The trip to Nashville!

Hello everyone! We are back from our trip to Nashville TN. It was honestly one of the best trips of my life. We had such an amazing time and we saw so many different things. Downtown is awesome and full of many different country boot stores, bars with live music all day, cafes, restaurants, guitar shops, Hatch Show Print shop, Rhyman Auditorium, Soubert Center where they have the CMA's and where the Predator's Hockey Team plays, the Convention Center,the Country Music Hall of Fame, and much more. Right across the river from downtown is Titans Stadium, where the NFL team plays. We checked out surrounding cities as well and they were all different but great in their own ways. Right outside Nashville is, "Greenhills," which is full of shops, writers cafes, a huge mall and really nice housing. When we move we are going to rent a house in Greenhills and then save up for a house a little further out into the country. We took many pictures and you will be able to see them on facebook. The city has so much going on and everyone there is so welcoming and nice. People always have a smile on their face and it seems like everyone is loving life. The music scene there is absolutley amazing. Everywhere you go there is music, which is perfect for me. We went to Vanderbilt University which is a mile from downtown Nashville, and it is a beautiful campus. We went to the city of Franklin which is such a pretty little town and a perfect place to start a family. We took a drive out in the country and saw some amazing land and houses and then ate at a little cafe where I played a Gibson guitar on the stage. We went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and that place is a must go if you are ever there. We went to the Donnelson Mansion, Hilsboro Village, The Blue Bird Cafe where everyone starts there career in music, the Gibson Showcase where they make all the expensive Gibson Guitars, the Grand Ole Opry, and probably my favorite place which was the Gaylord Opryland Resort. The resort is the most amazing place I have ever seen in my entire life. It covers almost a mile of property and inside there are gardens, waterfalls, a river, boat ride, amazing restaurants, fitness center, 2 pools, bars, dance halls, penthouse suites, and so much more. The whole resort is inside but it feels like you are outside. All of the plants are real and they have people who work there and their job is just to take care of the plants and flowers. It is so beautiful and there was a wedding that was going to take place yesterday at 5:00pm inside the resort. It was such a pretty setup and the perfect location for a wedding. While we were in TN it snowed which made the trip even better. Nashville is a great place to go on vacation and I cant wait to call it home.

" Appreciate everything, you never know when you will have nothing to appreciate."
-Brandon Zornado

2010!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful night last night! It is now 2010, which means that it is a new year. If there was anything that happened bad during 2009, leave it in the past and move on. Be positive and tell yourself that it will be a better year. I hope everyone made their New Year's Resolutions and please try to stick to them. Yesterday was the best day of my life. My girlfriend and I had breakfast together then did a little workout. Then we drove to Multnomah Fall's and we took the back roads through the hills and it was beautiful. It was raining out but we brought umbrella's. Once we got there we looked around in the gift shop and she got a post card for the scrap book. The rain did not let up but we made it to the half way bridge. There was snow everywhere and it was amazing. It was too icy to go to the top so we stayed by the bridge for a bit and took pictures. I wrote out this story about " Love Stones" which I made up. I read her the story and each stone represented us. Alone they are still significant, but together they are magical. The guy goes first and closes his eyes and the girl counts for 15 seconds. After that the guy makes a wish and throws his stone into the waterfall off of the bridge then it is the girls turn to go. Once both stones have been thrown into the waterfall it signifies the deep love that they have for each other and it will live on forever. Shelley closed her eyes and made her wish and then she threw her stone into the water. When she turned around and opened her eyes, I was on one knee in the snow with the ring in my hand. She said , "Yes!" I am so happy to be getting married to the girl of my dreams. After we left Multnomah Falls, I surprised Shelley and took her to dinner at Skamania Lodge. That place is absolutely breath taking and the food is amazing. The lodge was covered with snow and the views were gorgeous. After that we met my parents at a party and hung out with them for a bit. Then we met some friends for a drink and went to a re-gift exchange party at our other friends house downtown which overlooked all of Portland. It was amazing and the perfect day to end 2009 and say hello to 2010.

" Life is amazing, especially when you share it with the ones you love."
-Brandon Zornado

It's Snowing!

Today when I was eating lunch I looked out the window and I saw that it was starting to snow. There is 2 inches of snow now at my place in Tualatin. It is coming down hard, and it is awesome. The traffic is horrible today and there have already been a lot of accidents. The snow won't be here for long, so let's enjoy it when it is. When you get home tonight, make a fire and have some tea and look out at the snow. It is a wonderful sight and we should be thankful for it's beauty. Enjoy your day and drive safe.

" Life is a journey, live it." -Brandon Zornado

It's almost time!

Today is Dec 24Th, which means that it is Christmas Eve and tomorrow is Christmas! The weather channel said that there is a very slight chance that we will have a White Christmas, but we can still hope for it. I know everyone is probably getting off work early today if they even have to go in. Many people get together with one side of the family tonight and then the other side tomorrow. My Christmas's started last night! My girlfriend and I did our X-mas together which was absolutely fantastic. Now today we will be going over to my Mom's house to do Christmas with her and my Step-Dad, then later tonight we will be doing it at my girlfriend's parents house, then tomorrow we will wake up and I go to Christmas at my Dad's then we go over to my Grandma's in Estacada then my girlfriend will meet back up with me at my Aunts house on my Mom's side and we will do Christmas with the whole family there, then tomorrow night we will do Christmas at my other Aunt's house on my Step-Dad's side. It is a very jammed packed couple of days, but we are ready for it. I hope that everyone enjoys their time with their friends and family tonight and tomorrow. Remember it is not about the presents, it is about spending time with the one's you love and giving back.


" Smile big, be thankful, show your love, and thank the Lord." -Brandon Zornado

Chance of snow!

It is cold outside and there is a good chance that it will snow tonight. It has been raining some today and the temperature is below freezing. It is very important that when you are driving to be safe. Give yourself a little extra time to get where you are going. Even though it has not snowed yet, the roads are starting to get slippy and the rain could turn to freezing. Most people in Oregon don't know how to drive in bad weather. Just make sure that you are cautious and always keeping your eyes on the road.
I hope that it snows, because it is wonderful when it does. I don't want the city to shut down for two weeks like last year but a few days would be great. I hope everyone enjoys their Saturday!

" Wish for something big, who knows, it might come true." -Brandon Zornado