Chalk Travels: Nashville, TN and CMA Fest

Happy Friday, friends! You may remember Thomas surprised me during our anniversary trip with a gift certificate (1st anniversary is paper) to CMA Music Festival with our dear friends! I was full of excitement after opening the envelope and remember thinking that it was going to feel like forever until we would be in Nashville walking down Broadway listening to the live music being sung at every Honky Tonk, restaurant and outdoor stage. Now, here I am, ten months later recapping what was one of the most memorable and special trips to date.  

88,500 country music fans from all over flooded Nashville and we had one goal in mind: to "enjoy Country's Night to Rock!" We certainly did exactly that. For 5 days, we ate good food, drank our cocktail of choice and listened to hundreds of very talented country artists. Every artist that you can imagine was there to perform live at multiple venues, host meet and greets, attend autograph sessions and take {endless} selfies with their fans. We caught Blake Shelton leaving The Stage after a surprise performance, I have to admit it was pure luck and one of many highlights of our trip.

Bright and early every morning, we would get our morning jolt of caffeine then jump on the shuttle from our hotel to head downtown for the day. With seven different stages setup for daytime music, you were certain to see artists from legends to the latest up-and-comers. The Chevrolet Riverfront Stage is the epicenter of daytime music with the must-see lineups that aren't performing at night in Nissan Stadium. Between the incredible view and lineups at the Riverfront, this is where you could find us most days!

Then each night, the fans packed into Nissan Stadium to sing and dance for hours to all our favorite artists. To kick-off CMA Fest, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts and Jason Aldean brought down the house. The following two nights included Chris Stapleton, Sam Hunt, Eric Church, Hank Williams, Jr., Carrie Underwood, Chris Young, Cole Swindell, Florida Georgia Line, Steven Tyler and Blake Shelton {along with a few special guests but I'll keep that a surprise until it airs on TV}.

The final night was electric and full of energy thanks to Little Big Town, Thomas Rhett, Brett Eldredge, Keith Urban and Luke Bryan!

 

As if CMA Fest could get any better, the money generated through CMA Music Festival ticket sales for the nightly concerts and Fan Fair X will benefit music education, reaching 1 million children across the United States. Since 2006, CMA and the CMA Foundation have donated more than $13.6 million to support sustainable music education initiatives across the country.

Now for a few recommendations on places to eat and things to do if you plan on visiting Nashville...

Places to Eat:

- Jack's BBQ

- Biscuit Love

- The Farm House

- Moto

- Etch 

- Virago

- The Stillery

- Merchants Restaurant

- The Southern

- Puckett's Grocery 

- Tavern 

- Barista Parlor

- Pinewood Social

Things to Do:

- Dance the morning, afternoon or evening away at the Honky Tonks

- Enjoy a glass of champagne while getting pampered at the Blowout Company

- Shopping in the Gulch 

- If you're a fan of Reese Witherspoon, you must pop into Draper James

- Try on a pair of cowboy boots in the Lucchese Store

 - Walk the streets of Music Row

 - End of the night with cocktails at The Patterson House

- Sit on the rooftop at ACME Feed & Seed or The Stage 

- Tour the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

- Take a #SinemaSelfie at the Sinema Restaurant & Bar

- Enjoy whiskey? Visit Whiskey Kitchen

{Many of these great recommendations came from my brother-in-law, a Nashville Native.}  

If you love country music as much as we do, you can relive our trip with us when Brett Eldredge and Thomas Rhett host "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" on August 3rd at 8pm EST. The three hour special will feature all the country-music stars as they hit the stage during the four-day celebration that we were lucky enough to be a part of. Now, it's time to begin planning our next trip! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Thoughts for Thursday

After having last week off {our company closes all of our offices in the US for a week twice a year}, I thought this week was going to creep by very slowly. To my surprise, it has actually been the complete opposite and I am not complaining one bit because we are off to The Greenbrier Resort with TC's family this weekend!

I am still not ready to admit that 4th of July has already passed and we are half way through the summer. Is anyone else struggling to admit this too? We have hosted a 4th of July party for the past 3 years at our home and it has quickly become an event that TC and I look forward to each summer. This year we had a packed house of friends and 2 new additions - my adorable Goddaughter and another friend of ours also has a 2 month old, little girl. They are precious!

You know that adorable Goddaughter that I just mentioned? I seriously can't handle how cute she is in her red, white and blue to match her sweet mom. I feel like I am the luckiest lady to be able to be such a special part of E's life.  

Even though it poured in the afternoon, the skies cleared as everyone started to arrive {thank goodness} so we could enjoy being outside. The guys spent a lot of time seeing what they could find in the pond - some actually caught a few fish but others only caught sticks and weeds. :)

What's a 4th of July celebration without red, white, and blue, a few festive cocktails and a lot of traditional American food?! I made the Sangria that I mentioned in this post and it was delicious! I had never made Sangria before so I was worried that it wouldn't turn out well but it did and was the perfect cocktail for the afternoon - light and refreshing. 

 

A few weekends ago, we traveled to DC to meet my sister and her husband. We had such a great time catching up and enjoying all the sites of the city together. A few of my favorite stops during the trip...

The Observatory is a rooftop bar located on top of the Graham hotel in Georgetown, it has the most spectacular panoramic views of DC and Virginia. Their hand-crafted cocktails and wine selection were amazing!

We ate dinner at Restaurant Nora which was by far one of the greatest meals that I've had recently. Nora is focused on providing organic, seasonal, local food that is full of flavor so the menu changes daily. I thought it was neat to hear that Restaurant Nora became the nation's first certified organic restaurant, which means that at least 95% of all ingredients must be produced by certified organic farmers, growers and suppliers.  

After we walked up and down the cobble streets in Georgetown, we stopped for a cocktail and a cheese & charcuterie plate at Martin's Tavern in Georgetown. Martin's Tavern is one of the few restaurants that has been around since the Great Depression and the tradition of hospitality has brought every President from Harry S. Truman to George W. Bush to their tavern. By the way, I hope you are enjoying all the fun {and random} facts that I'm sharing from our travels.

I hope everyone is having an awesome week! I'm linking up with Annie and Natalie for Thoughts on Thursday and I hope you join us.

Five on Friday

It's time for another Five on Friday with my favorite ladies! I'll be linking up with April, Christina, Natasha, and Darci for Five on Friday and Amanda for Friday Favorites.

ONE:
I met a sweet girlfriend {Hi Melis!} for Happy Hour yesterday at one of my favorite restaurants, Vivace. If you live in Raleigh than you can attest to how wonderful the food and wine selection is here, not to mention the outdoor patio is my favorite too. It was such a fun evening catching up, sipping cocktails and enjoying this heavenly cheese board.

TWO:
I've been wanting a pair of Espadrilles flats for a while now but can't seem to pull the trigger on a pair. So I need your advice, which pair do you like?

Barca Sailor Stripe Espadrilles

Sam Edelman Lynn Espadrilles

THREE:
I love fresh flowers, there is something about fresh flowers that can brighten up my day instantly. It is an easy way to freshen up your house or add color to your tablescape when hosting a party. But I am always trying to make them last a little bit longer so when I read this article on Apartment Therapy, I was excited to see which theory works the best.

source

FOUR:
The adorable Ashley from Girl Talk is on her way to Florida and will be setting sail on Sunday, I am so jealous of the fun and sunshine that she will be enjoying for the next 7 days! She has a week full of fabulous women that will be guest posting while she is gone. Make sure to stop by on Tuesday to see what I'll be talking about :)!

Girl Talk by Ashley

FIVE:
I'll leave you with the quote that has been my motivation recently. I've been focused on being my best self, not being afraid of what is ahead and surrounding myself with the people that make me a better wife, daughter, sister, friend, and co-worker.

 I hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing weekend! Cheers to Friday!

Weekend Highlights: A twist on your normal Rodeo

Have you ever ordered a meal from a Food Truck?! If you are like me, the thought of ordering a meal {and enjoying it} from a truck was a bizarre concept. Why would you just not go to a restaurant? Well, my opinion of Food Trucks quickly changed  when we went to Raleigh's Food Truck Rodeo a few weekends ago. The food was unique and delicious!  

 

STOP #1:

American Meltdown Gourmet Melts has been featured on the news, in well-known magazines and won numerous awards for their creative approach to make a simple grilled cheese not-so-simple.  

 

If you know me well then you know that I love anything with Pimento Cheese. I am true believer that Pimento Cheese makes anything better so TC knew that I would be ordering the Pimento Cheese, Spicy Sausage and Corn Relish melt plus a side of baked Brussels Sprouts {another one of my favorites} with a Garlic Aioli dipping sauce. Let me just say, American Meltdown was my kind of Food Truck.

Similar Grilled Cheese Recipes: I could eat a Grilled Cheese for every meal {not joking} so I can't wait to try this recipe from Southern Living or try to replicate the Merguez Sausage Sandwich from Little Muenster in New York City. 

STOP #2:
I have heard nothing but great things about this next Food Truck, Mac-Ur-Roni, from my friends and colleagues. When I saw the bright yellow truck, I knew that I had to stop to try their "infamous" Mac and Cheese.

 

We ordered the "Homewrecker" Mac & Cheese which was three-cheese macaroni topped with Buffalo Chicken, Onions and Blue Cheese. It melted in your mouth, it was amazing!

 

The Mac-Ur-Roni Food Truck is a Triangle-based truck where the Chef worked as a Corporate Accountant for a few years until he left to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant one day. After graduating from culinary school in 2011, he was able to make his dream a reality.

Similar Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipes: The Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese with panko bread crumbs from AllRecipes looks devine and so does this recipe from Food Network.

STOP #3:

I love, love, love {fresh} fish tacos! We have a lot of family that live at the beach so we usually wait to order seafood until we are there. Nothing compares to being able to enjoy fish for lunch or dinner that was caught earlier that morning, right?

Dank Burrito is based out of Morehead City, NC and was named the 2014 Rookie Food Truck of the Year. It is owned and operated by Circa 81, one of our favorite restaurants in Morehead City, that specializes in "offering a farm/sea to table menu as much as possible by supporting local fishermen and farmers."

Similar Fish Taco recipes: Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa Verde and Mahi Mahi BLT Tacos are on our list to make the next time that we are at the beach.

We're already counting down the days until the next Food Truck Rodeo on Sunday, June 14th! Who wants to join us?!

Hosting & Toasting: Charleston Bachelorette Bash

Charleston has quickly become one of my favorite cities - the food {oh, the food!} scene is one of a kind, the people are incredibly nice and welcoming, the views and scenery will take your breath away and the history of the city is fascinating! I am sure it won't shock you but...I've already started to plan my next trip to Charleston. :)

My beautiful, sweet, big sister is getting married in 10 days and we made sure that she celebrated in style during her Bachelorette Bash in Charleston a few weekends ago!

I had been planning this weekend for months so by the time Friday morning rolled around, I was ready to get in the car and go! I was in Charleston by 11am and started counting down the hours until my sister's flight arrived around 1pm. As you can imagine, I was ready to get the weekend started so those 2 hours seemed like 10.

The entire weekend was a surprise to her so I created "date cards" that contained clues for every event {if you watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette than you know where I got this idea}. It was a lot of fun to have her guess what the next adventure was going to be! 

Sara's Bachelorette Bash Overview: 

On Friday, we ate lunch at Fleet Landing Restaurant which has been voted as one of downtown Charleston's best waterfront dining destinations. We had their crab cake sandwich and pasta salad, it was delicious! My sister and I love blow dry bars so we headed to Tease Blow Dry Bar on King Street. We enjoyed a glass of wine and chatted while their stylists pampered us. It was the perfect start to the weekend! Then we headed back to the house on Upper King Street that I rented through HomeAway to enjoy cocktails and appetizers on the porch while everyone arrived. I made reservations at The Grocery for dinner, it is located in a former furniture warehouse but now resembles a small-town grocery. The menu was full of seasonal ingredients from the local and regional farmers and fishermen.  

Saturday morning, we all slept in and slowly gathered in the living room to enjoy mimosas before brunch. Every bride-to-be needs a few surprises for their honeymoon so I hosted a catered brunch and lingerie shower at the house. Duvall Catering and Events did an outstanding job, I am still dreaming about the Quiche Lorraine and Apple Bread Pudding with Bourbon Glaze.

The rain decided to hold off for us {thank goodness!} so we spent the afternoon walking and shopping on King Street. I was in heaven, every store that you could imagine can be found along King Street.

I have been reading Natalie's blog, Designer Bags & Dirty Diapers, for a long time and she has the best Charleston recommendations {along with an impeccable style and an abundance of creative recipes, you will love her!}. She mentioned that Goat.Sheep.Cow had an amazing selection of meat, cheese and wine so we had to check it out. She wasn't kidding!  

We bought tickets for the Saturday afternoon Charleston Culinary Tour - Upper King Street, it was tons of fun! We had a wonderful tour guide & tasted a lot of flavorful food from HOM, R Kitchen, Lana Restaurant and Jeni's Ice cream. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone that is visiting Charleston. You won't be disappointed!     

Later that evening, we enjoyed dinner at The MacIntosh followed by cocktails at The Cocktail Club and Stars Rooftop.

Before we said goodbye on Sunday, we had to have one last meal together. Can you tell that we like to sip and eat {a lot}?! Poogan's Porch was another perfect spot. When you sit down at your table, you can request the story that explains Poogan's porch. Of course, the house is haunted! But what I loved most about the story was it said that, "we believe in conversations on porches, Sunday brunch, old Southern dogs, ghosts, seersucker, biscuits, homemade and handmade, sweet tea, handwritten recipes, friends old and new, great stories, gracious hospitality and our Moms." I don't think anyone could sum up the South any better than that!

Have you been to Charleston? If so, I would love to hear your recommendations for our next trip!