Cause We Couldn't Get Enough

            ...of an art fix at our Sips and Strokes class, some friends and I decided to check out the downtown gallery crawl last weekend.  The crawl happens once a month and all of the galleries open their doors to the public for a night of canvas and cocktails.  So what if the free booze were just as much of a draw as the art itself?  I think we get culture points just for being there :-)

Getting Artsy

            Artistic, I am not.  Crafty?  Maybe.  But I certainly don't have a ton of raw artistic talent.  Which is why I was a little skeptical about how my painting would turn out when some girlfriends and I headed to Sips and Strokes in an effort to cross one more thing off of the bucket list.  Luckily, one of the perks of this type of art class is that wine consumption while painting is not only permitted but actually encouraged.

            After getting to the class a few minutes late and realizing that we were already a couple steps behind, a little liquid courage was definitely necessary.  But as it turns out, our artwork wasn't half bad!  Now, don't be too impressed...there was a real live artist guiding us every step of the way but the end product was actually kind of pretty if I do say so myself!

Puppy Update

            I have heard from a few of you who are loyal readers that an update on the Cooper man is overdue...so here goes.  The not so little pup has had an eventful few weeks and is keeping me very busy.  His favorite past times these days include chewing on socks (no one's dirty laundry in the house is safe anymore), knocking his toys down the stairs only to frantically chase them to the bottom, and snuggling under the covers in Marie's bed.  I'm pretty sure he would jump in for a snuggle-fest with any of his mamas but she spoils him the most so I think he's partial.

            And though I try my best to come home in the middle of the day to take Cooper for a walk, I have some serious guilty working mama syndrome so I decided to let him try out Doggie Daycare last week.  He absolutely loved it and I loved that I got to spy on him via webcam throughout the day.  Yeah, it's fancy daycare.  And I was not surprised to see that long after the other pups had passed out in the play area, my wild man was still running circles around them.

            But the whole plan backfired when Cooper came home from daycare with a mean case of Kennel Cough.  After a $250 vet bill (ouch), some meds, and the purchase of a new harness to avoid any leash-pulling on his throat he is basically as good as new.

            Even though the brush with Bordatella put a dent in my piggy bank, I am digging the whole harness situation.  It makes walking MUCH easier and he kind of looks like a little reindeer which is pretty darn cute.

Just Cause I Like It

            I found this little print while doing some Etsy browsing the other day and think I need a giant one in my bathroom...as a reminder to embrace my mop of natural curls.  Yep, I've got naturally crazy curly hair that I have a really bad habit of straightening to death.  But on days like today, when the rain and humidity (oh yeah, and the tornadoes) are making Nashville prime real estate for a bad hair day, I'm living this little motto.

Hope you're staying dry and cozy - and in close proximity to your "safe place" - on this dreary 

Monday night!

Drinking It In

            One month from today, I will be hopping in my overly stuffed car (puppy love at my side) and heading out of town for good.  Yep...the two years of graduate school and my life here in music city have flown faster than I ever thought possible and though many things remain the same, I am a very different person now than I was when I first moved into town.  The thought of this major life change gives me all kinds of anxiety (see, told you some things stay the same) but for the most part I am hopeful and excited for things to come.  And in the meantime, I am happily soaking up each moment I have left in the Hotel and this very special city.

            And that's exactly what I did last night at The Patterson House...a place I have been dying to try for months.  Easy to miss with only a small sign on the front door, The Patterson House is located in a historic home in the midtown area of Nashville and is famous for personalized cocktails and pre-Prohibition era charm.  In fact, the place got its name from former Tennessee governor Malcolm R. Patterson who vetoed the return of prohibition to the state in the early 1900's.  Smart man.

Thanks, Keeley!

Sorry for the blurry pictures...I was trying to be sneaking without the flash :-)

            The drink I tried was called Flowers for Algernon (ridiculous name for a drink, right?) and was made with vodka, sparkling wine, grenadine, lavender, and some other fancy ingredient that I can't remember right now.  And it was UH-mazing.  Oh, and the salt and sugar coated mini doughnuts were pretty much to die for too.

P.S. Sorry...no April Fool's Day post from me today...I never was one who liked to be fooled.