Amy: What can I say about Nashville, TN? My first home away from home, it holds many memories for me. After graduating high school, I moved from a very small town in southern Ohio (township, actually) to attend college in Nashville. It was a whole new world. Big city living...from my perspective, anyway. I was there for 3 years in the early 90's and loved everything about the area--the four seasons, the city and the country, the music scene, just the whole vibe. I truly had my first real taste of independence in Nashville. Erik was in the Marine Corps stationed in Memphis during much of the time I lived in Nashville, and we became very familiar with both cities, alternating weekends between the two. We have both always said that Nashville is a place where we would one day like to live again...if only for a week! The drive into Nashville was interesting as it had been almost 15 years since I was there last. So much had changed in certain areas, yet were exactly the same in others. A combination of old and new. I guess that's how it is with everything that evolves.
Erik: We stayed at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park campground and it was a very cool place for adults and kids. A bit on the pricey side ($58/night), Jellystone proved to be worth every cent! A great place to be for the 4th of July weekend. Lots of kids for the girls to play with and the staff had activities planned all throughout the day. They were busy from sun up to sun down. Very nice for Amy and me, as it gave us a chance to work on the blog. The campground was located a mile from Opryland and a mile away from our all-time favorite restuarant: Cock of the Walk!!!
Two Words: Yum, Yum.
Amy: If you are ever in Nashville, eat at Cock of the Walk. You will not be sorry. The campground was nice, but kind of on the smaller side and it sat directly off the interstate. However, I still felt like we were exactly where we were supposed to be. The girls played, we blogged. It had been almost six weeks since the Carroll's Great Adventure began and we knew if we didn't get the blog up and running ASAP, it would never happen and I did not want that. We made a promise to ourselves that we would document our travels and record our memories and we had the perfect opportunity in Nashville to start...which for me is always the hardest part. It turned out to be a very fun and exciting creative process--remembering, re-living, and trying to find the perfect words and pictures to convey those moments and emotions to others.
Erik: We were somewhat concerned that we would be limited in Nashville as to what we could do and where we could stay due to the severe flooding that took place two months prior. Amazingly, the only real indication that the campground or Opryland had been under 10 feet of water were the signs at all of the businesses stating, "YES, WE ARE OPEN!" Amy and I would take multiple bike rides down to a lower lying wooded area at the bottom of the property, and we saw debris, limbs, rocks, etc. that remained behind as the water recessed. Then again we were looking for indications. We found a tree that was hollow at the base. Not sure if the tree was like that prior to the flooding but it made for a cool picture.
What I failed to capture was the multiple times Amy, um, I mean Corky tried to get out of there, stood straight up and jabbed her back with that little piece of "TREE" seen above her in the picture. Now imagine that you were me, watching this unfold. Trying to tell her to NOT stand up but to rather slide out. Imagine a place where repeated pain is common and hard lessons are seldom learned. Now you are in Amy's World...Amy's World...Partytime...Ouch. What seemed like a great idea was simply a hard lesson for her and a comical masterpiece for me. I mean, that tree wasn't about to move when she hit it. So you know that hurt. But, my Corky is so determined! She tries again! OOOOOOOUUUUUUCCCHHHHHHH! I will put her up against anyone for pain endurance. Way to go Scribby, you're #1!
Amy: Erik has a wonderful talent for turning my physical pain into comic fodder! And I'm his number one fan! He keeps me entertained and I give him ample opportunities. If laughter is the best medicine, then Erik and I are verrrrrrry well-medicated! I'm fine, by the way. Take a lickin' (or 2 or 3) and keep on tickin', that's my motto.
It's interesting to watch the girls at the campgrounds and how they interact with those around them. Zoe wastes no time meeting everyone. By the end of our day of arrival, she usually knows the staff on a first name basis and her circle of friends can change daily. Emily, on the other hand, is more reserved and likes to thoroughly check out her surroundings and analyze the situation before making any moves. Emily tends to form a deeper connection with people, and the most difficult part for her moving from one campground to another is saying good-bye. Zoe truly lives in the moment and is simply always looking forward. Good-bye really isn't in her vocabulary, just many, many Hello's!
Erik: The girls weren't the only ones to make friends. Turns out, our neighbors were "radicals" just like us :) He was a government worker, she is a nurse and they have two young children, ages 5 and 7. They quit their jobs, left Massachusetts and are making their way across country in an RV heading to Vancouver, B.C. where they plan to start over. Talking with them, we learned they had a story very similar to our own.
Amy: It is always comforting to talk with like-minded people. People who know exactly where you're coming from. People who you can immediately relate to. People who accept you just because you're you. You don't feel so alone. We are social beings, after all, and there's nothing better than sitting around a fire with a group of friends talking about nothing and everything. Understanding that we truly are all connected and that I AM...just another you.
Erik: We had a fun, relaxing Fourth of July with all the trimmings. Fireworks, live musical entertainment, hot dogs, corn on the cob, watermelon AND cake! Does life get any better? We left Nashville on Monday, July 5, and began making our way to Kansas City via St. Louis. We stopped over night at a KOA campground in East St. Louis (Granite City). We passed endless cornfields, cattle, farms, etc. That pretty much sums up the day.
Amy: It was exciting for the girls to see the St. Louis arch, the "Gateway to the West". The campground where we stayed wasn't all that "family-friendly" in terms of playgrounds, trails, etc. But it was by no means anti-kid either...there was a JUMPING PILLOW!! What more do you need?
I'm going to Kansas City. Kansas City here I come.
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