When Bloggers and Nashville Collide

When I think of the south the first thing that comes to mind is “southern hospitality”, so what better place to have a fun girls get away than in the heart of the south? A few months back Andrea approached a group of bloggers about a meet up. Well I didn’t have to think long (or at all) about what my answer was. YES!

Here’s the thing about blogging, a lot of people have no idea just what it’s about and it can be different for everyone. I started blogging to fill what I knew would be a huge void once Katie left for college and I no longer had kids at home. What I wasn’t expecting was the unexpected blessing of some truly wonderful friendships.

I hope you followed along last week on Instagram and watched the shenanigans that ensued when you put 6 {kinda sorta} middle-aged women in a house and a town full of fun things to do. Let me just tell you that we had a ball. I hope you’re sitting, because I’ve got a story to tell and a lot of pictures to show. (P.S. If you missed it last week, you can still watch it on my highlights here)

Andrea took the lead on this and found us a beautiful Airbnb to rent that was really close to a lot of places to eat and places to shop, two things bloggers love to do. HA!

Monday we met up at a cute little place called Blue Sky Cafe and got a bite to eat while we waited on Kellyann’s flight to get in. This was the first time ANY of the 5 of us had met in person. Let me just say, anybody watching us, would have never guessed. We picked up and started talking like we were long lost friends.

Once all our people were here, we settled into the house, chatted for a bit and headed out to Taco Mamacita for dinner. We were so lucky it was just around the corner and we were able to just stroll on down to dinner.

Tuesday morning we got up and it was raining so we had to revamp our plans. We got our coffee and headed for the Green Hills Mall. Can you think of a better place to hide out from the rain? We started out by grabbing a bite at Panera before getting down to the nitty gritty of shopping.

Once the rain passed we were able to head over to 12 South. There are quite a few murals there and being the self-respecting bloggers we are, we were trying to hit as many as we possibly could. We got so lucky and ran into two college aged girls who were so kind as to snap all these pictures for us.

Some of y’all may not know that Reese Witherspoon is not only a great actress, but she also owns her own clothing brand and has a darling store on 12 South called Draper James.

As soon as you walk through the door you are greeted and offered sweet tea. How southern is that?! Remember that hospitality I was referring to earlier? Yeah, this is a prime example and now that I’m thinking about it, those sweet girls who took our pictures were showing some of that same hospitality.

Naturally all that shopping and laughing had made us hungry, so we popped in The Frothy Monkey for a little afternoon pick me up. Shelly and I shared this delicious cheese tray. #highlyrecommend

Tuesday night we had tickets for the Grand Ole Opry and it did not disappoint. We had the best time watching numerous acts perform. The headliner for the night was Rascal Flatts and they were great. One of the other acts was The Sisterhood Band and one of the two girls was Rod Stewart’s daughter.

Can you imagine our excitement when our picture flashed up on the jumbo screen during intermission? We sounded like 6 little girls squealing with delight.

Wednesday we got up and were already starting to lament that this would be our last full day together. We clearly needed more time. I have to tell that the entire time we were there, we all got along beautifully and spent equal time talking and getting to know each other. There were no favorites or pairing off, we were just this wonderful cohesive group.

We went to Biscuit Love for breakfast and everyone’s food was delicious. I was trying to be good and pace myself so I got “whipped” yogurt with a little granola and blueberry compote on it. It was so good and I felt really good about myself until we asked how they whipped it and were told they add a little heavy cream. Well no wonder it tasted good and my bubble was burst. I guess it wasn’t so healthy after all. LOL

I would also recommend trying the Bonuts. Not only are they fun to say, but these little balls of goodness  are a cross between a donut hole and a biscuit. Two yummy things rolled into one.

More mural time and a look at behind the scenes. There was no shame in our game while we were there. I told these girls they made me brave and I meant it. It’s so much easier to do these kinds of things when you are with a tribe and not solo.

Shelly had heard about the rooftop bar on top of the L.A. Jackson Hotel. Talk about a view, it was a gorgeous afternoon and we enjoyed some appetizers (and of course some of the girls got some fun drinks) and sitting, more chatting and taking in the gorgeous scenery.

We went to the cutest pumpkin patch and if you come back next Wednesday, you’ll get to see a little more of that. Sweet Andrea who literally thinks of everything and is a master gift giver, gave us all the cutest matching tees.

Shelly and I are both October birthday girls and our friends made sure to celebrate us. We went to Bar Taco back on 12 South again. There are two things Nashville has plenty of, taco and BBQ joints. We had the cutest little waitress and she brought us a yummy little Key Lime Pie in a Mason jar at the end of our dinner.

Our next stop was heading downtown to Broadway to see a few more sights and some of the “honky tonks”, but not before they dawned us with birthday sashes and tiaras. We got a lot of looks and birthday wishes from passers by with an occasional inquiry as to if we were a bridal party. Ummmm, no, but thanks for thinking we’re young enough to be going down that road. HA!

Shelly and Kellyann and I were the last to leave, but not before hitting up Hattie B’s for some Nashville Hot Chicken.

These 4 days were just what these 6 girls needed. Each of these ladies has so many strengths and such giving hearts. We all knew each other through our blogs before getting there, but we left with this bond and 5 new friends to love and support. We are talking daily using the Marco Polo app and you’d never know we are spread all over the country. There are days I think about throwing in the towel on the blogging when I don’t have time or inspiration, but the relationships that have come out of this space are what keep me going.

Hop over and introduce yourself to these women and tell them Lisa sent you. You won’t be sorry.

Andrea from Living On Cloud Nine
Shelly from The Queen In Between
Laura from The Horton Family
Kellyann from This Blonde’s Shopping Bag
Chrissy from Granola and Grace

This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip. For the story behind it, click here.

I’m also linking up with The Blended Blog today because they are sharing one of my favorite things…J.E.A.N.S

Since I wear jeans pretty much everyday I have amassed quite the collection. Here are some of my favorites if you are looking for a good pair of jeans.