Nashville!

I have vague memories of visiting the Grand Ole Opry on one of our family road trips many years back, but it was a quick stop as we drove right on through Tennessee.  So I'm counting this weekend as my first official Nashville experience!  ❤

It's the current hometown of one of my favorite authors and podcasters, Miss Annie F. Downs!  She grew up in Georgia then moved to Nashville in her early 20s, so Nashville is to her what Tulsa is to me.  As a fellow Christian single woman in my 40s, I am incredibly grateful for Annie's example of living a rich, purposeful, and joyful life that inspires hope and courage rather than pity!!  After years of listening to her podcasts and audiobooks, she feels like a real-life friend and mentor, so I'm thankful to have a picture with her! ❤

Mandy and I were seated at a table with Molly (in the headband) and her mom, Becky.  Ladybird Taco is a place I've heard about on That Sounds Fun and The Big Boo Podcast for a while now, so I was happy to finally get to try it out!  (And the taco bar dinner made me think of my Tulsa going-away party!)

A pic with Mandy and Annie!

This was a dinner for 65 (max capacity for that restaurant), and she came around to every table to talk to each person, sign their books, and take photos... really nice!!

This was my introduction to Annie, the book I read at the hospital while Mom was having back surgery in 2016.  Annie said she was "honored to have been there with me," and that the book looked very well-loved. lol ❤

I re-read my 2016 highlights on the flight to Nashville:  "I didn't walk away from the pain or give up on life.  I walked all the way through it, holding the hands of many trusted friends and my counselor, and here I am on the other side.  My counselor was right; my capacity to see beauty has increased in a  much bigger measure than the pain I felt.  My ability to feel the depths of something good was strengthened by my choice to feel the depths of pain." ❤

After the brisket taco dinner with Annie, we saw a private early screening of White Bird, an excellent movie about a Jewish girl who was taken in and protected by a family in a Nazi-occupied French village -- a great story that highlights the power of intentional kindness.

Day 2 started off with a tour of the Grand Ole Opry!

We also saw the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium, and Garth's Friends in Low Places bar - love him!!

A T-Swift exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame - yes, please. lol

We had a quick lunch at Martin's BBQ then went back to our hotel to shower and get ready for the night... we stayed at The Westin Nashville, which was really nice!

My dinner meal at NashHouse, before and after I ate. lol  I felt bad sending so much back, but it is what it is.  The hashbrown casserole, mashed sweet potatoes, fresh fruit, and a biscuit with peach jam - yum!

The 10-Year Anniversary show at the Ryman was everything I wanted it to be... a short and powerful message from Annie, an acapella song by Lady A and intro music by CAIN, a celebration/tribute video with clips from John Eldredge and Beth Moore and Christine Caine, and most importantly, lots of fun banter and random conversations between Annie and Eddie, who got more stage time than any other guest, exactly as it should be - I adore him and their friendship!!!  This pic = Eddie Kaufholz, Annie F. Downs, Amy Grant (a surprise guest), Jamie and Knox (another podcast pair that I haven't really listened to much).  FUN!

After the show, Mandy and I walked through the 5th and Broadway area - an adorable little shopping center and food hall that reminded me of the Linq Promenade in Vegas.  I would spend lots more time there if I make it back to Nashville someday!  Jeni's Ice Creams is another place I'd heard a lot about and was happy to try... they had a special where you get a mini-scoop of 3 different flavors, which was perfect!  (Gooey butter cake, double dough, and Texas sheet cake).

And yesterday, we flew back home!  Mandy's flight left 2.5 hours before mine, so I got to hang out in the Nashville airport for a while... shopping around, people watching, and making the slideshow I'm posting below - for Love Actually reasons, I just love the atmosphere of airports and could have easily spent more time there.  And I'm happy about my new Nashville t-shirt - yay!

This was the verse Annie read, talking about God temporarily sending His people to a new city (with plans to eventually restore them), encouraging them to grow and increase and hold on to hope, and especially to pray for the peace, welfare, and prosperity of their new city (because their own peace, welfare, and prosperity was tied to it).  It felt like a timely and important message for me, so I wanted to document that here too:

"This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles... “Build houses and live in them.  Plant gardens and eat their produce.  Find wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters.  Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters.  Multiply there; do not decrease.  Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to.  Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive... For this is what the Lord says: “When seventy years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place.  For I know the plans I have for you” - this is the Lord’s declaration - “plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you” - this is the Lord’s declaration - “and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you” - this is the Lord’s declaration.  “I will restore you to the place from which I deported you.”

~Jeremiah 29:4-14

Without further ado, here's my Nashville trip slideshow!  ❤

Happy Tuesday, friends!!  Wish me luck as I FINISH STRONG in my final week at Restore, Oak Haven, and summer classes!!

❤❤❤