Happy Thanksgiving from Nashville

Well, this year I did not celebrate Thanksgiving the traditional way with family and the big turkey dinner! I went to Nashville, Tennessee to surprise my best friend Casey for her birthday! About 2 months ago Casey decided she wanted to go to Nashville and asked if I wanted to join her mom (Jean) and our other really good friend (Beth). Well, since I had just started my new job at Eaton this past April I did not think that I would be able to get any time off! Then I found out that we were closes Thursday and Friday! I checked with Tony and my family to make sure no one would mind if I missed Thanksgiving! I booked my ticket the next day with the help from Beth and Jean! I turned the trip into a surprise for Casey! I flew out last Wednesday (a few hours after they did!) Oh, and traveling was not BAD at all! I was checked in and was threw the security point in MSP in about 20 minutes, just a minor 15 minute delay as we need to de-ice the plane. Then in about 2 hours I was in Nashville with my luggage an on my way to the Best Western Downtown Convention Center! A few text messages back and forth with Beth, I would be surprising Casey in about 10 minutes! I got to the hotel, took the elevator up to room 306 and knocked on the door! The room suddenly got really quite and the door opened! Casey was sitting on the bed as I yelled SURPRISE! She looked at me with the really confused look and said what the heck are you doing here? I told her I would never miss a long weekend PARTYING in Nashville for her birthday! Then with some hugs and story telling (as I just about blew my own cover a couple times in past weeks) we all got ready for what would be night 1 of the night life in Nashville!

Casey and Jenny

What did we do.......

Night 1:
We went bar hoping on Broadway Street. The first bar we stopped at was Tootsie Bar. It was small and crowed on the first floor so we made our way up to the second level where it was very quite. We had 2 beers and left.
Since, I forgot to eat we stopped at a place called Bailey's for dinner. I had a Black Forest Sandwich and a couple Captain Cokes. My sandwich was a pretzel bun with apple bacon and turkey. It was really good! Oh, and we saw a Justin Bobby from the Hills look a like.
Already the week is starting to become a blur as I am sitting here typing. So instead of trying to remember where we went after dinner I will just say we went Bar Hopping. We made it to quite a few different bars that night! We end up at The Stage where we stayed until 2:30am! We met 2 guys from Missouri that were also in Nashville with family for Thanksgiving! 1 of them got Casey's number! What a good Birthday she was having!

Day 2: Happy Thanksgiving!
Since we did not get going until mid-morning (OK we left our hotel room around 2:00pm) Casey wanted to have a nice dinner so we headed off to the Radisson Hotel Opryland. It’s a HUGE hotel...someone said something like its one of the biggest hotels in the world that does not have a casino. We walked around looking at there Christmas lighting displays and tress made out of real poinsettias! It takes almost 4 months for the hotel to get ready for Christmas. It was a very pretty hotel but I would not recommend staying at the hotel if you plan on going downtown at night. It’s a $25.00 cab ride one-way. We had a very nice dinner (minus are really weird waiter) at the Old Hickory Steakhouse inside the hotel. Casey had scallops, Beth had chicken (organic), Jean had a Filet Mignon and I had Pork Tenderloin with squash. we had a nice glass of Relax Riesling wine with our dinner too. After dinner we walked off our full bellies and called for a cab to head back downtown for another round of beers.
Once again, I am not sure where was started the night off but we ended up running into the 2 guys we met the night before. This time there Mom and Dad came out. Ron (dad) had never staid out past midnight in a very long time! We all had a celebration drink and shot at midnight! Then Ron and Debbie left shortly after that! We ended up at our new home away from home. The Stage! The waitresses there where really nice! One of them even bought us a shot! We danced to the live band and drank again until 2:30AM!

Deer's in the flowers at Hotel

Giant Lighted Tree


Lights outside the hotel

Tree made out of REAL poinsettias

Day 3 - Friday
We did get up around 8:30am - 9:00am to go have some breakfast in our hotel but after that we went back to our room for a nap! For some reason we all had a bit of the shakes going on! Not sure if we could do another 2 nights of this drinking and parting so we took it easy with a few more hours of rest!
When we finally all got up and ready to go do something other then see Nashville at night. We walked down to the visitor center where we ran into a bunch of teeny boppers. Hannah Montana was in town! We quickly got out of that area and went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. After walking around looking at all the old and new country music archives we headed down the road to find something to eat. We ate at a place called The Big River??????? I can not remember the whole name. The food was ok but we really very cold as we took a booth by the door! Every few minutes the doors would open with a draft of cold wind and with moms and daughters getting a bit to eat before they headed to the concert. After that was walked back to the hotel room for another nap before are 3rd night on the town.

No wonder why everyone knows when we is in town. This is her tour bus.

The bars where a bit different Friday night as there where lots a people out! We started out at a Karaoke bar called Buck Wild. WOW can people sing in Nashville! Then we went to a couple different bars, a Bluegrass bar and Tootsie. The dance floor at Tootsie's was about the size of a twin bed but we managed to still cut rug! People in Nashville acted like they have never seen 4 tall blonde's before so it was not hard for us to stick out! We ended the night once again at THE STAGE until 2:30am!

Day 4 - Saturday
Again, we woke up moving a little slower then the days before! We really needed to find something to do other then drinking! We looked through the booklets we got from the visitors center but nothing really popped out at us unless we wanted to go visit some Plantations. So, I opened the book to a random page and picked something. It was a restaurant called Santa Fe Cattle Company. We needed to eat so since this was down by the Opryland Hotel we thought there is got to be more to do then just the hotel. We got ready and took the cab to the Santa Fe Cattle Company for some Southern cooking. We had a really good meal. The buns where so hot they burnt our fingers! I had BBQ ribs and sweet potato. Our waiter seemed very nice so we asked him what there was to do in the area???? Not sure if we looked like we really need to start drinking again or if he did not understand our questions. He told us all about the bars that where downtown and that there was nothing to do in that area unless we wanted to go to the hotel and look around. Since, we had already figured out the bars and went to the hotel his only other idea was to go to the mall. Sounded like a good idea, we called the cab then headed to the mall to walked around. Nothing really excited happened at the mall since no one was up for shopping. We called the cab, went back to the hotel.
Casey had bought tickets to go to the Grand Olde Opry Saturday night. Since, I was a surprise I did not have a ticket but that was ok with me. I really needed a nap! So, the 3 of them got ready and left. They were going to call when the show was over and I would meet up with them. (maybe met up is what was really going threw my head.) After a bit of sitting around I got up and started to get my things all ready since we had to go home tomorrow:( Once, that was all done I got in the shower and got ready. I couldn't leave them hanging on our last night in Nashville! As, I was getting ready I heard this lowed slam. Oh, we must have new neighbors (we had Hannah Montana fans the night before.) then as a started to listen to our new neighbors. They where in a little domestic fight. Sara and Chris where there names. Sara had given up her family and friends to be with Chris and they where going to move to Alabama! I guess from what I heard Sara was not such a good girl. She got caught calling her ex-boyfriend and that was just not ok with him. At that point I just sat on the bed and listen to the 2 of them go back and forth. I was not sure if I should call the front desk and have some one come up or just wait it out! Then about 15 minutes later I got a text message saying the show was over! Minutes later I walked out the door very quietly and was on my way to meet everyone. Since, it was almost 12:00am we decided to go with our trusting bar THE STAGE! Tonight, the bar was really packed. A lot of drunk collage age kids. We made the best of the night taking it slower then we had the past 3 nights. Then, as we listening to the band we had a surprise singer sing for us! John Rich from Big and Rich stopped in and played 3 songs! It was super cool and a great way to end our long weekend hanging out in Nashville!
We ended the night again at bar closing 2:30am.

(I was trying to add a viedo here but its not working right!)

Day 5 - Sunday
Are flights where all departing a little after 11am. Casey, Beth and Jean where on American Airlines and I was on Northwest. So, we headed to the airport around 9:00am, checked our luggage, when through security and had some Burger King for breakfast. It was about 10:20am and I thought I better start heading to my gate as I was in Concourse C and needed to be in Concourse B. We started to walk and stopped at a gift store for a pop and gum, it dawned on me I better check my flight and make sure its still on time. As, I found my flight and it said ON TIME I was so happy. You know that feeling when you are at the airport and you want nothing more then to push a button and be home. (I would get to see the end of the Vikings game!) Then as we looked through the listings we saw the flight the girls where on from Nashville to Chicago (they had a connection) was delayed for about an hour. I told them to go down to the gate and check with the agent and make sure that the connection flight back to MSP was rebooked (as they were not going to make there connection flight). They were rebooked on a 3pm and 5pm something flight out of Chicago. There was a chance that they would make the 3ish flight but as I later found out they got to the gate in Chicago and the plane was pulling away so they would be taking the 5ish flight. Not a way to end a great trip but they were glad when they landed in MSP shortly after 6:00pm.

So to sum up the past 4 days in Nashville! A lot of Drinking on Broadway Street! What a great way to spend Thanksgiving!

Oh - I bet you are wondering what Tony did for Thanksgiving. From what he told me:) He hung out with his Mom and Rich in Richfield for dinner then headed our to our friend Marcus and Rebekah's parents in Chaska. Sounds like he had a really good week! Lots of hanging out with the boys at his second home the Pullman and food!

Before we know it Christmas will be here and I will want to take another trip somewhere warm!