Nashville.

Our first actual 'Family (of four) Vacation' just ended. It was full of planning anxiety, excitement, and the impatient-ness of getting out of this town!  Preparing for a four night, five day (2 of those days being driving days. Puke.), for just two people is a cinch. Adding a 15 month old into the mix took it to a whole different level. In a good way, of course.

Our plan of action was to leave on Sunday and come back Thursday. I was busy getting last minute things in order on Friday (the 12th) when, at the grocery store, Jeff suggested we leave Saturday morning instead, and drive however far we felt like. I was in slight disbelief because Jeff rarely does things spontaneously. I was in heaven. We stayed up late Friday to get everything ready to go, and the next morning headed out.

We drove to Effingham, Illinois. Weirdest name for a city, in my opinion. We strolled in after dark and found a hotel, not motel, to stay in. Something about motels gives me the creeps. I'm positive we'll be killed if we stay in one (especially in a city of said name). Think about it, in all those horror movies where people were killed, were they ever staying at a hotel? No. (Jeff just interjected about 'The Shining', but I've never seen that one, so it doesn't count).

Our drive to Illinois wasn't as bad as I expected. Thank you Elmo's World. We snacked on fruit and bagels for the most part, and took a couple 15 minute breaks to stretch our legs. We luckily missed a bad semi-to end of other-semi accident. Traffic was at a stand-still for several miles. It looked something like this.

It was absolutely ridiculous. People just gave up and threw their car in park and walked their dogs or got out and went for a stroll. There were some ambitious individuals who wanted to get out so badly they decided to try cutting across the wet, muddy highway divider. Dumb. We saw many cars stuck in the mud.

When we got to our motel  hotel, we unloaded and went straight to Whole Foods. Ever been to one? No? You must go. It is the most mind-blowing grocery store we have ever been to. We visited this same Whole Foods a couple years ago when we went out to see a friend, and haven't been able to stop talking about it since.

We went to Franklin the next day. It was just delightful there. We had heard downtown was awesome so we wanted to check it out. It did not disappoint!  There were some awesome boutiques and shops and a delicious Starbucks there, among many other cute stores. It was a happening downtown. Loved it. 

 We also went to the zoo! Roman had a blast! He was such an awesome little traveler. We were blessed big time. We pushed him to his limit quite often, and most days he didn't even get a nap. He was awesome. I've never known love like this before. It's incredible. 

I'd say Roman's favorites were the chickens ("kak, kak, kak" -they're close enough to ducks), monkeys ("ah, ah, ah"), and anything under water. He was just fascinated by fish and the other under-water creatures we saw. 

It was a chilly 50-something degree day, so many of the animals weren't gracing us with their presence, but we had fun anyway. Watching Roman discover is such a reward. The light in his eyes as he sees or hears something for the first time, I won't ever forget. 

Wednesday was our 'no real plans' day. We just went all around Franklin, for the most part. The newer part-Cool Springs-, and back to downtown where I found this too cute for words cardigan for Roman. I'm kind of in love with it. It was between this and a delicious pair of golfer pants. I couldn't decided so I had Jeff pick. We ended the night with a fantastic dinner at the one and only Baja Burrito with Jeff's cousin Brian. Yum.

And we discovered these while driving around Nashville. The last 3 days we were there, Jeff 'needed' to have one. And the last one did him in. 

We also, to my hearts GREAT delight, found a delectable maternity boutique. For any woman out there who is pregnant and cannot find jeans that are long enough (meaning the traditional 34" inseam still makes you look like you're wearing capris), I have found the store for you!  Let me just say, it's one of the most amazing feelings to have a pair of lovely, dark wash, long enough you should probably cuff them, maternity jeans. I was sold as soon as I put them on. And the best part? They also came in a skinny jean! Oh-mazing! 

Our drive home was the nicest day both in Nashville and in Ames. So it's great that we got to be in the car for that.  We left before day break and got home after dinner. 

I guess that's all for now. I haven't had time to reflect 'deeply' on the experiences we had in Tennessee, but plan to soon. It was a wonderful time for Jeff, Roman and I to bond as a family. 

 For now, my bed, pillow and comforter are calling my name very loudly. Goodnight moon!

-s