In May 2003, I joined an iVillage group called November Moms; a group of women who were also expecting a baby in November 2003.
Over the years, friendships have developed and it has become a group where "anything goes"; the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you need to vent, share a funny story, could use some support, or just want to share a good dirty joke - this is the group of ladies to be around, either by email, FaceBook, phone, or in person. Many of us have met over the years and the annual "Mommy Meet" took off for the first time a few years back in Chicago. The purpose of the mommy-meet is to leave the kids at home, visit a new US destination, be spoiled, eat well, and have fun!
We all come from different backgrounds, from across the country, and our lives have changed over the years, but we all share one thing in common - we all have an 8 year old born the same month of the same year.
We tried to get on Oprah one year to share our fuzzy-feel-good story, but I think we forgot to apply, or something.
This summer, we headed to the Music City of Nashville, Tennessee. I'd never been to Nashville.
Once we all got to the hotel, we hung out in the lobby for a while, chatting. Girls can chat forever, and soon it was time to get ready for dinner. We ate at Pucketts; surprisingly amazing food, especially their homemade corn bread which looked like a little pancake and tasted like heaven. A live band was playing that night and, even though they were pretty good, the lead singer continually flipped her hair back and it got a little annoying. Like watching someone with an exaggerated tic.
The next day was spa day at River Canyon Spa, after a yummy breakfast in a little patisserie downtown. We had each selected a "package" and included in mine was a pedicure, full body massage, and a hot tub soak. A few years ago, in Chicago, Cheryl and I took a detour from the group and ended up in a Chinese massage parlor with what appeared to be hookers for masseurs and a pimp for a cashier. Cheryl paid way too much tip and we both left feeling rather smutty. Thankfully, we had both purchased a Chinese straw hat so we were able to salvage some sense of dignity as we walked around the city that day.
My pedicurist at the River Canyon Spa (which ironically claimed home in a strip mall with neither canyon nor river) was a very chatty Kathy and told me all the places I must and must not visit during my stay in Nashville. All this information I promptly forgot as I have the short term memory of, wait, what was I saying? This is why I never ask for directions.
She also told me that if I happened to scuff my new nail polish she would happily repaint me. This comment guilted me into being paranoid over my toes the rest of the spa visit.
My masseuse was approximately 6'11', weighing in at around 350lbs. I got "the guy". He started pretty attentive, but then I'm sure he fell asleep during the massage.
The hot tub soak was less impressive. Highlights included the cool light effects and the variety of chocolates (I found and raided the hidden stash of Hersheys replenishments, I was so hungry). Unfortunately, it was very similar to, well, just taking a bath.
Everyone was starving after the spa so we headed around the corner to eat at the Wild Iris and, again, we were very happy with the food.
That night we headed to Broadway to hit some honky-tonk bars. Our two "must do" bars were Tootsies and Legends, but it seemed like every bar we visited showcased some serious talent.
We had some other pressing business to attend to that night. We had to ride the electric bull! It took a little footwork, but we found the bull upstairs in a bar. I'm afraid you won't find the bull riding photographs on this blog. This is a family oriented blog and the pictures are, well, less than graceful. We had a lot of fun and I might just mention that I rode the bull for the longest time. Strangers were chanting my name, I felt like a champion. A bull riding champion.
Of course, we had to visit the Grand Ole Opry, so next day we bought a tour ticket and spent the afternoon walking around backstage, in the dressing room areas, and on the famous stage.
This is apparently a very famous character. One of those "you had to grow up in America" moments. Maybe the US equivalent of Benny Hill, or Victor Meldrew?
We had heard about a "nice hotel" in the area so we decided to pay it a visit on the way back. This "hotel" was pretty amazing. More like a little vacation complex with multiple "villages" and probably more restaurants and stores than my hometown. We found some good gelato.
This place reminded me of the Butterfly Center back home at Oasis Lakeland Village near Penrith, only it was like having 20 butterfly centers attached by a series of hotel lobbies, and a river.
After spending some time in a fancy (and very expensive) leatherwear store, we headed back to town to take a conciliatory boot shopping spree. Our mission was to find these $700 boots for $49.99 (or less).
One of us (who probably wishes to remain anonymous) found a similar pair for $400 and decided she could hide that credit card bill from her husband.
That night we ate at Merchants and did some bar hopping before heading back for a final chin-wag at the hotel. The next day we left for home, after deciding that next year should be Vegas.
Summer vacation was slipping by so quickly, and I still had to teach Mary to ride her bike, build a stalagmite experiment in the kitchen, make some Pinterest polymer balls, get Mary to the dinosaur kids workshop at the museum, and find somewhere to watch the Olympics because we're too cheap for cable.
No comments:
Post a Comment