So I said I would do a follow-up on my packing post… so here goes.

Was it worth it? Did I use everything? How terribly did I over or under pack (Let’s be serious… there was no way I under packed lol)? So we left on a Friday night and managed to make it back the following Saturday. So we were gone 7 1/2 days. We of course checked the weather everywhere before we packed and left… only we were clearly lied to! We each took a couple of jackets, boots, some scarves, warm clothes, etc… except that every place we ended up was experiencing record high temps for that area! Seriously?!? Now don’t get me wrong… I enjoy the warmth! It made me happy! Jody on the other hand… was so excited that we were going to be somewhere that should be cold… our vacay destination was finally somewhere cool, not involving a beach lol. But it was like 85-87 everywhere we went. I actually had to do laundry because I did not take enough “warm day” clothes. I did not touch one single piece of warm clothing that I packed. so I guess I technically over and under packed, lol. But it was not my fault… blame it on the weather guy lol! I did use my swimsuit… once.

I WAY over-packed shoes, lol. Of course since it ended up being warm… I didn’t use the boots. I didn’t have anywhere that I could or should have worn my sandals or wedges… too much walking to venture out in those. We did a ton of walking so I was in my tennis shoes most of the time. Again… I don’t think I can be held accountable for this because the weather did not cooperate lol.

My makeup… I did not over-pack there. I did my makeup… down to my lashes. It was fabulous lol. In fact I picked up extra setting powder late one night from Target to try! It was wonderful! I set aside enough time each day to get it done! I really enjoy doing my makeup when I give myself enough time to do it! I even did my hair… except it ended up being so hot that I usually put it up somehow before we got to where we were going.

So it is safe to say that I over-packed. But I felt prepared so I am good with it. I didn’t have to leave anything behind because I took too much, so I am good!

We shopped while we were there… so of course I came home with even more than I left with. The truck was the epitome of packed, lol!! There may have even been a venture to the Louis Vuitton store while we were there… I can not confirm or deny this though.

The trip was great! We spent a couple of days in Nashville. We saw the Parthenon, which for anyone who does not know is a full-scale replica of the one in Athens, Greece. This place was huge! I mean it gave me a spectacular appreciation for both (the one in Nashville and the one in Greece). There is a statue of Athena on the 2nd floor. This statue stands an astonishing 42 feet. This place is massive… and that word is not near descriptive enough. It is something definitely worth seeing at some point if you have a chance. Once we left there, we tried Hattie B’s. It was a must try on everyone’s list for Nashville Hot chicken. I kid you not we stood in line for an hour… for fried chicken, lol. It was good and different. I would never stand in line for an hour again to eat there, but it was a piece of Nashville that was a must try. Nashville is of course known for Broadway, but spending the day seeing some other things like the Parthenon and the surrounding gardens, the Opryland hotel and the wonderful Loveless Cafe! It was great to see some of the things that were not music related. But… don’t skip the Grand Ol Opry, Music City, etc! Because those things ARE NASHVILLE as all the locals kept reminding me! The bars were amazing! The music was great! It made me want to karaoke (which I never have done or will do)… no one should be subject to such horrendous festivities lol! Nashville was worth the trip!!

We went to Columbus, Ohio. On the way we stopped at the Corvette museum in Bowling Green Kentucky. That was awesome and probably one of Jody’s favorite things! We went to the All American Quarter Horse Congress in Ohio! Everything there is fabulous… except the rain and mud, but that was minuet detail. We were able to see Becky and Colton have great rides on all of the ponies that made the trip! Seeing amazing horses is why you go the Congress after all lol. The shopping was great! But we also ventured out to see the little German communities there and indulge in sauerkraut, sausage and pork schnitzel. After admiring the brick streets and quaint little shops we found ourselves killing about an hour at a casino before our next adventure. If you are wondering how that went for us, I am still headed to work this week! The scenery in Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio was gorgeous! They have trees that actually change colors. And their landscape (which in the opinion of this Texan includes Mountains because those Mounds were far too large to be considered Hills). It was a spectacular drive! The trip was exhausting but I am so happy that we chose to drive to get to see the incredible landscape.

This is a trip I would recommend to anyone! It may not seem like the most exciting trip but it was all things we truly enjoyed getting to see, experience and take in. It was exhausting so give yourself time to recoup but definitely go see things!!