you have 48 hours in nashville: go!

This spring has been full of travel for me. To new places, like Birmingham for Valentine's Day and Mississippi for two upcoming weddings, and familiar places like Chicago for St. Patrick's Day and Virginia for Lily's birthday.

Each time I head into one of these weekends, I find myself frantically Googling at the last minute...
cool things to do in Birmingham 
hidden restaurants in Chicago
the best of Jackson, Mississippi...

Last night I was talking to Jordan and, realizing we're all in the same place - constantly traveling to weddings here, and bachelorette parties there, and showers in Rome - why not help people out?


So with that, I'm starting a new series focused on what to do when you have 48 hours in a city. Beginning with Nashville! It's not far from Atlanta and, between my brothers and a few friends, we quickly compiled a best of in our opinion.

Bear in mind: this is not for the tourist in you. This is what to do if you want to get a feel for the city, drink like the locals and find hidden gems.

So here you have it: What to do with 48 Hours in Nashville....


Eat
Mas Tacos Por Favor - Tacos, gluten free options and a once-was partnership with Imogene + Willie for supper + song. Need I say more?
Barista Parlor - Great for brunch or coffee. The Cast Iron Blueberry Skillet Cake made with cornmeal will certainly be on my to try list.
Rosepepper - Mexican Tequila bar that says they have the spirit of old Mexico in the heart of new Nashville. I'll take it. 
Copper Kettle - Great for Sunday brunch - they have a buffet. Unlimited waffles, my friends. 
Husk - Farm to table southern eats. I've been on a real deviled egg kick lately and Husk's are calling my name. 
Bobbie's Dairy Dip - It's an ice cream parlor. What else can I say? Totally my style.
City House - Creative cocktails and dishes (octopus is supposed to be on point). Cozy, open kicthen and wood oven.
Rolf and Daughters - Italian-Mediterranean fusion food made with Southern ingredients. Communal tables that are filled on a first come-first served basis. 


Caffeinate
Frothy Monkey - Sit and stay a while. They've got juice, beer, wine and coffee. Basically a beverage for every time of day.
Fido - My favorite cozy spot to sit and sip for a looong time. Not to mention their food is on point. 

Drink
The Patterson House - Cocktail bar with speakeasy/prohibition vibe.
Santa's Pub - In a trailer, this cash-only bar offers live music and karaoke every night and beers starting at $2. Are you intrigued yet? You should be.
Robert's - OK this one is really touristy. But, they have fried bologna sandwiches late night on Saturdays and a church service onsite on Sundays. That's funny! It has to be on the list. 
12 South Taproom - Neighborhood atmosphere with drink options out the wazoo. 


Play
Imogene + Willie - Known for their denim but notable for everything, even their candles, I&W is the type of shop you just want to hang out in. You want to sit and stay and watch people try on their custom denim in the shop, which used to be a gas station, for hours. I'm jonesin for the Kontex Nuno Scarf.
Percey Warner Park - great place to trail run and bike. Especially after all this eating and drinking I just suggested (looking at you, fried bologna).
12 South Neighborhood - Perfect for parks, shopping, farmers' markets and exploring.
B-cycle - What better way to explore the city than to bike it? With checkpoints all over the city you can hope on in one location and drop it off in another. 

Listen
The Basement - Cozy place for live music. Word on the street is Tuesday nights are New Face Nights and offer up to nine different acts, without cover.
Grimeys - Buy new and used records because live music at The Basement can't go on forever. 
Belcourt Theatre - This is for watching more than it is listening. Old and independent movies, that is.
Exit/In - Known for having legends and nobodies, another great spot for live music
The 5 Spot - Apparently Tuesdays are where it's at in Nashville. Live music and $2 everything on Tuesdays - cover, pints and hot dogs. So if you didn't get enough questionable meat at Robert's, you got another option waiting.
3rd and Lindsley - More good jams, like Wood Brother's (playing tonight!). Every Monday night, they've got the Time Jumpers, a big country band.

And now, I am officially planning a trip to Nashville! Happy trails!

PS: Nashville friends, what am I missing?

parmesan turkey avocado burgers (amazing)

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I told you last week I wanted to try these chicken avocado burgers with a glass of wine and a porch on the next warm Sunday. 

Ah, ask and you shall receive! Last weekend rolled around us and brought a beautiful 73-degree Sunday. And so, we burgered!

Chris and I were inspired by the Laughing Spatula's, but actually changed them quite a bit due to a few major speed bumps: 

  1. I don't have a grill. We did, however, use my Calphalon Grill and then sat on the deck. So it was close. 
  2. Trader Joe's didn't have ground chicken, so we used turkey.
  3. I don't eat garlic
  4. Or panko
  5. Trader Joe's didn't have ripe avocados, so we used what I had left. 

And yet, they were still amazing. Truly. As a turkey burger connoisseur I consider myself pretty seasoned at evaluating them and I'd give these a top rating in moisture and flavor. I highly recommend them :)

parmesan-turkey-avocado-burger

Parmesan Turkey Avocado Burgers

Ingredients:

1. lb. ground turkey
1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 c. grated parmesan 

Spices to taste (we used salt, pepper, cayenne and onion powder. I think cumin would also be a nice add if you're feeling TexMexish.)

To Make:

Mash avocado
Mix turkey and mashed avocado in mixing bowl
Add in parm and mix well
Add spices
Roll into ~10 small patties or five large patties
Grill (or grill pan at 325) until pink is gone (~8 minutes)

Top with pickles, arugula, tomato, mustard and ketchup if you're me. Or anything else you love if you're you :) 

We ate ours with a salad and baked sweet potatoes and couldn't have been happier while we sat on the deck with the warm air and a glass of white wine. 

Next up? I think these homemade popsicles are calling my name.

practicing gratitude // beauty in every day moments

These last few days I've felt a little funky - like I can't quite put my finger on what's bothering me, but something is weighing me down. In my heart I knew I needed to spend some time reflecting and make those small, but powerful changes we so often need, like sleeping more, making time for a yoga and doing quiet time. 

After talking with a few friends this weekend, I noticed many of them were in the same boat. The truth is: this winter has been long and I think it's starting to weigh on people. Too much time inside, not enough Vitamin D. Too much stillness. Too much ice. 

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my mom, sisters and I are doing Brene Brown's e-course (which, by the way, I highly recommend doing - it's amazing) and last night I decided to get caught up on it - hoping it would make me a little more reflective.

Brene never let's me down! 

The lesson was on practicing gratitude, which was exactly what I needed to hear. She talked about how it's OK to complain, of course. We want to be real and honest. But we also need to do it with perspective and the only way to get authentic perspective on our own lives is to practice gratitude regularly - especially during times when we really don't want to do it. 

She also said that she's learned that people who experience the most grief in life say they yearn for the normal again. While they miss big, exciting moments in life, they really miss the mundane, every day things they took for granted in what they have lost. 

Isn't it funny, though, that we so often view that normal as boring? We yearn for excitement - a new job, a new boyfriend, a new house, a new city, a new friend...

But in actuality, sometimes the most beautiful times are the every day moments. 

As part of the exercise in the course, she encouraged us to look for ordinary moments for which we're grateful.  I walked around my house last night with my phone and took a few.

1. Having my bike back. Cleaned, fixed and ready to ride. It reminds me that spring is near. 


2. The flowers Melissa bought this weekend. My mom always has fresh flowers and they make me think of her. Also, they breathe life into our house and, like my bike, remind us that spring is near.


3. My [current] favorite mug. It makes me think of weekends, when I fill it with coffee&cream and do the slow sip. 


4. My bags all packed for this coming weekend. Heading to the mountains and cannot wait to breathe in that fresh, unpolluted air and see beautiful stars. 


5. My newly reorganized closet. I don't care what they say, cleanliness can buy happiness. 


6. My new camera, which will surely be in tow in the mountains this weekend. Although I don't yet have any sort of photography skills, it reminds me that the dream is within reach :) 


7. My bed. Clean, bleached sheets. Calling my name.


It's amazing that I started the lesson feeling down and by the end of this exercise I could have found about 10 more things to snap. Gratitude yields joy, and not the other way around.

What are you ordinary moments of gratitude today?

pure happy weekend.

This weekend I was hoping to go to Denver to make up for the weekend I missed when I got sick but tickets were upwards of $600, which is sadly out of my budget. So, I headed into this weekend largely unplanned.

As it turns out, as much as I wanted to be in Denver with my parents and Ashley, I needed this weekend here. To unwind, slow down, catch up and catch my breath. 


It was an absolutely perfect weekend - warm, full of productivity and relaxation, friends and alone time, movement and rest. 

There was dinner at Yeah! Burger and a concert Friday night. 


And a long walk Saturday morning at Lullwater. Followed by brunch at 246 in Decatur.



And an afternoon bike ride with Duke and Megan, during which we tried out Condesa Coffee. 
(are you gathering that there was a lot of coffee this weekend?)



Then Yeah! Burger again (judge me for picking it BOTH times. #obsessed) with Duke, Sam, Meg and Melly.

Followed by a party for our friend Kate at FunTime bowling.


And a happy Sunday Funday with a good church service, more iced coffee with Melly, about eight hours outside on walks and in Piedmont Park and cooking a super tasty dinner with Chris. 


And now, here we are Monday, feeling recharged, organized, rested and happy. 

Hope your weekend was lovely!