hump day - halloween

this week i gotta get outta town pass and am leavingon a jet plane...well, actually an acura - but they haven't written that song yet.  sorry.

we (by now, you get the we in this relationship, correct?), braddstudios and myself are headed to:

wednesday:
nashville, tennessee to farragut, tennessee

thursday:
farragut, tessessee to wilmington, north carolina

friday:
wilmington, north carolina to asheville, north carolina

saturday:
ashville, north carolina to gatlinbug, tennessee

sunday:
gatlinburg, tennessee to farragut, tennessee to nashville, tennessee

since i am assuming that you have no idea why in the heck on god's green earth that one would seek out this travel schedule let me tell you of the plans so then you can be jealous.

wednesday:
we are leaving nashville and going to spend the night with braddstudios parents.  (that way we are that much closer to the destination and we can see his lovely family)

thursday:
we are leaving his lovely parents house and driving to wilmington, north carolina where we will stay over night in a nice hotel that i found on hotwire.  while we are there, we shall find the filming locations for the film 'blue velvet' (if you have ever taken a gander at braddstudios blog {and you should}, you might have noticed there only two things he cares about in this word 1)filming locations and 2)music.) and might i add, the boys got some mad google map skills, i have never seen anything like it...

and me, i go along for the ride because
1) i love him and like looking at his face.
2) i like taking pictures a lot and am a little OCD a lot and getting the EXACT screen shot that he needs puts me in a happy place because i am a nerd.  dang, this is MY blog, did i have to admit that?  uh---hummm, because i am ubbbbbberrrrr talented and cool.
3) because he promised me that we could (and he has the locations google mapped, mind you.  he is also very organized) go by michael jordans house where he grew up {if you could see me as i type this i am kinda hyperventilating, ummm, because i love me some michael jordan}

so on 'come fly with me' (i have it on VHS, thank you very much) they show his house and i have always wanted to drive by that place and take a gander.  also, they talk about the courts in the back yard where michael jordan and his brother played ball growing up and his brother always beat him.  and i am not promising that i won't trespass to get a picture if it is still there.  i've done it before folks.  and yes, i am already sorry for trespassing, "really officer i am...i had no idea where i was, why would i want a picture of thaaaaaaat ole ball court anyway?"

believeable, huh?

i might should unpack my air jordans and jumpman sweatshirt, that might be too much, you think?  i'll just wear the socks...no one will ever see those.

4) we get to go to the beach.  and walk in the sand.  yes, yes and yes.  sign me up.

am i exhausting you?  

is there a word limit on these things?

friday:
we shall leave the land of blue vlevet, michael jordan and sand and head to asheville, north carolina where there is this large mansion called the biltmore that i have yet to see in my life time.

well, i did watch an extensive video on it, because my BFF went to the biltmore and was so taken with it, that she bought the video and made me watch it and she nararrated it with the narrarator.  bless her heart. it was informative, long and boring lovely.

so, i can't wait to see it for myself.  hope it's not haunted, since it will be halloween weekend and all.  that could be a. little. freaky.

because if i encountered a ghost...well...i. would. die.

probably.

and no, i am NOT dramatic OR long winded.

why do you ask?

and then we are going to see where they filmed this little movie, you might have heard of it...dirty dancing.  oh yes we are.  awesome, huh?

and THEN (drumroll, please)...the reason for this whole jaunt.

the moogfest.  which is a first annual music festival in asheville, north carolina.  i would tell you who all we are going to see and make it sound all musical scholarly and the like and then braddstudios might really fall in love...

but, i...am not able.

this is all i know, we are going to see big boi (who spells his name wrong, i might add) and panda bear, the guy not the animal, perform and some others...i am sure.  and i will be the girl with the two large cameras over my shoulder taking pictures in la la land.

braddstudios might have mentioned in passing that panda bear does not go on (go on meaning...he will not take the stage) until 12:30 am. (sometimes, i think he likes to use big words with me like "go on" so i might have no idea what he is talking about and i will just nod my head accordingly... he is a tricky one.)

you heard it here first folks, i am in fact the best girl friend in the world.

12:30 am?  yes.  so i will need a caffeine drip, coffee and no doz and i should be fine.   (did i mention i don't don't drink caffeine?)  we will then stay afterwards and see if we can meet him.

i mean, you would too.  after the feat of standing up right until the show is over, i will need to meet the man that is in fact named panda bear.

roar.

saturday:
we will wake up bright and early and head to pigeon forge where i did not get us a nice hotel on hotwire.  well, i got us a hotel, but it is more like a love-shack-pay-by-the-hour-we-might-need-to-bring-our-own-sheets-the-hot-tub-in-the-room-is-bigger-than-the-bed-and-everything-is-magenta.   i'm scared.

and that is no joke, folks.

for in gatlinburg we shall go see dollywood and then go to the haunted mansion...and maybe putt putt...after we walk the strip of course.

and yes, maybe there are some tie dyed "brad and jessica fall 2010" shirts in our future.  if he's lucky.


and i'm still alive...


and after all of that...

sunday:
we will head back to his parents house where we will celebrate his mothers birthday as well as halloween.

this year i am dressing up as a 34 year old girl who is tired.  very tired and needs a vacation.

the end.

the family wash.

when i first moved to east nashville, i told myself it was temporary.  that i would not like it, but make the most of it.  i was a little aggravated with my previous living situation and was desperate to find something cheaper and something fast.

then my mom performed her minnie pearl act at the ryman.
which meant i saw my cousins wife that i never see except for christmas.
and i then i happened to have an extra ticket to a show that i was going to that night.
so i invited her.
so we chatted the night away and she spent the night.
in our chatter, she just happened to mention that she is related to dolly.
as in parton. (enter jessica freak out.)
and i temporarily freaked out and asked her like thirty times if she was sure.
she was sure.
then i deemed her the coolest person alive and my favorite relative.
but she is really not even related.
still, she is my favorite.
then she mentioned that her BFF had a house in east nashville.
i got scared.
because i lived in belle meade, and i was scared of the east side.
and i was attached to my house.
and i hate change.
but i was desperate.
so we called her, her BFF.
a month later, myself and my stuff moved to east nashville.
and i made a home.
my home.

occasionally, well every week, my new roommate...we'll call her steph...would come downstairs and ask me if i would like to go to the family wash for pint and pie night.

1.  i had never heard of the family wash.
2.  i really didn't understand the concept of pint and pie, but did not want to tell her that i was that uncool.
3.  it's east nashville, i am a west sider, i am not going to like this place.  much less go out and contribute.
4.  i do not drink the al-key-hawl so there really is no need to participate in pint and pie night.
5.  what IS pint and pie?
6.  like apple pie?

fast forward a few months later.

i am now a happy resident of east nashville.
i enjoy this place a lot.
the family wash, especially.

and on tuesdays now, braddstudios and i go to the wash (that's what you call it if you live on the east side and are cool...)
here is what we get:
Baked Brie

with jalapeno cranberry relish, honey and toast (yum, ummmmm)

braddstudios participates in the pint and pie for $10 because he is waaaay cooler than i will ever be.
p.s.  the pie part is Traditional Shepherd's Pie

fresh vegetables, ground lamb and beef, covered with mashed potatoes and sharp cheddar cheese with garlic

last night he added a little steak sauce to his pie at my encouraging.  mainly because i like to play with food and i thought it sounded awesome.  i was right.
i like to get the mixed green salad with quinoa.  i still have a hard time pronouncing that, but am convinced it is addicting, and it has green grapes in the salad.  bonus.

i said all that to say, if you are a resident of nashville, east, south, north, west...you should go to the family wash.  the food is yummy and you will not be disappointed.

and if you invite me, the company will be excellent.

and this is just a few of the randomness that awaits you there.  i think the wash might have a hoarding problem, but hey, who am i to judge.

oh, oh oh...and...
you will never believe what happened to me this past christmas.  after finding out that my cousins wife is my favorite relative AND that she happens to be related to dolly...

she went and gave me free passes to dollywood.  just handed them to me all cool like.  can you even believe that?  i have always wanted to go to dollywood and now it is in my near future, seeing that i have to use the tickets by the end of the year.  AND she gave my two, sooooo that means that i get to drag someone with me.  l.u.c.k.y. them.

go to the wash.  the family wash.  you will not be sorry.

i promise.

cross my heart.
hope to die.
stick a needle in my eye.

okay, i am done.

d-o-n-e.

done.