We arrived Thursday afternoon after a four hour car ride, that I must admit, wasn't all that bad (I HATE riding in a car for long periods of time). The ride went quickly and was pretty uneventful. We stopped at a gas station for a potty break and I really thought we were gonna be taken hostage by some pretty mean lookin' mountain folk, but other than that it was smooth sailing. Once we got into Tennessee, I noticed something foreign . . . people actually know and obey the rules of the road. Slower traffic actually merges in to the right lane to allow faster cars to pass. What the hell? This happened over and over again. Yeah, this is lookin' like my kind of place, for real.
That night we made our way in to Sevierville for dinner. I had fried chicken that tasted just like my Mom's, which is no easy feat. It was scrumptious. We were served apple fritters as a starter. These were big hushpuppy-looking things that tasted like apple bread and served with warm homemade apple butter. To. Die. For. We mighta accidentally ordered some to go. Oops.
Friday morning we went shopping. Yes, I went shopping. There were numerous outlet malls and I am an outlet whore. We ducked in to a burger joint to feed the baby, after I scored some great deals at my favorite stores. In a sea of orange (everyone in Tennessee wears orange) I barely noticed this young man wearing an orange t-shirt, until he walked by me and I saw the front of it. It was a Browns shirt. We talked briefly and turns out Cleveland has a huge following there. Who knew? These people are serious about their football--it's a mainstream religion in Tennessee. Now I'm really diggin' this state.
We made our way in to Knoxville that evening, which was about a half-hour drive from where we were staying. The motherland. The college football mecca. At least for John. I was promised ribs, so I happily complied. If a picture is worth a thousand words, I really needn't say more . . .
Neyland Stadium
John's Disneyland--the UT Bookstore
He showed amazing restraint in the store. He bought Riley a hat (in case y'all couldn't tell from the ridiculous number of pictures I uploaded to Facebook), Sandy a toy, and himself a t-shirt at my insistence.
Too cute for color TV!
We then headed down to a popular restaurant on the river. We waited for nearly an hour for a table. This should speak volumes, as I am rarely willing to wait at all, much less forty minutes. Keith Urban was in town and this place was busier than a one-legged man in an ass kickin' contest. There were folks everywhere. We were finally seated and I ordered a full rack of ribs with mac 'n cheese and slaw. I'm glad there was no chance of running in to someone I knew, as I tore in to them like I was eating my last meal, 'cause I'm classy like that. Dee-lish. This meal alone justified the four hour car ride.
It was well worth the wait . . . and me looking like a pig.
Saturday we had a chance to visit with family. We spent the rest of the day at the hotel in the pool or napping. Most of the time it seems John and I are more roommates than husband and wife, so it was nice to slow down and spend some time together. Awesome.
I have visited Tennessee a few times and have always found the people to be super friendly. Riley was oohed and aahed over everywhere we went. Everyone was nice and helpful. On a previous trip to Tennessee, I stopped at a gas station to use the facilities and ask for directions. Upon walking in the store, the man at the register said hello and asked how "mama 'n 'em" were doing. I immediately looked over my shoulder to see who he was talking to, as I knew he didn't know my "mama 'n 'em". I was surprised by it and found it ridiculously charming. By the end of my stay I had grown accustomed to answering, "Just fine. Thanks for askin'". How can you not love a place like that?
Yesterday, we decided to come home by way of Boone, so we could check out my brother-in-law's new digs. The quickest route was closed due to construction, so we detoured through some beautiful countryside. Our detour took us north to Virginia, back in to Tennessee, and finally in to North Carolina. Lush green trees, winding roads, and breath-taking views of the mountains made the thirty extra minutes more than tolerable. The digs were nice too. He has a gorgeous rustic condo with a stellar view . . . . that I will be visiting again. Soon. I'm sorta taking it upon myself to make this my winter vacation home.
I called him a whore. Several times.
This little escapade was well worth my efforts and made me feel slightly guilty for bitchin' in the first place. I mean, any state that is the subject of a John Denver song has to be a goodtime, right?
Absolutely.
Ahem. Just one brother-in-law?! Just so everyone knows, a couple lives in Wendy's dream retreat. Glad you liked *our* place in Boone!
ReplyDeleteIt was a privacy thing . . . . if you'll notice, I didn't call my brother-in-law by name! I wasn't sure how either of you would feel about it! Not that a have a lot of followers, but still!
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