October-December: Quarter 4 Recap

The last few months of the year are historically some of my favorite.  This year though, the bitter sweetness enveloped this season and all the change stood poignantly in front of me.  As I made note of on my phone one afternoon as I penned these thoughts:  There were no paper whites this year, no white homemade snowflakes scattered around the house.  Not even the usual baking and gifting took place.  It's all felt a bit strange and off this Advent season.  If I'm honest, it's been the last two years.  There has been transition in life and parenting and work.  All around us.  That is the one constant: change.  Spiritual battles being waged.  Relationships that didn't quite meet the expectations.  Or weren't what they started out as.  Some I can't explain other than to say it's different.  So much self awareness happening at the ripe age of almost 40.  Can someone please explain?  Feelings become thoughts and if that's true than my thoughts are all over the map, literally.  Some reside in Austria, others in Seattle, a few in Tennessee, others in California and New Mexico.  The biggest in the kingdom, the heavenly realm.  Questions and confusion, gratitude and joy.  I've felt a tinge of guilt.  Wondering about the effect this has had on my Things.  On Husband Jared.  Have they noticed the gap?  The missing traditions or turning tides?  Someone please tell me you've been here.  Someone.  In this place where change surrounds and envelops and smothers and catapults you all at the same time.  I can go from apologizing to raging war over the smallest offense.  Impatient to wanting to throw compliments and kindness around like confetti.  Such contradiction.  Then the words don't come, I stutter through and trip over them not making sense.  Frustration kicks in and I want to crawl into a hole.  I don't.  Usually.  I desire for my Things to see that there is grace.  For this anxiousness, for the unknown, for how we feel our way through as we walk in it's midst and how we don't give up but keep on trying.  Every day.  Every minute.  To shed some brevity on all this I am certain that being a woman and entering the season of change can account for quite a bit of what I have been experiencing.  Nonetheless, this is what has been swimming through my head recently and in light of all this monumental transition we have made as a family.

Now onto October.  The month that ushers in change.  The changing of seasons, gold and crimson leaves, pumpkins everywhere and in everything, bonfires and fuzzy sweatshirts, coziness and flickering candles.  Bring it on.  As it seems with every recap we begin with house guests.  Thing 2's friends who are studying at Liberty University came and spent their fall break with us.  What a sweet gift it was meeting these people who were so important to Thing 2 while she was in Germany.

We also puppy sat and when I say Lucky stole our hearts I mean it.  That was so much fun having a dog in the house again.  Thing 4 left for a mini Costa reunion with his friends in North Carolina.  A weekend away, catching up and sharing memories and making new ones.  It was a weekend to remember for him.  My cousin Kayla and her wife, Mailee came to stay with us for a few days too.  They were Nashy newbies so I showed them all the sights.  I offered choices as to the kind of tour they preferred and food was at the top of list.  My favorite and a subject I am quite knowledgeable of.  And by that I mean, I like to eat.  A lot.  First stop on the tour was Acme and then the honky tonks and our last stop was Mellow Mushroom's rooftop bar on Broadway, by far our favorite.  The  next days included a Man United footie match, the Farmer's Market, Honest Coffee, of course, Edley's for proper BBQ, Leipers Fork Distillery and s'mores around the fire.  We hiked Natchez, brunched around our table and even made a trip to Loveless.  Thing 3 and Kayla did some baking and we did our share of lounging around the house in pajamas drinking coffee.  My favorite part was witnessing my cousin all grown up and living life with her love.  I will treasure these memories forever and then some.

Lucky Dog, she climbed right up on Thing 4's lap while he was in class.

Hiking Natchez.

Whiskey tasting.

Ditto.

Introducing them to Honest Coffee, our fav and a Saturday morning ritual.

Predictable.  And also, I love it!  

On the heels of Kayla and Mailee's departure Nani arrived.  From the airport to the Together Conference, Glennon and Abby were waiting.  Things 2 and 3, along with Nani and myself sat in our seats gripped by the powerful voices that shared the stage.  Thought provoking and encouraging were most definitely the themes that evening.  These are the voices I want to listen to, those that speak love and sisterhood and strength and courage and bravery and living out loud.  Ones that serve a greater purpose and love a big God who first lavished His love on all of us.  A puzzle was waiting for Nani and we all set in on separating the pieces and getting to work.  There was other work to be done as well, cleaning out closets and attic spaces, cutting t-shirts and jerseys for memory quilts and organizing ourselves for the upcoming move.  Nani was there for emotional support and to keep us on task.  She's so good at both.  And while she was staying at the Hanson B&B we opened up lodging to a few last minute guests as well.  More of Thing 2's friends surprised us with their presence.  Chris and two additional friends from Bode came to Nashy.  We had pizza from the Shroom another bonfire and shared more stories.  These kids are the real deal and when they share stories and themselves with us I am so encouraged by a generation rising.  The one and only complaint I may have is that they completed the puzzle without asking.  Yep, you heard it.  It is a rule, is it not?  Maybe unspoken but those that have invested the most time into said puzzle have the privilege and satisfaction of placing the last piece.  I've forgiven them and moved on.  I promise.  Nani was able to watch Thing 4 play footie, she was my garage sale assistant, we took a boxing class together with Thing 3 and she even lended a hand at the ranch and loaded hay bales and cleaned saddles.  We kept her busy!

Ladies night out at Together.

Boxing Class at Title Boxing in Franklin.

Puzzlers.

Dinner at the table.

Then a few days later Poppi, Uncle Dewayne and Aunt Jamie arrived and our dance card was full, and so was the B&B.  Uncle Dewayne and Aunt Jamie have been a presence in my life as far back as I can remember and having them in our home was such a sweet gift.  They went honkey tonking with Pop and Nan, shared stories of Pop growing up, sat around our table and prayed with us and joined us in exploring some of Nashy, including the Belle Meade Plantation and all of our Saturday favorites at the Factory.  Their visit was filled to the brim and when they left, which was our final see you later to Pop and Nan before our move to Austria, more than a few tears were shed.  On the bright side, I did not have to make the airport drop off thanks to Uncle Dewayne's rental car!  Whew.  I don't think my heart could have handled that scene.

Lifelong friends at Belle Meade Plantation.

Family lunch at the Shroom.

Saturday morning ritual at the Factory.  And also, tourist required photo op.

Uncle Dewayne was overjoyed about his Loveless biscuits!  

You're never too old to learn about technology, right?  For Popi's 60th birthday we surprised him with an Apple watch from our family and the Stucks.  Tears were shed in Husband Jared's store and we all had fun watching him set up his new wrist-computer.

Next up: Halloween and our traditional bonfire and chili night.  This year our costume assortment included one minion, Nancy Drew, a ghost and yours truly as Holly go Lightly!  Or Audrey, your choice.  Pumpkins were carved, chili made, candy and treats prepared and friends and family at the ready.  It was a good night, we met new friends and had a few trick or treaters.  That night brought October to a close and we rolled right into the season of feasting, November.  There was a book club Friends-giving gathering, professional senior portraits for Thing 3 with her horse, Dancer, more footie, a trip to Seattle for Thing 3 to visit Thing 1, an overnight trip to Washington DC to apply for our Austrian visas that was all too eventful.  Thing 4 had a visitor from TX and her mom, we met for dinner and coffee dates and explored all the murals together.  This young lady had served on Thing 4's Costa Rica team and it was a delight to meet her.  The Things and I attended a worship night where our sweet friends shared the music they had written while in Scotland.  It was moving and utterly amazing to hear how God worked in and through them and then to hear the expression of all of that through their music was a worship experience like no other!  After having lived in Franklin for quite a few years the one thing I love so very much is the community celebration that is ingrained in the community.  The Veterans' Day parade involves local schools, groups and the like and is definitely a sight to behold.  And this Veterans' Day that is exactly what we did.  Thing 2 and I turned our Saturday morning donut date into an Autumn and Gemma soccer date too.  The girls had games and we decided to go be their cheerleaders.

Volunteering with Freedom Reigns Ministry.

Senior pictures at the ranch, with Dancer.

Worship night.  Go Jen and Amanda!

Saturday morning games!  

Super star! 

Halloween traditions.  

Nancy Drew and Delilah around the fire.

Veterans' Day Parade on America's favorite Main St. 

How Thing 4 rolls at the Austrian Embassy.  Apparently it was all too much for him.

Visa paperwork successfully submitted.

Uncle Jeff, Thing 4 and Dane.  Look at how the Uncle is carrying his bag, my heart couldn't handle this.  So supportive and so very cool.  

Thing 4 and his friend Simone, our TX visitor for the month.

Things 1 and 3 in Seattle together!  

Morning training sessions with Andrew and company.

And then before I knew it I was on a plane to Vienna by way of Toronto to catch up with Husband Jared and have our first tour, introducing us to the country we would soon call home.  I forgot to mention, he was in London for team meetings and then waiting for me in Vienna.  An international rendezvous if you will.  So off I went.  I had a nine hour layover in Toronto so I ditched the airport and took a taxi into the city for some sightseeing.  I climbed, OK I rode in a lift, all the way up to the CN Tower,  it is classified as one of the seven wonders of the modern world according to the American Society of civil engineers.  The Tower was also the tallest free standing structure, only being surpassed by the Burj Khalifa recently.  I rode the glass elevator all the way to the top, inched my toes out onto the glass floor that wraps all the way around the tower, allowing a dramatic view and one my stomach could not quite handle.  Impressive for sure, but after a few photos, a look around and some factual reading I made my way down, where I felt much more secure.  From the tower it was on to brunch and reading and then back to the airport to board my flight.  Husband Jared and I walked the city streets, taking in all the districts, sorting through neighborhoods and restaurants, the Prater, we even managed a footie match and a trip out to horse stables for Thing 3.  It was a packed four days and we definitely felt like we had done our best to get a feel for our soon to be home city.

From the CN Tower.

Footie match!

Traditional Austrian cafe.  The joy on this man's face when he greeted the dog was contagious.  

Belvedere Palace Garden View.

 Not a moment too soon we returned to our Things and preparing for Thanksgiving and the rest of the month of gratitude.  Thing 3 had her last day at Starbucks.  Thing 2 and I made sure we were there to clap her out.  We were dog sitting our newest puppy niece, Delilah and that meant lots of walks and throwing the ball in the backyard.  Once again reminding us of how much a dog adds to the family dynamic.  And just how much work they are too!  For Thanksgiving we had Friendsgiving.  All our family was out of town, the Horel's were at the beach, the Reeves in NM with the Strands and in California meeting Baby Brooks.  The Sanders family joined us for a day of feasting, tree climbing, more feasting, talking, game playing and gingerbread house decorating.  Because we are quite competitive we teamed up the girls and then the boys and had a friendly contest.  The winner took home the light saber, I mean what more could you ask for?  Ms. Jen had a slumber party with us all so we could wake early and hit the stores for Black Friday.  Thing 4 went home with the Sanders and it was a girls only party!  The day began early with coffee, of course, and then all our fav stores.  During this weekend of transition from one holiday to the next we made our way out to Mema's house and decorated her tree for Christmas so that when she arrived home from CA it would be ready and waiting for her.  All twinkly and beautiful, adorned with the snowflakes that Nana had crafted.  We had so much fun and it filled a void for all of us since we weren't having our own tree this year due to the move.

Thing 3's last day at Starbucks, Royal Oaks.

Waiting to clap Thing 3 out on her last day.

Husband Jared carving the masterpiece of a turkey! 

The feast. Also the only photo I captured of an adult at the table, or at least the body part of an adult.  Featured here: Husband Jared's arm.

Delilah making herself at home in front of the fire place.  Isn't she precious?

Sanders & Hansons at the table, minus Thing 1.

Gingerbread showdown finale!

Black Friday shopping crew, minus Ms. Jen.  My sweet friend who had a slumber party with us and braved the stores mighty early!  

This is how Thing 3 does shopping.  

Tree decorating at Mama's house.  

The decorating group.

December.  The month of Christmas.  Also the month of more house guests and Thing 3's graduation party and packing and moving and Husband Jared's clap out.  I am tired just typing all of that.  It was a month of lasts and see you laters and donations and minimizing and storing and watching old family movies.  That might have been a highlight for me.  In the process of cleaning out and sorting through our life's "stuff" we decided to have our old VHS tapes transferred to DVD.  All of them.  Every Christmas and wedding and all the random, everyday moments in between.  Even a few of the mixed tapes that Husband Jared had made for me back in the day found their way to Cd's.  Hey, we are nothing if not technologically savvy here.  Not really, well at least not me, but Husband did find a cool company, even local to TN, that will manage this process for you.  Brilliant.  We took advantage of promotions they were running and now we have those priceless memories saved for future generations.  Or something like that.  Anyhow, let's move on to the next.  Enough reminiscing.  The Greats, Aunt Robin, Aunt Theresa and Cousin Kayla all came to Nashy to celebrate Thing 3 for a few days.  We met them for dinner at Opryland upon their arrival.  Where I was treated to Thing 4's excitement at experiencing a proper steak house, according to him.  He received a lesson on the cuts of meat, how to order and what to expect.  When we finished he was a member of the clean plate club so I'd say he had a great night.  The next morning brought more foodie experiences, this time at Pinewood Social for brunch and a little taste of Nashville.  There was whiskey tasting at Leipers Fork Distillery, baking prep for Thing 3's party, the Christmas tree lighting in Franklin, on my favorite Main Street.  A small town treat that everyone enjoyed, with hot chocolate, because that's just the way it needs to be done.  Saturday morning was The Factory and donuts and coffee and everything else.  Including mandatory larger than life rocking chair photos and then home to prep for the grad party.  Everyone pitched in and you know what they say, many hands make for light work.  A stunning cake from Triple Crown graced the dessert table and Thing 3 was quite pleased.  She made all the cookies and treats for the day, which included chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate mint and snicker doodles.  The macaroons and other confections were purchased from Costco, hey a girl can only do so much?  We know our limits.  Friends and family alike showed up to pour their love on our girl and it made my Mama heart so very happy.  Once the guests left we, family, sat around the table sharing a prayer, a hope, a wish or something we love for and about Thing 3.  Again, cue all the tears.  This is has been such a special tradition we've created for our Things and as with Things 1 and 2 it was my very favorite part of the day because even the little cousins understood the significance of these words.  Powerful stuff right there!  The next day was leaving day for Kayla and so we took the morning slowly, brunched and had church right there in our pajamas around the table. Then we walked Franklin, shopped a bit and drove to the airport, where my vehicle seems to go on auto pilot these days.  From there we met The Greats for dinner at Merchants and then to the Honky Tonks for a proper Nashville experience.  We danced, raised our glasses and had a good 'ol time listening to music.  One last day with the Aunties and we decided to head to the barn, after one last breakfast with The Greats at our house.  Then they were on their way home to Cali and we bid farewells and thanked them for celebrating with us.  Thing 3 wanted to show off her horse and the work she has been doing at the ranch and rightly so.  Aunt Robin really isn't much of a horse person but she was a good sport and took all the pictures.  We lunched and spent our last day together enjoying each other's presence.  And really I mean we laughed way too much, stayed up too late and ate all the food.  Off to the airport for them but not before we had some Loveless biscuits.  Then it was long hugs and a few tears and see you laters, because we are nothing if not an emotional family.  I am so grateful to these Aunties for spending time with us and sending Thing 3 off into her next adventure with love and support and cheers for all that's to come.

Helping with Nana's earrings, a gift from Nani.

Heel kick at Pinewood with Kayla!  Cheers to graduating!

Franklin tree lighting, another tradition on America's favorite Main St. that I absolutely adore.

Brunch at Pinewood.

Missing Husband Jared and Thing 1, hence the arms with no humans!  

Kids table at Pinewood.

A night on Broadway!

Whiskey tour with Pops, the best ever!

Proper whiskey tasking.

Saturday morning shenanigans at The Factory!

Six Hansons photo op, minus Thing 1.

The Horel's and the graduate.

Our graduate.

The spread and the proud graduate.

A few days in between house guests brought more moving prep.  Thing 2 was setting up her new room with the Horel's so we spent time doing a bit of shopping, decorating and all that.  So bittersweet journeying along side adult age children.  A side of parenting that I don't think is discussed often enough.  A post for another day.  We are here to talk about the farewell book club.  I had an "estate sale" at the house where I laid everything out that wasn't coming to Vienna with us.  Clothes, books, kitchen ware, candles, deco, random chairs and baskets.  You name it, it was fair game.  I was ever so grateful to these ladies who have spent two years sitting at my table and showing me Jesus by their presence.  They were amazing and lightened the load at 1424 Clairmonte Circle in more ways than one.  What a night we had.  See you laters are always tough and I'll certainly share more about this group later but for now I hope they know just how much I love them all.

Farewell book club, in pajamas of course. 

With the house decluttered, simplified and streamlined, somewhat, we readied ourselves for the Stucks' visit.  Well, at least three of them, Brother, Corynn and Luca arrived in Nashy on the very night that Husband and I joined Jeff and Natalie at the Pred's game.  Like I said, it was a fuller than full quarter, heck let's go with year, and the last month of the year was no exception.  I couldn't have been more ecstatic to have them here.  Our time was consumed with talking and sharing all the things.  Eating, duh.  Hanging out in our jammies.  Sharing Dickens of a Christmas with them.  Eating, Mellow Mushroom of course.  An Uncle and Thing 4 bowling expedition and lots more snuggling and talking and hugging.  Again, so grateful for family that loves us well and shares their time with us.  What a gift.  We missed Gianna and Olivia, no doubt, but we did have a few Face Time calls with them so that helped.   Moving on.  Literally.

Pred's game with Jeff and Natalie, we had fantastic seats.

Dickens of a Christmas festival on America's favorite Main St.

Luca opening his presents.

All bundled up and ready to go! 

Two Uncles and Thing 4, bowling extravaganza! 

Bath time with Auntie LeLe.

The next few days were spent wrapping everything up.  Husband Jared's clap out from Green Hills.  Let me pause for a moment and share a bit about this tradition.  Every new employee is clapped in on their first day.  And every employee is clapped out on their last day.  Seriously.  The entire store pauses business and claps, cheers and hollers as the employee exits one last time.  I get emotional just writing about it.  The culture at Apple has been something so contrary to previous employment experiences.  There is an atmosphere of support, genuine and authentic.  An investment in people that goes beyond the four walls of any brick and mortar building.  Husband Jared's presence in the lives of his colleagues and those that were on his team was felt.  That was made apparent by the showing up of said people on the night they bid farewell to him.  The Things and I watched from the back and it was something special.  I am thankful they were able to witness their Father's impact.  It was tangible.  

One of many farewells.

From one emotional high to the next.  Moving day.  Landlord Chuck's arrival and I have no photos to show for it.  None of the boxes piled high.  The clothes scattered on the floor.  The dismantling and selling of all of our furniture.  Friends and neighbors in and out of the house.  Such a sight.  As it goes with moving.  Then the cleaning of said house.  Things scrubbing walls, vacuuming, taking out countless bags of trash, loading up the van, driving to and fro and eating take out, lots of it!  Tears and pity parties and all the in between.  We were something else I tell you.  On top of that Thing 2 had made her transition to the Horel's which was all good and Thing 1 wasn't there but in Seattle and my Mama's heart was again all over the place.  Thanks to the Mema and Gpa we had a soft place to land for a few weeks before we were on a jet plane to Europe.  I can't even begin to explain how bone tired we all were when we finally made it there on the 15th.  What a month.  And we were only two weeks in.  We did it.  Our sweet landlord, whom we are eternally grateful for, even got in on the action and drove a load of our stuff to the Reeves' house.  He and his precious Nan really are gifts from heaven.  They were moving in to Clairmonte Circle and ended up purchasing some of our furniture, our washer and dryer and a few other items that saved us so much hassle.  Not to mention the conversations and life stories we've shared with them over the course of two years.  Really precious people and nothing short of a God ordained meeting.

Since we were fast approaching Christmas Husband Jared and I planned our special outing with Autumn and Gemma in lieu of presents.  Jeff and Natalie started this tradition with our kiddos years ago and I absolutely love it.  Let's share an experience rather than spending money on stuff.  Yes please!  So we drove to Chattanooga and played the guessing game all the way there until they figured out where we were going.  The Aquarium, lunch out, exploring the park and river and ice-cream of course.  Not to mention a short trip through a creepy book store with an interesting shop keeper and a walk hand in hand around Chattie.  A day to remember for sure.  Every exhibit was worth stopping for, we read signs, learned about sharks, took too many photos, were scared of the alligators and gar fish, didn't like the dark waters and wanted to press all the buttons.  The awe and wonder of young minds is a beautiful thing to witness.  

All the jellies all the time. 

Throwing some sass.

Selfie on the pier.

Look at those eyes, one of my fav photos from our day together. 

To add to the activity of the month a Christmas concert and night out with friends and family was in order.  Johnny Swim was in town and so Jeff, Natalie, Daniel, Minette and Husband Jared and myself treated ourselves to a grown up dinner and then off to the Schermerhorn for a night of exceptional music.  Such a treat.  We were up way past our bedtime but it was so worth it.  At the table the Enneagram was shared, we toasted to new adventures and talked out all the feelings.  Gpa and Mema scheduled an outing for us that included the shooting range and lunch.  I was a spectator but the rest of the family, with the exception of Thing 2, because work, all took their shot, pun totally intended, and made a go of it.  So fascinating to me.  All of it.  There was also a Norwegian baking lesson and time with friends for Thing 4.

Husband Jared and Thing 3.

Gpa, Thing 4 ad Mema, ready, set...shoot.

Thing 4 with Dane and Alex, his buddies.

Baking sanbakkels with Mema.

And then Thing 1 arrived for Christmas vacation, Hanson style.  She hit the ground running with visits, family photos a night out for Christmas surprise with Jeff and Natalie and then off to the cabin.  Just the six of us.  No phones.  No technology.  Puzzles, Christmas movies, games a hot tub and loads of family time, hunkered down in nature.  It was such a sweet reprieve from the madness of an international move and all the things competing for our attention.  We left time and space for deep conversations, or not.  For reading and puzzling.  For naps and lounging.  One day we went in to Gatlinburg for The Pancake Pantry, some shopping and other treats and then we left, returning to our jammies just as quickly as we could.  Yes please and thank you.  Christmas Eve and Christmas day looked a bit different at the cabin but it was sweet nonetheless.  And like I lead this post with, nothing was really quite the same this season.

Christmas surprise with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Natalie: Bowling and dinner at Pinewood Social.

Preparing Jesus' birthday brownie!

Traditional Christmas Eve sibling sleep over.

Playing in Gatlinburg.

Family selfie, because we can!

Christmas jammies, my fav.

Hot tub smiles!

Puzzler.

Friendly game of chess?

Upon our return to Nashville, which was on Thing 4's birthday, we went straight to De Sanos for family dinner.  Grammy and Pappo joined us, there was ice cream cake and wishes made, presents opened and pizza consumed.  Lots of it.  After we celebrated Thing 4 and shared all the things we love about him there were more see you laters and well wishes, as there always are.  Thing 1 and her siblings had one last sibling sleep over and then we were on the final count down in TN.  Face masks were involved.  That's all I can say about that.  So many more lasts.  One last trip to the farmers market, one last see you later to friends, one last donut.  Oh and Thing 4 passed his driver's exam and got his license.  We didn't see him much after that.  He drove all over Franklin, visiting friends and picking up his buddy for one last camp out at the pond.  I think he ended up driving almost 200 miles in a period of 24 hours.  Our last full day in TN involved the Horel family, the gym and hanging out.  One last dinner at the Reeves house before departure and then Thing 2 drove us to the airport.

He did it!  As if there was ever a doubt!

Birthday sun glasses, for driving of course! 

Family around the table, ready to celebrate Thing 4's 16th birthday!

Birthday boy cutting the first slice of cake.  

Sibling face mask and sleep over. I mean, can you even with those faces?

Lunch and belated Christmas shopping with Mema!

Last, for now, farmers market Saturday together.

Saying see you later to Danny, our favorite donut guy!

I will end here.  That was 2017, at least the part that was spent in TN and before the big move.  Seems to be the way we define life.  Before such and such event, after this happened, and so forth.  Same here.  These were the months leading up to a pivotal transition in our family.  One we're still defining and sorting through.   For now, this year is wrapped up.  All that took place, or at least what I could remember and document.  As always there will be moments missed, photos forgotten and time lost.  Such is life.  But this, this is the good stuff and I'm grateful for all of it.