Don't let anyone tell you that you are too old.

If you look really closely, you can see a sweet 80-year-oldish looking man standing on the railing with a fishing pole hanging into the very small creek running below (I felt like a creeper taking this picture).

This is the second time I have seen this sweet little guy. The last time I saw him he was doing the exact same thing, and I asked him if he had any catches. He had actually caught four very small fish that day. I asked him if he was going to eat them and he looked at me like I was nuts. He said he was going to feed them to his cat. That is one lucky cat! He made me smile again today and I thought I would share.

My simple joy for the day: never being too old to climb on a bridge and dangle your fishing pole into a creek.

Delayed But Oh, So Joy-filled

This past weekend my family came to visit and we had such a good time together. We started off our journey at this beautiful spot that overlooks the city, Lover's Circle:

I might have made poor arthritic Gran climb a really steep hill to get there. She was a trooper.

After our wonderful view we went to the Scarritt-Bennett Center. It was originally founded in Kansas City, Missouri as a school to train young women missionaries, and it was moved to Nashville in 1924. Two of Gran's aunts went to this school before embarking on their oversees missions. I took tons of pictures but here are two:

You probably can't read the engraving over the fireplace. I might have sat in the floor to write it down because for some reason I felt some connection to what it said:

"Wheresoever the gospel

shall be preached

through the whole world

that also which

this woman hath done

shall be spoken of

for a memorial of her."

It was so awesome to be at a place where two brave women from my family were trained to be missionaries. Someday soon I hope to follow their footsteps.

The weekend with the fam was so jammed packed. We went to my friend's organic farm, an Earth Day festival at the park, fed some ducks my old stale bread, and ended the day with some beverages and dancing at the Wild Horse Saloon. Emma had a little too much fun I think! I would have added pictures of the other fun things we did , but I just wanted

to highlight the two things that were extra special to me. :)

My simple joys from the weekend: spending time with the people I love, breathtaking views of the city, and a historic place that gives me hope for my calling.

My P.S. simple joy is that I got baptized on Easter Sunday. Something that was definitely long overdue. That's my friend Robert in the background. He got baptized too!

Free

So, I haven't decided how much I am going to post. I think a goal of everyday is unrealistic. Even every other day is a bit too lofty of a goal for me. I actually had no intention of posting today because I have so much work to catch up on. I don't need to waste my time blogging right?

Weeelll, I decided to go to my new favorite coffee shop to do my work because I just can't seem to bring myself to do work at my house. I ordered my new favorite beverage, which was this yummy drink:

A soy latte (don't worry it was decaf at this time of night)

As I was reaching into my wallet to pull out my debit card, I was told to put my money away and given a very sweet smile. I was so confused, but my heart was smiling on the inside. And this is why I had to post today. :)

My simple joy for the day: free decaf soy latte and a smile.

Music, Windows Down, and $100 Tea

It was not the most beautiful day in Nashville, but if you look on the bright side, at least it didn't rain. Due to the lack of rain I enjoyed some driving around Vanderbilt with the windows down listening to The Wood Brothers. I heard in a sermon once that some languages have trouble translating the word "joy." The translation they give joy is a dancing heart. This is the song that made my heart dance today:

Annd for anyone who remembers me purchasing a very small amount of tea for $100, well, I enjoyed some tonight. I think I am getting my moneys worth because this lavender tea made my night!

My simple joys for the day: listening to good music with the windows down and worth while hot tea.

Rain, Coffee, and A New Dress

Yesterday, I told my friend Lisa I would run with her at 7:30 in the morning. First of all, I don't usually run in the morning and I also usually don't run with people (strictly because I am too embarrassed of my slowness). When I woke this morning, this was the forecast that greeted me on weather.com:

BUT, I decided to make my way to Lisa's house anyway. What's a little rain right? Well, I think I have decided that running in the rain is one of my new found joys! Only next time, I won't wear a white t-shirt...

On my way home from work today, I stopped off at this sweet little shop, which has been on my to-do list for quite a while because I really wanted to buy some good, quality coffee.

One of the owners said he, his dad, and his brother laid the bricks for the shop in 1979, and the business had been going strong ever since. I decided to buy a small bag of dark latte blend. We will see if I like it. I love supporting local businesses!!

Another stop Lisa and I made on the way home from work was at a store called the Fashion Exchange. All the boutiques in the area are super expensive so we thought this one would be too, but we were so wrong! There were such unique things and we were so pumped about our new find! I bought this dress for $15.

My simple joys for the day: running in the rain, new coffee, and finding secret shops.