Trusting the Journey: A Weekend of Heritage and Hend

This weekend was the perfect case study in how life moves: one minute you’re researching 18th-century Scottish lineage, and the next you’re sprinting through Windsor two minutes past closing because a certain daughter found her "Cinderella" moment.

It was a full weekend. The kind that leaves your feet tired but your soul documented and accounted for.

The Celtic Festival: Heritage & Missed Opportunities

We started Saturday at the Celtic Festival. I’ll be honest—we were some of the only African American folks there, but we were in the thick of it. My brother-in-law works for Budweiser and was managing the beer stalls, so the family energy was already high.

I went on a mission for British fish and chips, but I had a "manual error" in my navigation. I walked right past the stand and didn't see it until after I had already committed to a mushroom pita. The mushrooms were good, but watching those golden fish and chips go by after I’d already eaten? I was legitimately upset. The audit of my lunch choice: Incomplete.

But the real meat of the festival was the Clan tents. I’ve been digging into our heritage, specifically our connection to the Nesmith family in South Carolina. My mother’s grandfather is a direct descendant of the African American side of that Scottish lineage, and finding our family colors and new research paths felt like a major win.

While I was tracing ancestors, The Naboo Protector was out here purchasing a "sword" to go fishing with (don't ask), and the kids were getting airbrushed tattoos. We ended the night back home, celebrating our neighbor Brandon’s birthday. Just good, easy fellowship.

Sunday Service & The Family Shortcuts

Sunday was for the soul and the system. After church, we gathered some groceries from my mom’s house and dropped them off at my father-in-law’s shop. We spent some time there in fellowship, loading up my mother-in-law’s car.

I’ll say this: we aren’t starving, but we will take a shortcut whenever we can. If the family is sharing the load, we’re going to participate. That’s just smart resource management.

The Great Dress Hunt: From Nordstrom to Windsor

By the afternoon, I met my best friend at Montgomery Mall. We have our system down—parked in the same lot, entered through Macy's, and headed straight for Nordstrom. But the "overstimulation" hit early, so we promptly turned around and headed to the food court to calm down.

Then, the hunt began. We hit Zara, Macy's, and Nordstrom again, looking for the dress. Leia Moon had her heart set on a "Cinderella Blue" moment. We were in Windsor for an hour, and she tried on every iteration of blue before settling on a mermaid-style beauty that is absolutely stunning.

While she was in the fitting room, my BFF and I managed a major "Audit Find." We found matching Little Black Dresses for our next date night. Price tag? $7. We were at the register two minutes past closing, finally securing the goods.

The Sunset Finish

The weekend ended with a bit of adrenaline. As Leia Moon and I were leaving, we literally had to save a baby from a Volvo driver who apparently decided that pedestrian rights didn't apply to them.

But as the sun went down on the drive home, I felt good. We found the family colors, we found the Cinderella dress, and I found a $7 win. All in all? A great weekend. Now, we have to go back for the shoes.