Bridal Shower at Terrain

It was a cold damp morning, but nothing could darken the glow of my Katiecakes' bridal shower at Terrain on March 14th. Her future sisters-in-law hosted this perfect morning luncheon. 

We've been to Terrain a few times as a suggestion from Katie.

There is a garden shop, a garden cafe and areas for private events.

We were greeted with passed hors d'oeuvres and Southside signature cocktails. The mushroom tart was divine.

I am that girl who brings the camera and sneaks away to get shots of the table before anyone sits down.

The room hummed with friends and twinkle lights. 

Sweet Peas and ranunculus flowers are the most fantastic signs of spring.

Katie and her beautiful mother Linda.

Linda made these "perfect match" matchboxes as a gift with Katie and Tony's initials.

The hostesses gifts to each guest were these darling ball jar candles. It was a pure coincidence that the matches paired so beautifully with the gift. 

Stephanie and Nicole, Tony's sister-in-laws, made us all tear up telling us how much they loved Katie from the minute they met her. I couldn't agree more. She is the light of the world and brightens any room. We fell in love at first site. We are so lucky to have met Katie the first month we moved to Baltimore seven and a half years ago. All of our friends are Katie's friends, give or take. I love her like a sister and I know a million people feel the same way. To shower her with love was a glorious way to spend a day.

The Southsides and lime salted popcorn were so good I dumped the popcorn on my buffet plate, starting a ripple trend in the garden shed.

Jen, Stephanie and Em.

I can't gush enough about the food. I have been to the Garden Cafe at Terrain a few times and was telling my road trip buddies, Susan and Emily, about the brioche rolls that they bake in terra cotta pots. Such a clever idea. But as cute as they are, they are even more delicious.

We were served our first course of mushroom soup and a beet-goat cheese salad.

We were invited to the buffet after the first course.

The dessert buffet was so abundant they provided to-go gift bags. I ate salted chocolate chip cookies for days!

The gifts were all so beautifully wrapped and the snow drop flowers were breathtaking. They came from a colleague of Katie's at the Barnes Foundation arboretum.

Katie gave the hostesses these great farmers market bags and bouquets at their hostess gift. 

Prizes were opened and I had a great conversation about paper and all things monograms with some of the ladies.

I love nothing more than a good monogrammed gift card.

Katie's fiance Tony showed up for kisses and cake at the end.

It was a perfect way to celebrate the bride. 

My car smelled amazing with herb filled flowers, Stumptown coffee and salted cookies for the drive home to Baltimore. 

Nikky and Stephanie, I can't thank you enough for spoiling our precious friend. She is blessed beyond measure to have you both in her lives. 

Very thankful for friendship and that we found each other at AVAM oh so many 7.5 years ago. I love your face Katiecakes!!!

Nashville Train

I said it was cold. Chilly, chilly, cold, cold, cold. So cold an angel lost their wings.

But we had to explore this city.

Iron bridges, sweet tea and the sound of the train always roots me immediately to the south. Sometime torturous at night, but still, that sound grounds me to the red clay as deep as the smoky smell of bbq.

When we saw a train "a comin'" I asked E to pull over to watch the gallery of grafitti pass us. We could have easily turned around, gone over a bridge to visit another coffee shop. But this morning, we stopped and watched the train.

Nashville's skyline in the background.

Beavis and Butthead

We can hear the train a mile away at Penn Station in Baltimore. I work at the historic B&O Railroad office building in Baltimore. One of my favorite exhibits is watching the trains at the B&O Railroad museum, specifically the one with the model train inside the train. Click here for my post. When you think about the invention of the train, it really changed everything. Not only how we traveled back during the last turn of the century, but how we ate, where we could get our food from, etc. Chinese spices could now make there way to middle America. This invention is still relatively the same. If only the schedules worked as well as they do in France and Europe.