Some Stuff to Know about Nashville

1. Almost all buildings are brick.
2. The houses are ginormous.
3. I saw a big bug there.
   
4. Plenty of "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowgirl/boy" stuff in this town.
5. Iced coffee hasn't gotten to the McD's here. It will be arriving in two weeks. They do, however, have ice cream floats AND... AND chocolate-dipped ice cream cones.
6. It was 97 degrees out this afternoon.
7. Mom is a good navigator.
   

Nashville - It's All Country! Who knew?

The first half of our day was long and travel-weary.

We arrived at Newark less than an hour before our flight. We made it through check-in and security and arrived just minutes before we boarded. It was all very rush-rush-rush. Until we sat on the runway for over an hour because of fog. But all of that waiting time just gave us an opportunity to get to know Jakey a little better. Jakey was an overactive vocalizer who also had a penchant for kicking Terry's seat A LOT. The ride was slightly traumatic (to Terry's head) and I wouldn't be too surprised if she actively avoided any and all blond, blue-eyed three-year-olds for some time. Needless to say, Terry was not tearful when she and Jakey had to part ways. Jakey, on the other hand, had never stopped crying in the first place. After we arrived in Nashville, we had a few problems with our rental car, but eventually those too got solved, and we were on our way (for real) to our vacation destination.

Our Rental Car!

Terry spent a few hours with her friend, and later on all three of us (Mom, Terr, and me) went to downtown Nashville and explored for a bit. We walked around, listened to a lot of street performers, and went to a boot store. Eventually, we ended up eating dinner at a place called the Wild Horse Saloon. Here we ate fried pickles and listened to live country music. A word to the wise: Fried pickles are thoroughly delicious, but also thoroughly alien to most people's stomachs. Be careful! Although I have sworn off all fried foods for the rest of the vacation, I already know that I will be tempted again and again. Fried Pickles Are Awesome! Go spread the news. Right now.


The Wild Horse Saloon was also having a live band play. The band, Telluride (weird name, eh?), was having a song videotaped, which means that we heard it throughout our entire dining experience. It was a good song, so it didn't wear on me. The song was a bit antiquated - it was about using a cell phone to make a collect call. Is that even possible?




G'nite y'all.

Don't Worry... I finished the 6th book.

And so now I can officially start blogging about the trip!

Slow Start

Although I have to leave my home tomorrow, I have been woefully slow in prepping for this trip. I should have sent out Thank You notes, filled out all of the paperwork for my new job, called new bosses and arranged a time for me to get settled in with the new workplace, called old boss and caught her up on things, and packed. But I have been stymied by the 6th Harry Potter book. I am determined to finish it before the trip.

Quite frankly, I don't even know the title of the 6th book. I generally read the HP series using the just-in-time method--I read the book just in time to see the movie. Well, I finished the 5th book, but then I started to get worried about the my HP reading style. I don't want to get left behind in the Harry Hoopla, or worse yet, find out Harry's fate prematurely. The 7th book is coming out in a few days, and God only knows what sort of tragedy may befall poor Harry. Will he die? Will he lose his magic-ness? Will he find his long-lost twin brother? (Oh wait, that's a different book.) So I am rushing through the 6th book as we speak so that I can spend the rest of my summer reading the 7th.

Whew, once again off-topic.

Well, I still need to pack a few more things, and I need to figure out my footwear. It's summer, so I don't want to wear anything that requires socks. Unfortunately, I really only have a pair of clunky green flip flops. Perhaps I will go to Kohls tomorrow in NJ and find me a nice pair of walking sandals.

Giordano Girls Only Trip

My mother, sister, and I will embark on our girls only trip to Nashville this Thursday. Terry is going to visit a friend, and my mother and I decided to take the trip along with her. We plan on spending a few days in Nashville and a few in Chattanooga.

I wonder what the trip will be like. Will we get on each others' nerves? Can we be together for a whole week without Dad, Stephen, or Brooke to act as buffers?

The last time I was on a plane with my mother and sister, I was twelve years old. My family was going on a trip to Disney World. Terry (1 year?) and Stephen (4 years?) both had ear infections. My mother had at least a cold. I remember the trip...er, fondly.

• I remember one particular night, we ordered in pizza and watched a Made-for-TV movie about survival in the wilderness.
• Dad was worried that I would spin the Tea Cups too fast for Stephen.
• I went on Space Mountain and loved it.

I've gotten a little off topic. I've since been on other trips with my family, but not on a plane.

Well, this is our blog. Hopefully, we will consistently update it while we're in the belt buckle of the Bible Belt.