3 Day Getaway: Nashville

As arguably the worst Texan ever, I grew up hating country music. It wasn't until my first year of medical school, when my favorite morning show, the Bobby Bones Show, switched over from a top 40 station to a country music station, that I fell in love with the genre. After moving to New England, I really began to miss the country vibes of the south. Not wanting to just return to Austin for a trip (not that I haven't done that too!), my best girl, Jess @jessicamacfarlane and I booked a trip to the country music capital itself, Nashville. We left at 6am (OUCH!) from Boston and landed in Nashville around 10am on Friday. 

Day 1: Friday

Once we dropped our bags off at the Airbnb, we got an Uber down to 12 South, the notorious shopping district of Nashville. We started out getting some lunch and some much needed caffeine at Frothy Monkey, which is every bit as charming as it's name insinuates. 

Coffees in hand, we started strolling down 12 South popping into all the amazing boutiques that line the street. Of course, we couldn't miss Reese Witherspoon's flagship store- Draper James, where we got complementary sweet tea (how amazing is this, like, are you kidding me?!) and picked up some southern goodies. Conveniently, the "I Believe in Nashville" sign is right across the street from Draper James, so we ditched our shopping bags for a quick pic. 

After we'd had our fill of shopping (aka ran out of money), we holed up at a local bar, Edley's Bar-B-Que, where we found a ladies room with chalkboard walls.... and managed to spend the next 2 hours drawing (oops!). 

The science nerd in me never quits 

Covered in chalk and slightly buzzed, we went back to our Airbnb to get ready for dinner and dancing. Itching for some comfort food, I had picked out The Pharmacy for dinner. I should have known that other people would be feeling the same way on a Friday night! We ended up waiting for awhile, so I recommend calling ahead and getting on their waitlist. I will say however, it was definitely worth the wait! The staff, the food and the beer were amazing. 

After dinner, we headed out to Broadway, the main street for nightlife in Nashville, for some live country music. MAN. We were NOT disappointed. We spent most of the night at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and danced our hearts out. I also found another wall to draw on! With full hearts and sore feet, we grabbed an Uber back to our Airbnb and crashed. 

Day 2: Saturday

We started off our Saturday with brunch at the most adorable, Instagram worthy restaurant called Le Sel. When I saw their blush pink velvet booths, I was sold. I was also that crazy person who put "in a pink velvet booth, please!" under special requests. And then of course, we hardly took any pictures because we were SO obsessed with our food. I highly recommend the eggs benny and avocado toast. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 

Photo from Le Sel website

Not sure what we're doing here, but it's the only photo where you can see the blush booth ;D

We had plan to check out Yazoo Brewery after brunch, but ended up going to Centennial Park and laying out in the sun instead. This park is actually super interesting because it has a replica of the Parthenon in it. Not to mention the volleyball games, giant bubbles and artists singing. Definitely worth checking out. After we'd had our fill of sunshine, we drove over to the Country Music Hall of Fame and perused the galleries and exhibits. We also picked up some Johnny Cash swag in the gift shop because why not? We went back to our Airbnb to get ready for dinner and a show at the Grand Ol' Opry. We had dinner at Holland House, which is amazingly swanky and perfect for cocktails or dinner. Our night at the Opry was amazing and something neither of us will ever forget. Even if you're not that into country music, and have no idea who's playing, the show will be amazing, and the atmosphere is overwhelming. They really are a family. I only knew one group, and was still tearing up multiple times at the amount of love and warmth from the artists and the fans. 

After the Opry, we went back home called it an early night. Because thats how you roll sometimes when you're in your late twenties. 

Day 3: Sunday 

We had a light breakfast at our Airbnb Sunday morning before heading out to do some exploring. We had planned to catch a show at the Bluebird Cafe, but alas, they were sold out. If you're trying to see a show at the famous venue, I would recommend having multiple people by a computer to start waiting in line. You get assigned a random place in "the que" so even if you log on right when they go on sale, there's no guarantee you'll get tickets. So, we drove by the venue anyways to see what all the fuss was about, and it was so much more tiny than I had imagined! Maybe because on the show Nashville it looks huge, but in reality, it's a very cozy, intimate place. Hopefully we have more luck on our next trip! 

After our quick trip to the Bluebird, we stopped by Hattie B's fried chicken for lunch. Be prepared to wait in line when you get there! There are no reservations and the seating is limited, but the food is amazing and again, so worth the wait. Don't forget to get some sweet tea! We wandered around town for a bit more before heading home to get ready for dinner and pack up our stuff, which was of course- literally everywhere. How does this always happen to me?  

Dinner that night was something I had heavily researched before we got to Nashville. And y'all may laugh, but the main thing I wanted on this trip was QUESO. I cannot even tell you how much I miss queso. It's unreal. So, I looked over the menus of a ton of Mexican food restaurants and landed on Rosepepper Cantina. The food was fantastic and they had the funniest T-shirts. The queso was delish but not quite as good as the queso in Austin, sorry Nashville! 

After dinner, we headed back down to Broadway for some more country music and dancing. We seriously could not get enough of Broadway! 

A blonde, a brunette and a red head walk into a bar.... 

Day 4: Monday 

We woke up early Monday morning to squeeze in a trip to Biscuit Love before heading to the airport. You guys. This place is freaking amazing. We split a savory biscuit with sausage gravy and a sweet biscuit with jam, both of which were so, so good, I still dream about them. Not to mention the decor is wicked Instagram worthy!  See what I did there? SO New England. 

And that's it! We flew back and resumed our everyday lives on Tuesday. So maybe it's more like a 4 day getaway in total! I hope y'all enjoyed it, stay tuned for more 3 Day Getaway posts coming soon! 

Love, Cait

The "3 Day Getaway" and Why YOU Should do it too

We all know that exploring the world is important- taking in all the landmarks you grew up learning about, experiencing a different culture, tasting local foods, aimlessly walking down new streets with nothing other than your whim to guide you. We've been taught that traveling is essential to the human experience, and yet, finding the time to venture out of our comfort zones is hard! Most of you know that I went "straight through", which is a way of saying that I went straight to college from high school, straight to medical school from college and straight to residency from medical school without taking time off. In hindsight, that was pretty masochistic, but I was so excited to become a doctor, that it seemed like the natural thing to do at the time. Now that I'm in my second year of residency (out of 5 total), I'm starting to feel the lack of life experience weighing me down. 

As young professionals, we feel like our personal lives often suffer at the hands of growing our careers, and that we have to choice between travel and climbing the ladder at work. I always feel like there is something I could be doing to be a better caregiver to my patients, whether it be reading more articles on the latest pharmacology research, learning novel psychotherapy techniques or taking on more volunteer or research projects in the community. Ironically, the fact is, I am a MUCH better doctor and person when I'm well rested and when my spirit feels nourished. So I'm sitting in the on-call room, daydreaming of far off places, and it hits me. Why does the vacation have to be long to get something out of it? Is it ideal, no, of course not, but it's a way to see the world while I'm still (relatively) young. Places I fall in love with, I can always put on my bucket list to go back for longer periods, and places that were kind of lame, I'll know aren't worth the longer trip. And thus, the 3 day getaway was born. Making these short trips has become something that keeps me going when the days are long and the nights are even longer. I usually schedule these trips over long weekends to further minimize the number of vacation days I'm taking.  There is something so necessary for my wellbeing about getting the hell out of your geographic and emotional comfort zone every once and awhile. I love planning trips (made so easy with Pinterest!) and packing the perfect outfits. I love BEING somewhere different, away from my pager, my work email (how the fuck do so many messages build up!?) and my daily life problems. I love the feeling of coming home. When I do go back to work, I'm more upbeat, I'm energized and have a renewed love for my job. The truth is, we all hear the term "burnout" and know what to look out for, but when the symptoms are mild (feeling kind of dysphoric, having a hard time getting out of bed and out the door in the morning, feeling numb to the work you do) you don't feel justified in taking personal time to recuperate. The guilt of saddling other colleagues with your workload makes taking a break not worth it. We have ALL been there. We all know that taking sick days really is frowned upon and that admitting you're burning out makes you seem weak. This is the beauty of a short, scheduled vacation. No guilt about being gone so long that someone else has to learn your case load, no questions like, "omg, are you ok?" no drama. You get a certain number of vacation days a year- take them. Take them while you're young and have the opportunity to integrate what you learn while traveling into your life. Schedule the vacation, don't back out, and just GO. 

DIY Kilim Rug // Hairpin Leg Bench

I've been dying to make use of the hairpin legs that have been trending on social media this year, and when I saw this empty little nook in our new bedroom, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity! 

On my hunt for the perfect fabric, I got pretty discouraged. All of the Kilim and Turkish fabric/ blankets were insanely expensive and with all the closing/moving costs, I just couldn't justify the expense. Cue Urban Outfitters saving the day! During my google image search, I came across this rug and knew it would be perfect. It was the right color scheme and pattern, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of the thickness and texture a rug would bring to the project. And at under $100, the price couldn't be beat! I ordered my hairpin legs from Pretty Pegs, the 18.9in size, because I was wanting a taller bench, but most benches height is around 18in total. This Etsy shop has great value and will powder coat (really durable paint) your hairpin legs for just $20 more. I recommend the brass color! And now for the DIY!

Materials: 2ftx4ftx1in board (or whatever size you need). Just make sure to get wood that supports your weight, 2ftx4ftx3in foam, fabric or rug, staple gun, hairpin legs, screws, a drill (or screw driver) and super glue. 

STEP 1

Super glue your foam (I had to cut mine to fit) onto your board. 

STEP 2

Position your rug where you want it, taking extra care to center the pattern if you need to 

Make sure your pup approves of your placement decisions! 

STEP 3

Flip your bench top over so that the rug is against the ground. Try REALLY hard not to move the fabric! 

STEP 4

Cut the extra fabric off. My husband wanted the cut to be straight so he used his handy level as a straight edge.

STEP 5

Fold the fabric over the wood and foam. Position the pattern where you want it (again, just making sure its right!). Once you're sure you have one side where you want it, put a staple in the middle on that one side. Pull the fabric to the left so that it's level with the fabric where you put a staple, and add a staple there. Repeat on the right so that you have a row of 3 staples on one side, about 2 in apart. Once those 2 staples are in place, go to the other side. Pull the fabric in the middle so that it feels snug, but not like its squishing the foam down, and put a staple there. Repeat the pulling/leveling process again until you have 3 staples, 2 in apart on that side as well. 

At this point, flip your bench over and make sure your fabric is still where you want it and that it hasn't moved on you! If it has, take out the staples and repeat step 5. 

STEP 6

Work your way down each side from the middle staples, making sure your fabric edge is staying level and that your not starting to pull to hard to too lose, until you reach the ends. Leave about 2-3 inches on each side free so that you have room to do the corners. 

STEP 7

Do the same thing on the short sides that you did on the longer sides. Start in the middle and work your way out, leaving 2-3in unstapled at the corners. 

STEP 8

Okay, here's the hard part. The corners. Because it's almost impossible to understand corners through text and pictures, I'm attaching a video of me doing one of the corners! Hopefully that really helps clarify things! 

STEP 9

Staple down any lose ends, or danglers in your fabric 

STEP 10

Position your hairpin legs where you want them. We did 2 inches from the long sides and 3 inches from the short sides. Screw them into place using a drill or screw driver. 

STEP 11

Flip over your bench and admire your hard work!!! 

NOTE: If your corners are starting to poke out like this, a dot of super glue will fix it right up!

And there you have it!! My first DIY tutorial! I would LOVE feedback, so feel free to comment below or shoot me an email :) 

Our First Home: My Must Haves

When we started looking for a house in New England, I knew there were a few things I couldn't live without. Obviously, I wanted a New England style home, and for me that was a colonial or a craftsman, but this post is going to focus on interior details. The first one was a fireplace that I could paint white with enough room to hang my custom 36x36 Britt Bass Turner painting above (so obsessed with her!). This focal point is something I've been wanted to do for AGES. 

My custom painting by Britt Bass Turner, photographed by me

If a house had this, I would continue to look and see if it had a sunroom area that I could convert into my office. I've always had an office in our rental properties, but it's always been in an extra bedroom and never felt like a place I could be creative or study. I wanted a bright, sunny spot that I could decorate colorfully. This photo by the Home Edit is pretty much my dream office!

Image via The Home Edit on Pinterest

The last thing I would look for was layout/footprint and the potential that brought. I knew we weren't going to have the money upfront for the absolutely PERFECT house, but I liked knowing that we would be able to shape our home into the place of our dreams. This included a large, open kitchen, a separate dining room and some way I could create a HUGE closet upstairs (I have way too much stuff, y'all). 

Image via Pinterest, source unknown (please message me if you know the source so I can credit!)

Image via Pinterest, source unknown (please message me if you know the source so I can credit!)

Other pluses, but not musts, were a white kitchen, built-ins, a patio/deck in the backyard and a fence so our pups could run around. I didn't end up with any built-ins, or a fence, but our backyard is this amazing oasis that we are completely obsessed with, and the kitchen is white! It's smaller, and needs some upgrades, but hallelujah for not having to paint cabinets, amiright!? 

Here are some pics from our very own colonial! Search the hashtag #thewildscolonial to see everything related to our home on instagram!

I can't wait to share with you guys what I've purchased so far in terms of furniture, lighting choices, new hardware for the kitchen, front door decor (yes, I'm crazy!) and my favorite- art!

Our First Home: The Buying Process

When I found out that I "matched" into the child and adolescent psychiatry residency at UMass in March, my husband and I decided that since we would be in the same place for at least 5 years (and probably much longer), we should take the plunge and buy our first house. I've always pictured this process as something that would be nothing but insanely fun, but it's been WAAAY more frustrating than we ever imagined. Hopefully I can share about our experience in order to help YOU buy your first home! :) 

First off, everyone will tell you to get pre-approved for a mortgage before you start shopping. This can take awhile, and if you're like me, you want to start looking right away! We had a good enough idea of our budget thanks to a online mortgage calculator- don't forget to include the monthly home owners insurance and property taxes, which you can usually find towards the bottom of the listing. I then took my monthly salary, subtracted an overestimate of taxes (state and federal) to find out my take home. This helped me find a rough range so that I could start searching before the pre-approval. 

The pre-approval itself is really misleading! I thought the bank wouldn't let us have a loan for anything we couldn't afford, but they were willing to put pretty much anything as the amount on our letter :| so, again, I would recommend using the above strategy so you know how much of your paycheck you'll have left after the house payment. What the letter IS good for is making an offer. Most sellers these days won't accept an offer without a pre-approval.  You'll also have to put around $1000 in escrow at this time, which is applied to your downpayment. 

Once you make an offer, then you wait (lots of this) for the seller to either accept, counter or decline. This took about a week of back and forth, but can take a lot longer just depending on what you're asking for. Once both parties have signed the offer, then you'll forward that contract to your bank so they can get rolling on their side of everything and you'll head to the inspection.

The inspection had to be scheduled and can take anywhere from a few days to weeks depending on the inspectors schedule (our realtor found the inspector for us). The inspection was another $500 (not part of closing costs). The inspector generate a huge report of absolutely everything thats not perfect with the house. You then get with your realtor and decide what you can live with and what you can't. The seller with either agree to fix what you ask them to on their dime or decline to fix anything. At this point you can walk away or continue to proceed to the Purchase and Sale (P&S). 

This is where both you and the sellers will hire an attorney to draft and perfect the P&S. Our realtor found the attorney as well, but you can find your own. Any demands made after the inspection will get finalized and signed here. At this point, the bank will also be asking you for additional documents, like your bank statements, in order to proceed to the appraisal.

The appraisal to me is crazy! So, this is where the bank has someone come to the property and decide how much the home is worth. So, no matter what price you and the seller agree on, the bank will not let you get a mortgage for more than they say the house is worth. So, either the sellers agree to come down on the price, or you have to make up the difference in cash. 

This is where we're sitting right now, the appraisal is happening today, and after this step, I'm told we get a commitment from the bank and then head to closing! Our official date is June 30th. Wish us luck!

Marfa Travel Guide

We recently took a trip to West Texas with two of our best friends and their lovable Labradoodle and although literally NOTHING went as planned, we had an absolute blast! I'm sharing some tips, tricks and recommendations for how to "do" West Texas starting with Marfa. Big Bend & Terlingua guide to follow! 

MARFA

Where to stay: El Cosmico. Hands down the coolest place I've ever stayed (and I went to Atlantis in the Bahamas for my 16th birthday!). You need to make reservations for their accommodations really far in advance. We planned this trip that took place in May at the end of February, and they only had one tent left! The grounds are spectacular- colorful trailers, teepees, tents and yurts galore mixed in with bright hammocks for relaxing. And the rustic outdoor, open roof showers for awesome for washing off that west Texas dirt at the end of the day (yes, it gets EVERYWHERE!). We brought our own tents and camped on their campsite, which never runs out of availability according to the staff, for $15 a person, a night. If you have the foresight to plan in advance, you can book a tiny, adorable trailer (some even have their own bathrooms!) or, my personal favorite, a yurt. All decorated in a stunning modern-bohemian vibe. One of our favorite things about El Cosmico was the lounge/gift shop area at the front. They have a fireplace lounge inside, complementary coffee in the morning and a seating area outside. You can also buy beer! The gift shop is out of this world. I wanted everything (my poor husband) but somehow managed to walk away with only this crazy awesome dog collar, this poster and a sweatshirt. If camping is not your vibe the Thunderbird hotel looked amazing! 

What to do: Take pictures at Prada Marfa. This art installation is actually a short, scenic 30 minute drive outside of Marfa in Valentine, TX. It's obviously an Instagram worthy stop, but we were surprised by the gorgeous mountains and farms that surrounded it. Trust me folks, they put it there for a reason! The Marfa lights. We were unlucky enough to have a thunderstorm roll in the night we were there, but legend tells us they are a must see! Downtown Marfa is full of quaint boutiques, art galleries and unexpected architecture. The town is tiny, so a quick stroll is totally doable. Some of my favorite places were Mirth, Freda, the Marfa Thrift Shop, and the gift shops in the Hotel Paisano 

Alyssa Nikole Photography

Alyssa Nikole Photography

Alyssa Nikole Photography

Alyssa Nikole Photography

Alyssa Nikole Photography

Photo by my husband (Andy)

Where to Eat: Cochineal. If you do nothing else in Marfa, EAT AT COCHINEAL. All 4 of us got something different and individually agreed that it was in the top 5 best meals we had ever had (sorry Mom). The space is stunning and the staff bent over backwards to try and accommodate us, our puppy and the thunderstorm. Make reservations in advance! The prices are totally reasonable (even for medical students!). Salsa Puedes had fantastic tacos. Frama at Tumbleweed Laundry made us amazingly refreshing chai lattes and we had an incredible breakfast at Squeeze Marfa- the lox on rye was TO DIE FOR, y'all! Jett's, Planet Marfa and the Foodshark were also recommended, but we didn't have the time to try 'em out. 

We have a laundry list of things to do and places to see when we come back to Marfa. I'm really hoping to explore more of the art galleries and find that special piece to take home! A special thanks to the insanely talented Alyssa Nikole Garza and her right hand man, who drove all the way out to Marfa to meet us for a photoshoot! Her work speaks for itself, but she is the nicest and most fun person to work with, I cannot sing her praises enough!

Where are YOUR favorite places to explore? I'd love to know! I'll try to get to any questions in the comment section within 24 hours. Thanks for following along!