Reunited in JACKSON!

Kyndall and I returned home to Dallas from our Florida adventures only to unpack, wash our laundry and re-pack for our first trip back to JACKSON, TENNESSEE since moving away last summer!  There are no words to describe how excited I was about this trip but then again it's no secret that I left my heart in Jackson over a year ago so you can likely imagine how overjoyed I was to be returning to the place I love.

Up early and ready to make the 8 hour drive to Tennessee!

Glory, glory!!!!

My friend Julie lives in Jackson and she graciously hosted us for the week and the first thing she did when we arrived was take us back to our beloved little town of Medina for dinner at a new restaurant.  One of the reasons I loved living in Medina was because everywhere you went you were guaranteed to see someone you knew.  Even though it had been a year since we left this sweet little town that still held true because as soon as we walked in we spotted three different families that we knew and loved well.  This made me both happy and sad all at the same time.  Happy to be back where I left my heart but sad remembering all the good memories and longing for more.

Gavin and Kyndall are the sweetest friends

The three amigos, reunited once again totally by chance!  I love the small town life.

I also ran into the Butlers and the Bernheisels which was fun!

After dinner we hit up Medina's other new hot spot which is an ice cream/snow cone stand.  Why did they wait until the queen of icees/snow cones moved away to open this place up??  So yummy!

After ice cream I drove us by our old house just to see what it looked like.  The minute I turned onto our road I felt like I was in a time warp.  Everything inside of me wanted to close my eyes and just go back to the days of living there.  Those were such sweet times and I'd give anything to re-live them over and over.  It's funny how something as silly as a house and a yard can become such a special part of your life.  But that wasn't just any house.  It was the first house we ever owned and though we only had it for a little less than four years, for me it represents a season of our lives which was like no other.  The house looked exactly the same but there was someone else's car in the driveway and someone else's wreath on the front door.  In every other way it still felt like I was coming home.  If only I could have stepped inside for a moment just to reflect on what once was.  

Crashing at Julie's house after a long day of traveling 

We did SO many fun things while we were in town.  I literally had a list of all the people I wanted to see, the places I wanted to eat and the week was packed FULL before I even knew it.

Dinner with some of my favorite ladies at one of my favorite restaurants

Shopping in Jackson with Julie one day I found this shirt which had my name all over it

And then this!

Nothing confirms you're back in Jackson, TN like seeing the police doing their daily traffic work outside the Chick-Fil-A at lunchtime.  Some things never change!

Kyndall's favorite place in all of Jackson.  She still begs me to take her here even though she knows it's 8 hours away.  We definitely spent a lot of time at "Nappy Damadoes" as she used to call it!

Happier than a pig in mud!

One of the things I was looking forward to most was going back to Englewood.  Of all the things I miss, this place has left the biggest void of all in my heart.  This church and these people were our safe haven during some very difficult days.  I truly believe the only reason we made it through was because of the prayers and support of this congregation.  There will never be another like it.

She got her lollipop from the "lollipop man" on her way out after the service just like she had done hundreds of times before.

Sweet Darcy was one of Kyndall's best ballet buddies.  We loved running into her family at lunch after church.

Kyndall and I were both excited to make a surprise visit to this guy who became very dear to us over the years.  Mr. Ron is the phlebotomist at Lab Corp who drew my blood countless times over the four years that we lived there.  He and I had monthly (sometimes weekly) dates and many of those times Kyndall was with me.  He always went above and beyond to make her feel extra special, even wrapping her wrist in coban just like mine so she wouldn't feel left out.  When she wasn't with me he always asked about her and wanted to know how she was doing.  Not only did he go above and beyond in those ways, but he remains the only phlebotomist in the history of my life to be able to successfully get a vein on me every single time.  I am an extremely hard stick and usually have to endure four or five pokes before they get the blood.  That all changed when I met Mr. Ron.  I vowed that I'd never let anyone else stick me besides him and when I found out I was moving I threatened to kidnap and take him with me.  He's truly the best and I miss him!  It was great seeing his face light up when we walked through the door unannounced.

We also made a stop by Matthew's former work place to say hello to all of our favorite ladies.  It was weird (sad) seeing Matthew's old office with someone else's name on the door and someone else's pictures on the walls.  

If you ask Kyndall what she misses most about living there it would most definitely be dance.  She took dance with Mrs. Kim from before she was even three years old until the week we moved away.  She LOVED her dance classes, her friends and of course sweet Mrs. Kim.  We managed to gather up as many of her old friends as we could for a little dance class reunion at the yogurt shop.  It made my heart swell to see Kyndall laughing and cutting up with this group of girls that she loves and misses so dearly.

We adore Mrs. Kim and as a Mom I am so thankful for the influence she had on my daughter.  Just wish it could have been for longer.

Sweet Kaysey

Kyndall and Alyvia

While we were in Jackson we received the unexpected and devastating news that Kyndall's art teacher had passed away back home in Dallas.  I had to deliver this heartbreaking news to Kyndall and I was absolutely dreading it.  She took it just as hard as I expected she would and that broke my heart into a million pieces.  It was by far one of the hardest things I've ever had to do as a parent.  We decided to drop all plans for the rest of that day and just have a "Kyndall day".  I told her we would do whatever she wanted, just the two of us.

She requested a pedicure at the same place she always loved going when we lived in Jackson.

She asked for red hearts on her toes in honor of Mrs. Carrie

Next up, a little mini golf at the Family Fun Center which was another one of our favorite places to visit when we lived in Jackson.

We also planned to race the go karts but the rain moved in and we weren't able to do that.  We ended our "Kyndall day" by having ice cream at Maggie Moo's with some of our sweet friends.

The rest of the week flew by so quickly as we had plans every single day from morning until night!  There was so much to do and so many people we wanted to see in Jackson.

We spent some time at the Evergreen Pool with Julie and Cam...

Kyndall was able to have a very special play date with one of her dearest friends, Micah.  These two have been friends since their early dance class days and their friendship is so precious.  Not only is Micah a dear friend to Kyndall, but her Mama Rebecca is a treasured friend of mine.  Spending a few hours with them felt just like old times.  The girls played sweetly in Micah's room while Rebecca and I caught up on life in her living room.  It made me miss times like this so so much. 

Flashback to three years ago!

On the 4th of July we joined Julie and Cam at the movies in Humboldt

Julie's husband Travis bought us a juicy watermelon at the farmer's market and Kyndall couldn't wait to dig in!  She could eat her weight in ice cold watermelon but don't forget the salt!

Julie's neighborhood had a 4th of July bike parade for all of the kiddos.  We just so happened to have Kyndall's scooter with us so she joined in with the other kids.

Our plan for 4th of July was to head to Medina to catch the fireworks but just as soon as we put our chairs down we started hearing thunder and pretty soon we were dashing to the car.  The fireworks were postponed until the end of the week.

Even though we didn't get to stay long, it was great bumping into some old friends like Laura.  This is why I miss Medina so much....Everywhere you go, you're going to see somebody you know!

It was now the end of the week and our time in Jackson was coming to an end.  We spent our last two nights at my friend Kelly's house and Kyndall had a blast in her pool.

Kelly's daughter Chelsea was home for the weekend from Nashville and she was so sweet to Kyndall, spoiling her with attention and all kinds of goodies!

Kelly had recently been in Philadelphia on a work trip and picked up a surprise for me.  A chocolate liver!  Kelly is a nurse practitioner so this was absolutely appropriate coming from her!  I did not eat my liver but instead it sits happily in our fridge at home and I take it out and show everyone who comes over!  

Kyndall got very attached to Chelsea's dog Willie

After a week of sharing a bed with me at Julie's house, she was happy to have her own space at Kelly's.

Our time in Jackson was way too short but we packed in as much as we possibly could while we were there.  We're already looking forward to next summer and the next and the next....

Jackson and Medina will always feel like home to us, no matter how much time passes.  The friends we made there are irreplaceable and the memories are etched in our hearts forever.  We may have only lived there for 3.5 years, but it felt like a lifetime passed during that time.  I just hope that Kyndall always remembers the friends and memories as vividly as we do.