Reliving Childhood as a Summer Closeout

On Thursday, my childhood [and lifelong] best friend arrived for a few fabulous days in Nashville.

It was a wonderful way to close out the summer. We relived our childhood by returning to favorite restaurants and places from years ago [including our beloved treehouse, pictured above], but also explored plenty of new trendy places around the city. 

 

Upon arrival, we went to donut den and then Alison had the pleasure of accompanying me while I babysat for my favorite family. We walked to the park, ate delicious kid snacks, and played with the adorable puppy next door.

Thursday night we met friends for dinner at a Nashville favorite place, Taco Mamacitas, then went downtown for Live on the Green, a free concert that was featuring Matt Nathanson. It was a blast and a good taste of Nashville.

Friday we went thrift store shopping and of course, made our daily stop at Las Paletas, the best treat around.

Friday night we had a delicious home cooked meal before heading to Holland House to grab drinks with friends.

 

We woke up bright and early Saturday to participate in the Tomato Dodge. It was absolutely hilarious! The race benefited Big Brothers/Big Sisters, so my dad, Alison, and I participated. We ran a 5k while others (including my mom and my dad's little brother Trey) hurled sliced tomatoes at us! After we were exhausted from the run and covered head to toe in tomatoes, we returned home for showers and relaxing.

Since we both went to CPC back in the day, it was fun to go to church there and see how much has changed. There was a fun picnic afterwards with food trucks, too, so that was a fun addition. 

  

Next we ventured to East Nashville to explore....this neck of the woods is right up Alison's alley and we had a blast exploring coffee shops, a vegan restaurant, vintage stores, and admiring houses.

 

Sunday night we had a delicious dinner at a favorite Atlanta resturaunt that just came to Nashville, Tacaria del Sol, before a hilariously entertaining Dirty Guv'nahs concert. 

And, of course, we concluded the night with a stop at the lovely Donut Den.

All too soon, I was dropping Alison at the airport and heading to my first day of graduate school. But this weekend was a wonderful cap to a wonderful summer...and I am thankful for the blessing of Alison's friendship.

xoxo