My City, pt 2

Today and tomorrow, I'm diving into my new city.  In reality, there are many "areas" of town that can offer you a variety of flavors.  But, for this mini-tour, I'll take you to Hipsterville, Countryville, and few hidden gems you might not hit in Nashville if you didn't know about them.  Sure, I've only been back a couple months - you can probably get more information from Yelp or Travel Advisor, but stick around if you want the ten-cent-Pardy tour.

First things first, a good breakfast.  There are three places that are "quintessential Nashville" that I would proudly take you for breakfast if you come visit.  The Loveless Cafe (a bit outside of town), The Puffy Muffin (technically in Brentwood), or The Pancake Pantry.  Go to Loveless if you want biscuits and gingham table cloths.  Go to the Puffy Muffin if you want to throw a baby shower and serve amazing quiche.  But, GO (run, don't walk) to the Pancake Pantry if you want history smothered in syrup.

You will definitely wait in line, rain or shine, any day of the week.  But, The Pancake Pantry is pure Nashville, and you just might see a celebrity there.  (The dining room is wide open, so there's no where for them to hide!) I recommend the orange and walnut pancakes, my personal favorite, and don't fill up on coffee too much so that you can walk next door for some killer lattes at FIDO just up the street.

The street you'll be on, in fact, is 21st Ave, one of my favorite parts of town.  Unfortunately, it's a LOT of people's favorite parts of town, so parking can get a bit tricky.  But, it's worth it since there's plenty to do while you're there.   Twenty-first is kinda hipsterville, I won't lie.  Everyone is young and hip and writing something (songs, mostly, but also books or poetry or just blogging like I do!)  You'll want to wear your skinny jeans and leave your hair messy, but don't worry - get a latte from FIDO and you'll fit in just fine (order the Local Latte, made with real local honey, and you won't regret it).


Then, walk across the street to Pangaea, an eclectic and fun little shop that carries everything from kitschy Nashville lampshades to handmade jewelry, some clothing, and other anthro-type accessories for your home that you never knew you always wanted.

Just around the corner is Belcourt Theatre, a little independent cinema that shows everything from newish indie releases to old school cult classics.  Sometimes they even host events or live music, their schedule is about as unpredictable as their audience.

After you've got your latte in hand and your new stack of handmade stationery from one of the local shops, you're ready to get back in your car and hit up Centennial Park at West End, just a few miles away.  You'd be surprised how many Nashvillians don't go to Centennial Park that often.  At least, having come from California, it's amazing to me that people aren't constantly flocking to such open space in the middle of an urban setting...but, then again, land isn't as hard to come by out here (collective deep sigh here).

Centennial Park is open, beautiful, and landmarked spectacularly by the Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the actual Parthenon located in Athens, Greece.  It was originally constructed in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, and you can read more about it here.

You can also walk around it for free (it's very peaceful) or pay to go inside and visit the art museum where you'll see a giant statue of the goddess Athena (and I do mean GIANT).  Centennial Park also has a little pond, a bandshell, and hosts fun things like "Shakespeare in the Park" and other local talent.  It's also great for letting your toddlers run around and burn off some serious energy.  Bring a frisbee.

When you've run up a good appetite, walk over at the edge of the park to Hog Heaven for some of the best bbq in the city (are you salivating yet?) In my opinion, however, you'd have to traverse a few more miles into the city for my absolute favorite bbq:  JACK'S in downtown Nashville.  Not only is Jack's an historical gem of the city, it's as downright delicious as a pig can get.  (Just bring a pack of baby wipes with you, and fully indulge in the pulled pork and brisket.  It's well worth the saucy beard you'll be flaunting afterward.)

And Yeehaw! just like that, we're downtown.  You'll want to stay late until the lights come on to experience downtown at night.  This is when the singer-songwriters all get off working their day jobs to hob knob the local scene and see if tonight is their night to get discovered (you really just never know). Leave the kids at home and get ready to walk the strip.  You'll inevitably hear live music bursting out of every doorway downtown after 8pm.  You'll want to hit The Stage, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Legends, and pop in the Ernest Tubb Record Shop just to say you did.  On Second Street, you'll want to see the Wildhorse Saloon, and then bounce around the corner to the riverfront.

The Nashville riverfront is beautiful.  You can see the stadium just across the river where the Titans play, and you can see the riverfront bandstand where a ton of festivals and bands rock out all summer long.

Downtown Nashville is also home of the Ryman, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry (and one of my favorite venues of all time).  You'll also find The Country Music Hall of Fame, FRIST center for the visual arts museum, Bridgestone Arena (where the Predators play and BIG concerts are held).  The Nashville Library is within walking distance, and Union Station Hotel is not far up the street (a beautiful and very old train-station-turned-hotel that's worth seeing).  Needless to say, there's LOTS to do downtown, and I'm sure I'm not touching on a zillion other things.

Whew!  You worn out?  Kick your boots up for a bit, and we'll hit the pavement again in the morning.

Tomorrow I'll be taking you to some spots off the beaten path and a little outside the city.

My City pt 1

It's been two months since we started our journey of 2,000 miles cross-country and moved from California to Tennessee.  I lived in Nashville years ago, so part of this move has felt like a strange homecoming of sorts for me.  If any of you are sci-fi fans, you can appreciate the thought of this process feeling like I was entering into an alternate universe (think, Fringe-style).

It is familiar, I can remember my way around...and then all of a sudden I will see new buildings out of place, or a renovation of something completely new, or old spaces filled up with unrecognizable structures.  It's been a weird, comfortable-yet-uncomfortable combination of getting to re-learn this city I once knew.

I can tell you this, we're right where we should be.  We're home, and that's probably the strangest comfortable-yet-uncomfortable feeling of them all.  I fit in here.  My spouse and children fit in here.  My family was a wandering puzzle piece that is slowly completing the picture of what this city should look like.

I say that seriously, because I truly believe God has HUGE plans for using us Pardys in this city, and why not dream big?  We're only beginning to settle into this pond that God will generate a ripple-effect from.  Since we're handing this vision of impact over to Him, I'm not limiting its boundaries!

When one of our dearest friends visited last week, we got to finally (after weeks of unpacking and healing and settling in) GET OUT and see this city.  It was time to show off Nashville and sink our teeth into some of the many fun things this city has to offer.

Now, I can't show you everything - that would take years (which I slowly intend on doing through the course of my time here).  But, starting tomorrow, I'll virtually give you all a little tour of our new city, Music City and some of my very favorite spots.

Sure, I've only been back a couple months - you can probably get more information from Yelp or Travel Advisor, but stick around if you want the ten-cent-Pardy tour.

Welcome to Nashville, y'all.

Lifted

Last week, we had the extraordinary privilege of hosting one of our dearest friends for the week.  She flew out from California to visit us, to see our life here, and see Nashville for the first time.  


After a rough several weeks of "breaking in" our new home, it was refreshing to open up our doors to a familiar face who was genuinely there just to love on us.  Her presence offered a tangible reminder to me about the importance of friendship.


Friendships are an imperative gift in this life.  I use the word imperative on purpose; it's first definition being: "absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable" which I think friendship is all of.  I suppose one could try to avoid it, but we all need someone eventually, so the strangest of humans still end up befriending someone in this life.  

It is unavoidable, it is absolutely necessary, and a requirement for truly experiencing life.  Even Jesus (who, we can all argue didn't require anything from this world) had friendships.  And, while Jesus may not have "needed" friends, He used friendships to show us the utmost of applicable lessons:  how to BE a friend.


Here comes the bumper sticker:  Jesus is my BFF.  Right, well, something like that, sure.  I may say that tongue-in-cheek, but the reality of it is actually true if you can cut through all the cotton candy, I'm-only-here-to-sugar-coat-life-for-you, fluffiness that we've all-too-often whittled friendships down to these days.  




Let's break it down for a second.  I'm not talking about friendships that share half-broken heart necklaces, or friendships that just post a smiley face emoticon as a facebook comment, or friendships that re-tweet verses at you when they don't have the words.  Those are all fine - those are sometimes necessary too (hey - I'm the first gal that will hug you when I get a RT!) 
But, this past week I've experienced something far deeper than cotton candy friendship.  I've been loved on by some true Jesus-oozing-out-of-their-pores people who are just being honest and vulnerable and loving the only way they know how: as Jesus did.  
Because, sometimes you don't have the words to tell your discouraged friends, so you just say "I love you, I'm praying for you." Sometimes you can't find the right emoticon on your iPhone that says "Sorry life sucks for you, but God is bigger" and so instead you get honest and just let them know "You are not alone in this".  I know, because those are the hugs from near and far that I got this last week.



Friends, all of you, you matter to me.  Some of you have sat with me as I cried on your shoulders.  Some of you are reading my blog for the first time (Welcome! Grab a Kleenex and a latte!) Some of you emailed me your own prayer requests, and I want you to know that I LOVE THAT.  I will also let you know that I count it an incredible privilege to pray and speak to Jesus on your behalf.  Please, always know that I genuinely answer all emails and will lift up your burdens to God just as you may have done for me.  

We are not alone in this.  Neither are you.


This last week I got texts, cards, emails, and real-life hugs.  People sent me verses and words that JESUS spoke aloud, and I felt them in my heart as if it were Him speaking them right in front of me.  I received encouragement from far and wide, genuine reminders that the body of Christ is real and ACTIVE and that this battle of life this side of heaven is far more effective when we join together.  


I'm reaching out to you.  I'm writing to you.  I'm SO GRATEFUL for you.  


You matter.

Lightness

Last week I wrote about how my family was feeling under spiritual attack.  We walked through our home and took turns praying over the various spaces of our home.  Spiritually, it felt like we were sweeping out the cobwebs of despair.  It seemed discouragement was lurking in corners we hadn't yet uncovered, and only the name of Jesus could clean out the crevices unseen to us.

Yes, there is something mightily creepy about all this.  I'm not denying the "creep factor" here at all.  It should be creepy.  Satan is real, and as bad as it gets.  The fact that he exists at all should render a constant creepster-hair standing on the back of all our necks.  Yikes, right?

I might just avoid the subject all together if it didn't effect me...but it does, and it will, and there is an answer.  And, so avoidance is not only impossible, it's futile.  So, we fought back.  We prayed.  We continue to pray.  I can have nights riddled with nightmares that have no founding except the evil that would love to keep me up worried at night, doubting the power of my God.  Then, my husband speaks the name of Jesus over me, or I pray aloud and ask for peace.  And peace comes, peace is available, peace is always there right in the midst of the cloudy chaos that surrounds me.

Life is a series of steps through light and dark.

Here's the truth, right after we gathered and paraded around our apartment praying like southern preachers preparing for a revival...a burden was lifted, and a lightness entered our home.  Personally, I was so amped up that I kinda felt like a kid who just walked off the bus from church camp.  God was real, and present, and the power of the Holy Spirit was part of the Pardy home.

Guys, I'm not really into "hyper-religion" or "super-spiritual" or "pentecostal apocalypse" happening around me all the time.  I don't speak in tongues or heal people.  I tell the truth.  I'm normal (even a little boring) and honest.  That's it.

So, believe me like you'd listen to your best friend telling you about the latest sale at Nordstrom when I say this:  Prayer has power.

I've loved Jesus for a long time.  I've been talking to Him for years now, and I still don't exactly totally absolutely without-a-doubt completely understand how prayer works.  I know God hears me.  I know He can relate and speak back to me.  I know He cares.  I know He interacts and intercepts and interrupts me when I need it, regardless of what I think I need.  I know prayer can change feelings and futures.

That's enough for me to know to get on my knees and keep being honest with God about all my thoughts and questions and desires and fears.  That's more than enough.

And, this new lightness in the Pardy home...well, it's hard to describe.  "On paper" nothing has changed since last week, really.  Daphne is feeling better (thank you, Lord) but, a job is still on its way and not in our grasp, we still have the same struggles as last week.  So, it goes without saying that technically we should be feeling just as discouraged as ever.  But, we're not.

There's a new lightness among us.  There's a divine presence of protection that we're constantly interacting with.  It's okay if this post weirds you out a bit.  It's also okay if you go home and pray aloud over your furniture and invite Christ to be part of your literal, tangible, everyday life.

Tomorrow, I'll move beyond furniture and share with you how the prayers of people are making a difference.  This lightness is extending far beyond the Pardy home...and I hope it finds you today.