Nashville Bachelorette

This past weekend was our Fall Break and the perfect excuse to head to Nashville to celebrate Jennifer's bachelorette party before the "big day" in November. 

 We loaded up on Chick-Fil-A about two hours into the trip and what a good decision that was. ;) 

We stopped for lunch in Chattanooga at a great place called Taco Mamacita.  If you're in the area, I would definitely recommend it.  

On our way into Nashville we stopped to stretch our legs and visit the replica of the Parthenon.  

Then, we made our way to the hotel room to freshen up and shower Jenn with lots of lingerie.  

We had dinner at BrickTops that night, which was really, really good.

After dinner we hopped in a cab to go to a bar and little did we know it was the Karaoke Cab.  Talk about the best surprise ever!  

We had a few drinks there...

 

before heading next door to the Drag Show.  WOW! Talk about hilarious.  

The next morning we headed to the Pancake Pantry, where we waited in line for over an hour.  We were starving once we got inside, but it was worth it since the breakfast was delicious. 

We then drove downtown and watched the terrible end of the UGA vs. Mizzou game... champagne seemed to heal my sorrows temporarily.  ;) 

We then went next door to the Country Music Hall of Fame...

where we saw lots of exhibits...

like the one on Carrie Underwood...

and Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift.

After heading back to the hotel to change and get ready, we boarded the Karaoke Cab yet again for a fun night out downtown.  

We ate dinner, drank, danced...

and had a great time together celebrate the future Mrs. Parnell!! 

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Back to Work I Go

 Last year on the first day back to work I put up a map of the places I had traveled to throughout the summer.  It was a cool visual and a great reminder of the sweet, sweet summer, so I thought I'd do the same this year.  This summer was extra special, because I got to spend the vast majority of it with Gaines!  

Here's a map showing where I spent my summer:

And here's a little recap of the blog posts that go along with the stars above:

New York City - Visit Dales

Atlanta, GA - Amy and Nate's Going Away Party

Columbia, SC - Liz's Bridal Shower

Hilton Head, SC - Anniversary Trip

Valona, GA - Fourth of July Celebration

Highlands, NC - Gautreaux Wedding

Deltaville, VA - The Rivah

Richmond, VA - Allie's Baby Shower

And, like last year, I included a star for Waynesboro, GA. :) 

Gautreaux Wedding

Last weekend we headed to Highlands, North Carolina (which is not pronounced The Highlands like we called it half the weekend) for Gaines' sophomore year roommate's wedding.  Michael and Megan met after college, but we've loved getting to know her the past couple of years.  

They are a great couple, and we had the best time celebrating them all weekend and getting to know their families and friends.  Highlands is absolutely beautiful, and we would highly recommend it if you are looking for a fun place to visit!  We took Molly along (since we were heading to Virginia from Highlands), but dropped her off a nearby "pet paradise" for the weekend after stopping at a cute homemade ice cream stand on the way.  

We checked into our room at the Main Street Inn and set out to explore the adorable town.  We had lunch at The Ugly Dog, which was delicious and then did a little shopping before getting to ready for dinner at Gaines' family friend Bert's house.  He took us on a short tour of Big Bear Pen Mountain and made us a great dinner.  It was so great to see him and catch up and the view from his house was breath-taking.  We then headed back to the inn, where the Gautreauxs hosted a great "Welcome Party."  

The next morning we drove over to Dry Falls and got to see (and walk under!) the waterfall.  We had planned on also hiking that day, but overcast, foggy weather prevented us from having a good view.  So instead we the spent the rest of the afternoon grabbing lunch and walking around some more.  

We then got ready for the wedding, which was at The Farm at Old Edwards Inn.  The weather was cool, the venue was absolutely beautiful, the details were amazing, the band was fabulous, and the bride and groom couldn't have been happier.  Can you tell we had fun?  :) 

We all then headed to The Lost Hiker, which is a local bar, and were joined by the newlyweds, who continued the party and both sang karaoke.  It was definitely a wedding for the books and congratulations to the Gautreauxs!

The next day we picked up Molly and drove nine hours to Virginia.  More pictures of the week will be coming soon!