Nashvegas Reunion!

Nashville welcomed me with...well, no bags at first. Well, I guess it wasn't Nashville's fault, it was actually Pittsburgh's airport that didn't want me to leave. I arrived at 5:50 am on a Monday for a flight that left at 7:05am. No big deal, right? Just check my bag in (I had already printed out my ticket). But nope, I entered the airport to see 100s (literally) of people lined up waiting at the Northwest Airlines/Delta counter. All I heard an attendant say was the bag belts were down. I found out in Nashville once I arrived that there was a FIRE on the bag belts!! Anyways, I arrived and didn't have the one bag I had checked, but thankfully Meg and I were about the same shirt size so she let me borrow something for the first day I was at the conference.

Another great addition to my vacation was Shannon (my sister-in-law) calls me and tells me that to drive from Atlanta to Nashville isn't that big of a deal, and she'd love to come see me. So Shannon and her friend Sara came to visit! It was fun meeting up and having lunch together my first day in Nashville.

This is inside the Opryland Hotel. Beautiful huh? No not the landscape the hot babes in the photo! =)

Old Sharondale Apartment reunion. Amy and Meg...such great friends during nursing school.

It was so fun to even spend a short time catching up.

It was like there had been no gap of 2 years time!

What's Nashville without Country! I got these cowboy hats at the conference from a little contest we did. I had to get an extra one for Meg, because I knew she'd love it.

I need to photoshop Tobin into this photo because I really felt like a 5th/6th wheel (if you count baby Isaac).

Tonight was the night that Luke (on the far right) who has never met Tobin make an astute and funny comment. He said, "Tobin is like Jesus, I've seen picture of him, but I just have to believe he exists." Hopefully next time my husband can actually accompany me!

Here I am relaxing at the Shifrin's, where I stayed for a couple days.

This is one of their dogs Parker and he was so cute. I only got a photo of Argus in the video (below)

but he was cute too. He loved having me pet him, but before I knew it I had this huge Golden Retriever basically on my lap and I couldn't do anything about it!

I should have taken more photos. Michelle and I had a wonderful visit, had fun taking a walk together with Isaac (in the 90 degree 90% humidity weather)! Such good friendship and such good fellowship. I also went back to Grace Community Church the church I had attended while living in Nashville. Wow! Can I just say that I was blessed. That Sunday the sermon was on Hebrews 12:1-2 :

" Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

I feel like I'm in this marathon race right now with work, Tobin being gone, the future, etc, etc. And all I need to do is FIX my eyes on JESUS! That sermon with the worship, I was so blessed and encouraged. We also sang one of my favorite worship songs (that I never seem to sing anywhere else). Here's the first verse:

In Christ Alone, my hope is founds;

He is my light, my strength, my song,

This Cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

My Comforter, my All in all.

Here in the love of Christ, I stand.

May this be my LIFE-SONG!