Graduations, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day—there are so many important occasions in May that you might forget to celebrate something just for fun—National Pet Month! It’s a favorite of ours here at Waterford Crossings in Antioch, Tennessee (just 15 minutes outside of Nashville), because we are a seriously pet-friendly apartment home community, complete with two leash-free pet parks!
Love Is A 4-Legged Word
Our Idea Specialists™, who consider cat hair to be a fashion accessory and never met a dog they didn’t like, spent a little time on the old Google looking for some fun ways to treat themselves and their fur babies. While on the search, they learned that National Pet Week is also a thing, always observed during the first full week of May. It’s sponsored by the Auxiliary to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to foster responsible pet ownership, recognize the human-animal bond, and increase public awareness of veterinary medicine.
Could the theme for 2024 be any better? It’s “Love is 4-legged word.” Hugs and pets all around!!
And cupcakes, doggie cupcakes, too! Or should we say pupcakes, LOL. At Miss Kitty’s Dog Resort/Bakery & Boutique. And how much fun is it that they’re so appropriately located on Kenilwood Drive in Nashville?
Gifts For Grads & Moms
The Waterford Crossings Idea Specialists™ found the perfect combo of pet love and a present for your favorite moms and grads in a custom watercolor painting on canvas. Just upload a photo of your four-legged friend and Texture of Dreams will do the rest!
While the traditional gift of cash to graduates might seem boring, it doesn’t have to be if you put it in a pop-up bouncing gift box filled with confetti. Fun!!
The Idea Specialists™, some moms themselves, think these packages from Spoonful of Comfort will help the strong feminine presence in your life have a “soup-er” Mother’s Day! (They also understand that you might just be tempted to treat yourself to of their yummy goodies to enjoy in your comfy clothes in the privacy of your own luxury apartment.)
Food & Flowers
You can’t go wrong with taking Mom out for a special meal on her special day, especially if you’ve given her some flowers first. Nashville Guru has done its always-excellent job of doing a good list of area restaurants with Mother’s Day lunch, brunch, and dinner offerings. Goodness, it’s going to be so hard to pick this year! But right now we’re leaning toward keeping it casual and close to home at The Waffle Taco on Bell Road. You can’t go wrong with their egg and turkey sausage tacos. Followed by a bubble waffle for dessert, of course!
Make Memorial Day Memorable
The Idea Specialists™ know it might seem a little early in the month to be planning your friends and family Memorial Day gathering by one of Waterford Crossings’ three gorgeous resort-style pools, but advance planning is never a bad thing!
This year, they’re for sure including grilled peach caprese salad on the menu, with the freshest of peaches and tomatoes from the always-awesome Nashville Farmers’ Market. There are lots of recipes out there for this spring and summer classic, but our group is particularly fond of this one at How Sweet Eats (and not just because food personality and cookbook author Jessica Merchant says glitter is her middle name, LOL).
We’re also fond of a nice sangria by the pool, and Southern Living has a great piece on which wines to use for it. If you don’t already have a favorite way to make yours, check out this white sangria on Dinners, Dishes & Desserts.
Honoring Their Memory
Watching the National Memorial Day Concert, featuring the National Symphony Orchestra with guest performers, is an annual tradition for the Idea Specialists™. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Chiefs of Staff also participate in the concert, offering their leadership perspective on the value and honor of military service and acknowledging the challenges that veterans and their families face.
Always broadcast and streamed by PBS the Sunday night before Memorial Day, the concert honors our country’s veterans, servicemen and women, and military families, and all those who died in America’s wars. Its goal is to unite the country in remembrance and appreciation of those who gave their lives for our nation and serves those who are grieving through the mission put forward by Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address, “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.”
