Nashville 2011

June brought our much anticipated trip to Nashville.  We went with Jim, Crystal (Tori’s sister), & Jonathan because they had tickets to the CMA Fest & we were going to go down to watch Jonathan while they went to the concerts.  Nashville is BEAUTIFUL.  Brandon & I spent the whole trip thinking of a way for us to move down there.  We would probably do it if he had a good job set up.

Wednesday was spent traveling.  5 ½ hours in a car with a 2 year old & 2month old really wasn’t bad.  I’m so thankful my kids love their car seats, they should because they’re always in it since we’re on the go a lot.  You throw in a Minnie movie or two & we’re set for hours.

Thursday we went downtown to Nashville to sight-see & check out the CMA Fest activities.  It had to be well over 100 degrees out there, but we made do.  I got so aggravated by this mean lady explaining to me that I needed to take Jameson inside, pretty much telling me how I’m not a good mother.  That RUINED my day.  What gives people the right to tell you how to be a parent.  Jameson was in fact the  only one very comfortable since he stayed cool & in the shade.  I can usually deal with the usual old ladies thinking they know it all, but this lady was by far the worst I’ve ever encountered.  But the day went on.  We stopped for some ice cream then made our way to Shoney’s for lunch & back to the hotel for a nap.

That afternoon we went to the Grand Ole Opry for a tour.  That was great seeing such a historical place, & seeing how they restored it after the devastating flood last year.  Brandon & I are definitely going to go back when we have a weekend off & see a show.  It’s not nearly as big as you think it is, so it seems quite intimate.  We saw all around backstage & stood on the stage where all the big stars stand.  Very, very cool!

Friday, the Bevins family decided to create their own tour of Johnny Cash.  So I researched a little about him & found some addresses for his house, etc.  Of course the GPS & mapquest had not made some changes due to construction, so those are the moments we wished we would have had an educated tour guide. haha!  So after a few circles, we got to where we were going.  We saw where his house was (his actual house caught on fire in 2007, but you can see where it was & the area & such).  That was cool.  Next we found Johnny & June’s grave.  Now let me tell ya, I had the address to the cemetery, but I didn’t have specific directions to the grave.  It was just a regular ole cemetery with no signs directing you to his, so finding a tombstone felt like finding a needle out of a haystack.  We looked pretty crazy, but we finally found it (there was more people there than us so we didn’t look too creepy, haha).  Livi has a fond reminder of Dear Mr. Cash, a nice boo-boo on her leg where she fell on his grave. haha!  Oh my!!  So after paying our respect, we went to find his work office up the road (which had been turned into something else, but still showed the building).  So anyway, it was very adventurous & fun to find it all on our own, no matter how many people in Hendersonville now thinks we’re creepers in the neighborhood.

That afternoon we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.  That was great.  It was a downer for me that they had so much from the older people (people I had never heard of since I’m more of a recent country fan), but that was Brandon’s dream.  I didn’t think we were ever going to get him out of there, there was just so much to see.  Finally we made it to the more modern stuff which I loved.

We came back to the hotel to get ready.  Crystal & Jim gave us their tickets to the concert tonight & bravely volunteered to watch our 2 wild kiddos.  We saw Chris Young, Josh Turner who brought out Scotty McCreary (MY FAV), Little Big Town, Clint Black, Thompson Squared, Trace Adkins, Big & Rich, Martina McBride who brought our Lauren Alaina, & Rascal Flatts (& probably a few more that I can’t even remember).  Brandon were just so thrilled to see Scotty (since we spent many nights watching him on tv lately) we could have left happy after him.

Sunday we started out with the plan to shop, but we forgot the malls open later on Sunday.  So we took the kids to a park to let them run out some of that energy they had been storing for days.  We ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, then headed back to the hotel for a nap & to pack up.  We were dragging from all the fun we had been having, so we needed a good night in just to rewind before the long ride home.

And now we’re home, back to the real world.  What a wake-up call.  Usually by the 3^rd or 4^th day, I’m the one getting homesick, but I probably could have stayed a few more days, I loved it that much.  And yes, I came home with my dear ole’ hubby, Brandon.. not my loverboy, Brad (Paisley).  Maybe next time.  :)