Have we discussed that I have a strong affection for Disney movies? Particularly ones from the 50s and 60s? It’s how my mama raised us- watching old Disney movies.
So this clip of how the illustrators drew Alice from Alice in Wonderland was really cool to watch I thought.
Except Hillary’s voice. That thang is so pretty.
I would never kid you about something this serious.
I’m flying to Hawaii today.
It’s a little weird to go to Hawaii fourteen days before my next book is due because, you know, words. I need to type a lot of them this week. So it’s not like a pure vacay. But let’s be serious- it’s pretty close.
But I’m so honored and excited to be speaking at the Bloom Conference this weekend. God put this dream on Tiffany Thurston‘s heart and my word has that girl worked hard to see it come true. She’s the kind of girl God loves to work with I think- He whispers a dream and she jumps right on board and plays along bravely. That’s pretty awesome.
So I’ll spend a few days in Honolulu, writing the book while looking at the ocean, and then I’ll get to share Jesus with hundreds of Hawaiian high school and college girls.
Would you pray for a few things?
And I’m sure I’m gonna instagram like whoa all week, so don’t you worry about that.
Also….
Do you know any girls in Honolulu? Make sure they know about the Bloom Conference!
Do you have any favorite spots on the island of Oahu that I should be sure to see?
My friend Wes tweeted this video last week and I thought it was interesting.
Tis all it takes to distract me in the afternoon. Happy Monday.
So as I told you last week when I listed my favorite Nashville fancy dinner places, HUSK just opened and has already leapt to the top five dinners I’ve had in this town.
Me and these two jokers, Keenan and Connor, used this dinner as an opportunity to celebrate their graduation from Vanderbilt, though we really need no good excuse to eat a meal together or try a new restaurant.
How great do they look in those jeans? I’ve worked long and hard to get the boys to wear dark wash jeans, so it feels like a real triumph to have them both in them at the same time. [Also, I said, "for your graduation dinner, please wear your dark jeans." So, that may have played into their outfit decision.]
The three of us are foodies at heart, even if not always in budget. So when we hear of a cool restaurant to try or a new place we need to scope out, well. We do it. And HUSK, while just opening weeks ago, already had perked our ears so we made reservations the week it opened and had to wait three weeks just to get in! But boy was it worth it.
You can read all about the restaurant here, but I’ll summarize by saying they specialize in local foods cooked in creative Southern ways.
We made the decision to try a lot of things. Don’t judge us.
Here are the appetizers. From left to right:
My main dish was chicken and dumplings with kale and lemon balm. Melt in your mouth for realz. Just stare at it a minute and let it get into your heart. Yes, it was as good as it looks and probably actually better.
Keenan had catfish with tomato-cornmeal gravy [have mercy, world] but we didn’t get a good picture of it before it was just a memory.
Connor took one pic of his meal, a delicious steak with cauliflower puree. I mean, how BEAUTIFUL are those plates!?!
I hope you appreciate that we are all three are photographing our meals in this particular photograph. So, like I said, foodies.
We didn’t dare pass up dessert because seriously, why would you.
Buttermilk pie. Whoa mama. For a girl who hasn’t had dairy since January, this was a good reason to ingest just a bit.
And yes, of course I made them do this for instagram and yes they still love me and are used to my sentimental ways.
Overall, you could not have found three happier humans that night. The ambience is classic and warm and trendy, the way the place is set up- lots of rooms with lots of tables spread throughout the historic home- makes for really comfy feel. And the servers, as expected in a fine dining restaurant, are really educated and knowledgable and nice.
So. Three thumbs up from us. Or six actually. Yes, six. Two thumbs up from all three of us.
Amen.
TOP 5 FRIDAY is when we each list five of our favorite things, depending on the topic. Feel free to join in via the comments or by posting on your own blog and linking back here. Play along. It’s Friday.
. . . . .
Two posts that continue to be super popular here are my recommendations for brunch in Nashville and lunch in Nashville. [Which, I went to update them and realized that actually, that's still exactly where I'd tell you to go eat.]
But lately, our finer dining options have expanded greatly and whoa are we grateful.
Now, when I say “fine dining,” I mean, “a little nicer than the chicken nachos at Edley’s.” Today I’m listing some of my favorite celebratory dinner spots – I’m talking birthdays, graduations, parents in town, or a great date.
Okay? Okay. If you want your normal buddies-heading-to-dinner spot, any of these lunch places would be perfect.
So if you are headed to Nash anytime soon, or if you live here and are looking for a nicer place to eat this weekend, take my word for it: any of these meals will bless you.
In no particular order, here are my current five favorite fancy dinner restaurants.
. . . . .
What type of food? : Rustic Italian
Level of love : Really high. Like, every birthday for the last three years high.
Why? : There is not a thing on the menu that tastes less than incredible. The menu changes often, based on the season, but it is all amazing.
Reservations : Make them at least the week of.
Dress : Nice jeans or somewhere around that. No need for a dress unless you wanna, but don’t show up in tennis shoes.
Don’t miss : the kale salad, the gnoche, belly ham pizza
. . . . .
What type of food? : Southern farm to table
Level of love : Growing every time I visit.
Why? : I’ve been here for dinner and for brunch multiple times and I haven’t had a meal misfire yet. They have bragging rights to not even having a can opener in the kitchen, everything is that fresh and handmade. You can’t go wrong with any of their chicken dishes, but if you are braver, go for one of their original and interesting dishes, like fried rabbit, grouper, or hanger steak.
Reservations : I mean, if there is more than four of y’all, yes. But on Friday and Saturday nights without a reservation, you might get turned away.
Dress : Anything is fine really, the staff wears plaid shirts and jeans. But probably not a tshirt and shorts.
Don’t miss : the deviled eggs [three different flavors that change every day]
. . . . .
What type of food? : Sushi / Japanese
Level of love : I mean, if I’m wanting fancy sushi, this is IT.
Why? : Fun ambiance, delicious and fresh fish for sushi, and tons of yummy options for non-sushi eaters. Also, if the weather is nice, sit outside upstairs- it has a beautiful view of Nashville.
Reservations : Not always, but I would recommend it. Can’t hurt. And if you want sushi, you’ll be sad not to be eating here.
Dress : This place can get kinda trendy, so dress how you want [nice jeans, etc] and just make the choice not to feel insecure that you aren’t in a tight black dress with ridiculous heels. You’re happier, I promise.
Don’t miss : The Bomb, Crispy Rice / Spicy Tuna… it has watermelon pop rocks. Seriously.
. . . . .
What type of food? : Super fancy Southern
Level of love : I have only been once, it just opened in May, but it was pretty amazing.
Why? : The historic home is beautiful, and the food was BEYOND. I mean, it was one of those meals that is absolutely unforgettable. We tried a few appetizers and main courses and everything, from the asparagus to the steak to the fried chicken skins to pig tails [no joke] to salmon, was so delicious I felt emotional.
[I'm actually going to tell you all about it next week... so hang on for pics of our meal.]
Reservations : Absolutely and weeks in advance.
Dress : Just nicer than average. Don’t show up after a workout or in a tank top.
Don’t miss : dessert. We had the buttermilk pie and it was a moment. Phew.
. . . . .
What type of food? : Steakhouse
Level of love : Well, it’s serious. Serious love.
Why? : Maybe the best steak in town, certainly the best sides in town. Owned by the same group that also has Virago, you can expect similar ambiance, stellar service, and incredible food.
Reservations : Yes.
Dress : Again, like Virago, people get trendy and club-like here sometimes, it’s weird. But you just wear your pretties and let them do whatever they want to do with their lives.
Don’t miss : macaroni and cheese, the view from the bar, A STEAK.
. . . . .
A few friends are insisting I also give you some honorable mentions…. so you could also check out Watermark, Miel, or Rolf and Daughters. I haven’t eaten at these places enough to Top 5 them, but I’m sure they are great. Because my friends say so.
. . . . .
YOUR TURN!
Have any great recommendations for dinner in Nashville? Or have thoughts on these places? Share, friends!
Lyndsay and I saw this documentary last night, Stories We Tell, and it is absolutely genius and heartbreaking and beautiful and redemptive and we both cried.
So. There’s that.
While this isn’t today afternoon distraction in it’s purest Annie-is-wasting-her-life-on-the-internet form, I have spent lots of time today reading up on this director and her other movies, so… in theory, it’s still distracting me from work.
HUZZAH!
I hope this film is playing in your town. It’s worth whatever your indie theater charges you to see it.
(photo credit: Ioanna Raptis)
I read this article yesterday about Operation Beautiful at York Middle School. To summarize, these girls took the idea of Operation Beautiful, leaving encouraging sticky notes around for other girls, and decided to paint permanent ones in their middle school bathrooms. So after school, the fifth grade girls worked with the eighth grade girls to cover the walls with words that build up.
I didn’t look in the mirror in middle school much, especially not in the school bathroom. But I read every word you put in front of me. I’d have read those sticky notes. And then maybe I would have been okay looking in the mirror.
Teen Annie would have loved this campaign. It’s so powerful.
I wonder if you have a teenager in your house or in your life that needs you to write on her walls?
“It’s going to be okay!”
“You are the cutest!”
“God did good work when He made you!”
“You are loved!”
This isn’t a profound thought – it is what the Bible has said all along. Words kill, and words give life (Proverbs 18:21). And middle school girls kind of have a master’s degree in words of death, but these girls? And the Operation Beautiful girls? They are doing it different and they are doing it right.
It doesn’t take much. I can’t tell you how many times I wrote that in Speak Love – IT DOESN’T TAKE A BOOK TO CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE, IT TAKES A SENTENCE.
Kind words are like honey (Proverbs 16:24) and it doesn’t take a lot of honey to sweeten a situation.
But trust me when I say, even if school is out and she’s not around the bully, and even if she isn’t saying it out loud, and even if she has great self-esteem, your teen girl could use some honey dripping into her soul.
Will you write on her walls?
Will you say the thing that gives long term hope and love?
Will you sticky note her life with words of love?
I’ve shoved some sticky notes in my purse today and I just may be that girl who puts a word of encouragement on the bathroom mirror when I meet a friend for lunch. Or I may just hand a few notes to the girls I’m meeting for manicures this afternoon.
All I know is that this world is full of ugly words meant to destroy the hearts of the young women in your life.
Be the voice of truth. Be the voice of reason. Be the voice of love.
Write on her walls.
This is terrible and hilarious. Mainly, terribly hilarious.
Because, you know, I’m the worst blogger in the history of June 2013.
I’m not one for making excuses [yes I am], but here are some solid reasons why the internet has not won my attention lately:
1. I have a book due to Zondervan in 20 days. And I have 20,000 words of said book left to write. So yeah, your prayers are needed more than you could ever know.
2. The Vanderbilt baseball season came to a surprising, heartbreaking, sudden, premature end this weekend. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Painful. Deeply. And then suddenly? All the boyz are packing their dorm rooms and moving out of Nashville AND MY EMOTIONS ARE A WRECK. Helping them deal with the loss, packing, moving, and trying to be strong for them and not be a weepy mess has been a challenge and has kept me away from my computer.
(Meanwhile, I am going to start cheering for the Detroit Tigers because everyone’s favorite intern, Connor Harrell, got drafted to the major leagues! Yes, it’s pretty normal for someone to go from interning at Downs Books to being a professional athlete. If you were wondering.)
3. I’m really tired. First book release in September 2012, first Girls of Grace season, two books written in the first six months of 2013. I am SO deeply grateful for my job, but I’ve been hustling pretty hard nonstop for almost a year and I am feeling it. Which, to be fair, is a bit unfortunate since I still have 20,000 words to go in the book. And July is coming – a month where I will not be writing at all – and I can feel the freedom coming coming coming.
[You know I'm grateful, right? I am NOT complaining. I just explaining why I have been a less-than blogger.]
That’s really about it. I’m going to try to improve for the rest of this month, but I can’t make any promises. Of course, I still manage to get distracted in the afternoon, but I do have to get ye old book written before July 1 as well.
So.
Love me anyways.
Also, I’ve started the book Lottery that I mentioned last week and it is incredible.
That’s how I am. How are you?
