We spent this past weekend visiting our friends the Doleshels in Franklin, Tennessee which is right outside of Nashville. We had a great time seeing the sights, but we mostly just enjoyed spending time with Bryan and Heather.Their daughter Luisa was born 2 weeks after Nicholas and they've been betrothed since birth. Nicholas and Luisa were so happy to see each other (the initial greeting at the airport brought tears to my eyes!) They slept in the same room and kept each other up late chatting away. They are also expecting a boy in August (maybe he'll like older women . . . Samantha?)
Our first morning there we had breakfast at Pancake Pantry, a "Nashville tradition". No matter what day of the week it is, there is a line out the door. We tried the sweet potato pancakes and the sweet cream syrup. It was worth the wait, and it started of our southern eating experience for the weekend.
Heather's parents also moved to Franklin and bought a house 2 streets away. On Friday night Heather's mom offered to babysit the kids so we could go out. Thanks Aleta!!! We went to downtown Nashville to "honky-tonk". After a few stops and a few drinks, we stopped in a boot shop and after a little convincing, Chris got back to his roots and tried on some cowboy boots and and belt buckle. All he was missing was the horse. We also stopped for some homemade ice cream at Mike's Ice Cream Shop. They had all sorts of unusual flavors like Nutter Butter and caramel cone. Mmmm!
On Saturday the weather was beautiful. We packed a picnic lunch and went to Tinkerbell Park which is the most amazing kids park I've seen. Nicholas and Samantha loved it. Heather struck up a conversation with a couple who were visiting from Dallas to see if they should take up a job offer and move to Franklin. By the end of the conversation they were pretty convinced that Franklin was the place for them.
That afternoon, Chris and I walked through downtown Franklin which has a wonderful small town feel. Heather says that Nicole Kidman frequents the Starbucks there (no star sightings that day unfortunately). There was an adorable cupcake shop which of course we had to try - Naticakes. The best one, by far, was a chocolate with salted caramel. It was to die for!
We packed another picnic for dinner and headed to Arrington Vineyard. They had live music, wine tasting, and everyone was just spread out on a hill side with good food and wine watching the kids run around.
It was a great weekend! It was so good to hang out and laugh with old friends. It was great to see where Bryan and Heather are, see their new house, visit their church, meet some of their new friends, and play a game of Settlers (which I won despite some very competitive playing). We are sad that they don't live in California anymore, but are so happy that they have found such a great spot for their family. We'll definitely be back to visit!
Looks like you had fun!
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