Condo Makeover, Flea Market and a Mass Grave

Has my title left you curious? Hold on to your hats people. This is going to be a long one. Last weekend, my aunts, grandmother, sister and mother enjoyed a girl's trip to Nashville. On the schedule: Eat, Flea Market, Visit Mallory, Eat and a surprise trip to a graveyard...more on that later.

First stop was Stan's in Columbia, Tennessee - "The Mule Capitol of the World." We had a hearty country breakfast at this roadside restaurant and I was tempted to leave with this mug.

Second stop: Flea market at the Tennessee State Fair Grounds. If you have never experienced the Nashville Flea Market you are missing out. The market is held the last weekend of every month and you can find some great deals on one of a kind items.

Below is a little sampling of some favorite finds...

Third Stop: McDougal's for lunch. We all cleaned our chicken finger baskets and even polished off the free soft serve that comes with each meal.

Fourth Stop: My sister Mallory's condo. You may remember, my sister is a newlywed, a nurse and living in Nashville.

For the last several months, she has been on a quest to decorate her condo and I think it has turned out so cute!

Below is a peak inside...











Fifth Stop: Maplewood Confederate Cemetery in Tulahoma, Tennessee. This was the final item on the itinerary and a big surprise to me. I didn't know I would be wrapping up the day with a walk through a mass grave.

You see my Great Aunt Charlotte has spent the last two years researching our family's history. Her studies have taken her to courthouses and cemeteries all over the state. She recently discovered that my great, great, great, great grandfather, John C. Blackmon, was a confederate solider that was buried in a mass grave after a battle near Tullahoma.

Since the cemetery was only an hour out of the way, we took the detour to document this part of our family's history.

Here are all the girls a little worse for wear at the end of the day. From left to right: My cousin Anna, Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Beth, Sister Mallory, my Mom, Yours Truly, Aunt Donna and Granny Ham. I'm so blessed to be apart of a close-knit, large family that loves any excuse to get together. Thanks for a fun weekend girls!

Reunion

Last weekend we kept the roads hot and headed South for Brad's ten year high school reunion. Yep it has been a whole decade since Brad and I graduated from high school. Its unbelievable really. In so many ways it seems like yesterday but yet it was really a lifetime ago.

The weekend was full of activities and events but unfortunately I was often banned (by Sweet Brad) from bringing my camera. I think someone was afraid that I would embarrass him by pulling out my great big camera and saying "cheese" in front of the cool kids.

Thankfully Addi Girl isn't bothered by Momma's ever present camera:) On Saturday, the Blackman's (Lindsey's in-laws) graciously opened up their home to Brad's high school posse and their families.

The menu was stacked with all of the boys' childhood favorites and there was even a special children's menu. Its ironic that all our kiddo heavily favor their daddies. From top left: Virginia, Addi Girl, Bradford and Jax.


In high school, the Blackman's house was the place to hang out and I've heard endless stories about the shenanigans that took place there. Even now, Brad is still very close with all his high school guy friends and their wives have become dear friends of mine too.

Now that we have children that are practically the same age, we are excited about them having the opportunity to grow-up together too. After all the swimming, splashing, sliding and swinging Addi Girl was spent!

Beach Vacay

After Easter Sunday in Mobile, we packed up and made the short drive to Dauphin Island for a little vacation. As you can see, a week later our bags are still not unpacked but we do have a little stowaway:)

Brad's parents have a condo on the island; however, it was rented out. Lucky for us our good family friends, The Boney's, have a mirror image condo right next door to the Tews! They were gracious enough to let us stay at their beautifully decorated condo for a few days - Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Boney!

Little Addi girl sprouted gills and fins while on the island. She tolerated the beach but thoroughly enjoyed the indoor salt water pool.

Addison tried her hardest to pick up all the sand on the beach one handful at a time. She especially liked it when we would fill her bucket up with water which meant endless trips for Brad and I to the shoreline for refills.

Addi's favorite part of the beach was sitting on the shoreline and letting the waves wash over her. The water was pretty chilly but she didn't seem to care.

Each night, we feed the seagulls which was always a crowd pleaser.

We had a fantastic time and hope we can return soon. Dauphin Island is a special little place that has been unspoiled by commercialization. In fact, most days we had the entire beach to ourselves! Its a great destination for a family vacation if you want to enjoy the laid back island lifestyle. Check it out. You won't be disappointed! By the way, we stayed here and The Boney's have availability this summer;)

Fairhope

Last weekend Brad, Addi and I hit the road for Mobile to see "The Tew Crew" and to go to the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival. While at Pops and Tula's house, Addison successfully tormented the cat and broke only one accessory off Tula's coffee table. It was H-O-T on Saturday for the festival. Did we completely bypass spring and leap into the dogdays of summer? Despite the heat and the crowds of people, Tula, Lauren and I saw some pretty things.

And we saw some...well...interesting things too. All I can say is these are some brave ladies.

Addi and Frances also joined us for the day and were content just to ride around in their strollers looking for puppy dogs.

We left Fairhope exhausted and empty handed. Can you believe we didn't buy a thing? It may be a record.