Summer is Winding Down

Monday it was back to reality.  No more vacation.  First thing after breakfast we went to the middle school and registered David!  How did he get to be old enough for middle school?!  We saw his friend Kyle, but he was ahead of us, and they had to rescue his older brother who was locked out at home, so they couldn't stay and talk.  David decided he wanted to do cross country.  I was surprised because he has never expressed interest in running.  So we had to fill out some extra paper work for that and we need to get a copy of his BSA physical.  After that I spent the morning canning tomatoes and chopping veggies for salsa.  I left for an appointment in the city, and Aaron came home soon after that, after seeing patients that morning.  Originally it was supposed to be a day off, but then he had to reschedule patients a different day for a meeting, so he opened up his schedule.  Julianna asked me if I needed anything at Costco, so I asked her pick up some chocolate chips.  I ran to the store (in the opposite direction of Costco) for some grocery items and ran into Erin A*.  She just had one of her kids with her.  We chatted for a bit before I headed home.  When I got back Aaron had the salsa cooking on the stove,  I got just enough for 7 quarts of salsa.  That's about all I got done that day.

Tuesday the boys had piano and I had Pilates.  After Pilates I dropped off David at Kyle's for most of the day.  Unfortunately Melanie fell asleep on the way back, and it was only 10:30 am!  I can't remember what else I did.  Garden stuff and cleaning.  I also worked on my presentation for Relief Society that night.  Aaron had his hospital meeting that night.  So I brought the kids with me, and they played in the nursery and else where.  I was pleased with the turnout.  I talked about music and it's importance in the gospel.  I had Betsy teach us how to lead music.  Then mostly I led a discussion on how we use music in our lives.  What kinds of music they enjoy, where they find new music, why they enjoy music etc.  I really enjoyed it.  Aaron arrived late so he didn't take the kids home, but stayed there until we were done.

Wednesday I didn't go to Pilates because there was a cub scout outing.  We met at the church and drove up to the Arboretum.  I hadn't ever been there.  The lady there gave us some background, and I answered a question completely wrong because I mixed up aviary and apiary - I felt dumb - oops.   We split up into 3 groups.  We were given a list of things to find.  We decided to go the opposite way and start from the bottom of the list.  We lost the trail quickly, but eventually found our way around.  We stuck to the grass most of the time because I couldn't push Melanie in the stroller in the gravel.  We took a few pictures. 

Amy didn't want to be in the picture

We found most everything on the list.  We missed about 5 of the things, not too bad.  We had to get back to the visitor's center by 11:00 or something like that. We went over to Costco afterward to get a few things.  We saw Erin A* again.  This time we both had all 4 of our kids.  Then we headed home for lunch.  Unfortunately Melanie fell asleep on the way home.  She didn't sleep long either.  I didn't get as much done that afternoon as I had hoped, because we had to unload the van and get lunch ready, and clean up.  By the time the kids started their screen time I barely had 30 minutes to myself.  Oh well.

I can't really remember what else we did that afternoon, but in the evening Aaron and David had a mutual activity.  Aaron wasn't going to be home in time to eat dinner, so I had to bring dinner with me when I dropped off David.  It was a stake wide activity about Trek.  They had games and watched a slide show of pictures from Trek.  David got his own CD of pictures of his Trek family.  They got home kind of late.  At least it was at our building, and they didn't have to travel.

Thursday I went to Pilates.  I picked a bunch of stuff from the garden.

And canned some tomatoes

I was trying to do two batches in one day.  It didn't turn out so well.  When I water bathed the first batch one of the jars broke, and one never sealed.  So even though I had 7 more jars ready to go I had to wait so I could fish out the rest of the glass, and the tomatoes floating around in the water.  So that meant more time waiting for it to boil again for the second batch.  During the second batch I got a phone call from my brother Mike.  It was good to hear from him.  He was doing orientation for grad school!  He's getting a PHD in Chemistry!  Yep, he's a smarty pants.  Melanie woke up after only napping for an hour, so I had to cut my conversation short with Mike.  The second batch had two jars that didn't seal.  So I only had 10 sealed jars instead of 14 :(.  And my stove was a mess!

Luckily it came clean with a good cleanser and some elbow grease. 

I can't remember what else we did with the rest of our day.  Phillip and Julianna came over that evening to bring us stuff for the camp out.  They left with two of the unsealed jars of tomatoes, and some cantaloupe - we have so many right now.

Friday morning I didn't have any other plans, so we weeded by the pumpkins.  The cows were so close.  And they were making a lot of noise.  That's when Melanie learned how to say, "moo".  

I should remember what else we did, but I can't.  Oh, there was a camp out, so David needed to mow the grass on Friday, but the tractor wouldn't start.  We discovered that the battery was dead.  So Aaron walked me through how to charge it, and I did it.  Eventually he got the grass done, but broke another sprinkler.  This time he just bumped into it and the pipe broke.  I least we didn't have to replace the sprinkler itself, just the pipe. So the rest of the afternoon was spent getting ready for the camp out.  The scouts started arriving around 3:00 and around 3:30 they took off. That afternoon we ended up with a some thunder and lightening and a short burst of heavy rain.  What I didn't realize was up in the city there was a huge downpour, and Aaron and the scouts were getting drenched at Camp Z!  He texted at 6:45 to see if I could find out when the rain would stop.  The forecast said it would be done around 7:45, but I got a text at 9:15 saying they'd gone to bed because it was still raining :( After the kids went to bed I worked on the budget - I'm way behind, and worked on the blog.  I read for a little bit before falling asleep.

Melanie is 22 months old

The Monday after we got back from Nashville Melanie turned 22 months! 

 She wanted Amy's sunglasses, so I found some of her own

 

One afternoon she fell asleep on the stairs, when I put her in the crib she rolled around until she fell asleep like this:

This girl loves cantaloupe

Melanie is sometimes very independent, wanting to do things by herself.  For instance she doesn't want to sit in the seat part of the shopping cart, unless it's at Costco and Amy can go with her.  She either wants to sit in the cart or walk next to it.  She also wants to walk without holding hands with me.  She wants to pick out her clothes and help pull up her pants.  She wants to brush her teeth by herself and brush her hair by herself:


Melanie is just now starting to attempt repeating sounds.  The other day we recited the alphabet, and she attempted almost all of the letters, although only a few she pronounced correctly.  She also mimics what we do e.g. silly faces, talking on the phone etc.

She is having a hard time adjusting to sleeping without the binky.  I have to stay in the room until she falls asleep.  I wouldn't mind letting her cry it out, except that she tries to climb out of the crib, and I'm not ready to give that up yet.  She does have to have her "babies" (any doll) and her blanket with her.  She usually wants to take them out with her when she wakes up.

Melanie is really helpful when it's time to change her diaper.  She will get out the diaper and lay down for me.  However then she thinks it's fun to kick her legs while I'm trying to wipe her bum, or put her clean diaper on.  Once she gets the diaper on she will help pull up her pants, and then wants to throw the diaper away.


She is not used to sharing, and sometimes gets mad at Amy for sitting next to me, so Amy moves, so Melanie can sit there, but then she doesn't want Amy to sit in the new spot, and it goes on and on until I have to get up and move, or let her throw a fit on the floor.

She can now say "moo" for a cow.   I can't think of any new words...  She still calls water "ice", but will say "ahwa" when prompted to, sometimes.  Oh, and sometimes she calls me "Emma" instead of Mommy.  She can't say "Aaron", but if I ask her where Aaron is, she'll point to him.  One of her favorite phrases is "up a stairs".  Which she says while going either up or down the stairs.  "Up a seeda" means she wants to sit in a chair.  She also uses "uhduhduh" for more, but we finally realized she is saying "another".  She also learned how to click her tongue and loves to do that when she's happy.

Only 2 more months until her birthday - she's growing way too fast.

Nashville August 2014 Part 2

Saturday morning Aaron and were both up by 7:00 so he could go to his meeting at 7:30, and I could go to the gym.  Maybe it's because it was a Saturday, or perhaps it was because it was earlier, the gym was really busy.  Funny story - the cardio machines all have TVs on them, so I planned on just watching news or something, but I there were only two elliptical machines open and I picked the one where the TV didn't work.  So I decided to listen to music on my phone.  I turned on Pandora, and about 30 seconds later the guy next to me looked over with a disgusted look and I realized the music wasn't playing in my earphones, but out loud.  The earphones they provided wouldn't fit in my phone jack.  So I was without music or TV, and it was not a great motivator.  However I still got a pretty good workout because my calves were killing me!

After my shower I went down to the spa for my pedicure.  It's the first time I've really splurged on pampering myself.  I've only ever had two pedicures in my life and I didn't pay for either one.  When I looked online they were $80!!! But when we got to the hotel the price was much lower, so I decided to splurge.  It was relaxing, and I got to read my book for book club.  The pedicurist (is that a word?) mentioned that my feet were a little dry (yes, I knew that) so she gave me a few tips.  When I was done she told me to wait in the lounge for 10 minutes for the polish to dry.  I was almost done with my book, so I waited until I finished the book.  Then I paid for the pedicure and went back to my room. 

I relaxed a little more before I headed out to Broadway one last time.  This time I was looking for specific souvenirs, and hopefully something that would work for breakfast and lunch the next day.  Then I stopped at Margaritaville for lunch.  I remember going to one in Capitola when I went to the beach years ago.  It was odd to be eating lunch by myself again, but it was good food.  I just had a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries. I talked with the waiter a bit.  When I mentioned I'd been to Margaritaville in CA, he mentioned he was from CA, but the LA area.  There was a bachelorette party group seated next to me, but they were pretty tame compared to the other groups we saw around.  I was surprised at how many I saw.  Usually they were all wearing the same shirt, hat, or fanny pack - yes fanny pack.  The bride usually had a little veil on whatever she had on her head, so I knew it wasn't just a girl's weekend thing.  I saw at least 10 groups- I'm not exaggerating.

Aaron was going to be done around 3:30, so after lunch I went to find something for our lunch for the next day.  Walgreen's and the corner market didn't have anything like a deli sandwich, or fruit, just snack foods.  So I ended up going to Panera and buying a couple of bagels.  When I declined the offer to slice or toast them she asked if they were for the next day.  When I told her they were, she gave me a plastic baggie and a twisty tie.  Nice!  They were going to be for lunch, so I also stopped by Dunkin' Donuts to pick up breakfast.  I also asked that they be in a box instead of a napkin since they were for the next day.  So we had meals, not very healthy ones, but meals I didn't have to buy on a Sunday.

Mom sent us a picture of Melanie trying her shoe on.

 

When I got back it was 3:00, so I didn't have to wait long for Aaron to be finished.  I started packing a few things, so we wouldn't have to do that when we got back late that night.  When Aaron got back he helped me.  He was glad to be done.  We knew we would bringing back souvenirs, but we didn't plan on him having bringing several books back from the conference.  We had to shuffle things around a lot to get everything to fit.  Eventually we finished and then we headed out to catch the bus.  We were planning on spending the rest of the day at Centennial Park.  The first couple of days the weather was unseasonably cool and dry.  Saturday a storm was rolling in, and it was a lot more humid, and pretty warm.  The 6 blocks to the bus stop made me sweat.  We got there with just a couple minutes to spare.  It took about 15 minutes to get to the park. 

The best part of this trip is we felt like we were on an extended date, but we didn't have to hurry back for a babysitter.  We wandered the park stopping by the amphitheater, and then the Parthenon.   The rain hit just as we got there, so we took a quick picture, and then went in to the museum. 

Inside we found out the history of where there is a Greek Parthenon in Nashville Tennessee.  It was for the Centennial Fair, and was only meant to be temporary (the 6 months of the fair).  It was originally built with plaster.  It was only later that they decided to make it permanent, and it was rebuilt.

Since David loves Percy Jackson we thought he'd get a kick out of these pictures of the Athena statue

We took more pictures about the descriptions of the frieze and shield etc, but that was more for David's enjoyment.

These huge brass doors weigh 7 tons each or something crazy like that!

After seeing the Parthenon we went walking around primarily to find a couple of geocaches.  We had a travel bug with us.  The first one we found was in front of a store, and not big enough for the travel bug.  So we wandered the other direction toward the Vanderbilt campus.  We walked past the stadium and found it near a dorm.  It was big enough for the travel bug, so we switched it out.  On our way back to the park we stopped by Maggie Moos for some ice cream, even though it was almost 5:00.  We saw a Piggly Wiggly, and had to take a picture.

We got back to the park and found our seats in the amphitheater.  Before we left for Nashville we decided to go to Shakespeare in the park.  We got there early to get good seats, but we didn't have blankets or chairs with us, so we grabbed the closest bench. 

We still had a while to wait until it started.  We were all sweaty with all of the humidity.  There was a cool breeze that came up thank goodness.  We sat and talked and eventually visited the food trucks that park nearby.  I wanted Thai food, and Aaron wanted the BBQ.  I had to wait while they cooked mine, and then Aaron got his BBQ quickly since it had been cooking all day, and was ready.  We ate and enjoyed the pre show entertainment.  It was a fiddling group that was playing Irish music. 

We weren't allowed to take pictures during the show, but you'll have to take my word for it that it was great.  They did As You Like It hillbilly style.  It reminded me of the production the local high school did a couple years back.  Since it was in Nashville you can't do a production without some country music.  The composer and actor/performer was David Olney.  He had written for several country music stars, and also writes for the show Nashville.  The music was amazing!  It was funny, and entertaining.  We really enjoyed it.  The only problem was that it finished at about 10:15, and the bus left for the hotel at 9:56.  The next bus left at 10:56.  We debated what to do and decided to start walking, and pick up the bus when it came.  After about 15 minutes we saw a cab drop someone off, and decided to take a cab the rest of the way.  Well worth it!  We were back in less than 10 minutes.    We were pretty tired but we still needed to finish packing a bit.  It was a late night.

Sunday morning we had to get up around 5:30 so we could shower and get to the airport.  We took another cab, and apparently people don't share cabs, because the two girls that we offered to share a cab with us looked at us like we were weird, and they declined.  So we got to the airport and checked our bag and sat in the airport for about an hour.  We ate our donuts for breakfast.  We wanted to use the wifi to watch an old sacrament meeting, but the wifi wasn't free :(.   So we did it streaming and ate up a chunk of our data for the month, but we typically don't use that much, so it was OK.

We boarded the plane headed for St. Paul - Minneapolis, MN  We both slept most of the flight.  I didn't even care that we missed the drinks and snacks.  When we landed in MN, we didn't have a lot of time.  We found our gate and ate our lunch of bagels.  We only had a hour layover, so it wasn't long before we got on the next plane.  It was another 2 1/2 hours or so on the plane.  We slept some more, but didn't miss the snacks and drinks this time.  We read a little bit, and we talked a little bit, but I was so glad when the plane landed and we were finally home.  There was a cute little girl sitting behind us and she was screeching before we got on the plane, but she slept almost the entire flight.  She was so cute!  It made me miss Melanie.  We drove home and Mom had put a roast in the crockpot for an early dinner.  She had pulled this carrot from the garden that morning.

That's a huge carrot!

Mom, Dad and Brittany were all packed when we got home.  Melanie was taking a nap.  We set the table and got ready for dinner.  We talked and unloaded our stuff, and then Melanie woke up.  She hadn't taken a very long nap - maybe an hour.  She was a little sad, so Aaron gave her to me, and I tried to lay down on the bed with her in case she was still tired, but she was still crying.  After a minute or so I said, "Do you want to see Grandma?"  She stopped crying and nodded her head.  So we went downstairs to find Grandma, and she reached for her.  So cute!

She held on to her for a few minutes, and eventually came to me.  It was great to see the connection they had made.  The kids were excited to tell us all about the things they did while we were gone.  Timothy had asked Mom to teach him how to crochet, so he attempted it and made me a necklace - so adorable!  They also made his volcano kit that he got for his birthday, but hadn't tried it out, so they did that after dinner.  We saw all of the tomatoes Mom had picked, but she said she gave up on picking them, there were too many!  She had made lots of things with zucchini, but there was a ton of that too!

So we took some pictures of the family before we left.  At first Amy wouldn't even get in the picture. 

Then She wouldn't look at the camera.  Aaron was using the multi-shot feature hoping one of them would be OK.  This is the only one with Amy looking at the camera, and Timothy has his eyes closed. Oh well.

Soon after pictures Mom, Dad and Brittany headed out to Daralee and Greg's.  Eventually we had FHE, and dessert, and we gave the kids the souvenirs we bought for them.  Just a few little things.  The girls got a little stuffed animal and the boys got a mini walkie talkie set.  Then they each got a little Nashville license plate with their name on it.  And I think that was it!  We had a blast in Nashville, and missed our kids a little.  I was glad to be home in my own bed, but I missed not having to wake up to put Melanie back to sleep.  I hope we can do it again, perhaps next year.

Nashville August 2014 Part 1

Aaron and I had been looking forward to this trip for months.  4 days without the kids!!!  Wednesday morning we had enough time to get breakfast and get everyone dressed before we left for the airport.  We said goodbye and then left quickly.  Even though I was excited, a few tears rolled down my cheeks as we drove off.  It only took a few minutes, and some comforting words from Aaron to get over that.  I guess my concern was that the kids would miss me and be sad, but I quickly realized they would have a blast with Grandma, Grandpa and Brittany.  We tried to have meals planned, and show them where everything was to make it easier.  I knew they would be fine.

We had packed as lightly as possible, but still needed to check one bag.  I was glad Mom let me borrow her denim bag.  Obviously I need to get a bigger bag, all I have is a small purse and a diaper bag.  Our first flight took us to Salt Lake City.  We each took a little cat nap, but not for long.  We had a 3 1/2 hour layover in SLC!  So we found some lunch - the Greek place, and found a table and enjoyed a quiet lunch together.  Then we watched some streaming video with the free wi-fi, and still had about an hour.  So we wandered a bit and then realized there was a free shuttle to Temple Square.  I wish we had utilized that!  Next time!  Then we boarded the next plane and took off at 5:00 local time.  We had purchased a sandwich from Boar's Head to eat on the plane since we wouldn't arrive until after 9:00 local time and purchasing a snack on the plane would be ridiculous.  On the plane we read for a bit, and then pulled out the Sky magazine and did the crossword puzzle.  We tried to nap, but didn't sleep much.  It was fun to talk and giggle and not be interrupted.  Our flight landed in Nashville on time, we picked up our bag and got a cab to the hotel.  It was cheaper than the hotel shuttle since there were two of us.  We got checked in quickly and went upstairs to our room at the Omni Hotel. 

It was only 8:00 back at home, so it didn't feel like bed time, We tried to get to bed at a decent hour since Aaron had to be up early for his meeting.  I don't think I mentioned why we were in Nashville.  This year Aaron is chief of staff at the hospital (the physicians take turns).  The hospital was recently taken over by a new company, and this company has a chief of staff training every year.  It started a day earlier for those hospitals that are new to the company.  So he had 3 days of meetings with two evening events that spouses were invited to.  So I came along.

Thursday morning we got up as late as possible - it still seemed early with the time zone change.  We got a free beverage in the morning, so we got our grapefruit juice delivered around 7:30.  Aaron left for his meeting and I lazily got ready, and headed down to breakfast.  It was close to 8:30.  It felt very odd to sit by myself at a restaurant table.  They assumed I wanted the buffet, but it was $19, and I was sure I wouldn't be able to eat that much.  So I got the Continental Breakfast which was Greek honey yogurt with granola, fresh fruit and biscuits, and orange juice to drink.  It was a huge bowl of yogurt with granola, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.  Then slices of cantaloupe, honeydew melon and a couple of strawberries.  And biscuits on the side.  It was delicious, filling and just over half the price. I couldn't finish the second biscuit.  I went back upstairs until 10:00.

Then I went down to the lobby and waited for my ride.  A few months earlier I discovered that my friend Jenny B* from college lived near Nashville, so I connected with her and we decided to meet up.  Since I was without a vehicle, she came and picked me up.  Originally she was going to bring her kids, but then a babysitter became available and she came by herself.  She took me over to Opryland.  We wandered the atrium while we caught up on each others lives. 

 We took a picture together, but it must have been on her phone, because I don't have it.

Jenny and I worked at the MTC together for a little over a year while I finished up my senior year at BYU.  She was there when Aaron and I started dating, got engaged and married.  We have some fun memories of working at the MTC.  One that comes to mind is waiting for the men's bathroom to be vacant so we could restock toilet paper.  We asked someone that walked out if there was anyone still in there and he smiled and said "yes, there's someone in there".  So we waited a couple of minutes and then out walked Elder Richard G. Scott!  He talked to us for a minute and then we went about our business.

After our walk around the atrium we drove over to the Grand Ole Opry .

 We decided to take the tour.  We enjoyed walking around finding out some interesting things about the building.  I neglected to take pictures until the end.

 That lighter circle of wood was taken from the Ryman Auditorum when the Grand Ole Opry moved locations in 1974.

It was almost 1:00 when we were done, and she told the sitter she'd be back at 1:30, so we talked a bit more as we searched for a drive thru for lunch on the way back to the hotel.  We didn't find one, so we said goodbye and she dropped me off.  I got an email from Mom with this picture of Melanie:

I'd walked a lot already, so rather than find some lunch I ate some of the snacks Aaron and I had brought.  I got to rest, and watch TV, and play games, and read, and just do what ever I wanted to.  Aaron was done around 2:30.  So we wandered around downtown.  Broadway has about 3 or 4 blocks of shops and restaurants and bars.  Most of which have live music playing most of the day.  There is a plethora of talent as everyone in Nashville is there to get into country music.  OK, that's a bit of exaggeration. But really there was a lot of talent walking down Broadway.  We found some fun souvenirs, and some salted caramel gelato.  We found the walking bridge that goes over the Cumberland River, so we took a few pictures.

 overlooking the city

overlooking the river

Then we headed back to the hotel and got ready for our dinner.  We talked with the kids via Facetime, and then walked down to the welcome reception.  We figured there would be food, but didn't know how much.  Pretty soon we realized we'd have plenty to eat.  Appetizers (veggies, cheese, fruit), salad, pasta (with chicken, mushrooms, etc.), roast with rolls, and ice cream sundaes for dessert.  And open bar of course.  I was glad they served Sprite and water.  They had a live band, and they sang all sorts of songs from 50s and 60s, 80s, country, rock, etc.  We talked to a few people.  We were done eating and mingling around 7:00 so we escaped back to the room.  We went out again to Broadway looking for a few more things.  We were too full to eat anything, but we found Printers Alley.

We wandered and listened and shopped, and got back to the hotel around 8:30, so we decided to go swim in the pool.  It wasn't too busy, and the water was pretty warm.  We stayed for about 45 minutes or so, and then went to bed.

Friday we woke up around 7:00.  Aaron had to be at his meeting at 7:30.  I decided to take advantage of the gym, and didn't go until 8:00.  I then showered and walked up to Panera Bread (about 3 blocks away) for breakfast.  I don't usually eat so late, but it was fine.  I wandered around downtown for a bit afterward and decided to go to the Ryman Auditorium.  I went ahead and took the tour.  It was fun. In case you don't know the history, it was built in 1892 commissioned by Captain Ryman for the pastor who converted him.  Later the balcony was built for a large convention, and eventually it became home to the Grand Ole Opry.  I knew that the Grand Ole Opry moved to a new location, but I didn't realize the Ryman sat vacant for 20 years.  In 1994 it was renovated and reopened - part museum, part concert hall.  It boasts the 2nd best acoustics after the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City.  I took a few pictures.

 from the side of the stage

 It says "1897 Confederate Gallery"

 From the back of the auditorium

 from the balcony

 The beautiful stained glass windows.  After all, it is called the "Mother church of Country Music"

 some of the displays

 statue out front of Captain Ryman

Museum entrance

Then I went back to the hotel.  I called to see if there were any available pedicure appointments at the spa, and set one up for the next day.  I read, watched TV, checked email, facebook etc.  All without interruption!  Now that's a vacation!  I went to find the Chik-fil-a we missed the other day.  We missed it because it was inside the AT&T office tower (nicknamed the Batman Building).  You can't see the restaurant from the street, just a sign on the corner saying it was in the building and open to the public.  So I went in and ordered some lunch.  At a fast food restaurant it was easier to sit alone at a table.  When I got back to the hotel I read some more, and then decided to take a nap! 

I woke up when Aaron came back around 4:30.  I got about an hour of rest!  Mom had sent us some pictures of them enjoying the pool.

 Amy will go all over the pool now in the tube

Aaron and I wandered up and down Broadway ("on my old stud Leroy" - name that song haha!) to find some authentic hats to go with our Country Look for dinner.  Not everyone dressed up, but enough that we didn't feel out of place.  We did Facetime with family quickly before we went down to dinner.

The dinner was held in the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.  We got to enjoy the museum before dinner.  We took a few pictures.

 Elvis Presley's Cadillac

 gold and platinum records

 This was for David who loves the Dasani jokes on Studio C

We enjoyed some appetizers in the lobby, and then went up to the ballroom for a buffet dinner.  We sat with Drs. from Texas, Georgia, Ohio, and Illinois.  We enjoyed the salad and rolls, and then had a bit of everything at the buffet.  They had mini lemon tarts and carrots cakes for dessert. 

 The ballroom had a great view of Nashville

 It got better as the sun went down

Apparently every year they have a concert by some country music artist.  It's a surprise until the CEO announces it after the dinner.  Aaron and I guessed who it was based on the tour bus sitting outside the building all day.  So it wasn't a surprise to us when they welcomed the Oak Ridge Boys! 

I knew my mom would get a kick out of that so I had Aaron text her (I left my phone in the hotel room).  We enjoyed the concert.  Great music, and they had a lot of energy for a band that's been around for 40 years!  Of course they ended with their most well known song  - "Elvira".  Named after my Gram B - no I'm kidding, but that was her name!

After the concert we got to quickly take pictures with the band.  It was supposed to be emailed to Aaron, so I'll have to ask if he ever got it.  We were also given a copy of their greatest hits CD that they just put out this year.  It was close to 10:00 when we were done, so we didn't do much else.  Just went to bed!