Nashville trip

Last weekend Rick and I had a nice little getaway to Nashville, TN. The main reason for going was for the wedding of my college roommate, Christy. Her wedding was Friday night and we flew in on Thursday to have a little time for some sight-seeing. I visited Nashville one summer while in college but Rick had never been.

We flew out of Richmond Thursday around 1 pm. I have not flown out of Richmond since high school and I was very impressed with the airport. It was super easy to park and make our way through security (no, we were not patted down and did not see anything like that). We had to fly to Newark for our connection to Nashville. It was a little out of the way, but at least we got to see the NYC skyline from the plane!

When we arrived in Nashville we headed to the Enterprise booth to rent our car. In front of us in line was a guy who looked vaguely familiar. I noticed that the staff was going out of their way to serve him, and a young military guy shook his hand and said "I like your movies, Mr. Reilly." It was John C. Reilly! He has been in a couple movies with Will Ferrell, including Talladega Nights. (By the way, he told the military guy that the pleasure was all his, and thanks for his service).

We made it into the city and checked into our hotel. We then headed over to the Opryland Hotel. Rick wasn't too sure why we needed to go to a hotel lobby to walk around, but as soon as we got in he understood! I've seen it before but decorated for Christmas it was spectacular! And to think they just re-opened November 15 from the flood. We ate dinner at the Old Hickory Steakhouse which was fantastic!

Some pictures:

The outdoor, life-sized nativity

In front of the hotel

The water show, to Christmas carols

On Friday morning we were pleased to see Christy's parents and another friend of hers down at breakfast. It was nice to catch up with them a little! We drove downtown and passed by some of the sights (Hard Rock Cafe, the Ryman, Tootsies, etc) and then headed out to Franklin. I had heard the historic downtown there was fun to walk around and explore and it was! So cute! We had lunch at a wonderful little restaurant called Dumplings (guess what we ate?). The food was great and they had this fabulous fruit tea (tea with pineapple, mango, and other fruit juices).

Not far from there is Financial Peace Plaza, where Dave Ramsey records his radio show. We went in and were able to watch him record. During the breaks he came out and we got to meet him! Several people were there to do the "debt free" scream so that was neat to watch and cheer about.

Then it was time to get ready for the main event! Christy's wedding was in a beautiful chapel near the Vanderbilt campus, where she works and her parents are alumni. The reception was in a nearby restaurant and was very nice. Christy's dad gave a great toast (introduced me as the person who kept Christy in line during college, haha!) and he and Christy did a dance that was obviously rehearsed. Christy sang to her new husband which was so sweet. We got a few minutes to chat with her and meet her groom.

the chapel

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Robb

All too soon it was Saturday morning and time to head back home. Our first flight was to Charlotte and we were on the plane with a few Hokies who were headed to the game. Rick was a bit jealous until we landed in Charlotte and it was 39 degrees and pouring rain. We know this because they are doing some renovation at that airport and instead of getting off at a gate we were let off right on the pavement and had to walk in the rain to the terminal. We were late leaving Nashville so we had a quick stop in Charlotte before we headed back to Richmond. A cool thing about that flight--Rick was sitting across from the president of RIR. Guess he had been to Charlotte on NASCAR business.

We got home to a quiet house since the kids were still in Emporia. We grilled some steaks and started to watch the ACC Championship. I made it until just after halftime then slept great and late in my own bed!

It was such a nice trip. Congratulations to Christy and Jim!