Making our way to Baton Rouge.

Ashley and I were quite impressed by how quickly the summer went by. Of course, that was partially due to our busy schedules. Partially, however, it went by so quickly because we did not want it to. We'll miss our town. We'll miss our friends. Lafayette, its people, and its university were good to us.

The day we were scheduled to leave, Bart Collins (a colleague and friend) stopped by to meet Eden and wish us a safe journey. Bart has been great to both Ashley and me during our time at Purdue. Not only did he fund us both as graduate assistants, but he was an excellent role model.

While Bart was there, the movers packed our furniture in pads so that nothing would get scratched in the move.


Once everything was on the truck, we left town. The first night we stayed with some friends in Nashville (Thomas, Jennie, Emma, and Syler Green). That trip took several hours since we had to stop every few in order to entertain the little one.

After Nashville, our next stop was Memphis, Tennessee to visit some friends.

While in our MA program at Auburn, we had the pleasure of meeting Cara Polinski (now Sievers), who is famous for her theory of after-laughter. Perhaps, if she's reading, Cara can post a comment and give us an overview of that theory?

Eden certainly enjoyed meeting Cara and spending some time with her. This is especially true since it was at Cara's apartment at Auburn that Ashley and I really first started to understand our affection for each other. It was a typical Friday night for graduate students, playing games and spending time with friends at someone's apartment. The night went long, and the flirting intensified. We did not have to admit it to each other ... we both knew ... and apparently so did everyone else.

The next stop was the home of Allison and Jeff Rodgers. Allison is Ashley's first cousin. You may know her as "the photograher." Indeed, she is quite a talented artist. But, I digress.

She and Jeff have two of the cutest little girls in the world, Fable (age 7) and Ever (age 2).

Ever is quite talented at walking in heels, even at age 2, and wanted to show off her skills in Ashley's shoes. Fable and Ever were also impressed with Eden's rocker naptime outfit (Thanks, Suzy, for making Eden "so stylish and Kingston-like" as Ashley would say).

Now having a child, Ashley and I often wonder how it was for our parents when we were young, especailly since Ashley and I are both the oldest of three. Visiting friends and family with multiple children can be an insight into what it must have been like for our parents. For example, Ever and Eden are nearly the exact same number of months apart (20) as Ashley and her brother. So what insights did we gain from this short visit?

One story that helps to illustrate how having two children very close in age can make things fun is portayed in the following pictures.


One night while at Allison and Jeff's, Ashley and I did our normal routine of bathtime, feeding, bedtime. After the bath I proceeded to rock Eden while we got things situated for the bedtime portion of the evening. When Ashley was ready to take over, I went to grab Eden's crib. I looked down to find some plastic friends who wanted to wish Eden a good night. Ever must have wanted to make sure that Eden wasn't lonely. Fun times, indeed!

The next day, we woke up and headed out to see Ashley's second cousin, Hunt Seabrook, and his family which includes Jill, Mary-Ashley, Hunter, and Kate. They were quite excited to meet Eden. And we were quite shocked by how much Mary-Ashley, Hunter, and Kate had grown in the few years since we had seen them last when Ashley lived in Memphis.

The next stop was The Germantown Commissary ... the BEST BBQ in the world ... and to Elanie and Will Savell's house to eat lunch. Will "The Thrill" was Ashley's 8th grade boyfriend. When Ashley and Will broke up, his name turned to Will "The Thrill is Gone", but I digress. Both Will and Elaine went to MC, Ashley's alma mater. They also have two beautiful children, Emma and Jack, who enjoyed playing with and feeding Eden.

Then it was off to see a childhood friend of mine, John Bass, his wife Johnnie, and his baby girl Ella Rose. Eden was quite excited! On the way, she showed her mom the real way to hold a pacifier.

We hung out with the Bass family for a little while, walked down the block to the local pizza parlor for dinner, and mainly played with Ella Rose. She's quite the little entertainer (which comes as no great surprise given her dad's background as an entertainer; John is a musician ... and a recent Ph.D. graduate of the University of Memphis), and she also shares Ever's love of wearing other people's shoes, especially her mom's.

Overall, our visit in Memphis was busy but fun. We saw people we had not seen in while, and we gained a glimpse of what things must have been like for our parents only a few short years ago. We're thankful for our friends and for their beautiful families. We hope to see you all soon!

God Bless, GB