me to share a room with a sociopath. He always replies that he has good judgment, and he felt secure since Michelle mentioned God and prayer within her first couple of sentences.

Dad was right, Michelle was/is wonderful and ended up spending the week with us. Once back in the states, she and her now-husband, Nate, came and visited us so that we could meet him!

And this weekend, a year after we met, we drove to Tulsa, OK, to celebrate Nate and Michelle's wedding.

God works in mysterious ways, eh? What a serendipitous blessing!

And so..... drumroll please.....

Ooooklahoommma! Where the wind comes rushing through the plain!

The drive wasn't bad at all, a little flat, but not bad.

On Saturday morning, we got a flat on the way to the wedding:

Daaaaang they make tire changing look classy.

I was wearing heels, too.

He's a stud.

So is he.

Watch out, ladies!

Andrew was mourning the fact that Michelle is no longer eligible.

I took an entire photo series: "Chewing- A Wagner Family Expertise"

these are my two faves: