I love the predictability of good, old friendships. Where they effortlessly stroll in the front door like neighbors popping in for a cup of sugar, when the truth is we haven’t seen each other for many months and live many miles apart.
Our long weekend involved hikes, bikes, food, hanging, soaks and music.
The hikes and bikes were bright green, wilderness, downtown, around the hood.
The food and hanging was fresh, plentiful, homemade bread, rhubarb pie, swinging, soup, chilaquiles, reading, ice cream, pancakes, coffee chats. Again.
The soaking was the funky sweet sulphur town of Hot Springs, Montana.
The music was abundant: Arann happily narrated our days with Margot’s toy guitar until we fetched him a proper grown-up instrument from neighbors. And, we went to the Modest Mouse concert last Friday night.
The show was completely great, one of those wonderfully confident and content nights rife with reflection on the good ol’ buzzed college days and gratitude for standing in a field leaning happy into my husband’s frame. I wrote about it in this week’s mama digs: float on.
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all photos taken with a Canon Digital SLR from Vanns.com
36 Comments
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love….
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Very nice….and I am loving that listening to live music has come full circle in our family. Where my kids are the college kids at the concerts…pumped about it from ticket purchase to the actual event to detailing it for days after. Love to see how music affects them like it did me……and still does…..Occasionally they’ll let us tag along…but at certain ages, not so cool to enjoy it with your parents.
The desciption of the concert was great.
Margaret
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Love your hubby’s hands in the pockets of your puffy coat…makes me yearn for a date with my hubby.
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I adore Jump Little Children! I used to go see them in Charleston and Richmond whenever I could. Matt Bivins moved like an alley cat, so smoking hot! Great post!
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Love the first paragraph so much.
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Love it! Sounds like my freshman year, Brumby Hall and all!
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Great post!!
The comfort of great love ~ the security of a strong relationship
and the joy of still being able to play.
It also inspires me to go on more dates with my husband and rock on!!
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Beautiful writing, Nici!
This is quite possibly my new favorite dig quote. Wow, love this..
“There is something lovely and enviable about the free, naive thirsty early college years. I think it is more charmingly nostalgic than enviable. It’s like I wouldn’t be here and loving it if I hadn’t been there.”
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beautiful.
thank you.
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Oh wonderfulness! My hubby and I are going to a concert in Spokane tomorrow night. A band our daughter brought to our home at the age of 14. Bright Eyes. Her little boy is named for the singer, Conor (though our Connor has 2 ‘n’s. Cassady likes the symmetry). Can. Not. Wait!!!
I’ve been married almost 23 years. And have, ahem, a newish crush! We had some seriously hard years there, but we’ve rounded a corner, all the kids are gone, and damn if we aren’t giddily in love again, unable to go three minutes without turning face to face for a kiss and a snuggle. What a nifty thing to find renewed after sooooo much water under the bridge.
Then in July, we’re going to Big Sky for The Decemberists. Damn kids. They keep turning us on to good music!!!
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Very nice, Nici. Willie Nelson was in 97?? I thought it was later than that. When are you coming our way?? I thought you had it in your plans. Love you and Andy lots.
I started singing that song as soon as I read your title! Isn’t it wonderful to have friends that don’t make you feel like anything but you?
We saw that Modest Mouse was in Missoula and we were crossing our fingers that you went. I just love how time floats on with good, old friends like family.
hey now, you’re making us seem older than we are – we totally had email when we started college! arches.uga.edu, don’t ya know 🙂
loved the post…. GA huh?! I love me some Athens, GA. Thank you for sharing your love story is magnificent.
Athens???? What made you go to school in GA? It is a pretty sweet town though, I’ve spent many hot fall Saturdays there.
My husband and I went to see Modest Mouse in the spring of 2007. I was pregnant but not really showing and not really able to fit in my pants anymore 🙂 My husband was so cute how he worried about me the whole time. He didn’t want me to go to that concert but I HAD to see Modest Mouse and for a while “Dashboard” was the only thing that would put Ivy to sleep in the car. 🙂
hey nici!
i’ve been reading your blog since last fall and have loved watching your daughters grow! i live in nc and think it’s so cool to hear about daily life on another side of the country 🙂
i thought it was great to find out today about your time in brumby hall! my mom used to be an RA in brumby during her grad school days (manyyyy years ago)and my parents met in athens, i was born in athens, and will always have a soft spot in my heart for athens! love the connection!!
i hope you’re enjoying a cool montana spring day! (we’re sweatin it out at 98 degrees already…ick…is there any room in montana for me and my frizzed out ‘do??)
thanks for all your words!
-kate
I love this song and it is now stuck in my head. Thank you!
I have been wondering if you have ever heard Ruby Sees All by Cake. I heard it the other day and thought of you. Glad none of you are swimming with all the extra water in your parts.
Jaim
I’ve missed you! My “dashboard” is screwed up on blogger…can’t access the blogs I follow so I’m having to google everyone.
Can’t wait to come back and catch up 🙂
I LOVE JUMP LITTLE CHILDREN! I caught some of their last concerts in Chicago. I’m so sad they aren’t making music anymore. Matt and Evan live in Chi now! A friend of mine did a play with both of them and I was too shy and ridiculous to go talk them.
Cant wait till my little one is big enough!! So get an ergo and sun hat- im on it!
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I’m having a hard time knowing what to say. I’m a single mama now, so this kind of makes me sad.
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My path and my ‘now’ might look different than yours but I wonder, as a single mom, can you relate to the then-and-now self-reflection and growth? I feel like that is mostly what this piece is about: looking back with fondness and feeling thankful for experiences (happy and hard alike) and growth that lead to this moment.
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I love your words, they are so magical. And reading this post + basically following your life through the blog shows just how big that crush of yours is your night sounds dreamy, i would love to se modest mouse one day.
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Your life is so beautiful…
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So well written Burb! You and Andy have created a beautiful life together….I look forward to all that comes your way!
xoxo
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Tears to my eyes.
Beautifully written. Coming from a mid 20′s still stuck in the transient, impermanent lifestyle (and loving it.) I’m excited to “see” one version of what’s coming for me through your beautiful words, Dig.
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Perfectly excellent Nici.
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Fabulous reflection in the present…
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,,,there’s something wonderful when the “fit” is perfect and no adjustments are necessary!,,,
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Do you ever wonder how you got it SO right SO young? It’s seems impossible that I made one of my wisest decisions when I was 19. And still…
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Love this so much! I really look forward to your Mama Digs posts every week. It’s like cracking open a new chapter in a favorite short story book. Your prose is so beautiful and touching. It sent me into a tail spin of beautiful reminiscence and feeling really glad to be “here”. Thank you!
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Beautiful post. Love does grow deeper and purer. (20 years, 3 kids later, here!)
The Symes Motel! I can smell the hot springs now! My grandmother lives walking distance from there! When we would visit her, we would walk to the Symes to get a latte as it was the only place with decent frou-frou coffee for miles around. 🙂 It makes me think of the walks up the grassy hills behind town – asking the old ranchers if we could have permission to hike their land and them replying with ‘Oh, so you are the granddaughter of so and so, sure, if you really want to, go on up – just mind the cattle. Are you sure you won’t stay a while and have some pie?’ Ah, memories. Thank you. 🙂
Hello, just wanted to say, I liked this blog post. It was inspiring. Keep on posting!
I’ll be teaching a creative writing class this summer to a group of 11-14 year-olds. I have experience teaching writing (mostly poetry) to adults, but teaching kids will be new territory. Does anyone have some great tips, websites, resources for exercises, and reading materials for this age group? Thanks!. these bags are the best daytime life