Nashville or Bust

Steve is an otter to say the least and an Enthusiast to boot.  I cannot say that in our nine years of marriage, I have ever seen a shade of an introvert in Steve or heard him say, I need some alone time.

Even more than being an extrovert, Steve is a dreamer, always creating, imagining and proclaiming his next big idea.

Being married to a dreamer means lots of conversations and ideas that never reach fruition, but only serve as a fun game and conversation constant.

A few months back, Steve started talking about Donald Miller's Storyline Conference in Nashville.  The conversation lasted for a couple of days, intermittently and then died off.

Exactly 3 weeks ago {2 weeks before the conference}, Steve came home and said something to the effect of {I don't remember exactly, as I was pretty flipping ticked at him} Who should we ask to watch the boys for Nashville?

To which I replied, Nashville?!!

Calmly Steve responded, Yeah, I bought you a plane ticket {3weeks ago!}....remember you told me to go for it?

Although, I am holding strong that I never told him to go for it, it is quite possible, as I sometimes zone out of his dreams and end up responding uh-huh! sure.... for as much as Steve is a dreamer, he also NEVER pulls the trigger.... until now.

So there I had it, although I would have much rather replaced my lost iPod, or bought a new blender, or purchased some cute new spring clothes with the price of a plane ticket to Nashville, I was Nashville bound .... whether I liked it or not and I have the Instagrams to prove it.

Thank you @tammystuyfzand, @angiedetrich, @katieterp & @Bumpa

for making it possible and leaving me with little worry.

In true otter form, Steve loves sitting in the EXIT row, me not so much

as I now feel responsible to read up on all emergency procedures.

After realizing the downtown Nashville wasn't our style we made our
way to this quaint little street in Hillsboro.

Just when we thought our lunch destination was a find, we stumbled upon
The Tavern, in Midtown, where we could almost hear Bob Dylan,
and felt very much like a Braverman.
{Crosby & Christina, of course}

For the first time ever we enjoyed "Bazooka" Guacamole with pistachios
 and goat cheese,
{It was just as amazing as it sounds}

and topped it off with some Tennessee Tavern Fries,
Tuscan Kale and Parmesan Salad
and Grilled Chicken Skewers....
 A perfect marriage of food? Not at all,
but was it ever so good!

For the first time in six years we were on our own and our kids were
not within driving distance....and it was wonderful.

At last, Donald Miller front and center.
He was hilarious, intelligent and spot on.

In honor of Korea, our story and more to come.

Where we go rain follows.  But that's okay because we kinda like it,
and as the patio cleared we remained and used our cup to catch the drips.

My original Instagram caption: Blessed
@katieterp's comment: Have you apologized yet for
getting mad about the plane ticket?
#soulsisteraccountabilityatitsbest

Heat. Rain. Humidity. Wine. Life is good.

Hands down our favorite Nashville restaurant.

One last hurrah while sipping
 grey skies
{a creamy latte featuring coconut milk and bergamot syrup}
 at Bongo Java.

My favorite line of the weekend...

The story you live will be up to you and God.  I think God is pretty

creative, and I think you are fairly unique, so my guess is it's going 

to be a good one. -Donald Miller

As in most cases, when everything was said and done, I was thankful that my outgoing, dreamer of a husband chased this dream, because it was so much better than an iPod, blender and all the clothes in the world combined.

Linking up...