Nashville, Day 3

We'd decided to ride bikes to 12South. We'd heard of Nashville B-cycle and one location was just a block up from where we stayed. The 2.3 mile ride to 12South seemed doable at the time.

Nashville had been hotter than we expected. While I take at least two cycle classes a week at the gym, I haven't ridden a "real" bike in roughly 15 years. Let's just say, it didn't come right back to me. These bikes were heavy and clunky. I'd forgotten how to use gears and that you can't change them while climbing a hill. I hadn't realized how hilly Nashville is. Let's just say that I wasn't good at staying in the bike lane. It's a wonder I'm still alive. I also couldn't figure out the gears or handle the hills, so there was lots of stopping. Then we got a little lost and accidentally rode in a circle. By the time we made it to the upscale 12South part of town, we were soaked with sweat. At the first opportunity we had, we ditched those wretched bikes.

From there we soaked up the air conditioning in several upscale clothing shops, where we couldn't afford a thing. I was excited to be able to check out Reese Witherspoon's store, Draper James. It was as cute as can be. When I walked in they offered me some sweet tea. It was a nice touch. The store had a cheerful, light feeling to it. Wish I'd have been able to afford their super cute clothes.

I'd heard rave reviews of Las Paletas, so we walked through town to their little store on the edge of 12 South. The employees recommended we try the mango flavor. After the hot bike ride, the popsicle hit the spot. We sat on the front porch and enjoyed our treat.

We then checked out more shops we couldn't afford to buy anything at. Next, we went for lunch at 12 South Taproom and Grill. I ordered tilapia tacos and they were boring and bland.

There, we learned about flugtag.

There was a cute little shop, named Serendipity, we checked out that sold locally made bath products. I got Drift Away Bath Tea by Ma' Bella. I also got a Black Bar by NASH and JONES. It's an "activated charcoal deep cleanse bar." It's supposed to be "for all skill types, face/body to draw out impurities."

My friend had heard good things about Five Daughter's Bakery. That was my first experience trying a cronut. I loved the croissant layers with the sweetness of a donut.

Then because we loved our first visit at Jeni's Ice Cream, we visited it again.

Sweet Cream and Poached Pear Riesling Sorbet. Those flavors were light and sweet. Wish there was a Jeni's in Kansas.

We discovered a very charming little flower truck, Amelia's Flower Truck.

They had some super cute murals too!

We walked around a neighborhood in 12South and saw super cute houses. Since we learned our lesson with bike riding, we Ubered back to downtown.

That night, we checked out Printer's Alley. It's off the beaten path though much of the area is under construction. We enjoyed Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar. What great blues bands!
It was nice to get away from the crowds on Broadway.

We ventured back to Broadway since it was Sunday night and the crowds had subsided. While we would've gone back to our beloved, The George Jones, they weren't featuring bands. While walking down Broadway, I heard the voice of the same lead singer that we head the night before at the George Jones. Literally the odds of that are so small! We popped in and listened to the rest of his set at Tin Roof.

We walked to AJ's Good Time Bar and were drawn in by the great music. Where else can you see a bass made out of a Chevy Astro van gas tank?! There was room to dance which was fun!

Another fun day in Nashville!

Nashville, Day 2

Our second day in Nashville wasn't as packed since we were in town for K-State's football game against Vanderbilt. We started off eating the donuts we purchased at the Nashville Farmers' Market; so good.

Next, we headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Since roughly 25,000 K-State fans were in town and the fact that Nashville is always busy, the Hall of Fame was PACKED to say the least. One could literally spend hours there. I LOVED looking at the colorful costumes. The museum appealed to my senses via the video clips, music, interactive aspects, and colors.

Of course, I like to add a few "artistic" photos in the mix. I definitely wish the museum had been less crowded, but it was still cool.

I was hungry afterward. We went to a nearby Jack Daniels, but left due to sitting at the table waiting for a server in a tiny, uncrowded restaurant for too long. We went back to "our" neighborhood and ate at Oscar's Tacos, which was across the street from where we stayed.

My friend got tacos and I got the surf & turf nachos. They were HUGE and delicious! We ate at a table outside and my beautiful nachos stopped many a passerby who stopped and went into Oscar's.

We made the poor decision to walk 1+ miles in the Tennessee heat to the game. We'd planned to just pop into bars and shops along the way, but unfortunately, there were none along the way, other than a strip joint that we weren't interested it. The area we walked in didn't look too safe, reminded me of Detroit. Finally, we can along an upscale looking wine shop. We were so hot and sweaty. We went in and stood in front of the open cooler to cool off. We also put our soon-to-be-purchased beverages on the back of our necks too. The good news is that we survived the walk. The bad news is that the Vanderbilt refs and fans were awful. The game was up and down and in the end we lost, while fighting both Vanderbilt and ourselves. :( Photos from our walk:

We got an Uber back where I heated up and finished my nachos.

Since Broadway the main drag was still so crowded, we went back to our beloved, The George Jones. Another terrific band was playing. We so enjoyed that venue and the top-notch bands they brought in.

While our team didn't come away with the win, we still had another great day in Nashville.

Nashville, Day 1

I had wanted to visit Nashville for quite sometime, but never had the opportunity. My alma mater, Kansas State University scheduled an away football game in Nashville playing Vanderbilt, this fall. I tried to convince my friends and coworkers to go, but that was a bust. They're all married or in relationships, so they weren't up for a girl's trip. So, I thought through who might be a good travel partner and I thought of a former MBA classmate who always seemed fun and liked to travel. Thankfully, she was up for an adventure!

Day 1
I was SO excited for this trip. It was my first real vacation in just over two years! We both arrived at the airport around the same time. From there we took an Uber to our Airbnb apartment. I picked out a place with a terrific location near the area we planned to spend most of our time; Printer's Alley and Broadway. The apartment was perfect and the mini kitchen came in handy. I would definitely stay here again!

Our next stop was to Acme Feed & Seed for a late lunch. In preparation for the trip, Acme's name kept coming up as a good place to eat. I've heard that Nashville is always busy, but with roughly 25,000 fans from K-State in town, Broadway Street was packed to the brim along with all the bars/restaurants around. We waited in line at Acme to place our order and then waited even longer for our food to be delivered. I think it took about 30+ minutes to get our food. I was hungry and ready to try their BBQ sandwich and sweet potato fries. The bread was soggy and the fries were so salty that they were inedible. Finding a table once we got our food was next to impossible. The views from the rooftop of the river were nice, but the roof was packed to say the least. I definitely wouldn't eat there again.

After checking out some nearby shops in hopes of adding to my bracelet collection, I realized everything I liked was far outside of my budget.

From there we headed to the Nashville Farmers' Market that I'd read rave reviews on. It was less than a mile to get there. It was in what looked like a park. There, I bought a basil lemonade with whiskey. So refreshing. We also tried the best mini donuts and bought some for breakfast. After reading terrific reviews on it, we tried Jeni's Ice Cream.

Literally, the best ice cream I've ever had. They had fun, unique flavors. I loved the brown butter almond brittle and peanut butter with chocolate flecks. So good and smooth. It was such a fun, unique experience.

Next door to the Farmer's Market we saw some kind of festival. We walked by to see how much tickets were; maybe we'd go. Um, no! It was actually The Wine + Food Festival. Tickets for the whole weekend were $525; more than the cost of my flight. Apparently, famous chefs were there and up and coming chefs.

From there, we walked back to our neighborhood and ate at the Frothy Monkey. I'd seen that in my pre-trip research. All the restaurants had super heavy menu items; I know it is the south, but... The Frothy Monkey was a quaint, low-key spot. We split a delicious Gail salad and Royale sandwich. Each ingredient served a specific, well-thought out purpose. I already miss this place!

Then, we hit Broadway for music. We spent some time jamming out at Second Fiddle. The quality of music and bands in Nashville is off the charts! Next, we headed just off Broadway to get away from the crowds. We ended up at The George Jones, which is on 2nd Avenue. We loved this place, there was a terrific band and a refreshing breeze coming in from the river. They had a roomy dance floor too!

What a beautiful first day in Nashville!

That Time I Worked a Gig I Found on Craigslist

I always check the gigs section of Craigslist, looking for a safe, quick, legal way to earn some cash. In April, I responded to an ad for someone to read script with people auditioning for roles in a movie that would be shot in Manhattan, KS. I was a little skeptical. I looked up the L.A. based producer and he seemed legit. We talked on the phone and I found that castings would be at a reputable arts center.

The producer wouldn't be at the casting, but the director would. I arrived early as requested and no one was there. Even past the start time the director wasn't there. Meanwhile teenagers with their parents and young adults were all waiting. After calling the producer, the director arrived and we rushed to get everything set up to start.

I checked everyone in and read all the character's lines with those auditioning. Let's just say that reading lines is not as easy as one would think. ;)

The director was a super cool guy in his mid-20s who is from Manhattan, KS, but lives in L.A. He reminded me of my younger cousin.

It was fun seeing everyone's take on the characters they read for and guessing if the director would like them or not.

It was a fun experience getting to make some money and have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

So, my advice would be: 1) do your research to make sure the gig is legit and 2) ultimately, you should go with your gut, while making sure you feel safe.

Danca Molenga

I LOVE watching dance shows! While catching up on So You Think You Can Dance, I saw this super fun salsa routine by Kiki and Koine. What I enjoyed most was the vibrant wardrobe, cheeky dance, and the upbeat song, Danca Molenga. The song has a fun island flair to it. It was my favorite dance of the show. Enjoy!

Movie #2: Me Before You

I've seen Sam Claflin previously in the Hunger Games series and liked his character. I wasn't sure quite what to expect with this movie. I knew already what the ending would be, but was still interested to see how it all came together.

I found Emilia Clarke's character, Louisa to be fun and bright. Her family is barely making ends meet, but she meets each day with a bright smile. She's had a series of jobs and is again looking for another job. Finally a job pops up at a nearby castle as a caretaker for someone with a disability.

Louisa goes for an interview. On the way her skirt tears a little and is a but scandalously short. She tried to hid the tear and interviews with a lady in her 60s. She's hired. Next, Louisa meets the person she would be helping, named Will. She's surprised to find that he's young and her age.

She finds out that he was at him prime when hit by a motorcycle as he walked to work. He lost use of his limbs, his job, his friends, and his girlfriend. With the accident he also lost his spark, hope, independence, and will to live. He used to hike, swim, travel, ski, and everything in between.

He's definitely not warming up to Louisa. He's often quiet and brooding. He has a doctor who comes to check on him.

Louisa wears the most outlandish, eclectic clothes. She has a boyfriend, that always seems to be training for some kind of physical competition.

Through time and her spunky personality, Will starts warming up to her. They talk and share their lives.

Louisa overhears that Will has looked into going to Switzerland where assisted suicide is legal. His parents asked him for 6 months before he goes through with it. Louisa wants to quit, but her dad loses his job.

She decides to try to change Will's mind. She talks him into going to a classical concert with her, even though that's never been her style of music. They dress up and she really enjoys it.

She invites Will to her birthday dinner with her family and boyfriend in their modest home. He surprises her and comes. Will ends up giving her her favorite
gift from something they talked about that she loved from her childhood. She's ecstatic. Meanwhile, her boyfriend gives her a necklace with his name on it.

The boyfriend invites her on a trip, but later is comes out that he wants to go to run a race there and his friends are coming with.

Louisa's dad gets a job in maintenance at the castle.

She and her boyfriend break up.

Will talks with Louisa about how he misses Paris. She says they should go. He says no, he wants to go as the "old Will," when he could walk. Finally she talks him into a beach vacation. His doctor comes too. Will stays on the boat as he talked Louisa into going scuba diving. He gets to see her experience new things. They fall in love. They talk about his plans to end his life and he still plans to go through with it. Will wants Louisa to go to Switzerland and he there with him when he ends his life. Louisa is shocked and she's done. She's heartbroken. She quits.

Will and family leave for Switzerland. Louisa decides to go. She races off to Switzerland. She's there with will and his family as he passes away.

Will left Louisa money to go pursue her passion of fashion in Paris. So there she is thinking of him and living her life. She's experiencing things that she never could've afforded to do. His love changed her life in so many ways. I think we're all looking for a life like that. <3

Letters for Emily by Camron Wright

This year, I've read two other Camron Wright book, the Rent Collector and the Orphan Keeper. I loved one and was on the fence about the other, so I decided to read his other book, Letters for Emily.

It is about a family; a separated couple (Laura and Bob) and their young daughter (Emily), and his aging dad (Harry).

The son and aging dad have a strained relationship. The daughter-in-law and granddaughter visit the aging grandfather often. He's slowly losing his mind, has constant care, and has a mental illness.

Suddenly, Harry passes away. Soon in going through Harry's things, they find books of riddles. They are homemade books made with great craftsmanship. Soon they find that the riddle's answers open up files on Harry's computer. The stories all tell more about Harry's life. His wife died when their kids were growing up. Harry wasn't a loving father. Through his letter's his kids learn of his love story with their mother.

Meanwhile, as Bob and Laura are separated, he moves across the country to work in pharmaceutical sales in San Diego. The distance doesn't help his relationship with Laura. The book of riddles and the game of it all helps bring them together.

Bob is starting to see a lady that works at one of the doctor's offices that he visits. Laura busies herself taking care of Emily and with the riddles.

They find out that Harry left his house to Emily. Bob's sister, Michelle and her husband are sent the book of riddles. Her husband is convinced it leads to lots of money.

Through the book and files, they learn that Bob and Michelle's mom was coming to reconcile with her husband when she died in a car accident.

Bob, Laura, Michelle, and her husband meet up to search the house and solve more riddles to read more files. They find a safe, but it's empty.

Through the stories, Laura decides to drive across the country to try to renew her relationship with Bob. Bob realizes that he may lose Laura, so he calls her, but can't get a hold of her. He thinks of what happened to his mom and fears for Laura. He realizes she must of driven to see him despite winter storms along the way. Is it too late for them? Meanwhile, after a long journey, Laura's car breaks down not far from Bob's apartment. He decides to go out to find Laura and Emily and there they are! They walked to his place. Somehow everything they've been through brings them together. They're a family again and have a second chance, which is more than Bob's father could ever have asked for.

What was interesting about this story was that it was based off the story of the author, Camron Wright's grandfather, who like Harry had mental issues.

I was hoping I'd love this book, but I was kind of on the fence about it.

My Trip to Detroit

Three weeks ago, I headed to Detroit for a work conference. Of all places, I was hoping the conference would be in a cooler location.

It was my first time in Michigan.

The conference was at Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

It was 20+ miles from the airport to where we stayed in downtown Detroit. The drive was similar to a drive in any huge city, like Kansas City.

Outside the hotel was the Detroit RiverFront. It was beautiful. Right across the water was actually Canada. We enjoyed walking out there.

Once arriving and settling into our rooms, my coworker and I were starving. We finally settled on Jon Muer Seafood which was in the same building as the Renaissance Center. We sat outside to enjoy the view of the RiverFront. This upscale place had great food and I'd definitely go there again.

We visited Granite City and had a decent happy hour. They were also located in the Renaissance Center.

Our conference also had an outing to Comerica Stadium to the Detroit vs. KC baseball game.

And the Royal's, my team won!!!

Our last afternoon in Detroit, we checked out Belle Isle. It was so cool and from what we heard, the size of Central Park.

We also happened upon Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. The grounds were beautiful.

No trip to Detroit is complete without driving on 8 mile.

In all, I felt pretty safe in Detroit. I'd definitely go again and next time would bring my passport, so I can go to Canada. :)

My Adventures with Casper and Archie

I'm a dog person who took on cat and house sitting. I watched two feisty felines named, Casper and Archie.

Day 1

I forgot to put Archie's collar on when she went outside. So, I had to chase her around the yard, calling her name, and trying to put it on her. I'm sure it was a sight to behold.

That same night, I couldn't get her to come in. So, I'm walking around outside with my phone's flash light calling her name. About 12:30 am I spotted her, but she wouldn't come, like I was told she would. So, I went to get her by her collar and she hissed at me. At that point, I just left her outside, with access to the screened-in porch. The other cat, Casper was miserable without Archie. Then at 3:30am he started meowing outside my bedroom door. He was chunky so, food made him happier.

Day 2

Casper again woke me up at the crack of dawn with his incessant meowing. I tried to ignore him and get more sleep.

The cats were allowed to have their collars off in the house, but put back on before they went outside. Well, it looked like they kept losing their collars outside until I realized that with their fluffy fur they already had collars on and were now sporting two collars. Face to palm.

Both cats are gone at bed time, so there I am with my flashlight in the dark calling their names.

Day 3

More of Casper's early rising/meowing, but this time I got ear plugs and they helped. ;)

I forgot that I left the garage door with an attached kitty door open, so another long night of calling Archie and walking around in my PJs with my phone's flash light. Finally around 11pm, I saw glowing eyes. I hoped it was Archie, but had flashbacks to that Visine commercial where the lady accidentally calls in a raccoon thinking it's her cat. Thankfully, it was Archie.



Day 4

Did I mention the morning meowing?

It'd been in the upper 90s and 100s temperature-wise. I came home to poop in the hot screened-in porch...YUCK!

Day 5

M.E.O.W.I.N.G thank God for ear plugs.

In the end, I learned to co-exist with cats and I'm still a dog person. :)

Recipe #36: Gordon Ramsey's Scrambled Eggs

Transparently, I've never made scrambled eggs correctly, even though that's my favorite way to eat eggs. I found that out while watching Gordon Ramsey make scrambled eggs on MasterChef.

Here's what he did:
1) Put three tabs of butter into a saucepan. Yes, a saucepan.
2) Crack eggs into saucepan
3) Alternate stirring the eggs on and off heat from 30 seconds for three minutes
4) After the three minutes, salt and pepper the eggs
5) Plate the eggs and add a teaspoon of creme fraiche

I followed his instructions minus the creme fraiche which I didn't have. Wow, were they terrific! Fluffy and light!