Why I'm Really Moving to Nashville.... IN THREE WEEKS!!!

I wasn't going to take a trip before the move, but an opportunity came up, and since I was free, I took it. Once again, being here proved more reasons as to why I am moving. It's already home.

I don't want to go into as much detail as I did in the last blog. Because I really could. I'm currently at the Barista Parlor Golden Sound and will be heading out of here soon. So I'll avoid taking five hours to write this.

I'll be honest, I haven't had a lot of time to process everything I experienced on this final visit. But what I do know for sure is that I am so grateful to still be in the south! There's just something about being in another part of the south that is humbling. Sometimes we take "Southern Hospitality" for granted. It's the normal thing to do. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say because I'm having a difficult time finding the words to say. Just know that I appreciate the south far more than I do here, rather than being at home.

I did A LOT of driving this weekend. I did not use a GPS because... well... how else am I going to learn these streets if I don't get lost? At one point, I was headed to one side of the city to the other... using back roads? I was using the skyline as my guide. But the thing is, I couldn't see the city for a while. Somehow I ended up further away from the city than I already was. BUT I MADE IT WITHOUT A GPS!! And I am quite happy about that. 

On Friday night, I went to Belmont University to see my fellow Carrolltonian, Ben Poss, act in the musical, '9 to 5'. I am not exaggerating when I say that this was one of THE BEST musicals I have ever witnessed. The choreography was PERFECT, the vocalists were INCREDIBLE, and the acting was BEAUTIFUL!! Whether I have a friend in a show or not, I will be seeing more shows there because I was BLOWN AWAY! So Ben, if you're reading this, I love you and I am so so so so proud of you!

I did the most driving on Saturday. *see above haha* I had plans to go to the Tin Pan South song writing festival that Brynn Elliott was a part of. It didn't start until 9:30pm, so I had five hours to kill. I didn't want to take a nap because I knew it would be hard for me to get up, as well as, go to sleep later. But I was feeling very hungry. I started to drive out and was going to run into somewhere local. Then I remembered that a friend kept telling me to go try the Loveless Cafe. 

The wait time was 35 minutes for one person.. I was okay with this because from what I heard, the wait time would be long, and I still had to kill time. I walked around outside and then came back in to sit until my pager went off. While I was inside, there was a couple sitting across from me. They were talking about the old door that was in that room. I asked, "Are y'all from here?" He said, "I am but I took her from Wichita, Kansas, 44 years ago." We chatted for a minute about the area and I told them I'll be moving up here. My pager went off and the hostess took me to a four top. Before I sat down, I thought, I don't want to waste a large table when there are plenty of other people waiting. I told the hostess to wait just a moment. I went back out to the lobby and asked the couple, "I'm here by myself, would y'all like to join me for dinner?" They were extremely honored and even paid for the bill. Their names were Erna and John and I will never forget them. It was such a random and humbling experience.

The songwriter's show was so special to me. Not only because Brynn was a part of it, but because I got to witness such amazing talent on stage with her. I love how music is just so transparent here. It makes me love being in this city even more.

I was able to spend Sunday with Ian. We went to church and then drove out to grab lunch in East Nashville. He had a meeting in the area at 4:30pm, so instead of him driving me back to Brentwood and coming back there, I waited in the Five Points area. He came back and then we sat at a park in Brentwood. It was such a fun time getting to talk and hang out.

As I said, I still haven't really processed everything that happened. But I know that Nashville is changing me. It's bringing people into my life that I will never be able to forget. It's showing me how to rely on my faith and not my own understandings. It's showing me patience, hope, and grace. It's showing me how to be independent. It's showing me how to love people. And most importantly, it's showing me why God is greater than anything.

"Jesus replied, "You do not realize what I am doing but later you will understand." 

-JOHN 13:7-