Blogging a Vacation: Day 2

Okay, so day two started with us sleeping in all the way to 9:30. We probably would've stayed in bed longer, but my mom called with a question about the kids schooling, so we decided to go ahead and get up.

We went to the outlet mall right next door, found a Starbucks, and wandered around that for awhile. It was nice to be able to walk through a mall, no rush, no real purpose, no kids. We debated on going to see a movie, and then ended up coming back to the hotel to eat lunch. We sat at one of the tables in the atrium, reading the paper, probably looking like an old married couple- sharing tidbits we each thought the other would be interested in. We went back to the room and I took a 2 hour nap.

We were headed back downtown and decided to visit the Wildhorse Saloon. It is a bar that we had seen pushed constantly. Line-dancing, live music, wild crowd. We ate a nice dinner, and then the band started up. The music was good- although Brett and I couldn't get over how much t helead singer looked like Miley's dad (for those of you without pre-teens, that would be Billy Ray Cyrus). We kept waiting for the wild crowd, but alas, the ginormous dance floor was bare. So, after the band's first break, we headed out on the street to find another bar.

There are a couple things about Nashville that amaze me. One being, almost every bar has live music. Two, the bands are all good. Three, even the karaoke singers rock. We headed into a little karaoke bar, thinking we would have a good time watching the singers- enjoy the good ones, get a laugh from the bad ones. Song after song after song went by and no bad singers to be found. There was an older, white-haired, business dressed gentleman, who was texting on his blackberry and fiddling with his breifcase that we thought for sure we'd get a kick out of hearing. His name gets called, and he gets on stage with his harmonica. Not only does the guy's voice just blow us away, but during the musical interludes he just goes to town on his harmonica. There was a talent scout there from Vegas who kept talking to Brett and me. He must've seen Brett's id when the waitress asked for it, because he kept referring to Brett as "Kansas" and told him to get up there and give it a try. That ended night two in Nashville.

Blogging a Vacation: Days 1 & 2

So, its Day 3 of 4 wonderful days on vacation with my husband, and I decided it was time for a little update before I forget all the fun details of our trip so far.
Day One: We left early Sunday morning. Brett and I have never travelled together without the kids, so I knew it was going to be an interesting experience. I get very nervous/stressed before leaving town (especially flying), but I'm fine once we're on the plane. Our flight was easy, only about an hour to get to Nashville. We rented a car in the airport parking lot. Our hotel is only about 15 minutes from the airport. All in all- easy travel.

Our hotel is very nteresting. It is a bunch of atriums. Our room has a patio that looks out on the main atrium. We are right by the big waterfall which is very calming. Listening to it at night really helps get you into a deep sleep. The pas two days have been gorgeous in the atriums- the sun was shining. This morning as I eat my breakfast and type this up, its a little gloomy. The sky is overcast and there's no bright and shiny sun. But, it is still very pretty. I'm kind of hoping it will rain, just to see what it'd be like under the atrium.

We were good, and after settling into our room, we went and checked out the fitness center. After working out, we sat in the outdoor whirpool and took a little swim in the inside pool. The weather here has been in the upper 40s-upper 50s the past two days. We went back to the room to get ready to go downtown for dinner. Brett had picked out a bar for us to eat at and watch a couple live bands perform. We ended up walking around downtown and deciding to go somewhere else.

We went to BB King's restaurant where a blues singer was going to be playing. The food was delicious- we ordered an appetizer plate of fried pickles, hot wings, potato skins and ribs. YUM! Fried pickles are about my favorite food ever and it seems like every place down here serves them. Then, we split an entree of a spicy (though not very spicy for us) pasta carbonara. It was good, but so much food that the two of us couldn't even eat it all. We sat and listened to the live music for a little over an hour- until they took their first break- and then decided to move on. The singer was Stacy Mitchart. He's been nominated for a Grammy- he was excellent. Brett and I had a great time watching his band. His keyboardist looked like Michael Bolton on crack. He was swinging his hair and bobbing his head like crazy. The bassist who was standing next to him was about as opposite as you could get- the complete definition of chill.

We walked down to a country bar called The Stage where some guys were playing for a crowd of about 6. They were singing old school country music- like WAY old school- including lyrics such as "the nickels are for the waitress, the dimes are for the jukebox, and the quarters are for wine, wine, wine" The guys were an ecletic bunch. The lead singer looked appropriate, maybe a little young, but a laid back cowboy type. The other singer looked like the main guy from a metal band- bald with a dark goatee, wearing a black wife beater. The fiddler looked like the epitome of country- complete with cowboy hat, boots, mustache and very tight jeans. We only stayed there for a couple songs- and decided to come back to the hotel.

The hotel we're at has a bar called Jack Daniels Saloon where they have live music every night. So, we checked it out and heard the best Asian cowboy I've ever heard (okay, the only one until last night- but that's for later). His name is Luther Lewis (he has a myspace page, check him out!), and they were playing pretty much all covers. The guy can change his voice for every song. He sang Johnny Cash, Elvis, John Michael Montgomery. Every song was a perfect vocal imitation. They were a really great performance.
We were back in the hotel room and asleep by 11 o'clock (yes, we're lame) and slept until 9:30 the next morning. So nice......

This got a lot longer than I thought it would, and I'm off to enjoy a relaxing day at the hotel spa, so day 2 will have to come later. Along with pictures!!!

Our Little Monkey

You forget each time how curious a new toddler is. Lizzie keeps us on our toes constantly with her climbing and exploring. It is hard to keep her trapped in any room because she finds ways to overcome any barricades. But today, she trapped herself.

Big sister tried to help her climb out, but she crawled right back in. At least she's occupied for a couple minutes.

Quick Update

For those of you that don't frequent my myspace page, I'll do a quick update. A lot has changed since I last posted. For one, I've lost 17lbs and I hit my first two mini-goals. Now, I am working on dropping another 10lbs, so I can go get my bellybutton repierced :)

Another is that I quit my job last week. Nights are reclaimed for our family. The only people I'm serving are the ones that I either married or gave birth to. So far, so good.

We're back on a full school schedule this week. That means yesterday, we were going from 8:30 to 2:15 with a short break for lunch. There's a lot I want to accomplish this half of the year. A lot of "catch up".

Brett and I want to take a couple day get-away next month. We'd like something relaxing that would allow for us to reconnect. Anyone have any ideas???

One last thing, Brett and I are both receiving information on our high school reunions. Yikes! How is it possible that Alyssa is turning 10 and that its been a full decade we've been "grown ups"???

And here is a picture from Christmas....