Last trip to Franklin

As our time here is winding down we have been trying to get out to all of our favorite places knowing that it is likely we may never be in Nashville again. My eyes water up just thinking about it. They also water up thinking about how much packing I still have left to do even though I have been packing for two days now. 

 Franklin is a southern suburb of Nashville, where all of the famous country singers have their ranches and country houses. It is quaint and has a great downtown square. This time we stopped in the Factory, above, where there are antique shops and novelty stores. We decided to get dessert before lunch and shared a scoop of banana cream ice-cream, my favorite! Riley loved it too!

 We stopped and had lunch at Riff Burger, the decor was really retro and the burgers were pretty good. Overall, I would recommend to anyone heading out towards Franklin.

On a side note, Riley has apparently gotten too big for her swing. She never liked the swing, but it came in handy during showers. In fact, the swing is permanently in the bathroom because that is the only time she is ever in it. Well she has managed to wiggle her arms free, grab a hold of the top and pull herself up to a stand. I know this might sound silly, but where has my baby gone?

Goodbye Music City: 2

 Our internet wasn't working for the last couple of days, sorry for the lack of posts. On with the countdown!

Centennial Park

We have spent countless mornings, afternoons and evenings walking around the park, people watching and enjoying the scenery. Right next to Vanderbilt and about 3 miles from our house, it is the perfect place to go when we want to get out of the house and get some fresh air.

Here are some of my favorite memories from the park.



Goodbye Music City: 1

The reason we came to Nashville in the first place.

Vanderbilt University

When I started undergrad I wanted to be a teacher. I had volunteered in elementary schools in Mesa and enjoyed working with students and being in the classroom. The first semester of my freshman year I started volunteering in a school in South Phoenix that was located in a low-income area. I was shocked and disheartened to see the huge disparities in resources between the schools I had grown up going to and inner-city schools only a short drive away. That same semester I was given an assignment to complete a policy brief, a concise paper outlining a problem, possible policy solutions and a recommendation. From this point I decided that I want to make a larger impact on student achievement and study how policy is made and implemented. Driven by the belief that education is the means to achieving social mobility, the foundation of economic development and essential for democratic participation, I wanted to (and still want to) conduct research and draft policy solutions that make quality education more accessible to disadvantaged students. I knew then that I would have to go to graduate school in order to make a career out of my interests. I applied to schools all over the country and did not stumble across the program at Vanderbilt until shortly before applications were due. Vanderbilt offered the opportunity to study public policy with the leading scholars and experts in education policy. It was the best of both worlds, a public policy degree centered in education. After a few hiccups, I finally made it to Vanderbilt, which have I mentioned is the #1 graduate school of education in country for the third straight year in a row?! So now that I have gotten all of that out of the way (I know it is long, but I thought it would be good for future reference) let us count the top three things I will miss about Vanderbilt:

1. The people, my classmates and professors have challenged me in my beliefs and pushed me to be a more thoughtful and critical thinker. Plus who doesn't like being around people who care just as much about the same things you care about?

2. The gorgeous campus built in the 1800s, it is a national arboretum with huge magnolia trees everywhere and squirrels galore!

3. Undergraduate fashion. Seriously, these girls always look chic and stylish. And the guys, well they like to stick to their preppy uniform of polo shirts, khaki shorts above the knee and boat shoes. Oh and FYI, you are no one unless you have a Longchamp Le Pliage tote and Hunter rain boots!

There really is so much more I will miss, but this post is already a novel so I will cut it short. See you tomorrow with part 2!

Goodbye Music City

Wow, it has been like a year since I last posted. There is a lot to update you on, Riley's updates alone deserve a post of their own.

May was a crazy month, I graduated, our lease expired and I had to make a huge decision regarding my career and our life. Last week I received news that I did not get a position I had been in the process of interviewing for here in Nashville. It was a great position with a great organization that I was certain I had in the bag. After completing a 6 hour assignment I was moved on to interview #1. Three hour-long phone interviews and 4 long weeks later I found out the job wasn't for me. And to be honest, I am kind of confused. This is one of those rare occasions where my gut feeling was not right.

A couple of weeks back I was offered a position at Vanderbilt and turned it down. As plan A went out the window, and plan B turned out to be a bust, we are now on to plan C. Plan C is moving back to Arizona and staying with family while I continue to search for a job. So in exactly 2 weeks we will be packing up a UHaul, loading up our cars with dog and baby and heading west!

I have to say it truly is bitter sweet. Nashville has changed my life. I came here a newlywed with no experiences outside of my little East Valley bubble. On top of the amazing experiences I had at Vanderbilt as a graduate student, I learned so much about myself and what I am capable of while living 2000 miles away from home. I have learned that I can survive on my own, but that in times of need I have the best support system of family and friends. They inspire me every day to be a better person.

So to celebrate/commemorate the end of my 2 year love-hate relationship with Nashville I invite you to follow my "Goodbye Music City" posts that will start tomorrow. Each post will be dedicated to something I will miss about Nashville. The city our sweet baby girl entered the world. And to all of myArizona loves, I hope you are ready for us :)

A Day to Celebrate being a Mother

My first Mother's Day weekend (yes, I am giving myself an entire weekend) started off pretty rocky. Riley had her first fall off the bed. A fall, forehead first onto the concrete floor below. I had my back turned for just a second, and was even sitting on the bed, but before I knew it I heard a smack and there she was on the floor crying harder than ever before. I have never been so scared and horrible in my life, I scooped her up and felt around her head for any bumps and just rocked and cuddled her. I knew this day would come, as much as I thought I would prevent it, it happens, babies fall off beds. I talked to the doctor's office a few times to make sure I didn't need to take her in to the emergency room and they assured me that as long as she was acting normal, she would be fine and that this happens all the time. I still feel bad about it though.

Long before Riley was born, or even conceived, I already felt a relationship with my daughter and responsibility as a mother. It might sound weird, but I have always felt I would have a daughter first and now that she is here it honestly feels like she has always been with me. I have grown so much in the past year, learned so much about myself and what I am capable of, all of which would not have been possible without my sweet babe. I love Riley more than anything in this world and am so feel so lucky that I am her one and only mama. Happy mother's day to all of those mom's out there and especially to my mom who continues to teach me so much about being a mother.

5 Generations! Clockwise from the left: My mom, Great-Grandma, Grandma, me and Riley

We love the park

We might as well just pack up and move to the park, we have been spending so much time there lately. I am trying to enjoy these days as much as I can knowing I will be working full time soon. The weather has been so perfect here lately and when the sun is out, so are we.

 Riley is getting so big! Look at that belly and look at how good she is at sitting up on her own!

We just laid on our blanket and watched the planes go by. It was bliss.

I love days like these.

Sunset at the park

 A few weeks back Josh and I took the baby and our first baby to Centennial park for a stroll to get a glimpse of the beautiful cherry blossoms. You can see pictures of last year's blooms here.

 After the sun went down it was impossible to get a clear picture, but here is the Parthenon with downtown Nashville in the background.

 And here is Josh pushing the stroller and walking Lola around the front side of the Parthenon.

Like most people, I sometimes let the everyday stresses get in the way of enjoying life. This particular day I was home with Riley by myself and had been waiting for Josh to get home so I could get some stuff done and go grocery shopping. Josh came home and immediately suggested we take Riley to the park since it was so nice out. I fought off my instinct to ramble off every other thing that needed to be done. Instead, I let the laundry wait until the next day and had Josh run to the store later that night. After all it is nights like these that we will remember forever.