mason jars, sporadic thunderstorms, front porches, porch swings, sweet tea, good books, light blankets, outdoor concerts, sweaty runs, barefeet, food trucks, white shorts, sundresses, grilling, pinot grigio and gin&tonics, lazy pool days, fireworks, country music, long daylight hours, paletas & ice cream, movies in the park, yard sales, slow meandering, stargazing, late night drives with the windows down, candlelight, picnics, wedding after wedding after wedding, sun-streaked hair, chaco tan lines, cool pasta salad, s'mores, bluegrass...
summer in the south. i think my soul was born here.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Nashville Nugget No. 7 - Mas Tacos
Hey readers! Today, I want you to welcome dear friend and guest blogger Ally Thompson (remember her?). A fellow foodie, she quickly called dibs on writing this post after we ate at Mas Tacos with our lunch buddy Jillian last week. Thanks for your contribution to Nashville Nuggets, Ally!
You may recognize me from Karen's Grilled Cheeserie entry...obviously, I love food and I love East Nashville. Anywho, in order to resurrect our pre-Namibia tradition of Tuesday lunches, Karen and I decided to take lunch to Jillian at work. I've been scoping out all the hip places in East Nasty to try, so I knew just what to bring to Jill...MAS TACOS! It's a sketchy little taco shack with weird hours just down the street from my house. (check it...732 McFerrin Ave, they also have a food truck!) So Karen and I dropped in about 11:30 to pick up a mess of tacos and take them to Commons to see Jill. Important fact about Mas Tacos: THEY ONLY TAKE CASH. This is good, because it limits the number of delicious tacos I can eat, but also means you have to come prepared. Anyways, WORTH IT. The kindly hipster behind the counter suggested that two tacos would make for a good lunch, so I ordered a fried avocado taco and a quinoa and sweet potato taco for myself, and a cast-iron chicken and pulled pork taco for Jillian. All of the tacos are served with lime wedges, cilantro, and a red cabbage slaw on top (that Karen thought a bit too spicy, but I loved!). The fried avocado taco was crispy and the creamy texture of the avocado contrasted nicely with the crunchy slaw. The quinoa/sweet potato taco was FULL of well-spiced quinoa and strips of stewed sweet potato (although I must say, the sweet potato didn't add a lot overall!). The cast-iron chicken taco was served with a green tomatillo sauce that was perfectly tangy and gave it an enchilada-sort of feel. My favorite part about these tacos have to be the tortillas - homemade, warm, corn tortillas with just enough chew, and they triple-wrap the tacos, so there is plenty of tortilla to love! Mas Tacos has a lot of other fun menu items to try, including agua frescas in all different summer flavors, and elote, a type of Mexican grilled corn that I can't wait to try! I'll be going back soon!
Mas Tacos is located by Ally's house in East Nashville at 732 McFerrin Ave...or you can follow their Tweets and find their roaming food truck!
You may recognize me from Karen's Grilled Cheeserie entry...obviously, I love food and I love East Nashville. Anywho, in order to resurrect our pre-Namibia tradition of Tuesday lunches, Karen and I decided to take lunch to Jillian at work. I've been scoping out all the hip places in East Nasty to try, so I knew just what to bring to Jill...MAS TACOS! It's a sketchy little taco shack with weird hours just down the street from my house. (check it...732 McFerrin Ave, they also have a food truck!) So Karen and I dropped in about 11:30 to pick up a mess of tacos and take them to Commons to see Jill. Important fact about Mas Tacos: THEY ONLY TAKE CASH. This is good, because it limits the number of delicious tacos I can eat, but also means you have to come prepared. Anyways, WORTH IT. The kindly hipster behind the counter suggested that two tacos would make for a good lunch, so I ordered a fried avocado taco and a quinoa and sweet potato taco for myself, and a cast-iron chicken and pulled pork taco for Jillian. All of the tacos are served with lime wedges, cilantro, and a red cabbage slaw on top (that Karen thought a bit too spicy, but I loved!). The fried avocado taco was crispy and the creamy texture of the avocado contrasted nicely with the crunchy slaw. The quinoa/sweet potato taco was FULL of well-spiced quinoa and strips of stewed sweet potato (although I must say, the sweet potato didn't add a lot overall!). The cast-iron chicken taco was served with a green tomatillo sauce that was perfectly tangy and gave it an enchilada-sort of feel. My favorite part about these tacos have to be the tortillas - homemade, warm, corn tortillas with just enough chew, and they triple-wrap the tacos, so there is plenty of tortilla to love! Mas Tacos has a lot of other fun menu items to try, including agua frescas in all different summer flavors, and elote, a type of Mexican grilled corn that I can't wait to try! I'll be going back soon!
Mas Tacos is located by Ally's house in East Nashville at 732 McFerrin Ave...or you can follow their Tweets and find their roaming food truck!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Workout Weekdays - Getting Started
Phew. You want to know what's not a good idea? Running in the Nashville Summer heat & humidity.
I'm ashamed to admit it, but in the 59 days that I've been in America, this is the first time I've made an effort to run. Sure, I did a solid two weeks of P90X back in June. But running? I found enough excuses to keep me away from that. Needed new shoes...IT Band woes...too hot...
A few weeks ago, I purchased new running shoes at Team Nashville, and found out that I "run funny." So funny, in fact, that the man I was working with made me run more than necessary in the parking lot (while wearing work clothes - just to make it funnier) and even videotaped me to show me how weirdly I run. I shared the excuse that it's probably because I had to relearn to walk from scratch when I was twelve years old and was told I'd never walk correctly again. I'm walking fine, but apparently running wasn't relearned as impeccably. I reminded myself that it didn't matter - I ran my first half marathon last year and have no intention to quit now.
So, with my new shoes, new sports bra, and new attitude, I drove over to my favorite running spot in Nashville: Belmont Boulevard. Just enough trees, bends in the road, and kind passersby to make running enjoyable over there. Today, I ran/walked from the Belmont end down to Woodmont and back again. It was a good first try, but undeniably clear how out of shape I am (and how easily I succumb to the heat).
My soundtrack was the "Hot Hot Hits" playlist on my iPod, and today's run included such pop hits as:
- "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas (don't worry, I did the ASB hand motions while I was running)
- "Every Other Time" by LFO
- "King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles
- "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha (or "key dollar sign hah")
- "Beautiful Soul" by Jesse McCartney
- "Waka Waka (Time for Africa)" by Shakira
- "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
- "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus
- "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
I'd pretend to be embarrassed by some of these tunes, but that would be lying.
Until the next run!
I'm ashamed to admit it, but in the 59 days that I've been in America, this is the first time I've made an effort to run. Sure, I did a solid two weeks of P90X back in June. But running? I found enough excuses to keep me away from that. Needed new shoes...IT Band woes...too hot...
A few weeks ago, I purchased new running shoes at Team Nashville, and found out that I "run funny." So funny, in fact, that the man I was working with made me run more than necessary in the parking lot (while wearing work clothes - just to make it funnier) and even videotaped me to show me how weirdly I run. I shared the excuse that it's probably because I had to relearn to walk from scratch when I was twelve years old and was told I'd never walk correctly again. I'm walking fine, but apparently running wasn't relearned as impeccably. I reminded myself that it didn't matter - I ran my first half marathon last year and have no intention to quit now.
So, with my new shoes, new sports bra, and new attitude, I drove over to my favorite running spot in Nashville: Belmont Boulevard. Just enough trees, bends in the road, and kind passersby to make running enjoyable over there. Today, I ran/walked from the Belmont end down to Woodmont and back again. It was a good first try, but undeniably clear how out of shape I am (and how easily I succumb to the heat).
My soundtrack was the "Hot Hot Hits" playlist on my iPod, and today's run included such pop hits as:
- "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas (don't worry, I did the ASB hand motions while I was running)
- "Every Other Time" by LFO
- "King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles
- "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha (or "key dollar sign hah")
- "Beautiful Soul" by Jesse McCartney
- "Waka Waka (Time for Africa)" by Shakira
- "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
- "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus
- "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
I'd pretend to be embarrassed by some of these tunes, but that would be lying.
Until the next run!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Nashville Nugget No. 6 - Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream
On Monday afternoon, I had the privilege to share an ice cream date with my sweet friend, sister, and faithful blog follower Erica Nimri-now-Page! She so enthusiastically responded to my post about places I want to try in Nashville and called dibs on Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. Naturally, we went there as soon as I returned to Nashville - because what's better in the 102 degree heat than delicious ice cream? Nothing, I say.
Not only is this particular ice cream establishment sort of named after my sister, who I almost love as much as I love ice cream (kidding?), but it's also a well-known, we're-lucky-to-have-it-here ice cream store. Jeni's comes from the great city of Columbus, OH - the only city in Ohio I've ever known, so clearly the greatest. Plus, according to the Nashville Scene, Nashville attracts people from Ohio, which I think we all have witnessed. Jeni's boasts at least 24 flavors, sometimes in the low 30s, of rich, colorful, fresh, sometimes locally-grown ice cream flavors. They also have a flavor called The Milkiest Chocolate in the World, which is good enough for me. What's more? They're more than happy to give you as many free samples as you want. My kind of place.
What's even more? "Can there be even more???" you ask. Yes. Because even the SMALL size of ice cream allows you to get two different flavors. Praise the Lord, all ye poor decision-makers (poor-decision makers? Those of us who can't make decisions. Oh, grammar)! You may pay $4 for a small, but it is more than worth it - much better than spending $4 on a measly scoop of sub-par Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
If you remember from my post about Hot & Cold, I've already tried Jeni's Milkiest Chocolate in the World and Pistachio & Honey flavors. But upon visiting the actual store on Monday, I ordered a mouth wateringly delicious combination of Dark Chocolate ('nuff said...it don't need a fancy name) and Backyard Mint. In a waffle cone. Go big or go home.
A.ma.zing. AMAZING. THIS IS THE BEST ICE CREAM I'VE EVER EATEN. I'm never leaving America again. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, Amen.
Get your butt over to Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. Today. Tomorrow. And every day after that.
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream is located in East Nashville, nestled by Ugly Mugs & Silly Goose and across the street from Rosepepper at 1892 Eastland Ave.
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| Inside Jeni's Ice Cream - so airy and trendy! [photo cred] |
What's even more? "Can there be even more???" you ask. Yes. Because even the SMALL size of ice cream allows you to get two different flavors. Praise the Lord, all ye poor decision-makers (poor-decision makers? Those of us who can't make decisions. Oh, grammar)! You may pay $4 for a small, but it is more than worth it - much better than spending $4 on a measly scoop of sub-par Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
If you remember from my post about Hot & Cold, I've already tried Jeni's Milkiest Chocolate in the World and Pistachio & Honey flavors. But upon visiting the actual store on Monday, I ordered a mouth wateringly delicious combination of Dark Chocolate ('nuff said...it don't need a fancy name) and Backyard Mint. In a waffle cone. Go big or go home.
A.ma.zing. AMAZING. THIS IS THE BEST ICE CREAM I'VE EVER EATEN. I'm never leaving America again. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, Amen.
Get your butt over to Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. Today. Tomorrow. And every day after that.
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream is located in East Nashville, nestled by Ugly Mugs & Silly Goose and across the street from Rosepepper at 1892 Eastland Ave.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
New Music from Melanie Penn!
One thing I missed terribly while I was in Namibia was the lack of new music in my life. Sure, my iTunes is chock full of tunes - almost 15 days worth, to be exact. I didn't have a lack of music in my life. But new music? Total lack. Thank the LORD I'm back in Nashville where new music is always just around the corner!
Fellow Grace-goer and musician extraordinaire Ben Shive has been tweeting for weeks about his work producing Melanie Penn's newest album, and just this week, The Rabbit Room posted her newest video from her album, "Wake Up Love."
I love it! Melanie Penn not only rivals Carrie Underwood in cuteness, but also has a sweet & intriguing voice and insanely beautiful lyrics. I especially love how much this song reminds me of the Holy Spirit and his movement in our lives in every ordinary day.
Oh, I'm a summer breeze
I brush across your cheek
I have always been and I will always be
You can hear me blow
Though you don't know
Where I'm coming from or where I go.
Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. What's even better is that so many of my favorite Nashville artists worked on this album, too, like Ben, Andy Gullahorn, Andy Osenga, and THE Gabe Scott (where is he online? Kind of obsessed...and I don't care who knows it).
Check out Melanie's work and buy her album here!
Fellow Grace-goer and musician extraordinaire Ben Shive has been tweeting for weeks about his work producing Melanie Penn's newest album, and just this week, The Rabbit Room posted her newest video from her album, "Wake Up Love."
I love it! Melanie Penn not only rivals Carrie Underwood in cuteness, but also has a sweet & intriguing voice and insanely beautiful lyrics. I especially love how much this song reminds me of the Holy Spirit and his movement in our lives in every ordinary day.
Oh, I'm a summer breeze
I brush across your cheek
I have always been and I will always be
You can hear me blow
Though you don't know
Where I'm coming from or where I go.
Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. What's even better is that so many of my favorite Nashville artists worked on this album, too, like Ben, Andy Gullahorn, Andy Osenga, and THE Gabe Scott (where is he online? Kind of obsessed...and I don't care who knows it).
Check out Melanie's work and buy her album here!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
A Shout-Out to Switzerland
Did you know that my number five country for blog viewers is Switzerland?? No? Neither did I until recently. But I'm excited about it!
Unlike most countries, I have no idea who you are! But readers, you must know of my secret love for Switzerland.
You see, back in Chicago we have our own little taste of Switzerland. At the Museum of Science and Industry, there's a little-known exhibit by the food courts called the Swiss Jolly Ball. As a strange young child, this was my favorite MSI exhibit - far and above the plane my uncle had a hand in building, or the underground coal mine, or the extravagant doll house, or the walk-through heart. The Swiss Jolly Ball at the Museum of Science and Industry is an extravagant pinball-like machine called a "flipper," in which a metal ball journeys through all of the tourist attractions in Switzerland. In fact, this particular flipper is one of only two Swiss Jolly Balls in the entire whole world, and was proclaimed the largest flipper in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1988.
Needless to say, it's AWESOME and has always made me want to visit Switzerland. Too bad I've only gotten as far as the airport.
So hey, Swiss readers. Thanks for being here and for spicing up my blog statistics. I'm happy to have you!
Unlike most countries, I have no idea who you are! But readers, you must know of my secret love for Switzerland.
You see, back in Chicago we have our own little taste of Switzerland. At the Museum of Science and Industry, there's a little-known exhibit by the food courts called the Swiss Jolly Ball. As a strange young child, this was my favorite MSI exhibit - far and above the plane my uncle had a hand in building, or the underground coal mine, or the extravagant doll house, or the walk-through heart. The Swiss Jolly Ball at the Museum of Science and Industry is an extravagant pinball-like machine called a "flipper," in which a metal ball journeys through all of the tourist attractions in Switzerland. In fact, this particular flipper is one of only two Swiss Jolly Balls in the entire whole world, and was proclaimed the largest flipper in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1988.
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| [photo cred] |
So hey, Swiss readers. Thanks for being here and for spicing up my blog statistics. I'm happy to have you!
TIA Tuesday - Target, Part 2
Remember how much I love Target? This week's TIA Tuesday exemplifies that continued love.
The day after arriving in Nashville, I was having a slightly downer night and happened to be near a Target, so I stopped by to pick up a bar of Dove dark chocolate. ONLY that. Little did I remember that "only" never applies in Target.
As I entered the store, bombarded by the sight of cute women's clothes, I remembered the state of my post-Africa v-neck tees. See, they don't stand up to handwashing very well. They're faded, stretched out, rubbed thin, and some even have holes poked in them from hanging them to dry on my metal fence. Being the fashionista that I am, I still wear them around America. Needless to say, I'm slowly trying to replace my stash. And I don't have a black one! Oops #1.
Then, I discovered some cute clearance cardigans right next to the v-neck tees! I've never had a teal cardigan. That'll be a great adult work clothes purchase, right? I want. Oops #2.
As I quickly walk towards the check out in hopes of not getting distracted again, I remember that when I visited Target in June, I saw "Dirty Dancing" on sale for $7. I love "Dirty Dancing" and have only seen it once. Plus, I checked online and you really can't buy it anywhere for that cheap. My shopping policy is if I don't buy it but am still thinking about it weeks later, then it would be a worthwhile purchase. Thankfully, one month later, the movie is still on sale. Oops #3.
Practically running through the middle of Target, I'm trying to keep my eyes on the floor in front of me and not looking at the tempting products on each side. But then it hits me. I remember Dad saying I should get one of those plush fleece blankets that I've been eyeing. You know them...the super soft, really big target blankets? Only twenty bucks for a twin XL size! As I pull one out, one of those dreaded silver fish bugs crawls out from under the endcap. Gross. Good thing bugs don't faze me anymore. Oops #4.
At this point, I don't even need the dark chocolate to make me feel better. The spree should have done it. But what do I do? Pick one up anyways. Oops #5.
Fifty dollars and less than five minutes later, I'm out the door with purchases in hand.
A few observations:
Pro: I actually hate shopping. So at least I lose my cool at Target at not a more pricy store like J-Crew.
Pro: Target has a good return policy, so I usually let my bag of loot sit for a day and then reassess what I really need.
Con: I live a life of little to no income. This cannot happen again.
Reader, you'll be happy to know that since this series of Oops last Tuesday, I have been in Target twice and avoided purchasing anything. Self-control!
TIA.
The day after arriving in Nashville, I was having a slightly downer night and happened to be near a Target, so I stopped by to pick up a bar of Dove dark chocolate. ONLY that. Little did I remember that "only" never applies in Target.
As I entered the store, bombarded by the sight of cute women's clothes, I remembered the state of my post-Africa v-neck tees. See, they don't stand up to handwashing very well. They're faded, stretched out, rubbed thin, and some even have holes poked in them from hanging them to dry on my metal fence. Being the fashionista that I am, I still wear them around America. Needless to say, I'm slowly trying to replace my stash. And I don't have a black one! Oops #1.
Then, I discovered some cute clearance cardigans right next to the v-neck tees! I've never had a teal cardigan. That'll be a great adult work clothes purchase, right? I want. Oops #2.
As I quickly walk towards the check out in hopes of not getting distracted again, I remember that when I visited Target in June, I saw "Dirty Dancing" on sale for $7. I love "Dirty Dancing" and have only seen it once. Plus, I checked online and you really can't buy it anywhere for that cheap. My shopping policy is if I don't buy it but am still thinking about it weeks later, then it would be a worthwhile purchase. Thankfully, one month later, the movie is still on sale. Oops #3.
Practically running through the middle of Target, I'm trying to keep my eyes on the floor in front of me and not looking at the tempting products on each side. But then it hits me. I remember Dad saying I should get one of those plush fleece blankets that I've been eyeing. You know them...the super soft, really big target blankets? Only twenty bucks for a twin XL size! As I pull one out, one of those dreaded silver fish bugs crawls out from under the endcap. Gross. Good thing bugs don't faze me anymore. Oops #4.
At this point, I don't even need the dark chocolate to make me feel better. The spree should have done it. But what do I do? Pick one up anyways. Oops #5.
Fifty dollars and less than five minutes later, I'm out the door with purchases in hand.
A few observations:
Pro: I actually hate shopping. So at least I lose my cool at Target at not a more pricy store like J-Crew.
Pro: Target has a good return policy, so I usually let my bag of loot sit for a day and then reassess what I really need.
Con: I live a life of little to no income. This cannot happen again.
Reader, you'll be happy to know that since this series of Oops last Tuesday, I have been in Target twice and avoided purchasing anything. Self-control!
TIA.
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