a honky tonk weekend

Well, my friends, another weekend has come and gone. And after enjoying a long Labor Day weekend, this one was far too short.

Jim and I capped off my birthday celebration with a weekend in Nashville. 

We packed the days full and tried to see the best of Nashville.  It included lunch at McDougal's (Jim's favorite), an attempt at tailgating at Vanderbilt, and lots of time spent Downtown (so Honky Tonk!).  We heard tons of live music in Nashville's finest bars and saw more cowboy boots than I ever thought one city could hold.
Although we were sad that Opryland was still closed from the floods, Jim found an amazing hotel for us instead.  It was incredibly luxurious and when we checked out of the room at 10.47 am, I was sad to give up the remaining (oh-so indulgent) hour.
And while we would have loved exploring the city that is Opryland, every minute was already maxed out. 

On Sunday when we were leaving, we both agreed that the weekend flew by, but we couldn't believe it had only been 24 hours. Needless to say, the busy weekend was anything but restful - and I couldn't be happier about it.

on getting graceful

For my birthday, Duke got me Yoga, Booty, Ballet. It's made by the same company as P90X, but geared more toward women.

It was especially thoughtful of Duke, as he knows how much I love yoga and how badly I want to be a ballerina.

My mom and I did the video last night (note: this is the first day I was able, since it was the first day I was no longer sore from tubing), and while I'm not positive I'm any more graceful just yet, I am feeling especially svelte and streamlined today. I'm very excited to add this into my regular regimen.

And I'm pretty sure that in a few more weeks I'll be pirouetting more naturally than I am walking...


Photos via absolutely ladylike

thank you

For the last few days, I've been attempting to blog about how positively wonderful my birthday was. But, each time I started, I couldn't quite do it justice. 

So instead, I thought I'd just say thank you to my wonderful family and friends. You made me feel so loved with lots of calls, attention, and amazing presents (you put my lust list to shame). Words really can't express how special you made my day.

I am so lucky to have you all!
Photo via apartment 34

labor of love

Although my family doesn't technically own a lake house, I feel as if I grew up spending my summers on a lake. 

The combination of many of my friends having lake houses, frequent family trips to Michigan, and summers at Eberhart has left me feeling like lakes were a major part of my childhood.

This weekend I had the joy of spending a very unlaborious Labor Day on Laura's lake.

We spent the entire day on the water and I left feeling completely satisfied.  After hours of boating (my entire body was sore from tubing), bathing in the sun, and mindless conversation, I can confidently say there isn't any other way I'd rather have spent my unLabor Day...