Nashville

 Road trip!  We went to Nashville for the Eastern Lifferth German Dinner.  We went up on a Friday and came home on a Saturday but it was great!  We packed a lot of fun into 24 hours!  Nashville is a 3 hour drive from us and there is plenty of family to stay with making it a quick, inexpensive trip.  This time we stayed with Uncle David and Aunt Shirley.  They are the sweetest!  Matt even got to drive Uncle David's electric car (Nissan Leaf).  We had some recommendations to go to Hattie B's Hot Chicken.  Yum! And it was hot!  We walked around downtown for a bit and saw the Parthenon.  I think we would have walked around longer but it was so cold!!

 Cousin Shauna hooked me up with a race entry to the Hot Chocolate 5k in downtown Nashville on Saturday morning.  Best 5k I have done because the treats afterwards were awesome!! Also the coldest 5k I have ever done!  At the water station I grabbed a cup of water and it was frozen solid all the way through.  I just set it down and kept running.  At least the chocolate chips they were handing out kept their form perfectly!  

Visiting with family was the best! We got to visit with quite a few cousins and Uncle Ernie came from Indiana.  The German food was really tasty and it was great being reminded of our ancestors and their stories.  Even though I have heard a lot of the stories before I am so glad to hear them again.  I am always amazed of their strength and courage to always do what is right and what the Lord would want them to do.  I learn a lot from them every time. 

Leaving sunny Alabama ready to hit up Nashville with my plaid on!

And actually in Nashville.  I never took my coat off, as you can see in the pictures! This is the Parthenon.  It is an exact replica as the real one in Athens, Greece.

 We kept Yvonne nice and warm!

This was a huge race!  Lots of people!  Me with my cousins Shauna and Jeremy!

Post race goodies: Hot chocolate and chocolate fondue with all the dippings-totally worth the freezing temperatures!

Aunt Judy and Uncle Ernie

   
For Valentines Yvonne and I made cookies and we took them to Matt's work hoping to surprise him...but he was in a meeting!  We didn't even get to see him! So we left all the cookies for his coworkers to enjoy! Sometimes my surprises backfire... But Yvonne is a cutie!

We went to a friends house for a Valentines party.  They decorated really cute and they made special drinks that were inspired by Matt's missionary story.  In one apartment Matt lived in on his mission he would here some techno beats every morning at 2 am from the apartment above him.  Every night no fail it was the song Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams".

A few other things that are happening...Matt is applying and interviewing for many internships for this summer.  He doesn't have school on Fridays so I am substitute teaching that day so I can get some hours to keep my teaching license renewed.  Yvonne is crawling! It is a lot of fun but a lot more work for mom and dad.  I started my hot yoga classes and I love it!  I would not recommend it to everyone though.  If you enjoy that burning hot car in the summer feel then I would suggest it for you! Heat is my element.  The room is heated to 95-105 degrees and 40% humidity.  It makes you sweat all over.  Matt is swimming before school a few mornings a week because he has a gimp leg and can't run right now.