Nashville, Taylor Swift, and my Birthday

A few weeks ago I spent a fabulous weekend with some friends in Nashville, aka my happy place :)  We were definitely all in need of a little vaca, it was my birthday weekend, and we were able to get floor seats to the Taylor Swift concert!
Now before I start telling y'all about how much I love Nashville, it was my birthday weekend, and I think birthdays are a good time to reflect on the past year.  A lot has changed in the past year, and I learned some very important lessons.  The first is that the people who want to be there, will always be there.  No matter how busy we all get, or how crazy life gets, people who want to be part of your life will always make the effort.  For those people I'm beyond grateful.  The second is no matter what you do, there is always going to be someone who is not happy about it.  Get over it and do what makes you happy!  
Getting back to the trip, it was amazing!  This was my second trip to Nashville, and I'm happy to report I fell in love with it all over again.  The city has such an amazing energy that I don't know how anyone could go there and not be happy.  As soon as I start walking down Broadway and begin to see Legends, Tootsies, and the rest of the strip, I become elated!  I guess it has something to do with the fact that Nashville is Music City, and I love music!  There's seriously music everywhere, all day, every day, and once I'm in the midst of it all, I never want to leave.  We heard amazing live music the whole time we were there, and Friday night we went to see Taylor Swift!

Juicy, me, Justin, & Michelle 

We all thought she put on a fabulous show and enjoyed every minute of it.  First of all our seats were incredible.  I still can't believe how close we were to the stage-gasp!  Taylor kicked off the show with Sparks Fly, and about 30 seconds in I got completely swept up and came to terms with the fact that I'd probably have no voice the next day.  The vibe I got from watching her perform is that she is very poised and genuine.  The amount of thought and work that went into the show was evident.  There was not one detail that was missed in her show.  Between the sets, costumes, dancers, and all the musicians, it felt like a Broadway show and concert rolled in one.

Sparkly Sparks Fly Dress - Love it!

Why ya gotta be so mean??

"Speak Now" This was like a musical!

"Dear John"  I have to admit I like this song more now that I've seen her perform it.

"Enchanted" Definitely one of my top T Swift songs and I loved the set!

She came off as really down to earth, and she talked about how she writes her music based on life and relationships.  Kind of reminded me how I create desserts based on life and relationships.  She also mentioned that Nashville is her favorite city which led to the whole arena, including our crew, going crazy.  The last song of the set was "Long Live" and I couldn't take my eyes off her guitar!  I would love to turn that into a cake. Hello disco dust :)

"Long Live" 

One of the highlights of the show was when Ronnie Dunn joined her on stage.  They performed his single "Bleed Red" and I can't even explain how great it was!  I was so full of I love Nashville at this point that I seriously could have just burst!  The last song she did during her encore was Love Story.  It was a perfect way to end an enchanting show!
I also had the opportunity to attend a song writing event while I was there.  All these song writers and musicians get together, network, and make music on the third Sunday of every month.  The reason I'm writing about this event is because this really brings to light what I love about Nashville.  It is a wonderful community of people doing what they're passionate about.  These people all help each other any way they can, and you don't see that very often.  I mentioned to one woman how every time I'm in Nashville I get overwhelmed by how nice people genuinely are.  She told me that I have to remember that at one point all of them were new in town, and someone helped them.  Everyone I met was so welcoming, and I'm so happy I was able to attend and meet some really cool people.
Well thank you Nashville, it was a fabulous weekend! Actually the whole thing was enchanting and I can't wait to go back!  Also a huge thanks to my friends for making this the best birthday!  At this point you're probably thinking um Meghan why haven't you mentioned the food?!  Well I had a lot of wonderful food including an incredible birthday cake!  I got to check out some really cool spots, and I'll have a post up on all my Nashville eats in the next few days :)