two days in nashville

Friday, 1130p

Landed at BNA after a 4.5 hour delay (which we spent finishing up Arrested Development: Season 4). It was our first time flying Southwest and between the free checked bag, curbside check-in, and $216 round trip... we barely noticed the delay. (the free beers to make up for the wait helped too)

Friday, 12a

Followed the advice of the friendly guy sitting next to us on the plane and stopped in at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. Very fun and crowded on a Friday night. A really great cover band played all of the classics. And they have Yuengling! 422 Broadway Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 726-0463

source: http://countrymusictattletale.com/2010/06/08/tootsies-orchid-lounge-celebrates-50-years/

Saturday, 1a Still goin' strong.  We have 6 months of time to make up for with  our Nashville hosts! Legend's Corner was rowdy! We kept up for  the most part :) The band was pretty terrible but we still had a great time.  428 Broadway Nashville, TN 37203(615) 248-6334

source: http://www.worldofstock.com/stock-photos/legends-corner-live-music-venue-lower-broadway/WOS19079


Saturday, 2a

Last stop Rippy's! Really awesome band! Great place to end the night. 429 Broadway  Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 244-7477

source: http://www.nashville.com/restaurant/rippys-bar-grill

Saturday, 12p-

Rented bikes from 

http://nashville.bcycle.com

which was cheap, convenient, and right up our alley! Highly recommend it. 

We stopped in at The Frothy Monkey to cool off with some iced coffee and kombucha. Super cute inside with tons of seating. 

2p, Next stop:

An old garage turned into a really interesting little shop. They had some Shinola products which we were super excited about. Shinola had a big week too! Opened up a new shop a block from my house! 


Saturday, 4p

Dropped off the bikes at Centennial Park which was really beautiful. Happened upon the New Belgium   

Saw a very strange, but highly entertaining 

band called Here Come The Mummies....

and also this hippie family on a 3 person bike!

Saturday, 8p

Met up with my aunt and uncle at Arrington Vineyards. 
BYOBBQ on a hill overlooking the vineyards. Can't beat it. 

Saturday, 11p
Back to the apartment in Nipper's Corner (yes, it's a real place)
Caught up on all the girly gossip with my best friend while the boys fell promptly asleep. Drank a raspberry Mike's Hard Lemonade like old times. Apparently, the old times tasted like diabetes. We have matured...slightly. 

Sunday, 10a 

Brunch at Marche Artisan Foods. Perfectly sunny, French-inspired brunch joint. Busy on a Sunday morning. We waited about 20 minutes for a table for four. We got lattes and iced coffee while we waited. The peach and ricotta plate (pictured below) was definitely my favorite part of the  experience. I got the quiche of the day (amazing and 2nd only to Dee's quiches at Brooklyn Street Local). If you're from Detroit....it's kind of like if Avalon and Le Petite Zinc had a little bistro baby. Worth the stop!

source: http://www.gogobot.com/marche-artisan-foods-nashville-restaurant--nearby--attractions

Sunday, 1p

A few weeks ago I read about this exhibit (Sensuous Steel) in Elle and was really excited that we would be in Nashville while it was running! Frist Center $10. 

                                          

This green one was my favorite.

Sunday, 230p

Quick stop at this beautiful old train station turned hotel. 

Sunday, 3p

Walked over to the main branch of the Nashville Public Library to  ummm...look at the lovely architecture (aka: cool down in the air conditioning, use the bathroom, and snag a drink of water). Actually, this was just a pit-stop 

for our original quest to hunt down 

which was camped out near a children's puppet festival. Everything about it was adorable. There were kids doing a maypole! Seriously...a maypole! It was angelic. 

We also indulged in some

Yes. Nashville has a SNO-CONE truck! Perfect on a sweaty day.

Sunday, 5p 

The Patterson House

I'm sure some hipster would tell me that "speak-easy" style places are getting too mainstream but I still really like them :) I mean check out their pretentous website! Get the "Mexican Hat Dance." It's somehow creamy and super tart at the same time. Perfection. Two drinks here and I was perfectly tipsy for the flight back to Detroit.

Sunday, 620p 

Back to BNA!

Sunday, 11p 

ZZZZZZZZZZsleepingsohardZZZZZZZZZZ

Disclaimer: 

This is a lot to cram into ~48 hours. Not for the weak at heart. If you don't know me and my awesome boyfriend already...you should know that we REALLY can't sit still 

except for this one time last summer.

staying creative...

Some days I want to study.... 

Some days I just want to stitch together 

little paper and bead flowers...

Check out my Etsy shop! 

More listings to come!

Morning Inspiration!

Blogshop

I am so not there yet but someday I want to make it to one of their classes...

actually... we should request a Detroit class.

my favorite things of the week

Ben L'Oncle Soul

practicing french with music videos

C.S. Lewis

this blog

this tumblr

Replacing a leaky faucet

I just learned how to replace a seriously leaky faucet on YouTube. It took about 30 minutes once I had all the proper tools. It was a lot easier than I was expecting. I'm sure you could pull this off too if you put your mind to it. Saved me a ton of money.

Recommended project music: MGMT/Flaming Lips Pandora Station.

This is the OLD nasty faucet. Which, as you can see, is in the 'off'
position and is clearly still running.






I highly recommend a flashlight. I just used my heavy-duty penlight from work.
This lil guy's day job is checking brain trauma patient's pupils. He was looking for a second job anyway.




The most important step is turning off the hot and cold
water supply line (righty-tighty).






By far the hardest part was getting these plastic washers off. Especially because I was told by a real-life plumber that who ever put this sink in originally hooked all of this up before dropping in the sink, making me very thankful to be a relatively thin female. I have no idea how a beefy plumber would have fit back here.


Next: Enter the Basin Wrench! (Basin Wrench even has his own Facebook page....why???) Picked him up at Third Street Hardware which is an excellent resource for anyone fixing up a house in Detroit. It's small but they always have what I need. Also, they sell bikes. Bonus! I can't decide if I scared or impressed the guy there...hot pink nail polish and all.




Nasty old faucet's last moments.









I bought the medium cheap faucet from Home Depot. Good enough for me. Once the old faucet is out just place the new faucet in its place, screw on the new washers under the sink (righty-tighty) and reconnect the supply lines (righty-tighty). Now turn back on the water supply (lefty-loosey). Lastly, wash your filthy hands and think about how much of a bad@$$ you are.



I think the elephants are much happier about their new situation.

A song, a quote and some sassy old people.

I have really been liking this song the last year.

It has only been on YouTube until now. I actually think I like the unfinished YouTube version a little better but I am sure the final product will grow on me with time. Check it out on Bandcamp!


And I get to see Sufjan play in October! Can't wait.





On an unrelated note.



I have read "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" by Jane Jacobs twice this year and started skimming it again today. At the beginning of the copy I have there is this quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr...




"Until lately the best thing that I was able to think of in favor of civilization, apart from blind acceptance of the order of the universe, was that it made possible the artist, the poet, the philosopher, and the man of science. But I think that is not the greatest thing. Now I believe that the greatest thing is a matter that comes directly home to us all. When it is said that we are too much occupied with the means of living to live, I answer that the chief worth of civilization is just that it makes the means of living more complex: that it calls for great and combined intellectual efforts, instead of simple, uncoordinated ones, in order that the crowd may be fed and clothed and housed and moved from place to place. Because more complex and intense intellectual efforts mean a fuller and richer life. They mean more life. Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is worth living is whether you have enough of it."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.




Detroit is slowly becoming the perfect city.

little here, little there, mostly there but completely here

You should come check out the Maker Faire at The Henry Ford. 7/31-8/1. I'll be at the Handmade Detroit table. Come visit.

Read this article about the Handmade Detroit girls.

This is an interesting wedding shot my sister Courtney did.
It has grown on me really fast.

Here's a link to my other sister's (Lindsay) blog.

I want to eat this right now.







I am trying to make it to this conference in September. It's all about restoring under-resourced communities through being a good neighbor. Come with me?

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.







I just put in my first attempt at
planning a house show
for our new place.
I emailed Rosie Thomas!
Will keep you posted.


10/3/12 update: never heard back :(



House update! We can move in tomorrow afternoon. A couple of us will be hiking so it will be more like Monday/Tuesday. If you have big muscles or a truck and want to hang out with fun girls please help us move. You won't regret it!

I think I have settled on light gray for the first floor. My inspiration!