December 2012 in Review

Happy New Year!

A week into the New Year, and I want to look back to how much fun I had last month with events and parties all through Nashville.  Here are some of the fun things I got to do in December. 

City House, my favorite restaurant turned 5 this year, and they threw a rocking birthday party.   Pat Martin made cinder block pick roasting oven in the back yard of City House and offered up a slow roasted whole hog to City House and guests.  Tandy made an Italian meets Mexican meets Greek spit.  The meat had Italian flavors, but made in the tradition of a gyro-like meat spit.  Delicious.  Happy Birthday City House, and I look forward to your 6th birthday.

For the first time, the Tennessee's Governor and First Lady have opened up their  home for tours.  During the 1st two weeks of December, with loaned decorations from significant museums and music academies across the fine state of Tennessee, the Governor and First Lady decorated their home in the Music City and Tennessee themes.  The Haslams actually live in the Governor's Mansion, and they were generous enough to have anyone take a tour of their home.  Also, not only did they allow us to see their Christmas and holiday decorated home in December, they are allowing tours all year-round.  There are certain times during each month set aside for public tours, and all you have to do is get online to the TN First Lady's website and schedule yourself a tour.  The tours are free.  Also, I want to mention that the Governor's Mansion isn't that big compared to some of the monster mcmansions being thrown up these days.  If you get a chance, go see for yourself.

I am a big fan of the Nashville TV Show on ABC Wednesday nights.  Those who know me well enough know that I am home on Wednesday nights watching the Nashville TV show real-time, not recorded, on demand or on the ABC.com website, I am home with a drink and a snack enjoying my this really good TV show.  I love am having a lot of fun watching for local artists art on the walls, and local friends who get to be extras, and speaking parts on the Nashville TV show.  So, when the Opry came to the Ryman with Nashville TV Show musical actors, and one of my favorite bands Old Crow Medicine Show, I had to get a ticket!   So we got one of the last 10 tix available, and I had such a good time. The Opry is worth seeing and hearing for any guest and local of Nashville.  This one, I feel so lucky, was the 1st time that Hayden Panettiere (character Juliette Barnes) has ever sung live in public.  She did a great job.  Also, I was so lucky that Hayden and Chip Esten (character Deacon Clayborne) sang my favorite song from the Nashville TV Show "Undermine" and I got to be the 1st person to hear them sing that song live!  And lastly, Jonathan Jackson (character Avery, and also General Hospital fame) really hit it out of the park with an Elvis cover.  Impressive.  

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Nashville TV Show Holiday Christmas Breakfast Party catered by the Loveless Barn behind the historic Loveless Cafe at the end of the Natchez Trace.  The Loveless Cafe is know for biscuits, preserves, and anything that goes with biscuits and preserves.   The space is great, the food is completely from the Loveless Cafe, and I enjoyed myself.  Before the Loveless, I thought I did not like biscuits.  Then I had the Biscuit Lady's biscuits, and I knew right there and then, I do like biscuits as long as they are good.  So far, the Loveless Cafe biscuits I like, and I await to try others just as good, but I have not yet.  And about all the stars from the Nashville TV show showing up to the holiday breakfast?  Well, the word is, the show was taping until about 3:30 am in the morning, and most everyone was home sleeping, so most people did not show up.  And, the men were on call at a magazine interview in another part of town.  If you think the life of actors is glamourous, just spend one day on set - it is long hours (start at 6 am Monday and ends at 3:30 am Saturday morning).  Then during the little free time the actors have, they are asked to sing on the Opry, be interviewed for magazines, do general good PR for the TV show, and always put their best foot forward while in public.  

Oh, there was that awesome homey hot pot dinner that I so loved.  xoxo my friends!

And again, I am so lucky to have great girl friends who like to eat and drink and be merry!
xoxo girlfriends!  When is our next outing?

Yeah, I don't ride a bike.  I had a bad experience with a bike once, and I will not go into it because I was traumatized.   But, The Man bicycles, and is a member of the Harpeth Bike Club.  We love the Harpeth Bike Club because there are some really good people in the club and we enjoy their company very much.  I like the Harpeth Bike Club because they know how to throw a party.  This year's Christmas party was located at and catered by the McConnell House.  The McConnell House is an old brick building, and used to be the Franklin, TN jail house where inmates were hanged.  There still is the upstairs platform where inmates took their last breath, and now it is a place where tables are, and guests can sit, chat and partake in tasty treats that McConnell House has to offer.