Nashville: Paradise Park

Nashville, Tennessee.  Its quite a town.  I drove on up for a lazy, relaxing weekend, with little to no expectations.  It does have a bit of history about it, and its just a great music town.  Even if you're not a total country fan, you can definitely appreciate the bands out at the bars, trying to make it.

Several old buildings downtown made for a nice day.

The Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry.

The draw of the day, however, was the Country Music Hall of Fame.  I wouldn't say that I'm the biggest fan of country music, but that's not to say that occasionally I enjoy a good country song.  They do tell great stories.  The Hall of Fame itself is very well done, and there's lots of archives of music and other great paraphernalia. Some interesting, and some downright TACKY!

And, of course, what trip would be complete without a sighting of a Billy Ray Cyrus gold record!

CHECK OUT THE MULLET THAT BROKE A THOUSAND HEARTS!!!

The best part of Nashville was the night life.  Their entertainment district is full of honky tonks, with all kinds of bands playing.  There's bars everywhere, including the one I made my home for the evening, Paradise Park Trailer Resort.  A tip from my friend Kelli let me know about the awesomeness of a bar with a trailer park theme.  And kids, it did not disappoint:  wife beaters, PBR on special, trucker hats.  SPLENDID!  Since you weren't there, let me just say it was a great night out, meeting all the finest folks that the trailer park has to offer.

Return to the Big D!

Once is never enough!  And this time, I got to see a few more folks than the last time, Amy and Trecie.  Amy is always busy organizing community events for her little piece of Dallas, Oak Cliff.  Trecie recently moved to Dallas, and I haven't see her since before her first baby (she now has 3)!  It was a big girls night out, and we had a wonderful meal and martinis and memories.

But first, since it was such a great day, we took Carly to the zoo.  The Dallas Zoo was very nice, and it was a perfect day for it.  From the beginning, though, Carly had only 1 thing on her mind:  the carousel.  She even talked me into riding a hummingbird.

And, of course, we also painted nails again--Hip Hop pink.  I like having a niece!  Another successful trip!  I enjoy the town and the people.  I miss you all!

Home Leave 2010--4th and Final Stop

What, y'all act like I count for a living or something?

My last stop on the tour was Dallas, to visit my friends Lana and John. We met during my time at UT, and I love them both like family. And while nothing special was planned, I had a great time. When you travel each week and weekend, having down time, where you can be comfortable someplace, is so necessary!

Part of what made the weekend so great was hanging out with their daughter, my honorary niece, Carly. She's 2 and a half, and the 2-3 year olds that I hang out with regularly are boys. So, getting some girlie time in was great. She is so much fun--from Dora at bedtime, to the "big bed" (NOT big girl bed, mind you), to the direction of which seat I should take at the dinner table was priceless. We shared a bath room and some lip gloss; it was so much fun.

The most exciting part of the weekend, though, was the manicure. Pretty much the very moment I walked in the door, she asked me if I would paint her nails. OF COURSE, my friend! You're too young to know that I am ADDICTED to nail polish, so you have found the right Auntie for this job! And she was so excited too. Really, we did the whole routine--filed her nails, base coat, color coats, and top coat. A very professional job! She really was very good the whole time too; a little squirmy, but once I showed her how squirming smudges her nails, and therefore they don't look pretty, she sat very still. And they looked great! And it made her feel great! Which is exactly how I feel when I do my my nails, so we bonded over that! When she left for school the next day, she was sweet and sassy and showing off those nails. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!





You can also check us out on her blog. I really had a great time, and it made my day that I could make her day. I miss ya, Lana and John and Carly!

Home Leave 2010--First Stop

CHICAGO! Well, Bolingbrook, for all my other friends that live there. I have got to get up there and see EVERYONE sometime soon....let me know when you're available.

But this trip was quick, and I had some very important business to attend to: spoiling my honorary nephew Landon. He was born this summer and is now 6 months old. He's quite precious and just becoming mobile. I asked him to show me his moves, and he proceeded to crawl right out of his pajamas.

Of course, I also got to visit with his parents, Kiva and Matt. It is always so wonderful to see them; Kiva and I were college roomies. This trip, while low key, exhausted me, as in between playing with the baby, we set up the Official Vaughn Christmas Baking Facility, and managed to bake 5 different cookies, all with different frosting, in an entire day. We were so tired, but we had so much fun. All of them turned out well, and we were pooped.

But not too pooped to make Landon smile!

They even had to perform some minor surgery--fingernail clipping.

Not that Matt and Kiva's isn't one of the most comfortable places I've ever had the pleasure of staying, but I kept begging to be swaddled with my Binky, relaxing in a Nap Nanny. Doesn't it look like the height of relaxation?

I mean, Landon sure enjoys it!

I wish I could have stayed longer, but I have other nephews and nieces (both hereditary and honorary) to spoil. I miss ya, Matt, Kiva, and Landon!

Photo credits: Matt and Kiva

Anguilla

Really, I don't have much to say about Anguilla. Its a small island in the Caribbean, and its unbelievable. My hotel was on one of the most perfect beaches, Shoal Bay. I'm not much for the wonderful snorkeling or scuba diving. My idea of a good beach day is finding a perfect hiding spot under an umbrella, near a bartender, who keeps bringing me Dirty Pirates. It was relaxing, especially considering the adventure weekend I had last weekend.

Just take a look for yourself, and you'll know why I planted my happy ass in a beach chair.









Oh, and Becca, they let the roosters right in the restaurants!