Tales from Tennessee

I'm exhausted from being here, and it's been so luciously relaxing. I think I'm more worn out from back to back days with longish runs. The hills are killer on the quads, but I love the training and the gorgeous views of the horsefarms and mansions from the meandering roads. Alan Jackson's large mansion is along the running route at the top of a fairly good hill . . . which I've now climbed 3 times in my runs. A few miles further was a sweet black pony who let us pet her furry neck.

Yesterday, we had the best breakfast EVER at Nashville's nationally famous Pankcake Pantry. Vince Gill was in there while we were breakfasting. Apparently his favorite dish are the sweet potato pancakes. I ordered them because I'm a huge fan of the lovely sweet potato. My stack of cakes were delicious complete with cinnamon, pecans, and cinnamon-flavored syrup.We also walked the pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River. Afterward, I snapped a few photos of the old honky-tonk strip and we went inside Trail West to try on a few Stetson's.

We bought groceries at the local Wild Oats and cooked up a lavish feast of turkey cacciatore. Chris set the dining room with beautiful candles. Josh grilled the asparagus. I got a little creative after dinner and combined coconut milk with hershey's chocolate bars for a blueberry & banana fondue dip.Today, we drove around the area, played soccer and frisbee at a local park, and had a "snack" at McCreary's Irish Pub in downtown Franklin. Later, we're off for sushi and we'll view the festive lights at the Opryland Hotel.