A Saturday at the Park

This past weekend we had guests visit from Ohio. Joe, an old friend from Ohio University, and his wife Christine spent a few days with us in Nashville. We had a great time catching up and showing them around  the city. We went sight-seeing, ate at great restaurants, and spent quality time together. It was great to have some of our loved ones from Ohio visit - we hope to have more come down in the future!

Joe and Christine arrived on Friday afternoon. We spent Friday evening with our friends Jenn and Kevin (also from Ohio University, and now Jenn works with me at Belmont). We ate dinner at home and after we went to Fox's Donut Den, a local donut shop just a few minutes from campus. Fox's Donut Den has been around Nashville for 30+ years and has a spread that includes homemade donuts, bagels, muffins, and pastries. Their menu also includes 'the texas donut' (it's HUGE! See below). 

Jenn, Stephanie, and Christine at Fox's Donut Den

Compare the texas donut to the regular sized donuts below it!

On Saturday I woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking. Joe had started making homemade blueberry pancakes for the four of us. We ate breakfast and went to a nearby park, Centennial Park. This park is the site of a full-scale replica of the Parthenon that houses a full-scale replica of Athena. For only $6, individuals can tour the building and statue. In January, Brandon and I visited the Parthenon and on Saturday, we hung out in the park while Joe and Christine went on the tour. Below are a few pictures from Brandon & I's trip to the Parthenon in January:

Brandon outside the Parthenon in January.

The Athena statue inside the Parthenon. The original in Greece no longer stands. 

Replicas of the statues on the roof of the Parthenon.

While Joe and Christine were touring the Parthenon, Brandon and I enjoyed spending some time in the sun at the park. We threw around a football, played cards, and watched the ducks in the pond at the park.

These pigeons wanted food from Brandon. He didn't give them any.

After spending time in the park the four of us went to walk around downtown. It's an important thing to do for first time visitors to Nashville. We walked up and down Broadway and Second Street and went in and out of places of interest. Downtown Nashville is a neat place because live bands play in establishments all day - from 11 a.m. until the wee hours of the night. One of the places we stopped in to hear live music (around 2pm) was The Stage.

Joe and Christine at The Stage.

Saturday was a day full of activities. In addition to everything above, we also went out to eat (look for details in the new issue of Taste of Nashville, soon to come) and wrapped up our night babysitting. We definitely made sure to pack fun into Joe and Christine's visit! Later this week, I'll write about our Sunday and Monday activities and will also give details about Brandon's new job at Belmont. We hope you're having a great week, wherever you are!