Friday,Saturday & Sunday, 19th, 20th & 21st of August 2011

Well Friday was the day we left for our trip to Tennessee. What a wonderful drive we had. We left the house at 9:15 just after all the work traffic into FW/Arlington/Dallas. Took I-20 around to 635 then up to I-30. The further north we went the greener things got and the temperature dropped under a 100. We stopped in Arkadelphia at the Cracker Barrel for lunch. I was very appalled at their staff. The host was literally bent over the stand coloring on some newspaper with a pen, no greeting what so ever, even while I was standing right next to him waiting on Robert to come out of the restroom. The ladies room was in need of cleaning and when Robert and I were at the table he informed me that they must just be coming out of the lunch rush, which I agreed since it was 2:15. He said that the mens room was REALLY dirty. Our server, who I saw at a table in the third dinning room wasn't caring a tray and had gum that he was chewing like a cow. Came to the table and pretty much asked what we wanted, no greeting, no scripting. We gave him our drink orders and when he came back he had a tray and asked if we knew what we wanted yet. I asked for a little more time cause neither of us had really decided yet. I had decided before I walked in the door but they don't caring what I wanted on their menu. So therefore I really didn't know what I wanted. When he returned again no tray and smacking the gum. We gave him our order and as it should have been we got it in record time. The food was good for the most part. I had the old timers and asked for hard scrambled eggs with cheese. They came med(which I could live with) and the cheese was half melted, again I can live with it but it didn't make for very good eggs. My biscuits were old and hard so when our server came back to the table to ask if there was anything else we needed I asked him if he could get me fresh biscuits, he literally rolled his eyes and took the plate and walked away, not saying a word. He brought me fresher biscuits but still not the freshest. For those of you who know, love and eat at the Barrel we make them fresh and only hold them for and hour and a half. I never saw a manager of any kind that I could tell, I did see one woman with a white shirt and black slacks come out of the kitchen but she had on a back belt, sorta looked like a corset but not so I wasn't really sure who she was. And only saw her the once. Robert went out to start the truck while I payed and I went to the restroom again, which still had not been checked or cleaned since we walked in the door. The whole time the same host still leaning over the host stand doodling. When I came out I looked around the food table for a snack and watched him, I saw a gentleman who I thought might be a manager walk up to the stand the host looked up at him the man said something and the host didn't even stand up straight just kept his head down and doodled then a woman came out of the rest room and when she approached the man he then stood and grabbed 2 menus and took them into the restaurant. Wow, really. I plan on calling HO when we get home as a guest and informing them of what all I saw while we were there. Rising stars with name tags on the right or under the rising star words, wrinkled and very dirty aprons. I was not impressed at all.

We got back on the road and I got on the lap top and played my games on Facebook and enjoyed our drive, we crossed into Missouri and went north for about an hour and some change and then crossed the mighty Mississippi River into the great state of Tennessee. We got to the hotel at 7, so if we hadn't stopped for an hour for lunch and that once for about 15 minutes to get gas and go to the bathroom we probably could have made Dyersburg by 6. lol

We checked into the hotel and got all our bags into the room, called Eugene and couldn't get a hold of him. Decided we'd go get some dinner then hit Walmart since it is literally behind the hotel and we needed to shop for a wedding gift and isn't that what everyone does on vacation, find the nearest Walmart where ever you go. LOL

Eugene called us as we got to the restaurant on Carrie's phone he'd left his at home and they were all at church decorating and doing the rehearsal. Said they'd call after they were done, wanted to come by hotel and see us. Well it was late when they were done and they had to go to Walmart and were gonna stop by but at 10:30 they were all beat since they'd been at the church since 2 so they didn't stop by. LOL. Robert and I just hung out here in the room both on our lap tops listening to the tv as back ground noise and me playing games him reading his news and such. I actually got into the shower just after 10:30 once we found out we weren't having company and got cleaned up because I wanted to straighten my hair also for Saturday. After my shower I started working on my hair and for those of you who know me and have seen me lately there's a lot there to work with. After getting it all brushed out and all the tangles out I started straightening it around 11:15, it was after 2 before I got into bed. Yes it took me almost that entire time to straighten it. But it looked good. LOL

I'm gonna post this and finish it in a little while cause we need to load up the truck, Robert's taking me to Mississippi, lol, instead of Kentucky, we're only 50 min south of the boarder of Kentucky but we need to head south. We were gonna try to go n yesterday and ran out of time. Family obligations ya know.

Enjoy the read and I'll finish this later with all of Saturdays events.

Alrighty then, to complete this, lol.

Saturday we slept in which was nice, actually I slept later than Robert he was already up for a while when I woke up. We got dressed and left the hotel around 10:30 to find a place to eat. We ended up in downtown Newbern and found this little cafe/pool hall with the absolute best hamburgers you've ever tasted. Just after we ordered Justin our nephew joined us. The only live about 3 blocks from downtown and Carrie had dropped him off. Apparently he rides his bike up there most the time so he's a regular. The neatest thing is it's a very small town and he's a regular at this cafe. Like stepping back in time in this little town. After lunch I took some pictures of down town, there's an old train depot across the street from the cafe and it's a museum but also a functioning station. Justin and I were walking around on the platform and there's an area that is a ramp and as I started walking down it the wood is so old and weather worn it was slicker than ice and I became an ice skater with no talent. I fell so hard on my back side, scrapped up my left elbow and jarred my right shoulder but I saved my camera. For those of you who know me and my camera you know how important that is. So after taking my shoes off so that I could get up off my butt and take stock in the damage to my person and pride, I found all was ok. Shoulder hurt and still does, a bit stiff, Robert scrunched me so it helped alot but still stiff. We loaded up and headed to Eugene & Carrie's house. Visited with Carrie and Mary Lou for a bit before we needed to head back to the hotel and get ready for the wedding. Eugene was already at the church as was Rochelle & Michael.

Robert and I got back to the hotel and took our time getting ready. We left the hotel just after 1 and finally found the church around 1:25. I went to the room Rochelle was in getting ready with my camera and started taking pictures. There were a few others also and one young lady who I thought was a friend taking pictures for them I later found out that she was supposed to be the photographer. Once they lined up I got pics of the procession and the girl taking the pictures. I truly thought she was just someone taking pictures, she wasn't dressed like she was working(a t shirt and brown jean capri's). At one point at the beginning of the ceremony we were both on the same side of the alter and we decided I'd stay and she'd go to the opposite side and instead of going down the side isle and around she walked right behind the bride and groom. I was stunned and of course couldn't say anything because the minister had already started. Needless to say I took 630 pictures from start to finish and got some really great shots. I hope she did just as good, I know she got different views. I really had know idea that she was supposed to be the hired photographer. Although like I said I found out after all was said and done by Carrie that Rochelle didn't even meet with the girl until Wednesday and they weren't paying her although Carrie said she saw Janet(Rochelle's birth mommy)give her what looked like a check. ?? So who knows.

After we cleaned everything up and loaded up, we hauled it all back to Eugene & Carrie's. Hung out there for a bit. Robert and I went back to the hotel to change and while we were changing Carrie called and told us where we were going to meet for dinner. We ended up at the same restaurant we'd eaten at Friday night which was ok cause it was really good. We headed on over and Eugene, Carrie, Mary Lou and Justin and his friend Justin(they call them Justin squared) were there. We had to wait a while cause they wanted their favorite waiter. But it was good and we had a nice time. Got to be the only place I've ever seen them bring a pitcher of margarita's. Robert had ordered in his words "the biggest, baddest margarita you have" and the guy brings 2 glasses with ice and a pitcher with an ice core in the middle of margarita's, the second glass to Mary Lou & I shared, although I think she drank most of it cause I didn't even get a buzz. LOL But you could tell she was a bit happier. After dinner the boys all loaded up in our truck and Carrie, Mary Lou and I in theirs and headed back over to our hotel so that I could down load all the wedding pictures to a flash drive for Carrie. The drives she brought didn't have enough memory so Eugene and the 2 Justin's ran to Walmart and got 2 - 4 gig drives and brought them back so that I could down load one for Carrie and another for Mary Lou. I had them on a slide show while we waited for the boys to return and then while the flash drives loaded. Afterward they headed home and we went back to our room(we did all this in the dinning room where we could be comfortable) since it was after 10:30, they were beat. I was pretty beat myself and was out like a light by 12:30, I think I woke up around 2 and Robert was just getting into bed and he was watching something on tv so I don't know what time he fell asleep. I woke up around 8:30 and got dressed went next door(the dinning room was literally on the other side of our bedroom wall) and ate a waffle, back to the room where Robert was sleeping like a baby and I got on my computer. He woke up at 9:30 and was surprised at the time. As soon as he got up we started getting packed up and loaded and left the hotel around 10:30 and got on the road.

We went south to Memphis and Robert was wonderful when I got us lost for about 5 minutes trying to find Graceland. We finally got on the right road and finally found it and got some pictures and stopped in a souvenir shop so I could buy a magnet to go into my collection of all the places I've been. LOL

I've never been to Mississippi so after Memphis we drove on down through Tunica to Route 49 and crossed over the Mississippi River to Helena - West Helena, Arkansas were we ate lunch. We had a wonderful back roads drive and ended up seeing an old civil war era plantation house, it was awesome. No address, but it's been under reconstruction, check out this story, http://www.arkansaslife.com/editions/?p=3272

It has pictures of the house, now when we saw it there is a chain link fence surrounding it and 5 foot weeds and grass surrounding it. It's obvious they haven't commenced reconstruction but they have gotten a metal roof placed on it, you can see some of it on the picture that shows the back two story porch. It really a neat story about it's beginning and those who are taking care of it now. I hope they can finish what they've started. I'd love to go back some day and be able to stay there. It's been called Palmer's Folly or the Palmer house. But I wouldn't call it a folly because it has stood the test of time. The original construction was so well done that it looks to still be in great condition.

We took 49 all the way up to a town called Brinkley(would love to know the history behind that since my step dad is a Brinkley). We got on I-40 and headed South West toward Little Rock where we got on to I-30 and headed toward home. We stopped in Mount Pleasant at an Apple Bee's for dinner and got home around 10:30. So what took us 10 hours to get there took us 12 hours to get home. LOL Taking our little side trip. We weren't in a hurry, we both took Monday off work and knew that it wasn't a rushed trip back. We love taking the back roads because there is beautiful country to see and of course we couldn't have seen that wonderful house if we hadn't.

So we had a wonderful weekend, the weather was fantastic and the area we were in was so green and lush. It was nice to be away from the 100 plus weather for a couple of days. Even drove through some rain today. Wished we could have brought it home with us. Oh and on that same drive from Dyersburg to Memphis which is only a little over an hour there must have been 30 churches of all kinds. And they call Texas the bible belt. Robert and I both couldn't believe at the number of churches we saw. Literally they were across the streets from each other and next door to each other seems like every other block you'd see 2 or more together.

Ya'll have a fantastic week, God Bless.