Bear Lake...

We spent a few days in Bear Lake August 2-5.

This girl knows how to pack for a trip!

I must say, I really enjoyed staying in a cabin over camping in the RV.

Everyone slept so much better and it was nice because it rained ALL day on our second day there.

The next day was absolutely beautiful!

 We had a great day at the lake.

 It was a little sad because when we went to launch the boat, it wouldn't start...Dead Battery!

Unfortunately, Steve spent a lot of the day going back to town to get it fixed.

 He made it back and it was a perfect day on the lake!

 This lake is the most beautiful color...It looks like the ocean!

It's definitely one of our favorite places to play on the beach and boat.

Las Vegas...

Steve was headed there for a conference for work and at the last minute, I decided to join him!

Thanks to Shelly and my mom for helping with the kids.

We had so much fun!  

It was relaxing for me, even though he had to work most of the time.

We stayed at the Palazzo...

This room was gorgeous and spacious!

The bathroom was almost as big as most hotel rooms.

 It was fun because there are a bunch of shops right in the hotel.

 I also LOVE the Bellagio, the dancing fountains are always a favorite to see.

My favorite part of the whole trip...

 We actually got to go to a show!

It was the Beatles "LOVE" Cirque du Soleil.

 It was AMAZING!

 The music was awesome too!

I'm so glad we got to see it! 

A lady I met at the pool told me I need to take the kids to the Michael Jackson "One" show and that The "O" show is so amazing too.  Something to plan for our next trip to Vegas.

Nashville...

Steve had a conference for work in Nashville March 21-25, So I decided to come along with him.  

We had so much fun!

I hate flying and it was a long one.  We flew to California, had a 2 hour layover and then it was off to Tennessee!

Who knew...The plane wasn't the scariest part!

This was our car, if you can call it that!  

It was a Chevy Spark and it was tiny!  It was easy to park, but it felt like we were on the Wild Mouse ride from Lagoon every time we got in it!

On Sunday, we went a bus guided tour of the city of Nashville.  It

was actually the tour of the ABC show "Nashville"...it's one of my favorites!  

We got to see plenty of the houses and places that are in the show.  It was a lot of fun!

Here is a picture of downtown Nashville...

They call that building the "Batman" building. Steve had to get a picture!

Back to the houses from the show, "Nashville"...

This is the house Scarlett and Avery lived in at the beginning of the show.

Here is Deacon's house...

The bus driver told us he had a lady ask if they could go in and see if Deacon was home.  I

 guess she has a problem distinguishing a show from reality!

Here is Rayna James' house...

It was beautiful!

This is the cafe Gunner's old girlfriend worked at...

Look there is a Highway 65...

Here is the famous Bluebird Cafe...

People actually get in line to eat there and see a show hours before they open.

It's actually a tiny place inside a strip mall.

Steve tried out a new guitar...

This is a High School Oprah attend for a year...

 

Next stop was the Ryman Auditorium...

It was like a beautiful church.  They were getting set up for a Beach Boys concert that night.

We drove past Dierks Bentley's house...

There were all kinds of beautiful homes!

Then on Monday night, we headed down to the Honky Tonk District.  

They have a lot places to eat and hear live music.

I ran into Blake Shelton!  

I know I'm a nerd, but I had to get a picture!

Then Tuesday afternoon we headed to the Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum.

They had a special display of Kenny Rogers...

I thought it was really fascinating!
Here is Elvis' Cadillac and Blue Suede Shoes...

This had guitars and clothing from many country stars...

There was a mix of old and new country music...

This is a picture of the actual handwritten music from Alan Jackson and Taylor Swift's famous songs...

It is an amazing place full of history...

Look at all of those records!

This was at the end of the tour...

It was beautiful and had plaques with all kinds of Country Music Stars...

 Tuesday night was my favorite part of the whole trip!

We started with a yummy dinner at BB Kings...

It had a great live Blues Band playing!  

We left stuffed!!

Then we were off to the Grand Ole Opry...

I was a little giddy!

I was hoping some of the stars from the TV show "Nashville" would be there as a surprise, but it didn't happen.

The Grand Ole Opry has a variety of people play and they are amazing musicians.

I was super excited that Brad Paisley was performing that night!!

It was a great show!

It was definitely my favorite part of the trip!

We had to get one last picture in front of the guitars!

Then on our last day before flying out we visited a plantation.
It wasn't as exciting as we thought it would be, but it is an interesting part of history.

The McGavock Confederate Cemetery is located in Franklin, Tennessee.  
It was established on land donated by the McGavock Planter family.

It was a beautiful home!

This is where the slaves lived...

The aftermath of the Battle Of Franklin, which took place during the night of November 30, 1864, left a total of nearly 9,500 soldiers, Union and Confederate dead, wounded, captured or missing. More than 6,200 were Confederate troops. Their final losses were estimated at 1,750 dead; 3,800 wounded and the remainder missing or captured.
This is a special cemetery for those that lost their lives.

I'm so glad I went, it was a great trip!!
I'm so grateful for my sister Shelly!
I knew my kids were in good hands having lots of fun & being spoiled while we were gone!

I haven't felt so rested and relaxed in years!!
It was nice getting a way for a few days together!