Live Simply. Love Generously.

Back Roads | Coffee | Adventures | Stories 

[katiemcnutt]

Strange Yearning.

When the Sunday afternoon breeze blows warm and soft across my shoulders, I feel a strange yearning for you.

When I drive down back roads and my lungs fill full with the sweet scent of orange blossoms, I feel a strange yearning for you.

When my hair is salty and sprinkled with sand, and my skin has felt its first sting of sunshine, I feel a strange yearning for you.

When the evening falls slowly and stars peek through the velvet dark blanket of night, I feel a strange yearning for you.

When all my days are lived with joy, adventures and simple pleasures. I feel a strange yearning for you.

When my heart longs to love and be loved, I feel a strange yearning for you.

[katiemcnutt]

Joy Boy's 26th birthday.

Jared is known as the JoyBoy. Its no wonder once you meet him, why he is so affectionately called this. For the past 26 years, he has shown love, care and an appreciation for life and anyone he meets while living it. 

For his birthday, he wanted to get his friends together and go do yoga and have a picnic in the park. Florida weather is always beautiful, so a park day in late January is not a problem. As I watched him and his friends play on the playground and share jokes and tell each other "i love you bud" it made my heart warm and fuzzy with pride and joy for this man I've watched growing up. Jared and his friends are a part of a group called "Noah's Ark of Central Florida" an organization founded to enable disabled adults. These guys know how to have fun. They love being social and meeting new people, going on trips and being around one another. 

As I watch my cousin Jared, grow up and see the amazing ways he loves others, I can't help but realize how much he has taught me about loving others. To be without judgement, grudges, hesitation, and to be whole hearted.

“The love we give away is the only love we keep.” — Elbert Hubbard

[katiemcnutt]

My Night with Willie Nelson.

It was a Saturday night and I found myself at a honky tonk near the Tampa and the Gulf Coast. The band was wrapping up and all of a sudden, that familiar face and voice of the red headed stranger appeared from the stage. None only than Willie Nelson. If I haven't mentioned yet, this is only a dream. But my dreams are very vivid and my friends encourage me to write them down. So as WIllie is singing I am stopped in my tracks, freaking out that he just showed up. He finishes his impromptu show and is stepping off the stage when I go up to him and ask for a picture. I can still imagine his wrinkled, half grin as he says yes. I hand my phone to the nearest lady (who is wearing mid-calf jeans, white tube like socks and white reebok sneakers along with her red and blue checkered button up shirt and frosted blonde hair pulled up in a clip). She can not figure out "why this dadgum smartphone aint workin'" as Willies manager comes up next to her and quickly hands me my phone back as he ushers us towards the tour bus. I cant believe it! I am walking up the steps to Willies tour bus! Wait, what does this mean? Where are we going? How long is he staying here? Do I really care? No, no I do not. Let's keep things rollin. Once on the bus, Willie asks me the simple questions, like, my name, where I'm from, why I was at the show that night. Then he takes out his guitar and we share jokes and stories as he plays mindlessly away. He tells me this joke "How do you change a dishwasher into a snowplow? Hand that bitch a shovel!" (this joke I remembered from reading a book on Willie and his favorite jokes.) So I told him one back, my papaws favorite joke "A wise monkey doesn't monkey with another monkeys monkey." Before I knew it, we were falling asleep to the rhythm of the road. As I woke up the next morning with my forehead against the window, my legs asleep from curling up in the seat and a little whiskey left in my glass, I couldn't believe where I was; New Orleans. The next leg of the South East Tour. As I went to breakfast with the crew, Willie asked me if I wanted to take over their merchandise booth for the last few shows, and if dreams come true, I would say yes, a thousand times over.

[katiemcnutt]

They were once on fire.

“There was another life that I might have had, but I am having this one.”

Thursdays usually held no special place in her week. They're the day before a much anticipated Friday or the day after a care-free, mid-week rendezvous. But on this particular Thursday, she found herself face to face, or voice to voice, with someone she used to know. He does this from time to time, calls in to ask a certain question thats relevant to his job, then they find themselves lost in conversation and ambling through the past and present together. 

His voice is comfortable and comforting, although it feels twisted and somewhat wrong to enjoy these surprise calls every now and then. Their lives are now lived hundred of miles apart. He now has a wife, a home, a dog and a stable career keeping him states away. She is figuring out her life through travel and family and friends and returning back home. The lives they currently live will most likely seldom, if ever, intertwine. 

They share stories of life they've lived and life they're living, and the moments in life they lived and shared together. In another realm, another life, they were once on fire. 

His calls are far and few in-between, but she can't help herself to let the sound of his voice linger in her head. Had she loved him? Had he loved her? Would their time together always be a mystery of what could have been?

These questions may swirl in her head from time to time, and the memory of his face and the feel of his touch may capture her, off guard, in the early mornings when she's not yet aware of who she intends to be, but on this day, this Thursday, she welcomes the twisted comfortableness of his calls with that same old smile. She knows they were once on fire.

[katiemcnutt]

NOMAD

We drove through the winding roads of Tobaccoville, NC until we reached the driveway leading upwards. On the knoll sat a two story farmhouse up against a backdrop of acres covered in tall pines, grassy hills, an old barn and clouds scattered among the blue sky. As we stepped out of the car to take in the scenery and breathe in the fresh air, we were greeted by sounds of chickens, cows and friendly voices hollering to us from the barn. We walked down a ways to where the processing was happening. The processing of turkeys and chickens. NOMAD Farms has been created by a family of 6, who just moved back to the states after years of missionary work in Tibet. This morning they were gathering up turkeys and chickens they have raised in order to get them ready for customers and the holiday season. These birds were raised with care and attention, as well as a way for the children to learn more about this way of life and the hard work it takes. We gathered around the birds and as I watched the family begin the process, I wanted to join in. Plucking feathers, rubbing down the warm birds after being soaked in hot water, learning about the more humane ways this farm is being ran and attended, gave me a sense of pride to know this family and support their work. After we helped with the birds, one of the sons lead me to the barn with the baby pigs, where I was soon, in the best form of hog heaven. These little pigs were grubbing on pieces of pumpkin, suckling on mama pig, or chasing and playing with their siblings. Bowen, the son that was taking responsibility for the pigs told me how some of the pigs have not made it due to the cold weather, or the over protective mothers. He understood the 'matter of fact' type life of being a farmer. As we spent our day on the farm, I was filled with a sense of community and pride and the feeling I get when around genuine people who are filled with love and joy for others. It was an uplifting and needed reminder and how I want my life to be. Spending a day on NOMAD Farms in small town Tobaccoville, NC rejuvenated my soul and filled my lungs with the fresh air while making room in my heart for things that bring joy, happiness, genuine love and care for others, for the earth and life God has given us and for the future of loving others whole-heartedly.

[katiemcnutt]

Blind Date.

Hi. I’m Sarah and I am sitting at this tiny table for two at this cozy café with plants hanging from the roof ledge and little birds chirping and fluttering around and a glass of flat water in front of me. Goodness gracious, why am I talking to myself? Am I really this nervous over a blind date? Sadie said I would think he was adorable and sweet. Wait, shit, adorable and sweet? Isn’t that friend code for “ok, so he’s not the beefy, sexy type, but he’s got a great job and loves spring training baseball games and dogs.”? It's going to mean he’s going to be too short for my taste and use gel in his hair. Why oh why did I agree to this? Oh right, because I’m a twenty-something single gal that cant believe she’s still an almost thirty, twenty-something single gal whose friends love to match her up with guys they think she will like. Ok. He’s 3 minutes late. Already over him. Already walking back to my car with a coffee to go and winking at the cute construction worker with tattoos and a silver chain. Ew. Gross. No, I’m not, I’ll wait 7 more minutes. Great, now I have to pee. But if I get up now he might walk up and how will he know where to sit? What if he sits with that other brunette with better hair and doesn’t even notice me? Ok, Sarah, look up. Look around for a guy that looks like his name might be Nathan. Nathan. At least I like his name already. What’s his last name? Why didn’t I ask Sadie that? I really should ask more questions about the guy when I do things like this. Oh hey, cutie with those dark wash jeans walking up to me. Walking. Up. To. Me?? So you’re Nathan? Ok, Sadie, thank you. This one is decent enough. Did I put on deodorant? Yes, yes I did. Shit, only my left armpit though. Not my right? That’s ok, no worries, I sweat under my left more anyways. Does he notice? No, he won’t notice. Just talk Sarah. This is your time to be witty, be funny, charming and interesting. So we’ve covered our jobs, siblings, how our day was, so far so good. Now lets move onto something funny and humorous and oh, we’re talking about mutual friends, ok. Do we have mutual friends? Where is he from? Wait, we went to the same elementary school? We were in the same grade? Do I know this guy? Nathan, as in Nate? As in the Nate that puked all over me in the 4th grade after a school carnival ride? Nate Andrews grew up to be handsome, charming, very funny, Nathan Andrews? This is perfect. I cant believe this is the same guy that made me change out of my spirit shirt and jean shorts (on the only day of the week we could wear jean shorts) and change into my classmate, Haley O’Connelly’s XXL t-shirt and ugly hot pink bike shorts because I had boy vomit on me. Well, at least 20 years is a long time to catch up on and this place does have excellent coffee and one of those chocolate mousse cakes I’ve been craving for too long. Ok Nathan, lets see how you do this time around, hopefully sans projectile vomit all over my outfit that I spent 2 days and 6 wardrobe changes to finally pick out.

[katiemcnutt]

Mayfly.

I stood on the porch, looking out towards the lake. Remembering back to a time when the dock stretched out long enough to reach the deep, dark water where you could jump off the end and cannon ball into the cool water that smelled of earth and summer and cat tails. As I slid my hands into the pockets of my faded and ripped jeans, I brought my focus to the screen door inches from my nose. Mayflies. Dozens of them. Stuck to the door. I only noticed them when the light breeze fluttered their dead wings just enough to catch your eye. Mayflies are very delicate, living only one day. I studied them as they clung to the door, lifeless, but clinging none the less. I began thinking how precious life was. I could hear my mother unloading the groceries in the kitchen and my grandfather watching Gunsmoke in the back room. This was life. This was a day in my life and I treasured these moments. Walking to the room where my grandfather sat in his chair, I sat with him and watched the ending of the western episode he loved so much. As I studied the room I noticed little things about my grandfather that seemed new to me. How he kept important papers on his reading table closest to him. How he sat quietly, listening to the story between the outlaws and the women on tv, and how he had pictures of us, his family, all around. Pictures of my mother as a young girl, pictures of my brother and myself growing up, pictures of his time playing basketball and being inducted into hall of fames. Pictures of the things he loved and had pride for. I hear my mother call my name and go to help her in the kitchen. She seems flustered and I can see she is worried, but using frustration and forced humor to hide her raw feelings. We are both worried. We both love the old man that lives in this house on the lake more than we know what to do with. As I help her straighten the kitchen and collect the trash, we look around this old house, knowing some day things will be much different than they are now. I look back one last time to the lake and take a deep breath in, remembering the smells of the house, the lake, the long days of summer. And I notice the Mayflies clinging to the door. Using them as a reminder to live each day with gratitude and in awe of the life we are given. -for my Papaw.

[katiemcnutt]

At this time one year ago, @tbigham and I were walking through the misty streets to the Holy city of Santiago de Compostela. With heavy hearts for those involved in the tragic train wreck, we made our way to the famous cathedral that so many pilgrims before us and after us find refuge, rest, and an inner strength only gained after such a profound journey. #saintjamesday #camino #ladyadventures #iwillwalk500miles #pilgrimage

[katiemcnutt]

Kindness, compassion, empathy and love. May we live our lives in such ways. #nelsonmandela #grateful #longroadtofreedom

[katiemcnutt]

22 years ago today, did I not only cut my own bangs, but I also became the proudest big sister to the best little brother. And 22 years later, I couldn't imagine any part of my life without him. #loveyoulongtime #forever #youwishyouwereus #mcnutt

[katiemcnutt]

Summertime, and the livin' is easy. #floridaforever #ladyadventures #girlgetoutside (at Lake Easy)

[katiemcnutt]

Human (BE)ings.

My aunt once shared with me a simple line of wisdom that has stuck with me now for years. She told me, “Kate, that’s why we’re human beings, not human doings.” And tonight I’m relishing in her wisdom. Sitting here on the back porch listening to the crickets and bullfrogs, the full moon is rising and so is my awareness of feeling content. Needing nothing other than the still and quiet of the night. Enjoying the act of solely being alive. Reflecting back on my day of simple accomplishments. Driving down back roads to the lake, enjoying sweet time with friends kayaking and swimming while watching the sun set behind old mossy oaks and Florida palm trees brings me back to the basics. The basics of being and not doing. #backtobasics #being #crickets #florida

[katiemcnutt]

#tbt to that time on the Camino when Alberto and I saved a snail from the hot Spanish sun and told him stories in Spanglish. #camino #sohoney #iwillwalk500miles

[katiemcnutt]

Good people of the world :)

[katiemcnutt]

Happy Father's Day to the man who has taught me all the important stuff. Like how to shoot a gun, catch fish, hitch a trailer and fix stuff. But most of all, he's taught me how to enjoy this life we're given. Love you, Pops! #stantheman #favoritefather

[katiemcnutt]

Mamas tomatoes and peppers joining the garden party :) @melaniebontrager #gardentub #greenthumb #reducereuserecycle

[katiemcnutt]

"I missed you Katie. Glad to be home. Here, sit down and relax. I'll get you a beer." -Jared McNutt I've missed my sweet cousin. Cheers! (at home sweet home)