My Birthday Date with Andy.

    We went to Nashville for my birthday!  Well, Nashville, Indiana.  Its been about five years since we've had a real date, so we really enjoyed ourselves.  With no babysitter readily available, the kids have always gone with us.  Not so this time, thanks to my wonderful mom!!!  :)  My birthday is not for another week, but actually, I haven't celebrated on the 23rd since Rebekah died.  Too many memories connected to that day.  I don't mind.  The older you get, one day is as good as another, right?  :)  Birthdays seem to come and go before you can blink! 
    Nashville, Indiana is an old town with all kinds of country stores and gift shops to brows through.  We ate a leisurely lunch at the Artist's Inn, an old fashioned Bed and Breakfast.  They had the best sandwiches I've ever had!  Then we spent the next couple hours browsing through the little shops.  My favorite was a glass shop.  The owner had spent 43 years working with glass so he's had a LOT of practice!  His little shop with full of tiny, intricate glass Christmas ornaments, and figurines of every size, shape and design.  His work was immaculate!  He made everything right there in the shop.  I love watching glass makers work!  Its so fascinating! 
   We also hit the candy stores...for dessert, of course.  :)  Andy and I picked out all our favorite chocolates and taffy, and sampled every flavor of fudge in the display cases!  One candy store was voted for having the best chocolates in the country.  I had to agree.  They were outstanding!  We left with little bags full of them to sample on the long drive home.  I felt like a kid again!
   Andy found an old bookstore that he'd gone to as a boy.   They sold old books from great preachers like Finny, Spurgeon, Moody and many more for very cheap.  He had a time in there!  :) While he browsed the books I went next door to the Jerky store.  They had all kinds in there!  Ever try kangaroo jerky???  It was expensive!!!!!   I decided to pass on that, and the buffalo and boar jerky as well, and settle for an old standard...sweet and spicy beef!  :)
   We had a great time and I had a wonderful birthday!

Ok, consider yourself VERY lucky to see this picture!  What woman in her right mind takes a picture of herself when she's bumping 9 months pregnant??   This was taken during a moment of weakness....I wasn't thinking.  :)  I at least cropped most of me out of it.  :)

At lunch on the front porch of the Inn

The Artist's Inn

Andy has always said that one of these days he's going to stop and read one of those road side signs...you know, the black metal ones that tell about the history that happened at that particular spot.  On our way home yesterday, I was startled when he suddenly slammed on the breaks, made a U-turn and drove back the way we'd come.  I watched him park on the side of the road and march across to the other side to read one of the those black metal signs.  See it posted beside the corn field?  :)  I had to laugh!  It told about how some general had made a deal with the Indians about some property rights, and this particular spot was the boundary line.  :)  Andy's curiosity was satisfied....at least til we go zooming past another black metal sign on the side of the road!