A Weekend for the Record Books

Seriously long post warning.

This weekend was full of reminiscing, celebration, dreaming, and driving.

We started off with a 4.5 hr hull to Indianapolis where we stayed with two of our favorite people ever: The Fanchers. Since we rolled in around 11:30 pm and there was so much to catch up on, we obviously stayed up until 4:00 am chatting away the hours.

Laughing. praying. remembering funny stories from school. Drinking "Oliver's Finest."

This stuff is nasty. never get it. We only bought it for sentimental reasons.

talking about life and how God was teaching and shaping us so much as we grow older.

Even at 4 am she is beautiful :)

I wish the Fanchers lived in Nashville. My heart was so full as we rested our heads on their fluffy and pristine guest room pillows to finally sleep. and sleep. and sleep. I don't think it matters how long you sleep when you stay up till 4...you will never be fully rested. But it was worth it.

We decided we would get to Anderson for my friend Heather's wedding early so we could spend sometime driving around our old college stomping grounds. Luckily we left SUPER early because on the way the GPS took us "the long way" (read: 40 mins out of the way) to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up a gift for our wedding that day. (procrastinate much!)

Even with our little detour we had plenty of time to spare. As we drove into town both of us kept pointing at things along the road into town, Scatterfield road. The conversation sounded like this.

"Oh look, Perkins is gone!"

"Can't believe that chinese place is still around"

"What happened to Wal Mart?"

"Oh...mounds mall."

"I think they made the road wider here..."

"That old building still creeps me out."

"Remember when we would go to the Donut Shop really late at night to visit Heather?"

"They opened another location for Real Ha!"

etc.

etc.

Then we drove around campus and were "those guys" that took pictures of the buildings

as continued our nostalgic conversation of memories and what we miss and don't miss about College and we made some really awesome video, but for some reason I can't get it to upload. :(

Then it was time for the most amazing thing in the world...

Arroz con Pollo at Real Hacienda.

I was this excited.

I ate the. whole. thing. and I'm not ashamed to admit it. You see...Real Ha is one of those places that has more memories than most. I still remember the first time I ate Arroz con Pollo. It was that good. The only thing that has changed about this place is that the food is about 1.50 more that it used to be. Good for them. I'm willing to pay $1.50 more for that plate of goodness if it means that they will be around when I'm pregnant in 3 years and can send josh on a 10 hour trek to get me some. if it means they will still be around when I'm 41 and come back for my 20 year reunion. If it means they will still be around when I'm 50 and my kid starts college there and we move them in and get to open their eyes to the gloriousness that is a plate of rice. chicken. and melted cheese.

After stuffing our faces finishing a plesent meal we headed off to a beautiful wedding full of long lost friends, more catching up, more realizations of growing older and one gorgeous bride and handsome groom. I sang "Can't Help Falling in Love with You" and my song was the only reason the entire ceremony was over 10 mins long. (Josh timed the whole thing from the beginning of the processional to the last bridesmaid's exit and it was 11 mins. My song was 3 mins long...almost 30% of the ceremony!)

I'm so happy for them.

Look at us! We're cute, too! And I got a corsage for singing! Thanks for that detail heather, made me feel special. :)

That night we played some euchre with Nat and Ryan back at Hotel de Fancher. I think there is a requirement that you have to euchre when you are in the state of Indiana. Nat and I won. obviously. then I was forced to play a game called "bid euchre," which I was not very good at and started falling asleep towards the end. the boys won that one...so we will call it even for now.

Headed to bed around 2 am (another college-late night...what is up with us?!) and then rolled out of bed before the sun thought it was appropriate to wake up. (I think there should be a law against waking when it's still dark outside...) But, yet again the lack of sleep was totally worth it when Josh and I saw Andrea's face when we walked into the Campbellsville Vineyard church that morning.

Now, walking into church might not seem like that big of a deal to you, but,you see...we decided to surprise her and michael, so they had no clue we were coming. (which I, personally, would never really like anyone to do to me, i'm way to anal about people seeing my house when it's messy to allow surprises to be fun. it's sad. i know. i'm working on it.)

Campbellsville is one of those places were my heart feels so full and content and happy and joyful and rested and peaceful and excited and fun and {insert every good feeling you can think of because saying and over and over again is getting old}.

Things I love about C-ville

• Andrea and Michael
• Campbellsville Vineyard Church - such a desire for God's presence.
• Worship at c-ville vineyard church - long and loud with no apologies.
• The fact that their pastor owns a vineyard...like the kind with grapes.
• Everyone there knows us as "andrea's family" but, they treat us like life long friends whenever we walk through the doors
• People with cool tattoos
• The rolling hills filled with cows crowding under the one shade tree
• The BEAUTIFUL homes...every other one was a giant white farm house that had an air of elegance and old-world country to it all at once.

That afternoon couldn't have been better. We spent it scarfing some Little Caesar's Pizza and then heading out to the vineyards to harvest grapes as sweet as sugar. seriously. they were like candy. Sweating. sun beating down on my unsunscreened back. examining the grapes for just the perfect color of honey/beige. snipping them off the vine. tasting a few from time to time and letting their juice satisfy my thirst. Watching as butterflies surrounded our pickings and bumblebees found themselves at home among the dangling clusters.

I. could. not. stop. smiling.

Back to the winery where we stemmed (is that a word?) and crushed. The "free run" juice, which is the juice that just naturally comes off the grapes without pressing, we were told is the best possible juice. We had 18 gallons of free run juice plus another 5 of pressed/crushed juice and were were expecting to only have 15 gallons of wine total. Multiplied blessing and what I like to call that.

The entire process was inspiring.

Afterwards I've never had such a strong desire to own land. Land that I can plant and harvest. sweat over. get my nails crusted in dirt with. Watch God's creation. walk. live on. have a family on. see life in.

maybe some day. that's going to be one of my new dreams I'm asking God to fulfill. Give me some land, Lord.

Hope you all had a good weekend, too. Tell me about it in a comment please! I love to hear. :)

Kat

p.s. My camera's battery died, that is why there are no brilliant photos of the vineyard/grape process. sad. :(