{nashville}

last month i decided it was time for an adventure so i tagged along with some friends who were running the nashville rock n roll half marathon and headed west for a few days. oh the joys of the open road.  the drive from north carolina to tennessee in the spring is absolutely beautiful.  

the five days away was the perfect getaway in music city.  we took time to explore, stopped by all our favorite little nashville hotspots, explored 12 south, and just enjoyed life.  just look at how beautiful this city by the river is!

 me and my travel buddy haley george (who's photography you need to check out www.haleygeorgephotography.com) stopped by our favorite coffee shop, the frothy monkey, for a little afternoon coffee and workity work.

 and no trip to nashville is complete without a stop at jeni's ... oh my goodness, this stuff is g-double o-d GOOD!  i just had to shove my dairy intolerance aside for the moment to indulge.  worth. it.

 we even spent a little time one afternoon at the ever trendy, barista parlor, where i was able to sit and draw for a spell.  great people watching, fabulous coffee, and sweet time to just create and dream.

 and can we just talk about this lovely wine bar, rumours, in east nashville??  it was a glorious friday night where i just got to sit underneath the spring evening sky and just relax as i had an evening to myself.  this place is located in a beautiful historic home turned restaurant with an amazing back patio.  this is what spring night dreams are made of.

   and then they ran... all 13.1 miles of nashville hills. yeesh.  i posted up at frothey monkey in 12 south all morning after dropping them off and enjoyed watching the runners come through while sipping on my glorious coffee.  i think i picked the right place to be here... running in the bright, early am or a glorious spring morning with coffee... is there even an argument here??!?  once they passed and i headed towards the finish line, i decided it was a good idea to send them selfies as they ran.  for encouragement of course.  yes.  i'm that friend...

our final day was spent attending midtown fellowship in the heart of the city.  what a wonderful service it was.  what a gift to worship with the church regardless of what city i'm in.  truth is the same worldwide.

all in all the timing of this trip was sheer perfection.  after five days in this wonderful city and meeting a handful of really amazing people, my heart was full.  i'm grateful for adventures and hopefully my future will be full with many, many more!