New Years 2010.

Sorry that its taken me a few days to post a blog about my New Years celebration. I wanted to make sure that I do it justice and take the time to write out all the details (Warning: This will be a long post!) As I mentioned before, I went to Nashville with Allison, and it was a trip we will never forget! We didn't really have much of a plan when we went, we just assumed that there would be something to do in the downtown area where our hotel was, and boy were we right! It was one of the best nights I've ever had!

Allison arrived in Mississippi on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning (New Years Eve) we put our boots on and headed to Nashville, which was about a 4 1/2 hour drive. I know I look oddly flexible in this picture but its really just a weird angle...

We drove through Mississippi and Alabama up to Tennessee...

...and finally made it to the beautiful city of Nashville! We were so excited!

First, we checked into our hotel, which actually had to be booked by my parents through their Marriott points because all the downtown rooms were full! We just wanted the cheapest room considering we didn't plan on spending much time at the hotel, but because my parents are owner's of Marriott timeshares they upgraded us and gave us VIP treatment! We were moved to a room on the top floor of the hotel (the 25th floor) which had a full city view! We also got valet parking, access to a private lounge with free food and drinks, and the extra security of knowing the 25th floor could only be accessed with a room key. We were so excited by our unexpected "star" treatment that as soon as the bellman dropped our bags off and closed the door, we started jumping up and down...literally! Here's part of the view, although this picture really doesn't do it justice...

We could hardly wait to explore and wanted to enjoy the city a bit before dark, so we left the room and started walking. It was so nice that our hotel was right in downtown because we never had to walk more than a block or two to get anywhere.

Here I am in front of the Ryman Auditorium.

And on Broadway Street...

And then we found what I like to call boot heaven :)

We did some shopping and then walked down towards the river where the Hard Rock Cafe was setting up for the big New Years Eve street party that would happen that night.

Oh and it was freezing! It was in the low 20's and very windy.

The cold could not stop us though! We were in full tourist mode. For example, here I am looking way too excited in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame sign...

We stopped in and listened to some good music at "The Stage" for a while...

...and then decided to head back to the hotel to get our New Years hats on and get bundled up for what was sure to be a cold night out on the town. There were lots of girls out that night who were wearing nothing more than a skimpy little back dress, and as a result they were literally shaking from the cold. You could not have paid me to do that! I was warm and content in my peacoat, boots, scarf, and gloves :) Here we are on Second Ave before the huge crowds of people came...

Then we went back to The Stage for some more good music and dancing!

Next we headed out to the Hard Rock Cafe street party and concert.

Clearly, everyone was just as excited to be there as we were...

As midnight approached, thousands of people headed into the streets...

And we even made it on the local news! Click here to see the video clip.

 

At midnight, we counted down with a few thousand of our closest friends as the guitar dropped (similar to NYC's ball drop) and fireworks lit up the sky! Here is the short video clip we took of ourselves at midnight. The video is basically just us screaming and shaking and acting like giddy little kids - Seriously, don't say I didn't warn you...

After the midnight celebration, we got a free concert by Rodney Atkins!!! Such a great way to start the new year...

We stayed out for a little while longer and then headed back to the hotel to open up our much-anticipated, 10-year time capsules! {If you haven't heard the story behind those, click here}.

Here we are on the night we made our time capsule boxes - December 31, 1999...

And here we are now, 10 years later...

These are some of our "treasures" from our year 2000 boxes...

Fuzzy dice, boy band pictures, a push-up lipgoss, and a sign that says "Brown-eyed Bombshell".

Beanie babies and a "2000" hat.

A large array of gel pens and butterfly claw clips.

And of course, an Nysnc poster.

I then opened the letter I had written to my "future self" and read it with anticipation...

Bummer. Turns out mine was really dumb. Example? I told myself who my siblings were and in what order. Like I would not know that in 10 years?! And my prediction for the year 2010? "I predict that there will be a new form of transportation and communication". Wow, nice Lindsay. Oh and I also wrote the letter with a hot pink gel pen.

We had hope for Allison's letter...

...but hers was just as bad! She told herself where she was living (a.k.a. the house she has lived in her entire life up until this past summer) and then made a detailed list of the names of her friends.

It might not have been the great insight to our past that we hoping for but it sure did give us a great laugh! Its amazing how much happens between the ages of 12 and 22. The next day we made new time capsules to be opened on New Years 2020, when we are 32. I can't imagine all that will change in my life over the next 10 years and I know that in 2020 I will be so excited to open another time capsule from my past self!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!