Ok, I know I didn't finish my blog about Disney, but I wanted to blog about our recent trip to Tennessee to see Brian's mom and step dad. We went to a town called LaFayette, TN. It is next to a town called Bugtussle. This is where the horrible tornado struck in February and it put this little town on the map and even the President went there to declare it an area of destruction. Brian's family moved down there in October. This is the area where his step dad grew up so he still has family down there. We went down there to see Brian's mom get baptized by immersion. It was pretty cool. We wanted to be a part of it since Bailey had a lot to do with her grandma being saved. The kids were singing "over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house we go" because that is literally what were doing, except we had to go
through the river. If the river is too high to go through then we would of had to go the long way around. The lanes are one lane and there are many hills and cattle along the way. You really do feel like you are leaving the world behind, but with every person or car we did see, they all nodded and waved. Every single one. It made you feel like you were their friend and were welcome to stay for awhile. I loved it. It was so peaceful and welcoming. After we arrived the kids went for a "tour" through the property. They have woods and a creek that runs through it. The kids loved it! They found all sorts of different plants, animals and were just amazed at all of this. There were so many hummingbirds, you had to shoo them away because you thought it was a wasp or something because you can hear there wings flapping so hard. I have never seen so many hummingbirds and they were not afraid to come by you or land on you!! I saw them every time I was outside.
Then Brian took the kids 4-wheeling. They had a blast!! The kids could scream as loud as they wanted since the neighbors weren't very close. The hills around them were magnificent. There was just such a peace about the place. It seemed like the world stopped. Everyone we ran into was so nice and life just seemed slower paced. People weren't in a hurry, they actually said "hi" when they saw you and started conversations with you! People weren't rude when you were waiting in line, the cashiers actually looked like they liked their job ( I don't know how many times I have been checking out and the cashiers looked irritated or complained about their job back in the "real world").
My in-laws have cattle and a stocked pond on one of their properties. All the female cattle were pregnant or just had a calf. They have to be fed twice a day so it was neat to see them being fed. They would be a long ways across the field and as soon as they saw my father-in-law pull up they would start running to the fence at full speed. It was a funny site!
On Sunday we went to church. It literally was a white little church with a big steeple on the roof, up on a hill, overlooking an old cemetery. It looked like a scene out of a picture. I almost expected to see horse carriages arriving instead of cars. It was a neat experience. After church we all headed to the creek, after a southern lunch, to see Brian's mom get baptized, and yes, it literally was in the creek. It was so amazing to see us all there and watch her get baptized! It was such a special moment. We were all crying and so proud of what she did.
On Monday Brian and I headed back home and left the kids in TN with the grandparents. The kids had the best time ever! Almost every morning Bailey and Bella would get up at 5:00 (by their choice) to help grandpa feed the cattle. They would wear their cowboy boots, cowboy hats and overalls. Then they would come home and Bella would stay in the house while Bailey and Bryson headed to the garden to tend to it and harvest it. They went wild blackberry hunting and then made homemade jam with it. Bailey helped make homemade corn bread in an old cast iron skillet. One day they went fishing in the pond and they all caught some fish. Bryson caught a bass and catfish as did Bella and Bailey caught a bass. They watched grandpa cut up the fish and then they had it for dinner the next night. Bailey and Bryson couldn't eat enough of it!! Bailey said it was the best fish she ever had. They went to an awesome creek by the house. It had a zip line and ropes to jump in it. The creek was so clear that you could stand up to your shoulders in the water and still see the pebbles at the bottom. You could see the crawfish and fish swimming around. I have never seen such a clearer creek. The kids had so much fun there and they got to experience so much that week. They really got a feel of what life is like down there. Needless to say they really didn't want to come back to Ohio. They wanted to come home to us, but wanted to stay in that kind of life down there. Bailey especially. She really took to that kind of life. She misses the peacefulness of life down there and the people. I think it was so important for them to see how other people live. I think it really opened up her eyes. We went grocery shopping the day after they came back and Bailey kept making comments about how rude people were and what a big hurry they were all in. She said "they aren't like this in TN and I want to go back." I know the feeling. I loved life down there as well and told Brian on the way home that I would move down there in a heartbeat. If only there was a major city closer by that he could get a job at. Nashville and Memphis are the closest ones and it would be quite a commute through the country hills.
Well, when I get a chance I will try to post some pictures of the fun we had.
