Springtime

I don't normally blog about the everyday things we do but I thought I might give it a shot today because we have been having a very busy spring.  Normally I work every other weekend but took some time off in March so we had some extra weekend time.  April has really been the first month, at my new job, that I have been working my complete schedule without taking off any........but I'm taking off a lot in May!  I realized today that we have really been getting out and about and enjoying our Spring weather here in Nashville so I thought I would recap some of those moments right now while I am sitting out on the deck, in the shade, waiting on some corn to grill, and watching Sadie and Jon take a nap.

                      This is my sister-in-law, Arika, she is about 7 mos. pregnant here and we kicked off our Spring by going to Hendersonville to attend and baby shower for her.  Let me tell you, she is one of the amazing pregnant women I know.  She had her first child almost 2 years ago while living in Switzerland!  This is her second child and she makes it all look so easy.  A couple of Jon's parents friends  had this baby shower for her.  The new baby, Alexa Sophia is due mid-May, I think on the 16....my birthday is on the 21st.  Cutting it close!!

Another weekend we focused on detailing our cars and I will not bore you with those details.......it is not one of my favorite or even likeable things to do.  But Jon, as always, being the awesome husband that he is found a way to lure me into helping him with this by providing refreshments!

                                                     Yay for Yazoo Dos Perros Ale

Another weekend we went for a long walk over the Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge off of Briley Pkwy, near where the old Opryland used to be and where the Opryland Hotel still is and this connects to Shelby Bottoms, one of Nashville's many greenways.  Urban "hiking" at it's best!  We got to walk over this really neato bridge I had been wanting to go over for quite some time.

                                     Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge from Briley

                                    The Cumberland Pedestrian Bridge, Nashville Tn

You would never guess that this was behind us:

Seriously I took a picture of the bridge and then turned around and took a picture of the interstate right behind us.  Eh, you can't have your cake and eat it too!  After you walk a quarter of a mile you don't even know the interstate is there anyways.  Yay for an urban oasis!   This was an  interesting  actually a boring walk really.  The bridge was neato but other than that, b-o-r-i-n-g.  The most interesting thing to happen on this walk was that we ran into my hair stylist and her posse and the only reason she recognized me, I think, was because she had just done my hair for me the day before and, she recognized my dog!  I don't think we will be doing this walk again, it was just what I said it was, boring.  Not to mention it's about 25 minutes from our house, we have numerous other locations within that same time-distance that are more secluded, more developed and just offer more in general.  Or we could swing for a 45 minute total drive and be at my favorite hiking destination, Old Stone Fort and visit a winery nearby at the same time!!  What's not to love!?
     Today we chose somewhere closer to home, about 10 minutes away, Radnor Lake.  The thing about Radnor Lake is that it's scenic, fairly quiet and still within the city limits.  Not to mention I kept my eyes peeled for homes for sale and lots for sale on the same street.  There were a few but I don't think the lots were really what we are looking for in the future and there was only one home for sale and it was just okay.  So onwards and upwards!  Radnor Lake is perfect if you don't have a lot of time to drive or walk.  It's very short.  Also note, if you haven't been here before that you cannot take dogs on the wooded trails, only on the paved road...........which is a huge drawback for us because I can't really justify going to walk somewhere and not taking Sadie, who goes for a nice walk in the woods and leaves their dog at home, assholes!    This is a good walk though because it's quick, within a very short driving distance and nearby everywhere we had to stop on the way home yet still giving us our "urban oasis", "out of town" feel.  Here are some things we saw:

                                        Radnor Lake, Nashville Tennessee

Me taking a picture of myself on the way there.  Jon has two cars, one of which is an old Miata.  I would tell you the year, but I don't know what it is .  I think the thing is a deathtrap and I don't care too much for riding in cars as small as it. I have known Jon almost 4 years, today was the 4th time in that many years that I have agreed to ride in this "deathtrap".  I was in the kitchen prepping lunch and dinners for the next couple of days because I have to work Monday and Tuesday and all of the sudden I thought, what the heck, Jon loves that little car, why not suck it up and surprise him by riding in it.  Seriously that's all he asks for, what's a few minutes in it?  I had to take several pictures to mark the occasion.

   4 or 5 Turtles on a fallen over tree

  Sweet Sadie von Hoscheit

              a dam, speaks for itself!

Sadie and Jon at the Visitor's Center

Sadie and Jon taking a nap once we got home.

                                                                  

Growing up is Hard- Part 2

Okay, so I just thought you might want to see a photo of the Duquesne Incline in Pittsburgh, PA that I rode up with Matt.  What part of, "you are riding this thing with a girl who is afraid of heights, this is your chance to hold her close, etc", did he not get?!  
   Before we went on our "date" that night; (can we even call it a date since he didn't seem that interested in me romantically).  I am going to make the decision to stick to calling it a date since we were alone, by ourselves (and it boosts my self-esteem!).  So before we went he came in and met my parents, blah blah blah.  But one funny thing while he was talking to my parents and they were asking about his "church school" etc he asked had I applied to the "church school" before deciding to go to Miami U.  I said, "no, no, I didn't."  My mother jumped up, went out of the room and came back with an acceptance letter in her hand from the "church school".  Crap!  Then my mother proclaimed, "see, yes, you applied, you even got accepted."  At this point I just mumbled something like, "well, it wasn't for me, time to go ride that incline (even if I am scared)."  Truth be told, and I didn't tell Matt this, if I had chosen to go to that school they would have kicked me out starting with orientation on day 1.  My parents had made me apply to the school since it was only 45 mins or so from their house but I knew I was not going there.
    So after our "date" riding the incline Matt did not kiss me or anything when we got back to my parents house and said goodnight.  But I did agree to drive up to his church school later in the week.........
     So Friday came around and we decided I would drive up to the school and see it, meet some of Matt's friends and then we were going shopping for a wedding present for one of his friends.  I got up to this school and let me just tell you, I was not in Kansas anymore; this was different.  The boys and the girls lived in separate dorms/apt style housing.  Matt lived with 3 other guys on campus in this apt like thing where you walked in the front door and there was the living room and behind that a small kitchen and behind that was a hallways leading to the bedrooms/bathrooms and YOU COULD NOT CROSS THE LINE PAST THE KITCHEN!!   I don't want to sound like a hussy, and I'm not but, seriously, where in the world had I landed!?  And, and, you had to keep the door of the living room that opened to a main hallway open and they were only allowed to "co-mingle" or whatever you want to call it on Friday and Saturday nights in each other's place of residences and this was all overseen by an RA type figure that actually was watching!!  I think you could hold hands on campus with your person of interest but kissing was definitely out of the question. Sidenote:  I bet the Duggars, of 19 kids and counting, would like this school.  Then again, the visitation might even be too much.  To me, the funniest part was shortly after I arrived at his place of residence and he offered to show me around and basically pointed to the living room we were standing in and the kitchen (this is where they kept the Kool-Aid..........hahaha, just kidding).  And immediately after he showed me he was kind of like, "well, that's it."  And asked me something like did  I have any questions or something like that and I kind of rudely said, "well, I don't think there's anything else to see here." 
   After the "Tour of Homes" :)  we went to buy Matt's wedding gift.  Then he had the bright idea to take me to meet his parents.  This also included an introduction to his grandmother who was found in a living room watching the Saturday night lineup on NPT.  I thought, well, certainly his parents will be cool and maybe I will see more eye to eye with them.  Nope.  His mother was a nurse and his father was a social worker/counselor/therapist type of man. He even had to leave in the middle of our powow to go and talk someone out of suicide.  This was the last time that I ever saw Matt.  After this night I was completely convinced that it just wasn't going to work out.  A couple of years later I brought his name up in conversation with my mother.  My mother said, "I knew it wouldn't work out between you two the minute I met him, he was nice, but way too boring for you."   Never have I ever laughed so hard.  What truth!!