So, I am beginning a new adventure. While in Parnassus (watch for an upcoming I Heart Nashville Nouns post) I picked up the latest issue of Nashville Lifestyles Magazine. 

Lo and behold the mag features the 70+ Best Restaurants in Nashville!!! Hallelujah! 

Me love food. I haven’t always loved food or rather I tricked myself for a long time into believing that I wasn’t madly in love with food. Middle School and High School just had that affect on me and attempting to fit into that cheerleading uniform sure didn’t help that situation BUT I’ve realized now that I’d rather be a size 14/16 and happy instead of a size 6/8 and starving with an anger problem. The gym is my friend and moderation is key. 

I have decided to make this heavenly list my new Nashville Bucket List. Won’t you join me on my adventure? 

I have highlighted in the magazine all of the restaurants I have already had the privilege of dining in since June 2011 when I arrived in this amazeballs city. 

Cantina Laredo, Whiskey Kitchen, Urban Flats, Cabana, Chago’s Cantina, Firefly, The Pharmacy, Burger Up, The Yellow Porch, 12South Tap Room and Grill, Valentino’s Ristorante, 55South and from the readers’ favorite Taco Mamacita, Calypso Cafe, Bricktops, Gabby’s Burger, The Patterson House, and Holland House. 

Okay, so I’ve eaten in many restaurants in a very short period of time and this, my friends isn’t even all of them. 

So, for the rest of this year I want to eat at all the rest. This will be a great excuse to explore more of the city, hang out with established friends over a meal, and to set up friends dates with new people in Nashville. 

I’m literally going to take a bite out of Nashville! 

First up—Edley’s BBQ on Wednesday with Amanda, Melrose Pub with Lauren on Friday, and Tavern with Claire and Kate on Sunday. If you are reading this and you are in Nashville let me know if you’d like to set up a fun meal :). 

This is going to be delicious, delectable, and of course scrumptious! 

If
Rudyard Kipling
 If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream—-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—-and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—-which is more—-you’ll be a Man, my son!

I’m 29 in a little under 2 hours!!!

28 was eye opening to say the least. 

I realized a few things: 

1. God is the most critical component of my life. Developing my relationship with Him has made everything about my world a million times better than it has ever been before. Crutches I used to have no longer appeal to me in the ways they used to before I began devoting time to “getting right with God”. The Summit, my small group in Durham, and supportive friends and family had a lot to do with this matter. 

2. It is okay to take the next step. Goodbye Duke/Durham and Hello Vanderbilt/Nashville. In all things realize your worth and step out on that ever perilous limb. God has your back and you are always stronger than you think. So happy I’m here! 

3. I could go to concerts everyday for the rest of my life and that’d be fine with me. 

4. My ability to roll solo to events has given me an incredible opportunity to make new friends and interact with beautiful strangers. If you want to go somewhere, then go. You’ll meet a buddy or you’ll have some great alone time where you can just be with your thoughts. This can be super scary at times but totally necessary. They tried to teach me this in graduate school but I think I’m just now getting how important reflection is for one’s personal growth. I never knew that this is uber frightening for most people so I’m glad God equipped me with this skill. 

5. I’m a huge fan of Social Media! Facebook book can be used for good. It can be used to motivate and inspire others to  be their best self. It can be used to make people laugh when their day isn’t going swell. It can be used to let others know they are not alone. I pin with purpose, share my thoughts on Tumblr and Tweet with the best of them. Maybe its my extroversion or my love of stream of consciousness that leads me to post with great frequency. 

6. 28 certainly reaffirmed for me that I am a “joiner”. I jumped into Nashville headfirst with the JLN, BBBS of Middle TN, Delta Delta Delta, and Cross Point Community Church. I’m a proponent of attacking your city. This place is too great for me to hang out inside watching Hulu+ all day. 

7. Reality TV is really stupid and since I’ve taken this unexpected sabbatical from turning on my TV I have found that I don’t really miss the overwhelming amount of time I spent vegging in front of the TV. I’m back into scripted land and that’s alright with me. 

8. I need to work on forgiveness. 

9. My relationship with the gym had become one of stress reliever, and not one of health seeker. When I moved to Nashville I gained “Happy Weight” because I didn’t have the need to go to the gym and relieve stress. My trainer has helped me figure that out and now I’m back on the path to regular workouts again. I don’t enjoy depriving myself of food as I’ve had issues of that in the past. Instead, I work out and I hope for the best. I’m seeing a few results so that’ll keep me going back for more. Not seeking to be a size 2 but I would like to continue fitting into my current wardrobe. 

10. Friends are super important to have in one’s life. I have a few relationships that became a lot stronger during my 28th year and I vow to continue growing them for as long as I am allowed. 

11. I enjoy other peoples’ dogs and babies. 

12. My passion is education through facilitation and public speaking. Specifically in the area of women’s empowerment and leadership development. For a while there I thought I wanted to work with men BUT I think I’m over that notion for now. 

13. My style is getting better and better. I’m a dress, cardi, belt, flats type of girl. This just works for me AND I can rock color like no other ;). The more comfortable I’ve become with my body the more I’ve been able to venture into fun pants but I take my style transitions quite slowly. 

14.  Making memories is key for me. I take lots of photos so always be ready to smile when I’m around :). Instagram is my fave app for obvious reasons. 

15. I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up. 

16. The older I get the more important my family becomes to me and the further away I move from VA the more I miss them. 

17. You never know the impact you had on a place or the people in a place until you are about to leave or have already left. 

18. I don’t have a strong desire to ever leave the Mid Atlantic or Southeast Region of the US. Done. The farthest North I’ll go is D.C.—it just ain’t for me y’all. 

19. I will never be DOMESTIC! I wasn’t raised to be that type of woman. The microwave and disposable dishes are my comfort zone. I clean on Sundays and be happy I have pictures on my wall. I’m not a homebody. I come home to sleep, change clothes, and watch Mad Men. Other than that, I’m out and about town making stuff happen. 

20. Sometimes you just have to let go and not sweat the small stuff. I’m better about being 5 minutes late these days as opposed to 20 minutes early. Yes, I totally showed up to that meeting unprepared but no one died because I didn’t do the pre reading. Yep, I said “no” to that event because I just wanted to go see the Hunger Games movie. Life goes on whether I’m there or not. I’m not perfect :). No need to have a heart attack. It is what it is. 

21. I need to stop spending so much money on material goods. I have been seeking to fill a hole that I need to fill with God. Pray for me that I get better with this one. 

22. If you want to do something, plan it and invite some other folks. Most people are just sitting around waiting for someone to plan their social life for them. Invite me! Invite me! is the inner monologue coursing through most folks’ head. Someone will always want to go with you. Promise! 

I’m sure there is a lot more to add to the list…

All in all it has been a great year and I’m excited to celebrate the BIG 2-9 in Nashville, TN. Can’t wait to see what this year brings for me :).