'Weekend' in Nashville

Last week (Yea, I'm behind...don't act like you're shocked...) I took a short trip to Nashville, TN.  It was in the middle of the week (Tues & Wed) which REALLY screwed us up for the rest of the week.  I kept saying, 'last weekend' or 'last week'.  Sigh.

I've told ya'll about our Summer concert tour this year & this was the 4th stop!  This trip was to see 'The Package Tour' which consisted of Boyz II Men, 98degrees & New Kids on the Block.  Swoon.  

Now, you may know some people who went to see this tour when it was in Louisville MONDAY night.  WELL...Shauna & I decided to go when they FIRST announced tour dates.  Cincinnati was closest but they sold out FAST.  (I'm assuming because 98degrees is from there.) & Nashville was the next closest place.  We bought the tickets the morning they went on sale & voila, it was done.  

THEN like 3 weeks later they the bastards announced they were coming to Louisville.  Boo hiss on them.

The concert was on a Tuesday night so we decided to make a 2 day trip of it.  We drove down on Tuesday morning & went to the Opry Mills Mall.  We ate lunch in the restaurant that has an aquarium in the middle.

Me, Shauna & her friend, Jessica

 It kind of freaked me out to see this kind of thing swimming by while I was trying to eat....so I sat with my back to the aquarium.

We spent like 5 hours in the Opry Mills Mall.  It is huge!  Shauna & I were SO excited about going to the Coach store!  We got there, bought our stuff & were on our merry way.  I saw the Vera Bradley outlet across the way from Coach & figured we'd hit that on our way back.  I must tell you - we lost our freaking minds in the Vera Bradley outlet.  We had a REALLY nice gal helping us.  Her name was Jenny & she was so friendly.  Shauna & I were going bonkers over all the fun bags & prints & the SALE!  You guys are gonna die when you hear this - but we took our purchases BACK to the Coach store to spend that money on Vera Bradley stuff.  I know, I know...  

That night we got dressed up & ate dinner at a local bar before the concert. You will notice my BORING post only earrings because of my stupid allergy nonsense so I tried to jazz up my outfit with a fun scarf & a glittery head band.  

You may not remember because I've only mentioned it MAYBE once or twice that I'm also allergic to my wedding ring so I wasn't wearing it.  There were 2 older guys sitting next to me at the bar & they didn't say or do anything - they were just kinda creepy, ya know?  They were friendly enough & even took our picture. They knew where Louisville is & talked to us about Derby & suddenly I became VERY aware of the fact that I was not wearing my big ass diamond ring.  It made me a bit uneasy.

 Next stop was Bridgestone Arena to see my man, Jordan Knight.

 We had incredible seats.  And the only reason they were incredible was because the stage was in the middle of the arena.  NO LIE.  They had a stage in front for the band & they did go to that stage for a couple of songs but that was it.  

The bar was super busy so we were going to get to the concert late anyway.  Ya'll know how I am about promptness so I tried to justify being late to myself because I'm crazy by saying, "oh, it's no big deal-we'll just miss the opening band.  No one cares about them!"  We got drinks, stood in line for the bathroom...no biggie...we had PLENTY of time.
We walked in about 20 minutes late & the opening act was singing.  UHM the opening act was Boyz II Men.  Gulp.  We got to hear maybe 3 songs from them & that was it.  WHOOPS.

 98 degrees.  Told you our seats were awesome.  Look at the yummy goodness that is Nick Lachey on the left.

 Then it was time for the main attraction.  They kept talking about how its been 25 years since they became a band.  That seems like SUCH a long time...but sadly it's not now that I'm old...

 Yea - incredible seats.

 The middle stage had like 5 cat walks coming out from it.  Towards the end, they walked out onto them kept coming out into the crowd.  We were in the section between the floor & the upper seats.  They came up probably 5' in front of us.  I swear to all that is good & Holy if this has been Jordan Knight I would've tackled him.  Not wearing a big ass diamond ring would've come in REAL handy then.  As is my luck, Jordan was over with some other stupid chicks...I don't even remember this dudes name.  Hmph.

 They let off a TON of confetti!  It was so fun & pretty to watch...

 until I realized it was collecting in my water!  Good thing it was almost empty.

The concert was great! We had SO much fun dancing, singing & screaming our heads off when the hot, middle aged men on stage took off their shirts.  Holy moly!

Nashville reminds me a lot of Vegas but on a much smaller scale. Nothing opens until like 10am their time which is 11 our time.  Shauna & I were up bright & early (like 6 am) & Jessica was still sleeping so we walked around to find something open but nothing was.  We walked past the Ryman & stopped to take a pic.  This is the back, that's why you may not recognize it as what you see on tv.

 We also got to see the CMT building.  There was a guard inside & we tried to be all nice & ask if there was anything inside we could go see.  He simply said 'no.  These are private offices.'  Geez man, cool your jets. He wasn't very friendly.  

 Shauna LOVES the show Nashville & she wanted to find the Blue Bird Cafe.  If we hadn't know what we were looking for we would've missed it.  It is not much to look at sitting in the middle of a strip mall!

On our way back into town we saw a sign that said 'Music Row'.  I'm sure ya'll have heard of music row.  I was expecting to see fancy schmancy buildings with ALL KINDS of country music stars milling about.  UHM NO.  Not at all...

It was like ghetto recording studios in HOUSES.

We felt like we were in the right 'area' when we saw banners telling artist 'congrats' on #1 records... but still saw no singers milling about.

Finally at one point I saw a name I recognized... Curb.  Tim McGraw is on the Curb label.  And that got me thinking... Reba McEntire has a record company called Starstruck.   So I googled the address!  

WELL.   This was comical.  There was nothing on the building to say this was Starstruck.  NOTHING.  

We pulled around the back & there was a parking garage under the building.  We sat & watched as several vehicles used a key card swipie thing to make the door go up.  When it went up, it would stay up for a bit after they pulled in.  Shauna wanted to pull in after one of them...but I wouldn't let her.  I'm boring & chicken like that. 

 As we were leaving the alley we were parked in, we saw this gate to a parking lot.  This was the ONE & ONLY sign that we were MAYBE at Starstruck.  I find that so strange.  (Maybe they don't label the buildings so crazy tourists don't drive up & down the streets waiting for singers to be milling about?  Blasphemy...)

Shauna really wanted to get a new pair of new boots while we were there.  We found this pair & she fell in love!  They are the cutest boots I've ever seen.    

 After Jessica woke up & we checked out of the hotel we stopped at the Country Music Hall of fame.  

 It was ok.  I'm not really a 'stop & read every exhibit to learn about history' kinda gal.  I was more interested in the newer country stuff.  Carrie Underwoods outfits from her tour were in an exhibit.   Shauna & I still aren't sure of how we missed her coming to town last year?  I've gotta start being more 'up' on that kind of stuff.  We do love ourselves some concerts.

 I was happy when I found one of Faith Hill's outfits!  
(please note my SUPER CUTE new Vera Bradley bag!)

They had a HUGE wall covered in records that I was very impressed with.  The girls asked if I wanted my picture taken in front of them & I said, "No, not really.  Now - if I found a Faith Hill record it'd be a different story."  AND GUESS WHAT?  I found one!!!!! It's above where my finger is pointing!

 The last room we visited was where the inductees to the Hall of Fame's plaques are hung.   

 We headed home when we left there.  It was a great time!  I'm so thankful I have a friend who is willing to go & do crazy things with me!  Next concert tour stop is Jason Aldean in July!  

I love my husband but also want to kill him...

So yesterday was our 14 year anniversary.  GULP.  Where has the time gone?  I was like JUST 25 a minute ago...

Ya'll know I have an empty cavity where the heart normally resides, so when my hubby wrote THIS on Facebook...I nearly died...

Yes, it's sweet.  Yes, it's nice.  Yes, yes yes.  But it's soooo not me.  And of course, he knows this...he married THIS for crying out loud... 

I responded to him the best I could think at 6:31 am..."Love you...but you know I hate the mushy stuff..." to which HE responded "It's only once a year sooooo STFU."  (Which for those of you who don't know is 'shut the f*** up'.)  You will notice 8 people liked that...I am one of those 8.  THAT IS ME.

For the most part, we are sarcastic together like this.  I certainly understand that some couples enjoy the mushiness...we are not one of those couples.  But if that works for you, by all means - go be mushy... 

We spent our anniversary like any ole' normal couple...he was in a tractor putting down nitrogen & I went to Shauna's to hang out with her & Dylan.  We went to check out the NEW McDonald's at Highlander Point AND she even paid for my dinner & dessert!   That was very nice of her!  She said, "I'm sorry you have to spend your anniversary with me!"  I had more fun with them than I would have sitting at home.  

B-rad got home around 10:15pm to eat a gourmet meal of chicken tenders.  Isn't he the luckiest guy ever?!  Listen, here's the thing...it doesn't bode well for B-rad that I be a mushy, clingy, romantic kinda girl.  Because if I was, this is what he would've been bothered with heard:  'But it's our ANNIVERSARY!  You HAVE to take me out to dinner & on a date.  We HAVE to be together on the day we got married!"   (I understand things like this may have more importance when you have kids & need any excuse to escape their tiny clutches, alas that's not an issue for us.)  And if you do act like this & it works for you, that's ok- I mean NO disrespect... & if it works for your 'significant other' that's also ok.  This doesn't work for US.  Different strokes for different folks is my motto!

Very bluntly & simply - I don't care that we didn't spend our anniversary together.  I know he loves me. (I mean - I'm crazy & he puts up with me!)  I know I love him.   I know if he could take me out to dinner every night of the week - he would especially since he knows I hate to cook.... but he can't.  This time of year he's focused on the farm.  He's investing in OUR future together.  I can't begrudge him that.  Now - that's not to say I don't have my moments... I do!  There are times we miss doing things because he's busy.  Yes, that sucks & sometimes I get mad & stomp & throw myself on the ground but that doesn't solve anything.  It only makes him feel worse.  I married a farmer...I knew what I was signing up for...

I have had people ask, "How did you manage to get him to marry you in June?  That's a busy time for farmers!"  My defense to that is back then they didn't farm as much land & their dad was still helping so by mid-June things were starting to wind down.  No worries though - I caught grief for it for sure!  (My birthday is in May when B-rad is UBER busy...he always tells me I was born in the wrong time of the year.  THAT-my dear stalkers- is why I love him!)  The boys have picked up several hundred more acres than they did 14 years ago & their dad no longer helps with the farm...at all...

June 12, 1999

Here's a teeny tiny itty bitty piece of mush for you softies out there (ahem, Ginmommy...) (besides the whole 'he's working for our future' bit.)  There are SO many things I've gotten to do & places I've traveled that would NOT have been possible without Brad McAfee.  He's always game for any stupid idea I come up with & he's there to protect me from myself.  (Like the time he yanked me out of the street in Vegas when a cab was heading right for me because I walked out in front of it.)  He did a lot of things as a kid with his family & his sense of adventure has been a REAL learning experience for this home body.  (He still gets irritated at me when we travel & I'm ready to come home & he wants to stay for another 2 weeks!)

A year & a half ago we were in Hawaii & watched the sunset on top of a dormant volcano.

4 months ago we took our 3rd (!) trip to Vegas so I could sit 15' from Faith Hil & cry when I saw her...

I find it ironic & funny that on our anniversary I was unable to wear my thing I love more than my husband wedding ring because I'm allergic to it.  Go figure.  

Since sharing pics of my gorgeous ring never gets old for me... this is what it would've looked like on my hand...

and this is what it looks like locked in my safe until we meet again... Pitiful I tell ya...