Music City, historic sites, and lovely meetings

I must say that as I sit writing this post, I am smiling.  The hubby and I just got back from a great weekend together.  It was a belated anniversary trip, as our anniversary fell 6 days after my last surgery and I wasn't quite up for doing much at that time.  But this weekend was PERFECT!  The weather was amazing.  The timing was good.  We were able to leave all three kids with my parents. : )  Our destination of choice: Nashville, Tennessee...otherwise known as Music City.

 Pretty nice, huh?  We actually stayed with Joe's brother while we were there and he was a very generous host.  It was really fun to visit with him and his kiddos as we don't get to see them very often.  He also took his lunch break to show us all around Nashville on about a 2 hour driving tour.  It was great.  He's a part of a hiking group that takes walks around Nashville each week, so he drove us around his walking route.  He also drove us around Music Row, a long street filled with music recording studios and places where musicians dreams have come true...including Elvis.  It was pretty neat.

 After our tour, the hubby and I had a lunch date at the Loveless Cafe.  We had honestly never heard of it, but we learned that this wasn't just any old restaurant.  It is known for its homemade biscuits...and they are delish!

 Here we are...a plate of fresh biscuits just delivered!  They serve them with homemade peach, strawberry, and blackberry jams.  Um..yes...so good.  I love this picture of us, too.  : )

 Here is the special lady we were able to meet for lunch...Tamera Alexander!  For those of you who don't know her, Tammy is the author of several historical Christian fiction novels, some of which have won awards for excellence.  I discovered her books in our church library several years ago and devoured them!  Over the years as she wrote more books, I would find a way to read them.  I haven't read one that hasn't been wonderful!  Not only do I read Tammy's books, but I also like to follow her blog and her facebook page.  Through those two things we've made connections through life experiences, recipes, faith, and more.  It's so neat to connect on a personal level with an author I admire.  Equally neat was the fact that when I asked her to meet up for lunch, she agreed!  She also suggested The Loveless...and it was just one more aspect of our weekend that was just right!  The food, the atmosphere, and the company were fabulous!

 On Saturday we were able to go to Opry Mills Mall (right by the famous Opryland Hotel) and meet up with my dear Berry College friend, Stacy, and her family!  Her husband is stationed on an Army base not far away in Kentucky, so they drove over and met us for lunch.  What a treat!  Stacy and I haven't seen each other in many years.  I was able to meet her husband and 4 beautiful children.  It felt like we picked up right where we left off...isn't it great when that happens!?

 And yes, that's Tamera and I again...but this time it's at the Belle Meade Plantation!  One of the reasons I picked this weekend to go to Nashville was because I knew Tammy was having a book signing for her new book, To Whisper Her Name, on that Saturday.  I actually won a copy of the book on Tammy's blog not too long ago and really wanted to get it signed!  Plus I wanted to meet the author ; ).  So Joe and I headed over to Belle Meade after lunch, got my book signed, said hello once again, and then took a tour of the house.  It was a lot of fun and the weather was gorgeous.  After the tour we had a great time walking around the grounds for a few minutes.

 There's Joe on the front steps as we're waiting for the tour to begin.

Here I am in front of this beautiful tree that had bright yellow leaves.  This stone fence lined the property and continued well past the current grounds of the house.  I loved the stone fence so I just had to get a picture with it : ).

So that, in a nutshell, was our whirwind trip to Nashville.  Part of the fun was just getting to spend time in the car talking and hanging out with my hubby.  It isn't often we just get time to sit and talk to each other without being interrupted or honestly too exhausted!  God was so good to provide this trip.  So many things worked together to make it all happen and I must take a moment to thank my parents, who not only let us borrow one of their vehicles because our was having trouble on our way to their house, but also got our vehicle fixed while we were gone.  Not to mention they took care of our three kiddos all weekend!  My uncle took the van for us and he and my mom cleaned it out for us!  How awesome is that?!  I mean, our van was rough...we still had sand in it from our beach trip!  And another big thank you to Tamera Alexander for taking time out of her busy weekend to meet up with us.  It was truly a joy and a blessing.