The 2017 Solar Eclipse in Nashville, Tennessee

August 2017 Highlights: The Highs + Lows

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Howdy, everyone. I’ve kept a bit quiet on the blog front this week, as it seemed weird to post nonsense with so many people fighting for their lives and homes down in Texas. If you still want to contribute to the Harvey relief, Houston is going to continue to need monetary assistance for months (maybe even years)—I’ve read from many verified sources that it’s best to send money rather than supplies—and here’s a helpful guide of various organizations you can assist.

Meanwhile, in my neck of the woods, another month has come and gone, and it’s been a good, if not exhausting one with 13 nights spent in hotels and Airbnbs and 18 nights at our house. We just returned from Oklahoma City today, I have a new destination crush, and man is it a lively—and unexpected—one. More to come on the blog on OKC very soon!

A Mural Tour of Nashville's Best Street Art

Here’s what the month looked like over in C&C land:

Highs

Our new project was revealed. For those of you wondering why we were in Oklahoma City, here’s your answer!

Our bathroom renovation was featured on the Today Show website. I know, right?!? And in case you missed it, here’s my more recent progress report of our home reno efforts.

SVV and I also were featured on the Brides magazine website. If you know us, you probably also know we met while traveling, but here’s the full story on our meet-cute (oddly, it involves a concentration camp).

How We Met via Brides magazine

I had visitors galore. My sister’s very large (and very fun) family of in-laws came to visit from Charleston, and we had a blast. Angie and Rachel dropped in for 24 hours to go to an epic eclipse viewing party with me. And the same week, my BFF Jade came in from LA for a few days and we went mural-hunting around Nashville. So much fun with friends!

A Mural Tour of Nashville's Best Street Art

Speaking of that lil eclipse, you guys, that was spectacular. I had lukewarm feelings about it going in—mainly because Nashville was expected to get a surplus of one million people (and yes, you could feel the surge, too!)—and was pleasantly surprised by what a treat it was. We watched from Wedge Oak Farm where Strategic Hospitality threw a chef-driven feast. Surrounded by my parents and so many of our friends—oh, and not to mention, 100 percent totality and zero clouds—and it was a magical day.

The 2017 Solar Eclipse in Nashville, Tennessee

The 2017 Solar Eclipse in Nashville, Tennessee

Taylor Swift came out with a new single! You’d have to have been living in the South Pole to not know that. And like it or hate it, you have to give the entrepreneur kudos for again making everyone talk about nothing else. Personally, I’m digging her new direction. Here’s a little flashback to when I interviewed her prior to her 1989 release.

I wrote more about Nashville. This month, for AFAR, which you can read here; for Kimpton; and for Hertz, which I’ll post next month when live.

I went to New Orleans. Armed with my pals Angie and Alex, we spent four days exploring the Big Easy. And I still feel the need to go on a cleanse after everything we ate and drank!

Girls Trip to New Orleans

I also went to New York. SVV’s and my adorable filmmaker friend Nicole got married on a set in Williamsburg, and it was so perfectly her: theatrical, over-the-top, a whole lotta fun (Goo Goo Clusters! an Elvis officiant! a champagne sno-cone vendor! a fried cheese stand!).

A Brooklyn wedding on a TV set

A Brooklyn wedding on a TV set
A Brooklyn wedding on a TV set

And, of course, we went to OKC. Stay tuned for next week when I start my series about the friendliest city I’ve ever visited!

Lows

I fell out of love with NYC. Or maybe, Brooklyn is a more accurate statement. The wedding festivities we attended were lovely, but SVV and I were a little disenchanted by the inconveniences of the city these days, made worse by the fact that the subway is essentially broken. Let’s just say, on all future visits I’ll be staying back in Manhattan where I can walk or cab it everywhere.

My allergy shots continue to be the bane of my existence. Even after scaling back, way back, in terms of dosage, I continue to swell up so bad, it looks as if I have grown a third arm. I would show you a picture, but it’s pretty gnarly looking.

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In September, we are … heading to Sweden! In two days actually. And then off to tackle the Tennessee Whiskey Trail in its entirety. Follow our adventures in real time on Instagram and Twitter.

What was the highlight of August for you?

COMMENTS
  • September 2, 2017

    OKC hasn’t been on my list of travel destinations but I am interested to learn more about it when you start posting.

    • September 11, 2017

      Oh, I have so much to tell! It’s a GREAT city, and Scott and I had a blast there.

  • September 2, 2017

    August was a great month for me, because I went travelling for two weeks. Malaysian Borneo & Brunei are gorgeous countries! I have even been diving! I wish there were more opportunities to dive closer to the Netherlands 🙂

    • September 11, 2017

      I’m so behind on my blog reading but I cannot WAIT to read about your time in Malaysian Borneo and Brunei … that’s where Scott and I went on our honeymoon!

  • September 5, 2017

    Yeah… Brooklyn is the worst. I never go there 😂 Glad to know someone else is just as hype about Taylor’s new music as I am!

  • September 5, 2017

    The only time I ever went to Brooklyn was when I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and then immediately decided to leave Brooklyn and had to walk another 20 minutes to find a metro to get me out of there and back to Manhattan. Maybe someday I’ll go back with someone who knows there way around, but the magic of Manhattan is hard to skip when I visit NYC.

    • September 11, 2017

      You were smart to do that! There are pockets of Brooklyn that are nice, sure, but it’s just so spread out and not at all logical like Manhattan, plus THE SUBWAYS DON’T WORK. Next.

  • September 6, 2017

    We got a lot of deals for the month of August which should bring my fiance and I closer to our goal of travelling full-time. You’re such an inspiration. I love your photos. You look like you’re always having fun.

    • September 11, 2017

      Thank you, Eden! Those are such kind words; I try to have fun 90% of the time 😉 And I hope that your goal comes true very, very soon!

  • September 8, 2017

    ‘Love the fact that you were on a variety of websites, and how lovely that you were in Brides Magazine and the fact that you and SVV initially found each other tiresome, before you later fell in love!

    My husband actually met me a year before I met him (if that makes any sense) ‘cos I didn’t remember him! So imagine my shock when I met him properly (on the stage I might add), and he said that we had actually met before! Oops!

    Ah August! It was an awful month as someone very close to us had a terrible accident, and so we cancelled our holiday to France and spent all of our time in hospital. Thankfully, health care in Germany is marvellous and extremely attentive, so they made a wonderful recovery!

    Having said that, I met Prince William & Kate Middleton in July, so that was rather wonderful!

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