So you’re a newlywed, huh?

Screen Shot 2017-04-28 at 11.22.49 AMI was chatting with a friend recently about someone she knows who’s getting married. We covered some of the details most people love knowing about when it comes to weddings: location, the couple, the excitement of the families. It’s great when two people love each other, and side note, if you’re a girl wondering if a guy might be interested in you, check out another post of mine: 10 Signs He’s Into You.

My friend mentioned that the two people getting married aren’t Christians and neither go to church, which is why their wedding is taking place somewhere other than a church and not officiated by a pastor. We sort of left it as hoping for the best for the couple and that their marriage will last. I enjoyed the conversation but always wonder why I come up with my best comments well after any particular topic is over.

In this case, I didn’t have much to say in the moment about the folks getting married not being Christians. But if I could do it over, I’d say something about all of us, no matter where we are now, started somewhere. We all have a story and sometimes a relationship with God starts at a young age, sometimes not. Sometimes it never starts at all. My hope for these soon-to-be newlyweds is that in the process of getting married, and being married, that God reveals Himself to them. After all, marriage is spoken about a lot in the Bible and I believe God holds it in very high regard.

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Photo credit: http://www.JoeHendricks.com

Another hope: just don’t screw it up! I say that playfully, yet reflecting on how mankind has pretty much screwed up everything at some point or another. God has given us so many good things, marriage included, and we’ve managed to pervert all of it. And that goes for Christ-followers, too. Here’s the thing about that, by the way. At the end of the day, we’re all in the same boat. People who call themselves Christians aren’t any better than anyone else. Like it says in the Old Testament, “We all like sheep have gone astray.” We’re all looking for an answer. We’re all seeking peace, happiness, and something to worship.

Screen Shot 2017-04-28 at 11.23.01 AMSo I still definitely hope for the best for my friend’s friends who are getting married. I hope it’ll last, that they positively wreck the statistics of divorce. And especially, I hope somehow they’re willing and able to understand a little more about God through their marriage. And if/when they have kids, they get another glimpse into the character of God, as it’s revealed through a parent’s love for their children.

Maybe you can’t exactly relate to getting married, being a newlywed or even becoming a parent. Hey, I certainly can’t! But we can all relate to one key take-away:

Whatever you’re doing, just don’t screw it up. 🙂
Screen Shot 2017-04-28 at 11.22.36 AM-Out of the Wilderness

PS. All of these stunning photos were taken by amazing photographer Joe Hendricks. More incredible wedding photos can be seen on his website, along with breathtaking landscape photos (available for purchase)! Click here, you won’t be sorry!

5 reasons drivers can’t just chhiiiilllllllllllll

If you live in a big city (think Atlanta, NYC, Los Angeles, etc), you probably already know exactly how this blog is gonna go. Traffic is the worst, right? Afternoon rush hour has turned into afternoon rush afternoon here in Nashville. Especially if you throw rain into the mix, or, ya know, just the threat of gentle spring shower. FREAK OUT!
Excited Freak Out GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY
And don’t try to pick up bread and milk at a grocery story, because the shelves will already be empty! But there’s more to the traffic problem and no peanut butter and jelly sandwiches than just precipitation. Here in Nashville, we have the problems a lot of growing cities have: construction (some say the state bird is the crane), school zones, plus area population growing by more than 100 people per day.

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Cranes, cranes, and more cranes! (credit: Nathan Morgan – Nashville Business Journal)

My top 5 reasons traffic is the way it is…

Bumper to Bumper the avenue was packed.
-Vanilla Ice

1. Construction. If you visit downtown Nashville anytime between 8am and forever, you’re going to get stuck behind 30 cars, a dump truck, and a lane that’s closed off.

2. Population growth. As mentioned, the population is growing by over 100 a day. Most are folks moving here, so I guess some are babies being born. They don’t account for the bad traffic, but give it 16 years and watch out.

3. Weather. Lots of this makes lots of traffic.

4. Hello road rage. People are angry. When bottlenecks, slowdowns, and stupidity happen on the road, people get mad. Mad people make quick decisions. This often leads to mistakes. I give you, Exhibit A. Watch the dark sports car in the far left lane. This accident was caused by a dump truck abruptly slowing down for no apparent reason.
People making decisions out of sheer rage can often lead to even more traffic problems. This also leads directly into the next cause…

5. People think rules don’t apply to them.

These drivers might not directly cause bad traffic, but when their driving leads to wrecks, police involvement, or when they cut ahead of people, traffic is affected.

So here are the takeaways:
1. Everyone just needs to chhillllllllllll. It’s all gonna be OK.

2. Stop moving to Nashville. It’s not that great and the traffic is horrible. 😉

3. If you live in a city or town where traffic gets bad, leave earlier than you originally planned.

-Out of the Wilderness

Who was your first crush? Mine was…

In reality, this post will most likely be about music. But I’m just going to keep on typing and see where it goes. So you had a crush, did ya? Well, who was it? Mine was an icon of the 80s and she’s still around, though she’s probably in her 80s now.

Before the big reveal, it was a song called “Iko, Iko” that’s sort of led to this post. The song (originally from the 60s) has been performed by a billion and a half people since then, including this fun and charming take from Sia:

Sia’s version of the song was used for a dance routine by my 11-year-old niece which reminded me to look up the song on Spotify. Well, I couldn’t find the Sia version… dadgum it! On the bright side, the billion and a half other versions are on Spotify, even one by my first crush… Cyndi Lauper. She made me want to swing from the chandelier.

Then it dawned on me why I like Sia. She reminds me of Cyndi. Their voices on “Iko, Iko” sound very much alike and something could also be said about their style choices, too. Time after time, their look is spunky, they like creative and colorful costuming. All things I gravitate towards. What can I say? I like girls who just want to have fun. They’re the greatest.

Sooo I’ve shown my true colors so why don’t you do the same? Who was your first crush and why?

-Out of the Wilderness

Adventure to Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee

If you’re looking for a great place to hike with a long, beautiful payoff, consider Fall Creek Falls. Between all the hiking trails (and the bike trail, if it accidentally happens) you can get a good amount of hiking in, and maybe even a free ride back once you’ve gone too far in one direction on aforementioned bike trail! Take a look at the pics below and then go see it for yourself, you won’t be disappointed…

The earth has its music for those who will listen

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Jarry Lee / Buzzfeed / Thinkstock

On the mornings I can do this, I love taking my camping chair, setting it up where the rising sun can pass along to me its warmth, open up a book to read, and enjoy birds conducting the soundtrack of chirps, whistles, calls; piping their signals to each other that a new day has dawned and it’s time to sing.

After recording the video below, I’ve come to recognized the song of the cardinal; a couple of the different calls, at least.


A visit from a neighborhood squirrel is a bit more rare, mostly because of my canine companions that seem to have a taste for the furry critters. Yesterday I kept the dogs inside for a bit to record this squirrel taking advantage of a late afternoon snack.


All this to say, if you have a chance to escape into the wild, even for a few minutes, and even if it’s just your back yard, get out there and listen to the music. It’ll do your body good!

-Out of the Wilderness