Advertisement
Published: December 28th 2013
Andrew's House
I made that wreath!Dec. 24, 2013. Like Jessie, the native Nashvillian and Andrew, the ex-New Yorker/neo Nashvillian, warned us, the weather turned decidedly colder after the storm. I checked the weather on the computer this morning and it was colder in Nashville than it was in Rockville Centre. So much for my dreams of a "Tender Tennessee Christmas." We have managed to go out quite a bit and it's funny to see how Nashvillians dress for the cold...some are still in shirtsleeves while others wear a hoodie and then there are the people dressed up like Eskimos. I've had a wonderful time decorating Andrew's house (mostly at his request). I haven't done any arts and crafts projects in ages...was so much fun getting "crafty" again. I made a wreath for the front of the house and centerpieces for the table from cut evergreens from Andrew's trees. Yesterday, Andrew took us to Mitchell Deli in East Nashville for the Asian Flank Steak sandwich that is only made on Mondays and was featured on the travel channel. The general consensus is that the hype was justified...the sandwich was delicious with well-marinated flank steak and crunchy kimchee-like vegetables. We were trying to identify one of the vegetables
Andrew and Tim Cooking
Grandpa Hirsch would be so proud and finally had to ask - it was jicama! Who would think to put jicama in a sandwich? Great place for anyone who is looking for a good deli in Nashville. East Nashville is becoming quite the "in" place to be. Last night, Jim, Andrew, Tim and I went to Martin's BBQ Joint in Nolensville for some good Nashville BBQ. We were a little disappointed that they had run out of the pulled pork, but the brisket was VERY acceptable. I'm not a big ribs enthusiast, but these ribs, with the dry rub, were delicious! We always eat well when we visit Andrew. Guess what my New Years resolution will be. 😊 This morning, Andrew suggested that the four of us go to Shoney's for the breakfast buffet. For several years when the boys were little, we drove down to Florida on the school Spring break and camped at Disney World with Jim's family. We would drive straight through and always stopped at a Shoney's along the way (usually in Georgia or South Carolina) for the breakfast buffet. It was a trip down memory lane for the four of us to sit in a Shoney's for breakfast. Surprisingly, Shoney's breakfast
Andrew's Breakfast Nook
I made the centerpiece. It was so much fun being "crafty" again. buffet hasn't changed all that much in 20 years!
We opted to have our big dinner Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day because Tim has to leave Christmas evening to go back to NY. Tim and Andrew went out shopping together in the afternoon. It's always an adventure when those two go shopping together. They brought home the ingredients for a wonderful meal and cooked it, too. The boys and Jessie chased me out of the kitchen and said that all I had to do was relax and drink a glass of wine. Andrew had a wonderful Bordeaux so it was no hardship for me at all. :D They put together a feast of marinated flank steak, mashed potatoes and asperagus with scallops. Jessie suggested we go to the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville for Christmas Eve service. It was a wonderful choice - the church was beautifully decorated and the music was very nice. Of course, the music was not the caliber of my Holy Trinity church and choir. I missed John E. and my choir buddies. This was the first time in about 30 years that I wasn't in the Holy Trinity choir loft for Christmas
Christmas Morning
The presents overflowed the stockings Eve. Even though I was far from home, when I walked out of the midnight mass, I still got that quiet and timeless feeling of love I always get on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day 2013. Christmas morning dawned bright and cold. Andrew's backyard water pond was frozen solid! As usual, I was the first one awake so I took advantage of the quiet to make coffee and check my emails before everyone else got up. Once everyone was up, the fun began. We introduced Jessie to the wacky Wilson tradition of stocking gifts. I think she enjoyed it just as much as the rest of us. Even though this was a very different Christmas for all of us, we had a wonderful time being together and sharing all the joy and laughter that makes our Christmas celebration so special. After the stockings were opened, I made a traditional Christmas breakfast. Andrew's former roommates, Ryan and Terran, stopped by and had breakfast with us. The rest of the day was spent opening more gifts and making and eating the traditional hors d'oevres. Andrew took Tim to the airport around 6 pm. His flight, however didn't leave until after 9:00. He
Jessie
Jessie loved her hat from NYC missed his connection in Charlotte, NC, so he had to stay overnight (thank goodness they put him up in a hotel for the night).
December 26, 2013. Tim caught the first flight out of Charlotte for JFK and made it back in time to take a quick shower and get to work. Andrew and Jessie had to go to work, so Jim and I decided to do a little Nashville sightseeing. We went to the Opryland Hotel to see the Christmas decorations. We've been there before, but seeing it decorated for Christmas was spectacular. There were over 10 different types of poinsettas planted there. I know this because I asked a couple women who were working in the gardens. What a great job that must be to work in the gardens of the Opryland Hotel. Hmmm, maybe we should move here so I could get a job as a gardener. :D We also spent quite a bit of time at the Bass Pro Shop across from the hotel. What an interesting store that it! Andrew got home around 7:00 and we went for dinner at Gojo Ethiopian restaurant near him. Jim and I had never tried Ethiopian food before.
The dishes we tried were flavorful without being too hot. They don't give you silverware at an Ethiopian restaurant... you use the bread as a spoon to bring it to your mouth.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.265s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 10; qc: 54; dbt: 0.2142s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
nancy skoglund
non-member comment
Beautiful
What a beautiful Christmas you both had. Nashville is very special, and so is your family gathering. Jessie seems to fit right in. What a perfect Christmas Eve. and I'm still trying to figure out that picture of your "stockings". It looks like some kind of weird animals??? So next, Deb, are your parents?? Love, nancy missing you......