Weekend in Music City

Shelley came to visit over the weekend. She came in to see me and to surprise our friend, Natalie, for her birthday. The surprise came off without a hitch! We went to Natalie's house to pick her up. Natalie thought that I was the only one coming. Her face was PRICELESS when Shelley was standing at the door. (Shelley's got the pics...otherwise, I'd put one up.) Here's a pic of Shelley & I at Natalie's birthday party.We spent most of the weekend being tourists, which was great fun. Friday, we went to Franklin, Tennessee, which has a really cute downtown area. Reminds me of Granbury a bit. We went to a really cool plantation in Franklin, the Carnton Plantation, where the book "Widow of the South" is based. It was a field hospital during the Battle of Franklin in the Civil War. It's amazing how much history is literally right in my backyard. The neighborhood I live in is actually where the Battle of Nashville was. You can't drive a half of a mile without passing a historical marker.
There was a cupcake cafe, called Curious Gourmet Cupcake Cafe. Let me just say, both of our jaws hit the floor when we walked in. Pure heaven! Cupcakes with 3 inches of icing. The two I'm holding are vanilla chocolate chip & dulce de leche. Shelley & I split them so we could try more than one. They were all yummy, although the dulce de leche was my fave.This is a cool stop out in the "country." The Loveless Cafe & Motel was opened by the Loveless family back in 1951. It's no longer a motel, but it's a pretty amazing restaurant. They are known for their biscuits, which were melt-in-your-mouth good. You know it's good if there are bikes parked out front. Couldn't pass up this picture.

We also went to The Hermitage, the home of former President Andrew Jackson. It's absolutely beautiful. This picture was taken of the front of the house from the gardens, that his wife, Rachel, loved so dearly. I have always heard about Andrew & Rachel Jackson and how in love they were. I always thought of her as First Lady, but she actually died just a few days before Andrew was inaugurated. However, Andrew still very much loved her, and only her, throughout the rest of his life. It's a pretty amazing love story.

After our Sunday afternoon tour of The Hermitage, Shelley & I grabbed dinner with Natalie. Then we went back to my place to watch the Cowboys play. HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS?! Gotta love watching the game with a fellow Texan. Now I just have to find a Cowboys fan club up here that watches the games together.