There's nothing better than when Erin and her family come for their yearly visit to Nashville. Erin, Tracy, and I have been friends for over 17 years now. This makes me feel old and yet incredibly lucky. Last weekend was a blur of laughter, tears, and activity. I love groaning at Mark and Joel's jokes and seeing my nieces-in-love play together. But most of all, I love when Erin, Tracy, and I steal away for a little bit. It's as if time never passed at all.

Read and Reading:

I finally read Kate Morton's newest work The Secret Keeper and it might edge out The Distant Hours as my favorite of hers. I didn't see the twist coming at all!

A friend gave me The House of Belonging for Christmas. Whyte's work is worth reading for the title poem and The Truelove alone.

Mudhouse Sabbath (Winner) is short but rich. Beautiful examination of how Jewish traditions can inform Christian spiritual disciplines.

My review of Shauna Niequist's Bread & Wine is coming soon. Spoiler alert: it's Shauna's best work yet.

I'm trying to be better about listing all the books I read over at Goodreads. And for those of you looking for recommendations, I started Pinterest boards for my fiction and nonfiction recommendations, comprised of books with 4 or 5 star ratings. You're welcome.

Currently reading: The Omnivore's Dilemma (Pollan), A Homemade Life (Wizenberg), Quiet (Cain), Walking on Water (L'Engle),  When Helping Hurts (Corbett and Fikkert).

(I read 10 books this month.)

TV:

Must-see TV: Once Upon a Time,  Psych, Rachel Zoe Project, Vampire Diaries, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The Americans stresses me out every time I watch it. I'm never quite caught up but I still find it completely fascinating.

I'm so excited the second season of Call the Midwife starts Sunday!

Music:

New Discovery: Penny and Sparrow, Kris Orlowski, Anais Mitchell

Patty Griffin has a new album coming out May 7!!!!!

I saw The Mowgli's and Family of the Year at 3rd & Lindsley a few nights ago. I came across both bands earlier this year and couldn't pass up a $10 show. I love living in Nashville.

Best Videos:

From the guy who made the best proposal video, a video that made me ugly cry.

Now that you're drying your tears, here's a Disney princess spoof to make you laugh.

  Things I Love:

•  Buying season 2 of Felicity and the complete My So Called Life set from McKay's (the best used bookstore ever) last weekend. Hello memory lane.

• I've got this friend who is like my fairy godmother. After I posted a picture asking if a foundation sample could count as "own something Chanel" on my Life List, she sent me this and I promptly died:

• Preston's Sacramental Baking e-course is changing my life. It's been a rough season but maybe there's fallow ground after all. If Preston offers this again, you need to sign up. No questions asked.

• Watching Pope Francis pray the Our Father and ask for prayer himself, seeing his spirit of peace and humility, was such an unexpectedly powerful moment. I have a complex relationship with Catholicism but so much about this Jesuit man gives me hope about where the Church can go. As an outsider, it's been healing.

• Food memoirs. While I've read a couple every year for the last few years, I am on a legitimate food-related book craze lately. Can't get enough.
• Visiting my friend Lora Lynn! I haven't seen her since last fall and decided to go visit her and her family for a couple of days. Don't worry: she's promised to make sure I stay on task with writing.

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What have you been into this month?

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