Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 7 (Volunteering at Outreach, Bowling, Milkshakes, a UCC Appointment, Poker Night, and More)

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Week seven of summer break was a good mix of productivity, relaxation, and fun!  And I’m in denial that we’re more than 2/3 of the way through the break.  As you read this, we only have 2.5 weeks left of summer break and I’m not remotely ready for it to be over.  Yes, I’m ready for all the fall things, but I’m not ready to be away from my babies all day, and I’m certainly not ready to start waking up at 6 AM every morning again.  Yuck!

Here’s the recap from last week!

 

Monday, July 6

Monday, I was up at 7:45 AM and when I went downstairs, Jacob was already down there eating breakfast.  I ate, too, and then I unloaded the dishwasher, took my vitamins, made my tea, and then I went to my office to finish my blog post for Wednesday.  I also made my way through five loads of laundry all day and I managed to put it all away the same day, too.  *Pats self on back.*

Right before lunch, I showered and got ready for the day and then the kids and I ate together.  I unpacked a Target shipment that had just arrived and I started Friday’s blog post, and by the time I was done with all that, it was time to take the kids to their makeup music lessons that they’d missed while we were in Denver.

I sat with Jacob while he worked some more on Clair de Lune and he was sounding so good by the time we left!  He had the whole thing down a couple of years ago with the exception of the end, so he decided he wanted to try to perfect that part so he can have the entire song done.

When we got home, I read for a bit and then I did my devotional and a Bible study.  I updated a couple of spreadsheets after that and then I headed downstairs to make turkey and cheese biscuit sliders for dinner.  We had some leftover baked beans and fruit from our July 4th party, so we had those as sides.

I finished putting away the laundry after dinner, I watered the indoor plants, and then I went out for my evening walk and did a short tai chi workout. 

Once that was done, I meditated while I lay on my neck pillow and my vibration plate, and then I showered. 

Once the kids were ready for bed, we all sat down and binged five episodes of Friends – they’re so quick and easy to watch since they’re only about 22 minutes each – and then Brian watched the end of the FIFA World Cup game.  Team USA lost, which was a bummer, so now I’m cheering for England, the land of my ancestors. 

We got the kids in bed after that, and then Brian and I watched some more of I Will Find You before heading to bed.  I decided on July 4 to stop taking my vertigo meds altogether (again… remember last October when I did that and things did NOT go well?).  I was only taking 1/4 pill (literally a crumb) once every three days at that point anyway, which meant that by Monday, I hadn’t had it since July 1. 

Sure enough, the withdrawals settled in again Monday, but thankfully, they weren’t severe like they were the first time I tried to stop after only tapering for a few weeks.  I had very bad sensitivity to light and very dry eyes on Monday, and some of my dizziness was starting to come back, but all in all it was bearable.  Monday, anyway.  Haha.

 

Tuesday, July 7

Tuesday, I was up at 7:30 AM and I got showered and ready for the day.  The kids and I ate breakfast, and then we headed to our church’s Outreach Center to help with food distribution all morning.  Our church feeds thousands of families each month so it is a big (and very important) operation, so I’m always happy to lend a helping hand. 

We started the day by helping load the shopping carts with all the different items that go out to each family.  Every family that comes gets a large paper bag filled with canned goods and other non-perishables, a small bag with rolls of toilet paper, paper towels, and tissues, two bags of bakery items (sandwich bread, dinner bread, etc. that our local Publix donates), a bag of frozen meat, a bottle of juice, a bag of fresh produce, and most of the time a bakery dessert (cake, cupcakes, etc.).  And we also keep various other items on hand like baby items (diapers, formula, etc.), feminine products, other hygiene products, etc. that people can request if they’re in need.  And if the family size is larger, then they get more of each.

There was a bigger need to pack the bags of non-perishables about an hour into our time there, so all three of us spent the rest of the morning packing them, closing them, and filling the shelves.  The kids really stepped up lifting big boxes of canned vegetables repeatedly all morning, and they were both feeling it by the time we were done.

We made sure that the shelves were fully stocked with the bags for the next day, and then we left right before noon.  We stopped by the library on the way home to grab some books and then we all had lunch together when we got home.

The kids had some well-earned screen time Tuesday afternoon and I worked on my blog post for Friday and then lay for a bit to rest my neck.  My withdrawals were still present Tuesday, so I was quite tired, so I spent the rest of the afternoon reading blogs after I was done resting.

My friend, Jeannine, invited us to bowl with her boys Tuesday afternoon, so we met them and their friends at 4:30 PM.  Jeannine and I talked while the kids all played their two games, and Jacob did so great despite not playing in nearly a year.

By the time we got home, Brian was already home, so I made beef tacos for dinner, and then I went out for a walk.  I really wanted to do a tai chi workout, but my body wasn’t having it thanks to my withdrawals, so instead, I lay on my neck pillow and vibration plate and did a meditation, and then I got showered and in my pjs.

We watched three episodes of Friends, and then Brian and I watched another episode of I Will Find You before we went to bed.

Wednesday, July 8

Wednesday, the withdrawals were in full force all day, which was good timing since we had nowhere to be.  Thankfully, they still weren’t as bad as they were back in October, but I still felt like hammered crap all day – terrible sensitivity to light to the point where I could barely look at my computer or phone, blurred vision, dizziness, really bad shortness of breath (which I actually think might have just been my asthma acting up??), exhaustion, brain zaps at bedtime (though, they were different this time… it was more like body jolts because I didn’t have the weird electricity sound in my head like I did back in October when I tried to taper the first time), and just a general sense of feeling, well, bad.

My alarm is always set for 7:30 AM on weekdays, but I ended up snoozing until 8 AM Wednesday because I just felt so exhausted.  Even at 8, I had to drag myself out of bed.

Olivia was already up, and Jacob got up shortly after that, so we all had breakfast and I did my morning routine.

Since I’d done nothing on Tuesday, I had a lot to do Wednesday, so I headed to my office to tackle a few things… it was a struggle, though:

 

-       Catch up on emails

-       Pay a bill

-       Upload photos to a shared document that my cousin is putting together

-       Finish my blog post for Friday

-       Start my blog post for Monday

-       Tidy my bedroom and bathroom

 

By the time I was done with that, I was feeling really bad, so I went and lay in bed to read for an hour.  Meanwhile, Jacob worked on his chemistry and math summer homework, and Olivia Facetimed with her friend, Maren, since all her summer homework was done.

We all had lunch together, and then Olivia cleaned her bedroom and bathroom, and the kids cleaned the playroom together.  They were all a mess.

We also ordered new water bottles for the kids for the new school year along with a few other necessities, and then I went to lay down again. 

I was able to work on my blog post for Monday a little more after I rested, but then after sitting at the computer, I felt like poo again, so I had to go lay back down. 

I pretty much alternated between getting stuff done in my office and laying in bed all day.  I got one last second wind after that, and I added a few dates to my planner, I worked on Monday’s blog post for a few minutes, I got a couple of Amazon returns ready, and then I did my devotional and a Bible study before heading downstairs to cook dinner.

On the menu Wednesday evening was fettucine alfredo with chicken and steamed broccoli, and garlic cheese bread.  It’s always a quick meal to make, but it involves a lot of prep and monitoring since there are so many things going at once.  That wasn’t an ideal meal to have to make when you are super tired and winded and dizzy, but I got it done!

While Brian cleaned the kitchen after dinner, I quizzed Jacob on his chemistry elements.  He must memorize half of them by the time school starts, and he must know them both ways – if the name is given, he must know the symbol and vice versa. 

When that was done, I meditated on my neck pillow and vibration plate, and then I finally got showered for the day.  I put on my pjs again and then I sent out invitations for Jacob’s birthday get together that we’re having later this month. 

We started the newest episode of America’s Got Talent Wednesday night, and then we watched two more episodes of Friends.  The kids wanted popcorn, so we made a night of it, and then after they went to bed, Brian and I had rare mid-week cocktails because it was about the only thing that could put me out of my misery.  We watched some more of I Will Find You and then we went to bed.

 

Thursday, July 9

Thursday morning, I was up at 7:45 AM and my asthma was acting up again, so I woke up feeling yucky.  Thankfully, it resolved within a couple of hours of waking, so it ended up being a non-issue.

After my morning things, I worked on my blog post for Monday, and then I finished my book since it needed to be returned to the library soon.  After that, I worked on my blog post for Monday some more, and then it was time to get showered for the day. 

After lunch, the kids and I headed out to run lot of errands:

 

-       UPS (to return a couple of Amazon orders that didn’t work out)

-       Sephora (per Olivia’s request… just because!)

-       Library (to return a few books that were due)

-       Target (to return a couple of things and grab a few things we needed + shop for jeans for Olivia + browse the few LoveShackFancy items that remained + browse the new Room Essentials line that I’m obsessed with)

-       Orthodontist (checkups for the kids)

-       Music lessons (I sat with Olivia and she worked some more on Happier by Ed Sheeran)

Olivia and my friend Jeannine’s son were supposed to be having a special Diva Day with our friend, Jen, but she wasn’t feeling well, and she had to postpone.  Since she couldn’t take them out, Jeannine and I decided to get all our kids together for a milkshake date, and then we took them to Five Below to shop for matching shirts for Buckley and Olivia.  They never found shirts that they liked, but they ended up finding a pair of PJ shorts and matching fuzzy blankets so they could twin at poker night on Friday.

When we got home, I tidied the house and did a few things to catch up since we’d been gone all afternoon, and then Brian and I made breakfast for dinner. 

After dinner, I got on my stair stepper for 30 minutes and then I did my meditation, vibration, neck pillow combo.

We watched a little more of America’s Got Talent with the kids, but both are so into Friends already that they didn’t want to watch the whole thing, and instead, they wanted to turn it off to squeeze in three episodes of Friends before bed. 

Brian and I ended the night with another episode of I Will Find You before bed.

 

Friday, July 10

Friday morning, we were all up early because I had an upper cervical chiropractor appointment.  After getting ready and eating a quick breakfast, we hit the road.  My appointment went great because my atlas and axis were still perfectly in place, making this the first time that my adjustments have held this long in months.  My neck test, my leg test, and the examination all showed that everything was perfect, so my doctor sent me on my way and told me to come back in a month!  My tongue is finally adapting to its new posture, so I think that had so much to do with my perfect checkup! 

After my appointment, we hit the road, but we didn’t head straight home like we usually do.  Brian discovered that there’s a place called Fun Spot America in Fayetteville, GA, and they have one of the Top 10 best roller coasters in the world.  They are closing permanently on August 2, so he wanted to go ride the roller coaster since it’s not too far from my upper cervical chiropractor.

Trader Joe’s happened to be right on the way, so we stopped to grab some essentials – pickle chips, dark chocolate almonds, wine, vanilla bean scones, and a few other goodies that we wanted to try.

When we arrived, the place was a ghost town and I thought it was closed (LOL), but after we rounded the bend, we saw several cars in the parking lot.  Brian and the kids went into the park, but I opted to stay in the car.  It was HOT Friday and I was wearing jeans and close toe shoes for my appointment, so I wanted to stay in the car where it was nice and cool.

I was glad I did, too, because it ended up taking them an hour to get through the gate and ride the roller coaster because Brian said they were incredibly inefficient there, but he loved the coaster and said it was one of the best ones he’s ever ridden.  The kids didn’t want to ride since it goes upside down, so they filmed Brian instead.  Haha.

After that, we made the drive home, and we made lunch when we got back.  After lunch, Jacob made flash cards for chemistry, and he studied for a bit and Olivia tried on her new jeans from Target.  I finished my blog post for Monday, I read for a few minutes, and then I started this blog post, and before I knew it, it was time to freshen up and head to my friend, Jeannine’s house, for poker night.

We had pizza and cocktails and another set of friends, Seth and Natalie, joined us this time, so it was even more chatty and chaotic than it usually is.  We laughed so much that my face hurt by the time we were done.

The kids spent most of the night running around outside and they all came inside sweaty and flushed because it was so hot.

We capped off the evening by shooting some glow-in-the-dark twirling things (I don’t know how else to describe them, lol) into the sky.  The lights run on batteries, and you shoot them using a rubberband launcher, so you can use them over and over again.  The kids had contests to see who could shoot theirs the highest and they ran all around trying to catch them.

By the time we got home, it was 10 PM, so the kids both showered and got in bed.  While they showered, I meditated on my neck pillow and vibration plate, and then Brian and I finished I Will Find You and started season three of Silo.  We didn’t go to bed until 12:30 AM, so it was a late night.

 

Saturday, July 11

Saturday morning, we slept in until 8:15 AM, I made waffles, and then I tidied the kitchen and the whole downstairs area because it was a wreck.  Brian went out to mow the lawn and then I went in my office for a little while to catch up on emails, read blogs, put some dates in my planner, organize a couple of lists, and work on this blog post.

Late in the morning, I got showered and ready for the day, and then we all met my father-in-law and much of the rest of Brian’s family for lunch to celebrate several summer birthdays – my brother-in-law’s, my sister-in-law's, Jacob’s, and my niece’s.  We have so many summer birthdays in our family!

We went back over to my FIL’s house after that to have cookie cake and open gifts, and then we went home for a couple of hours before church.  I spent some time catching up this blog post, and I also started my first Colorado recap.  I also spent a few minutes reorganizing my editorial calendar since I had to make room for a few extra travel posts that weren’t originally on the calendar. 

Before leaving for church, I lay on my neck pillow and vibration plate because my dizziness and other issues were in full force, and then I freshened up before we hit the road.

After Mass, we went to our usual Mexican restaurant with our usual group – my parents, Mama Cass, my brother, Aunt Joy, and Uncle Greg, and then on the way home, we stopped by Dairy Queen to get Blizzards for Brian and the kids.

When we got home, we watched a few more minutes of America’s Got Talent followed by two episodes of Friends, and then Brian and I continued episode one of season three of Silo.  We hadn’t gotten far, and both of us had started nodding off the night before, so we had to retrace our steps.  Haha.  I actually didn’t get far into the episode again, and I started dozing off, so Brian turned it off altogether and he watched something that he’s been watching on his own while I dozed.  I love a couch nap!

 

Sunday, July 12

Sunday morning, I got up at 8:15 AM, I made cinnamon rolls, and I made the bed and tidied upstairs while they baked.  After breakfast, the kids did their laundry, and I got my planner ready for the week ahead.  I transferred my photos to my computer from my phone and organized them, and then I went out for a walk even though I don’t love walking when the sun is overhead. 

It was HOT Sunday, but I did two miles, and then I did a Bible study while I cooled off.  After that, it was time to get showered and ready for lunch at my MIL’s and step-FIL’s, and on the way there, we swung by CVS to pick up my prescriptions.

We had a big group Sunday since my sister-in-law, nephew, and my niece and her husband were all in town, and they made a delicious spread.  We celebrated Jennifer and Haley’s birthdays over there (we’ll be doing a separate one for Jacob in a couple of weeks), and then on the way home, we swung by Target to pick up an online order.

I felt like poo again Sunday – from withdrawals, and hopefully that’s it??  My neck was bothering me, but I’m assuming it was somehow related to the withdrawals – so I was hanging by a thread when we got home.  I took some Ibuprofen, had a cup of hot tea, and then lay down for a little bit, and I did feel a little better when I got up, although still pretty dizzy.  I know it’ll all be over eventually so I’m just trying to hang in there!!  I feel like there’s light at the end of the tunnel since I’m finally completely off the vertigo meds and since I’ve found a doctor who knows how to fix me (for lack of a better term).

I felt decent enough to look at a computer screen for a bit, so I finished my blog post for Tuesday, I worked on this blog post some more, I started my blog post for Friday, and then I started typing out the first Denver recap that should go live next Friday (assuming I stay on track!).  Then, I did a few things around the house before heading to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.

Momma made a delicious chicken tortellini alfredo with a couple of sides, and then we had cookie brownies for dessert.  My parents’ next door neighbors brought over their new puppy after dinner – a coton de tulear – and I fell in love instantly.  I was shocked to find out that they’d been able to get her right here in our city (those dogs are hard to find), and now I think I have doggie fever, although, I’m not sure I’m ready to have the responsibility again just yet since we travel so much.

When we got home, we watched some more of AGT followed by three episodes of Friends, and then Brian and I finished episode two of season three of Silo.  I also did stalk the Facebook page of the place where my parents’ neighbors had gotten their puppy and OMG they have some sweet babies right now!

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

Our 2026 Denver, CO Trip by the Numbers

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

We spent five days in Colorado at the end of June.  Unfortunately, we weren’t there under the best circumstances, but we did make the most of our time there.  My cousin, who has been battling cancer for many years, is sadly, succumbing to the disease, and she decided that before her time comes, she would have a celebration of life so she could see all her loved ones one last time.

Since we had to travel across the country to get there, we decided that we might as well make a mini vacation of it.  Brian and the kids had never been to Colorado, and I hadn’t been since I was 12 years old, so it was an opportunity for all of us to experience something new.

As with every trip, I’m recapping this one by the numbers today so let’s get started…

5 – Days we were on our trip

4 – Nights we stayed in the hotel

54 – Degrees was the lowest temperature while we were there

93 – Degrees was the highest temperature while we were there

4 – In-N-Out burgers consumed

13 – Adult beverages consumed

8 – Ice creams consumed

1 – Ice cream that we tried that tasted awful (yes, apparently, ice cream can taste awful)

8 – Donuts consumed

4 – Cookies consumed

2 – Brownies consumed

6 – Palm Pals purchased

3 – Times we saw Theo of Golden by Allen Levi in bookshops (one in the Atlanta airport, one local bookstore in Denver, and the Denver airport).  We personally know the author so it’s always such a thrill to see how famous he’s become from this one book!

2 – Candies purchased from Rocket Fizz

3 – Times somebody yelled, “GO DAWGS!” just on day one when they saw Brian’s Georgia shirt… and it wasn’t in the airport.  It was in the middle of downtown Denver every time.  So random! 

1 – Wedding we witnessed at Garden of the Gods

4 – Cities visited (Colorado Springs, Highlands Ranch, Denver, Morrison)

1 – Time Brian drove down the wrong side of the street, LOL (it was brief)

7 – Times we raised our flag at Casa Bonita (to order, to ask for honey mustard, to ask for ketchup, to ask for sour cream, to order another round of margs, to get the check, and for someone to take a picture of us at our table)

2 and 1/6 – Times we watched the diving show.  We all watched the first whole show and then Brian and Jacob watched one dive of another show.  The boys did the math, so I’ll just trust them on this one.  Haha.

1 – Puppet show we watched at Casa Bonita

1 – Magic show we watched at Casa Bonita

3 – Hours we stayed at Casa Bonita

Hundreds – Of bees seen on one tiny plant at the Botanical Gardens

3 – Bunnies we saw at the Botanical Gardens

1 – Time we saw some of my family in the middle of downtown Denver completely unplanned (Rob and Lindsay)

1 – Coyote we saw in the wild

200-ish – People who attended my cousin’s celebration of life

32 – People from my family who attended (Mama Cass, Aunt Becky, Rob, Lindsay, Courtney, Uncle Chris, Aunt Maureen, Zoe, Ben, Leo, Clara, David, Mia, Willa, Lily, Momma, Daddy, Me, Brian, Jacob, Olivia, Zach, Alex, Aunt Mary, Christa, Taylor, Chelsea, Cat, Kevin, Aunt Joy, Uncle Greg, Shelby)

15 – People from my family who couldn’t make it

2 – Things confiscated by TSA before our flight home (a bottle of sunscreen that was too large that we’d purchased in CO and my aerosol hairspray… even though everything says that aerosol hairspray is allowed on board… the Atlanta airport let me board with it!)

1,197 – Miles we had to fly back home

1 – Time somebody screamed on our flight home because of the turbulence

355 – Pictures taken on the trip with my iPhone (after I deleted all of the bad ones)

53 – Videos taken on the trip with my iPhone (after I deleted all of the bad ones)

1 – Beautiful life we celebrated while we were there

As always, I’ll be recapping our whole trip, so stay tuned.

Happy Tuesday, y’all! 

Our 2026 Nashville Trip

We stopped in Nashville for a couple of nights in between longer trips and we had the most fun!  We squeezed so much in during our short time there, but I’m going to try to recap the whole trip in one very long post! 

Friday, June 19

We were up at 7:30 AM Friday to hit the road!  We got ready, had breakfast at home, stopped at Panera for lunch along the way, grabbed some gas, and then we checked into our hotel at 2:30 PM CDT.  Since this was a quick trip, we opted to stay at a hotel rather than an Airbnb.  The main reason we booked the trip was to attend the Ed Sheeran concert at Nissan Stadium, so Brian booked our room at the Holiday Inn Stadium as it was within walking distance to the venue.  It was also a new-ish hotel, so it was nice!

When we arrived, we unpacked the car, we set up our room, and we freshened up, and then we headed to the 12 South area to meet up with my friend, Emily, and her family!!!!  Emily and I met through blogging in 2015.  We both started our blogs around the same time, and we ended up in the same blog circles.  She and I ended up getting each other’s phone numbers at some point, and we’ve talked almost every single day since then.  She is one of my best friends (might sound weird to some of you since we’d never met in person until 2024, but it’s not weird to us at all!) and I’m so grateful to have her friendship even though we live nearly 600 miles apart!

Nashville is a good central location between our two cities, so when I told Emily we were going to see Ed Sheeran there, she and her family decided to meet us there, and I couldn’t have been happier.  This was also an extra special visit because we got to meet Emily’s daughter for the first time on this trip.  The last time we got together in person was in Chicago in 2024 and Emily was pregnant with her!  Emily also brought her husband and her parents along for this trip and we all got along like we’ve known each other forever.  It was such a special weekend!

When we arrived at 12 South, it was PACKED.  It’s incredible just how much that area has grown in the last 10 years.  Brian and I went there back in 2017 and there was so little in that area.  It was such a cute, quaint, quiet little area with lots of open green spaces (one of which was a massive pumpkin patch the year we went), but that area has since exploded and there are tons of restaurants, high-end boutiques and shops, loads of murals, and SO. MANY. PEOPLE.  It is always bustling with activity.

Thankfully, The Gilmore (the new hotel that just opened in 12 South last year) added a giant underground parking garage, so we were able to find a place to park easily.  Parking in 12 South has always been bad, but I can’t imagine just how bad it would be now without that parking garage. 

Emily and her family were waiting just outside for us (they had lucked out and found a spot right on the road!) and I gave her a huge hug the second we found each other!  It’s always surreal to see her in person after all our texting, but at the same time it feels completely normal.  She introduced us to her parents (who we’d never met) and we said hello to her husband and her sweet girl. 

We were all hungry at that point, so we walked to The Bottle Cap for dinner.  We’d done some research on the way to find a casual, family-friendly place, and that seemed like the place to be.  Unfortunately, when we arrived, they were showing one of the World Cup games, so the place was absolutely packed and so loud, and we thought we were going to have to pivot.  Fortunately, just as we were discussing what to do, the game ended and the place pretty much cleared out.  Talk about good luck!  Haha.

We all grabbed a round of drinks – Teenessee Ice Teas for Brian and me (Happenstance Bourbon, Peach Schnapps, simple syrup, and fresh squeezed lime) – and then we ordered food.  Most of us got pimento cheeseburgers and they were delicious.  Their sweet potato fries were also top-notch.

After dinner, we walked around a few of the shops.  We wanted to hit up Draper James and Stoney Clover, and the kids wanted to go in Serendipity – a souvenir shop that had a bunch of random things in it that they remembered from our last trip.  I’d hoped to get a picture of Emily and me together in front of the famous Nashville mural right next door to Draper James, but we were all shocked to see that they’d painted over it and the wall was just a plain beige color.  Why they would do that, I don’t know, but it made me so sad!

All the shops closed around 6 or 7 PM, and then Emily and her family headed back to their Airbnb to get the baby to sleep.  While we waited for them, our fam stayed in 12 South for another hour or so.  We got Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream for dessert and then we walked around and looked at all the murals.  

After Olivia and I took a picture in front of the “Make Music, Not War” mural, we realized that the vines growing over the mural looked like they could be poison ivy and my heart sank. 

Brian pulled up his plant identifier app, and it turned out that it was Virginia Creeper.  The thing about Virginia Creeper is that most people aren’t allergic to it.  However, some people are insanely allergic to it, and they break out in blistering rashes all over just like you would if you touched poison ivy.  My mother-in-law is one of those who is terribly allergic to it, so I was worried Olivia could be, too, since they have some of the same genes.

We weren’t 100% sure that she had even touched it, but I wanted to be on the safe side, so I pulled out some of my alcohol-based hand wipes and made her scrub her hands and face with it.  Then, when we got back to The Gilmore to get in the car, we asked if they had a public restroom, and thankfully, they did, so I helped her scrub her hands and face with soap and water.  The soap was almost out, though, so it wasn’t as thorough as I’d hoped.

When we got in the car, I was able to watch the video that Brian had taken of us in front of the mural and in the video we could see that the leaves did move as her hands went up in the air to pose, so we were able to confirm that she did, indeed, touch it, and then she proceeded to touch her face with the same hand to brush her hair out of her face.  Noooo. 

After watching that, I made her scrub her hand and face again with another wipe, and then when we got to Emily’s Airbnb, we did a more thorough washing of her face and hands in their bathroom.  Can you tell I was paranoid?  Haha.  Thankfully, nothing ever came of it, so we either washed it off well, or she’s not allergic to it.  Better to be safe than sorry, though, right?  The last thing we needed was for her to have a blistering rash all over her hand and face at the Ed Sheeran concert the next night.

By the time we got to Emily’s, they had the baby down for the night, so her parents stayed with her while Emily and Jess piled in our SUV to go to East Nashville Beerworks, a cute little brewery that wasn’t too far from their Airbnb.  We spent the rest of the evening under the twinkle lights chatting and catching up, and it was a wonderful night!  The weather was absolutely perfect, too.  (And somebody stole my phone.  Hahahaha!)

We returned Emily and Jess to their Airbnb and then we got back to our hotel around 9:30 PM CDT.  The kids showered and then we went to bed around 10:30 PM CDT.  We were exhausted.

 

Saturday, June 20

Tuesday, we were up at 7:15 AM CDT and then we headed downtown in search of donuts for breakfast after we’d all gotten ready.  We landed on Shipley Do-Nuts on Church Street since it seemed like they had a good variety, and I was excited about their kolaches as I was wanting some eggs or some other protein before eating my donut.  I’d never had a kolache, and I can confirm that it was delicious!  The donuts were, too.

After we were done there, we were supposed to meet Emily and her family at the Nashville Farmer’s Market.  After a look at the GPS, it didn’t seem like the walk would be too bad, so we headed that way.  After making a turn down what appeared to be a very busy road, we started to feel uneasy about the walk, and then, when the sidewalk ran out and cars were whizzing right by us, we decided to turn around.

By then, the sun was out in full force, and it was HOT and I was also feeling a little woozy with dizziness.  It ended up taking us foreverrrr to get there on foot, but we made it, and we vowed immediately that we’d be taking an Uber back downtown when the time came.  Haha.

By the time we arrived, we were nearly an hour late meeting Emily and her family, so we browsed a few stalls in the farmer’s market (it was HUGE and so neat!) while we were looking for Emily, and then we all walked across the street to the Tennessee State Museum since it had just opened.

We spent the next couple of hours browsing all the exhibits with them and it was a really neat place.  We’d never been there, so it was nice to try something new.  And it was free!

At lunchtime, Emily and her family left to go back to the Airbnb to feed the baby and put her down for her nap, and Brian, the kids, and I checked out the gift shop at the museum and then did a little shopping at the indoor part of the farmer’s market.  One vendor was selling authentic Pokemon card packs, which Jacob was very excited about, so he purchased a pack and I bought a postcard to hang on my bulletin board back at home.

We were all hungry by then, so we Ubered back downtown (we could have taken a Waymo, but HARD PASS haha), and we had our driver drop us off at Luke’s 32 Bridge.  We’d eaten lunch there before on a previous trip, and Olivia wanted it again, so we thought it would be a good, quick place to stop with live music so we could get the whole live music Nashville experience.

Brian and I started with a round of cocktails, and we both opted for the “Strip It Down” which was Jim Beam Vanilla and cherry and it was smoked tableside with oak chips.  The presentation was 10/10, but unfortunately, the drink was a 0/10.  It was soooo bad.  It tasted just like NyQuil and it was hard to choke down.  It also didn’t seem like there was a single drop of alcohol in there, so we were highly disappointed… especially with how pricey they were.  Sheesh.

Other than that, everything else was great!  Brian had the BBQ bison meatloaf skewers, the kids had chicken fingers and mac n cheese, and I had grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans from the kid’s menu.  Haha.  They didn’t have a grilled chicken option for the adults, so I was happy our server made an exception for me.

The band played lots of old 90s country songs (which are my favorite), and I got to hear them sing Neon Moon by Brooks and Dunn and then You Should Leave by Chris Stapleton on the way out… one of my favorites!

After we left the restaurant, we stopped by a couple of shops (a candy shop and a souvenir shop) while we waited for Emily and Jess to arrive, and then we met the two of them outside The Ryman Auditorium.

We all moseyed around downtown for a bit after that.  Olivia wanted to go in their Sephora store (it’s huge) and then we went in the Nash store and the Carhartt store.

We stopped to grab macarons at Le Macaron French Pastries and then we went to check out Printer’s Alley.  I’d never heard of it, but one of Jess’s friends had told him about it.  It was a cute little area, but it wasn’t very vibrant during the day because it was mostly bars and many of them looked closed.  I bet it’s fun at night, though!

We decided to stop by the library to check it out, and it was the cutest place!  We’d hoped to get water from their snack bar, but we were informed that the snack bar had closed.  So, we walked down the block to grab waters from a street vendor and then we went back to the library to cool off for a bit. 

They had a giant kids’ area, and they had a temporary exhibit of old political cartoons about the 19th amendment, so we ended up staying there and looking around until it was time to head back to the hotel.  Emily and Jess weren’t going to the concert with us, so that also meant that it was time to part ways for the trip.  It’s always so sad to say goodbye.

When we got back to our hotel, we all lay in bed in the blasting air conditioning and relaxed for 30 minutes, and then it was time to freshen up and walk to Nissan Stadium where the concert was held.

Our seats were in the 16th row in front of the stage, so we had to go through a special entrance, and I’d hoped that it would be cooler in the tunnels under the stadium, but it was still SO HOT.  We grabbed hot dogs and waters for dinner and then made our way to our seats, and we were so grateful to see that our seats were already in the shade.  It was such a relief.  We would have roasted if they hadn’t been.  It was so hot I didn’t even want to drink beer.  I just wanted water to stay hydrated.

Ed had three openers and we’d completely missed the first one on purpose since we knew it was going to be hot, but we got to see Amble and then Myles Smith.  I have loved Myles Smith for a couple of years now, so I was thrilled to see that he was opening, and I didn’t want to miss him!  He was so great, and we all enjoyed singing along to the two massive hits that he’s had and hearing all the new songs from the new album he’d just dropped the day before that.

As he was finishing up, we booked it back up to the stadium for bathroom breaks and the kids wanted Dippin’ Dots.  We got back to our seats just in time for Ed to come out at 8 PM, and the next three hours were spent listening to him, singing at the top of our lungs, and dancing.

He played most of his set from the main stage in front of us, but he had a second stage in the middle of the field where he played his acoustic, slower songs and he went back-and-forth from stage to stage on this massive telescoping bridge that came out and connected the stages together.  It was wild.

Midway through the show, he brought out a surprise guest – Dan + Shay – who the kids and I love so much.  We were soooo excited and Olivia and I sang Tequila at the top of our lungs.

There were fireworks, there was fire, there was lots of storytelling, there were magical moments of perfectly timed camera flashes at Ed’s instructions, and there was lots of jumping up and down at Ed’s prompts… it was JUST SO MUCH FUN.  Oh, and I finally got to hear him sing Supermarket Flowers live for the first time.  It’s one of his oldest and greatest songs, but he never sings it live.  Brian and I have seen him live four times now, and I think this was my favorite one yet!

The show was over around 11 PM CDT, which was midnight back home, so we were all positively exhausted.  We walked back to the hotel room, both kids showered, and then we were all out like lights an hour later.

And can I just give a shoutout to our amazing kids who are the best little travelers?  They were going nonstop all day long in the heat and then were still able to completely hang for the whole five hours of the concert.  When the concert was over, Jacob wasn’t even ready for it to be over, and he said he wanted to go see it again.  Haha.  They are seriously down for pretty much anything, and they rarely complain, and I’m so grateful that they love an adventure just as much as their Mommy and Daddy do!

 

Sunday, June 21

Sunday, we were up at 8 AM CDT which is 9 AM our time.  We decided to sleep in late since we were all so tired.  As long as we were back by dinnertime, that was all that mattered.

We showered and got ready and then we stopped by East Park Donuts & Coffee for a quick breakfast.  We’d eaten there the last time we were in Nashville, and we all love their donuts, so we had to go back for more.  The place is tiny and it was packed, but we were able to get one of the few tables by the time we were done ordering.  I decided to try something new, so I got the lemon poppyseed lavender donut and an old-fashioned maple bourbon donut, and both were so delicious.  Brian got a blueberry and a salted brown butter glazed.  Jacob got a blueberry and the EP strawberry (basically a strawberry frosted), and Olivia got a blueberry and a Dutch chocolate.  Everybody was pleased with their choices! 

We hit the road at 9:30 AM CDT, we made one bathroom stop and one stop for lunch at Panera (again), and we were home in time to unload the car, unpack a few things, and head to my parents’ house to celebrate Father’s Day with my Daddy!

It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but it was truly wonderful!

Happy Monday, y’all!