NASHVILLE NOTES...FRIENDS, FOOD & FELLOWSHIP

Friends, Food, Fellowship and so much FUN! That is exactly what Nashville was. I was so excited to do this recap and I wish I could bottle the magic that happened between us all. Nashville had always been on my bucket list and to experience it with ladies who were as excited over it as I was; well, it was epic. 

I’m not gonna lie, I cried when we had to leave, I have tears in my eyes writing this post and I’m ever so thankful to God for bringing us together. I’m an emotional person but I don’t generally cry over people I’ve just met up with but see that’s just it, I didn’t “just meet” these 5 ladies! I know more about them from our blog relationships than some people in my real life. It was as if we’d know each other for decades, that we all kind of fit that same Living our best life, doing the best we can mentality. None of us are boastful, we truly are happy for others when good things happen, we get joy from lifting up others and I don’t know about you, but those are the kinds of people I want to know and celebrate with. And celebrate we did in the perfect meeting spot: Nashville! 

Where do you find the words to do honor and justice to ladies who have made your life so much richer? We each have a particular set of skills (as Liam Neeson does, lol) but as a collective, we are fearless, brave and empowering. The world needs more ladies like this whose unselfish hearts and genuine joy for each other makes us all better people. When you light the path for others, it doesn’t dim yours, it just makes it a whole lot brighter! 


Let’s get to the goodness first of why I love each of these ladies. I’m betting that you’ll adore them too if you don’t already by reading their amazing, inspiring blogs. 

FRIENDS 
Shelly is Stunning, say it 5 times with me, because she is! She’s striking in beauty and in heart! Her sweet soul draws you to her and she has impeccable taste! Shelly and I “met” soon after we started our blogs and I’m honored she signed on as a contributor for The Blended Blog as well. You talk about skills, this girl has em’ in spades. She knew the Nashville hot spots and had an amazing itinerary and wealth of ideas! I’m tickled pink as she took the stress out of “where to go?” for us all. And the beauty doesn’t stop with Shelly, have you seen her family? All gorgeous and full of talent. Shelly’s BLOG inspires and you’ll find yourself not only in awe of her style and fun adventures, but her way with words bring such a relatability. She genuinely wants you to be the best you can be. And I must thank Shelly again for driving us all around. She took over my wheel and I liked being driven, lol. 


Laura! My precious roomie with a heart of gold! Where do I begin? I swear Laura’s heart is bigger than her entire state of Louisiana because she is such a sweet southern soul. Laura and I have always had a close relationship as we bonded a few years ago over our undying devotion to our respective favorite college football teams (Bama & ND). This girl makes you feel like the most important person in the room. She makes you feel invincible and boy, does she make you laugh! You’ll love how she chronicles her life and family fun on her BLOG and guys...Laura has been blogging longer of any of us: 12 years!!! Plus, she is just such a cutie patootie! I took her to the airport and bawled my eyes out after I dropped her off. I was just so darn sad our time together in Nash was over. 

Kellyann is a beautiful, positive force that you want to be with all day long. Her encouraging heart lifts your spirits because this angel sees the good in all. Kellyann reached out to me a couple years ago and boy did she ever warm my heart. This Floridian beauty knows how to style what real women wear with affordable pieces and cute looks. And she takes such good care of her precious family and her positive spin on any situation can’t help but make you smile. She loves to cook and bake and often makes my recipes which tickles me to pieces. In fact, yesterday she made the BEST FALL Sheet Cake! Her BLOG is sweet as can be and you just want to hug her after you’re done reading a post. And I am happy to say Kellyann is one of our newest contributors to The Blended Blog!


Lisa, oh the darling, lovely Lisa! This girl’s smile lights up the whole block. I’ll say it again, she’s a hoot wrapped up in the cutest package. Her whole heart is in Nashville as her beautiful grown kiddos are there. Hopefully she and her Mr. can move there in a few years and then we’ll all stay at Casa de Lisa! This gal would do anything for anyone. She has such a honest grace about her and is just so good to the bone! Her sweet style will have you coming back to her BLOG over and over. Not to mention her fun Finds and tips. I adore this girly and Yesterday was her birthday so get over there and wish her a Happy Birthday because it will make her day as she travels back to California. Oh and this girl knows Trader Joe's, you'll love her Fish Taco Salad Recipe with ingredients from there!


Chrissy makes my heart sing! Plus she can sing! This beauty, the youngest of us all, brought such smiles and giggles to each one of us and she is so darn fun, spontaneous and zesty! Another mom of all boys like Kellyann and I, she leads that crew with grace and gusto! This girl has some serious granola tastes and I loved it. You will never feel down when Chrissy is near, she takes you in the palm of her hand and makes you feel so special. Her boho and fun style is so stinkin cute! She began her fabulous BLOG to share thoughts on clean eating and her precious, personal style. You will come away fulfilled each time you read her blog! And this girl is the queen of INSTA stories!! What fun! I'll link all their Instagram pages below. She helped this Insta Newbie with my first boomarang!

We all had fun giving each other gifts! Look at all this cuteness and yumminess too!

I’m going to let a lot of these pictures do the talking, but here is where we stayed, a lovely 4 bedroom VRBO that was in such a great location. We were even able to walk to some destinations. 


FOOD 
Oh the Food, let’s get to the food! Sooo yummy! I told you about the delicious ice cream outings on Friday. Well, The first night we walked to get Taco's at Mamacita's. So good, plus I just love saying the name and watching Chrissy eat her corn!

We were shopping til we were dropping the next day and was able to get into Frothy Monkey for a late lunch. I had a super yummy cappuccino that hit the spot with my Bagel Sandwich.

Five Daughters bakery, I love you. Got some yummy doughnuts to share and they allowed Shelly and I to sit on their counter for Photos, lol!


Oh for the LOVE of Biscuits at Biscuit LOVE..YEEEES! The little BoNuts were to die for and just the right size! Enjoyed some Bananas Foster Oatmeal and a mimosa too!

 That afternoon, we enjoyed a bevi up on the rooftop at LA Jackson with the yummiest apps. I must recreate that bacon dip! 

FELLOWSHIP
Speaking of LA Jackson’s..here we are..just look at that view! 



What fun shenanigans we got ourselves into! Here are some highlights.

Opry
What an incredible night. Every single act from John Conlee to Rascal Flatts to several great ones on the middle like an up and coming Striking Matches duo had us singing all night long.


And the Guitar photo that made us famous on the Big Screen, we screamed when we saw ourselves.

And we even sang Jolene with Dolly!!!


Broadway and a Double Birthday Celebration 
Our last night after Bar Taco, We crowned our 2 October Birthday girls and headed to Honky-tonk Row! 

Chilled out on Luke Bryan's rooftop a little, his club that is.



We had some fun in a pumpkin patch too but saving those photos for the 17th graphic tee Fashion Link-Up


I think we already knew how well we get along because of how long we had been admiring each other's blogs and where we were in our lives. It’s just so amazing how well we clicked and enjoy so many of the same things. Treasures I tell ya...like finding a pot of gold!
Follow all these babe's Instagram....GOOD STUFF


 These ladies make me believe I can fly, I can touch the sky!!! 
Love you all!

xoxo


50 comments:

  1. OH my goodness, I have goosebumps and a big smile reading this! YOU did such a great job recapturing our trip and all the good feels! Thank you, thank you, thank you for putting this trip together, I had the time of my life getting to know each lady a little better and felt so honored to be a part of it all. We just had the best dang time! All those memories that my heart will hold dear forever, and that video of us singing Jolene is priceless, just like you!!!
    xo,
    Kellyann

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  2. There's so much I can say here...first: I came to your title and laughed...last night I began composing my post and wrote "Nashville: Friends, Food and Fun." hahaha and organized it the same way. I love it. Then I started reading and got all emotional...you summed it up perfectly and I feel so grateful for the opportunity to get to know you, and the rest of those beautiful souls you mentioned up there, better! The week was a gift - like you. Thank you for being a sweet gift to more people than you can probably count! Lots of love my friend!

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  3. What an absolutely epic trip you ladies have! I found that Nashville was such a great destination especially for a girls trip!

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  4. WOW! What a great time you girls had. Such pretty ladies too. How nice it is to have a little girl time and see new things. I love those group shots. So Vogue. I love reading these lively post like this.
    Glad you all had a safe trip.
    Lisa

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  5. I love that y’all met up in real life. I love Nashville so much. What a memorable trip!!

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  6. I enjoyed following you beautiful ladies on Instagram ! Your trip was fabulous, the food, the friendships and fun you all had is amazing. Loved seeing the pictures !

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  7. Love this recap! And your words....oh my goodness now you are going to have me tearing up too! I did not see that precious little pumpkin picture of Lisa and Kellyann..lol. It really was just such a blessing to be with you girls, to be ourselves and love each other for who we are!

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  8. You are all such beautiful ladies! I'm glad that you had such a wonderful time in Nashville. It really is a great place, especially when you're with such amazing people.

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  9. You were so sweet to write these tributes to each of your friends! Kudos to Shelly for planning the trip itinerary! That's quite an undertaking! Glad you all had such a great time- it looked so fun!!
    Gina || On the Daily Express

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  10. Oh, I so enjoyed this recap of you gals. I thought of all of you off and on the entire time you were there. It really takes a blogger to understand how awesome it is to meet, in real life, a dear blogging friend. I'm so happy you gals had this opportunity. Truly looks like it could not have been better. Hugs to you for a beautiful week my dear!

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  11. It must have been a rule that you have to be gorgeous to attend! I actually don't know most of these bloggers but they all seem so sweet, thanks for introducing them all here. It looks like you had a great time!

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  12. I am literally in tears (again!) as I read your recap, dear Friend, of our most amazing trip! The beauty of friendship is just beyond words sometimes, but you did a fantastic job of tying our week together. I came into the office early this morning so I could get a jump start on my day and passed the airport and I got so sad thinking about our fun week. I miss you and the other girls so darn much!

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  13. What a special trip! I love the friendship between you all, and it was fun following along on Instagram too! Thanks for introducing me to these ladies too, I'm going to check out the girlies I don't know yet right now!!

    Shauna

    www.lipglossandlace.net

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  14. What an amazing trip with amazing ladies! I loved all the IG pictures. What a great group!

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  15. This is what life is all about, Andrea. The friendship and love between you all!! What a fabulous time. I LOVED seeing all the fun on IG stories, and hearing your voices....almost like I was there!!
    XOXO
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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  16. SO glad that your trip was a success. It seemed like so much fun and I just loved following along on instagram!

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  17. So happy you got a blog trip in!

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  18. Ahhhh.... this trip looks like it was absolutely amazing, Andrea! I would have cried when it ended too. I love that you all gave each other gifts; super sweet!

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  19. What a fabulous, heart-warming wrap up, Andrea! You are right that we get to know one another through our blogs. The photos are wonderful. You are all an inspiration to the rest of us. I'm very happy for you all and the deeper relationships you've formed.

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  20. I bet its a trip that none of you will ever forget! What an incredible combo of ladies... in an incredible town full of life of its own. The mix of all of you? Perfection. Thanks for sharing your pics & stories.

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  21. What an awesome trip, I almost felt like I was there with you! You gorgeous ladies sure know how to have fun! Those eats sounded amazing. I love all the murals, it reminds me of Austin. You looked so cute in your Opry outfit. Look at you, getting famous on the big screen. Thanks for sharing!

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  22. This post just makes my heart happy!! I am so glad you all got to do this and had such an amazing time while you were at it. You all are GOALS! True friendship and sweet hearts!

    Amy Ann
    Straight A Style

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  23. Oh Andrea what a fun get away. Love all the pics. I love getting together with my blogging buds. Enjoy your week!!

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  24. Hi Andrea, oh how exciting to have had that fun trip to Nash to meet your blogging buddies! You all look so beautiful and sounds like good food and sightseeing.
    Thanks for sharing this at Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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  25. What an AMAZING trip with AMAZING people!!!! I love this little blogger sphere of ours that allows us to build some of the best friendships. So glad y'all (had to work that in to honor your trip:) ), had a good time!

    Laura
    Black Coffee Beautiful

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  26. You guys had the best time. Such a fun get together. And all that yummy food!!!

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  27. Well if I wasn't sitting in the airport, I'd probably be bawling like a baby. You just did the best and sweetest job with this post, but that's no surprise. You have a gift for the words my friend and that's not all. You have a gift for gift giving and lifting others up with your words. YOU are a blessing and I am forever grateful for this crazy bloggy world we are all in together. Love you bunches sweet Andrea!!! XOXO

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  28. What a fabulous group of women who deserved such an amazing trip! I am so glad y'all had a blast. All the food sounds amazing and you really did that town right!

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  29. What a sweet post! I loved watching yours and Shelly's IG posts from this trip! Nashville is the most fun city and y'all hit up all of the yummy food places!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  30. I'm so glad I found your blog through the link-up. We have several blogging buddies in common! What a great post and great trip! So glad you all were able to go and had the best time. Looks like a blast! I love when ladies lift other ladies up. Jen

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  31. Such a sweet post, love how you wrote a little something special for each of these ladies! :) Y'all were dressed so cute the entire time, enjoyed some AH-mazing food and it sounds like you had such a lovely trip! It is weird how with blogging friendships, you truly know each other before you even meet!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  32. What a sweet post, Andrea!! You ladies are all gorgeous and I'm so glad y'all met up and had such a good time together!

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  33. Oh such a sweet post. I'm so happy you had so much fun and we're such an encouragement to each other.

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  34. I loved following along on your trip on Insta and not only love the recap, but how much you all adore each other! Girlfriends are just the best, no matter how you meet them in life!

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  35. Oh my goodness this made me tear up reading it. What a special trip and these ladies all sound so very amazing. I loved learning more about them and seeing all of your outfits and fun. We are trying to plan a short trip to Nashville over a long weekend in the Spring with another couple, so I'll be contacting you for tips. I LOVE that top with the rainbow colors of yours- so so fun. What a great recap and so many fun adventures!

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  36. Fabulous Andrea - this is so special, how lucky for you all. Having only met a few bloggers IRL it's something i'm aiming to do next year. If only we could get together across the pond! Happy Tuesday. Jacqui Mummabstylish

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  37. Such fabulous photos!

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  38. What a blast! How cool that you guys made the Opry stage too ;-) I can see why you had such a hard time leaving <3

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  39. Oh my god, that is fabulous! I get tears in my eyes just looking at all of you! What a fabulous time you all must have had. Incredible!

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  40. Have so enjoyed everyone's recap of your weekend. Look at all that fabulous eating. Sign me up! And all of the great fashion and fun. I know you gals had the very best time.
    Are you meeting up with the TBBers this week? Just came from Sarah's blog and she is super stoked for a girls' weekend with her buds.
    Love the photo of you guys jumping...for reals...that high without a trampoline? Crazy! And you with the angel wings. Very apropos!

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  41. Oh I just love it!! Y'all did so many of the things that B and I did on our trip last year to Nash! And we even went around the same time! I'm so glad you ladies had so much fun! What special memories!

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  42. You girls had so much fun! I love the candid pics you guys took and the group shots are all just adorable! Looks like Nashville provided some serious fun!

    http://www.mylittlenest.org

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  43. I have enjoyed reading all of your posts from this trip! It looks like an incredible time! So now I want to visit Nashville, eat some amazing doughnuts, and go on a girls' trip!

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  44. I enjoyed this post very much! You ladies all looked like you had the best time! I love the unintentional color coordination in the one picture! Hubby and I have talked about going there ourselves. The ice cream place sounds great and the Opry!

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  45. What a beautiful group of amazing women! I'm so excited you got to go on this trip together and create some great memories. It sounds like it was epic and the best time, ever! I love all of the pictures and all of that yummy food! I haven't had lunch yet so now I'm definitely leaving to grab something to eat after this lol. How fun you all made the big screen! Destined to be famous, for sure :) Sierra Beautifully Candid

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  46. Sounds like an AMAZING trip and you gals got to explore all the food and fun Nashville has to offer! Love all the group photos but most especially you with the angel wings mural because an angel you are! xo Emily @ Martinis & Bikinis

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  47. OMG Andrea, you look like you all had such a blast!! Love all of these photos!!

    xx, Elise
    www.sparkleandslippers.blogspot.com

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  48. Andrea, looks like you girls had a grand time. It's wonderful when blogging friends can meet up in person. As you say, we can become so close as friends! I met with a group last October. We met in NYC, seven of us coming from six different states. Thanks for sharing your story.

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  49. Anonymous16.10.18

    It sounds like you have met some soul mates in your bloggy pals - you are so lucky to all live on the same continent to meet up (I wish I could do the same with my US chums met through blogging!). You all look fantastic and your friendship shines through. Honky-tonk row sounds intruiging - I've love to go to Nashville one day.

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