My newest obsession/work distraction:

http://www.designspongeonline.com/

I particularly like the city guides and before & after sections.

Enjoy!

Music City, USA

There's a reason Nashville is called Music City. It is the home of the Ryman, Grand Ole Opry, Music Row, Country Music Hall of Fame, numerous recording studios, and countless dives where singers and songwriters can be seen any day of the week, any time of the day trying to get discovered.

There's no reason for me not to take advantage of all of these things.

Keith and I are no strangers to the Ryman. We've seen David Gray, Ryan Adams, and Zac Brown and have gone to the annual Bluegrass Night. In April we're seeing Vince Gill & friends and I really, really want to see David Gray there again in April too. (It's sold out. Does anyone have a couple of extra tickets for me? :))

Keith and me at Ryan Adams circa 2006

I must admit that I'd never visited any of the other venues or really had any desire to... until now. At the beginning of the month, the Country Music Hall of Fame opened its doors to the public for free. Although I didn't know who Brenda Lee was or really care about all of the old guitars on display (Keith loved them), there were a couple of cool things- like a massive dress worn by Carrie Underwood and a gold piano owned by Elvis. The best part though was an hour long songwriter session. Two local, successful songwriters answered questions and played their songs for the crowd. It was amazing! Check out Dave Berg's wikipedia bio here... pretty impressive!

Elvis' gold piano

Gold & Platinum Records

The previous owner of my china cabinet (see this post)

has a plaque on the wall!

Songwriters Dave & Georgia

I'm dying to go to the Grand Ole Opry. Kellie Pickler and Jewel will both be performing at the end of the month and Carrie Underwood is a frequent guest. The Bluebird Cafe is another place on my list. I recently heard through the celebrity gossip grapevine that Gwyneth Paltrow was spotted at the Loveless Cafe for Music City Roots.

Nashville has more to offer than country music. For example, Howie Day is playing at 3rd and Lindsley on Sunday (we've had tickets for a couple of months) and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center has some great shows throughout the year. Keith and I have already checked out the 2011 season calendar and marked some dates! One of the most fun music events though (in my opinion at least) is Frist Friday. One Friday a month in the summer the Frist Museum downtown hosts a concert on the lawn where you can expect everything from the blues to...

Super T!

Happy Valentine's Day

I spent my Valentine's weekend with these sweet girls...
(the dog on the left is Allie, Aimee's foster dog) and this pretty amazing guy... (blurry, before dinner pic)
Keith and I had a Valentine's dinner date Saturday night...and a themed breakfast Sunday... (yes, this was my idea)Darcy and Allie were included of course...We hope everyone spent the weekend with those they love most!

Introducing Taylor & Clopay

In the past couple of weeks we have acquired 2 new additions.

Meet Taylor (the guitar)...and Clopay (the garage door)...

For reference, this was our original garage door...

We are planning on Taylor and Clopay being around for a long time.

Pardon Our Progress

Owning our first home is a joy, but it's also a lot of work. Since closing in July 2008, we have:

• Painted every surface with Kilz to eliminate the smoky odor
• Cleaned the carpet to eliminate the smoky odor
• Cleaned the air ducts to eliminate the smoky odor
• Painted the ceilings and walls in the entire house
• Painted the cabinets in the kitchen
• Repaired termite damage
• Installed a new HVAC system and put stone around the outside unit
• Dealt with plumbing issues
• Killed the brown recluse spiders with monthly visits by the pest control guy
• Removed the massive, dying willow tree
• Begun landscaping
• Customized the closet in the master bedroom
• Caulked the gutters
• Rewired the flood lights

and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

Our latest project is painting the trim. Currently, our baseboards, crown molding, chair rail, windows, and doors are beige- dull, bland, and peeling beige. Soon (hopefully) the boring beige will be transformed to "silky white" (that's the name of the color- not my cheesy description). It will be crisp, clean, and highlight the wall color. Is it sad that I'm super excited about this?

Before...

See the difference!Darcy and Oscar were a big help.Finished dining room! Whew! Only 3/4 of the house to go!

January

In January...
It snowed... twice! (see previous post for pictures)

Maloree and Ryan came to visit. We went to a Predators hockey game and celebrated Holly's birthday.
We took advantage of the "warm" 50 degree weather and went for a 5 mile hike. 4 people and 3 dogs- I'm sure we were a sight to see!
We talked about and actually started some house projects. (details coming soon)

We celebrated Mardi Gras with a New Orleans style dinner and a King Cake from Paul's Pastry Shop in Picayune, Ms.
Nick found the baby- good luck and host of the next party!AND...
Abbey and Travis got engaged! Best wishes to them!

SNOW!

It has snowed twice in January! The first time it snowed for 2 days straight, but there was little to no accumulation. This weekend, though, we've had at least 3-4 inches. Keith and I have ventured out in the cold on several occasions to enjoy it while it lasts!

First Snow:

Second Snow: