JUNE 27, 2012
WEDNESDAY
Memphis
Breakfast: Hotel - scrambled eggs
9am meeting with THIGH HIGH
JEANS - Kerry and Ann (love them)
Memphis Temple - photos
Lunch: Gus’s Fried Chicken (Mason, TN) - All
of the franchises have their batter made in Mason and transported to the
restaurant locations. No one outside the Bonner family name knows what goes
into that magic mix, but it’s the batter and the method that makes it great.
The chicken isn’t just dipped, but marinated, soaked in that secret mixture
before it’s popped in the fryer. Vernon (a.k.a “Gus Bully”) ran the business
until his death in 2007, still lovingly commemorated on a well-loved dry erase
board with an impromptu down-home message: “Gus, Rest In Peace. We love you.
07-24-07.”
Another breakfast in the
hotel lobby and just as delicious.
The day started with a delightful visit with THIGH HIGH JEAN 
owners
Kerry and Ann. They take donated
jeans, add some flare fabric to the legs, and stick a quote on the leg. I brought my own jeans and told them a
little about my life and they take the info and find a quote to fit my
personality. 
Ali and Sandra bought
adorable, ruffled, skirts with quotes that fit them each perfectly, it seemed
surreal. We chatted comfortablely
for over an hour, laughter and stories came easily. Ann latched onto Sandra and is her newest fan. She insisted we eat lunch at Gus’s
Fried Chicken and made a map with directions so we wouldn’t get lost, and she
called later to make sure we made it.
owners
Kerry and Ann. They take donated
jeans, add some flare fabric to the legs, and stick a quote on the leg. I brought my own jeans and told them a
little about my life and they take the info and find a quote to fit my
personality. 
Ali and Sandra bought
adorable, ruffled, skirts with quotes that fit them each perfectly, it seemed
surreal. We chatted comfortablely
for over an hour, laughter and stories came easily. Ann latched onto Sandra and is her newest fan. She insisted we eat lunch at Gus’s
Fried Chicken and made a map with directions so we wouldn’t get lost, and she
called later to make sure we made it.
With
sadness, we departed the great women and headed out to see the real Memphis
temple. 
It is a small temple with
beautiful pink flowers and magnolia trees. We took pictures, or course, and headed out on I-70 for a
scenic route to Mason, TN for lunch with Gus - the Original Gus.
It is a small temple with
beautiful pink flowers and magnolia trees. We took pictures, or course, and headed out on I-70 for a
scenic route to Mason, TN for lunch with Gus - the Original Gus.
We
flew past the tiny house-like restaurant, but made our way back easily since
there were only two buildings around. 
It is the size of Sandra’s living room, paneled with wood and covered in
linoleum. 
The locals stared us
down as we entered and sat at a round table near the kitchen and the white
board stating “RIP Gus 2007”. 
The
menu contained chicken and...chicken.
We ate family style from a cafeteria tray - different chicken parts,
wonder bread in a stack, cup of beans, and my new favorite coleslaw. I saw my first Jerry Springer with our
waitress - a man found out he was dating a man, not a woman...wow.
It is the size of Sandra’s living room, paneled with wood and covered in
linoleum. 
The locals stared us
down as we entered and sat at a round table near the kitchen and the white
board stating “RIP Gus 2007”. 
The
menu contained chicken and...chicken.
We ate family style from a cafeteria tray - different chicken parts,
wonder bread in a stack, cup of beans, and my new favorite coleslaw. I saw my first Jerry Springer with our
waitress - a man found out he was dating a man, not a woman...wow.
Hopped
on the I-40 to Nashville with everyone in the world. Holy traffic batman - a semi-truck thought it was a racecar
and made us nervous for miles! Our first stop was a bizarre 
Mindfield Cemetery - Billy Tripp's life story since 1989. Sandra wrote comments, where appropriate - the notes page - then we continued onward. We
searched for a non-existent fruit
stand, mocked Sandra and continued onto the Nashville Holiday Inn Express on
Broadway. It was nice, but
definitely a step down from the Marriott.
We took a few moments to freshen up before heading out to the Blue Bird
Café.
Mindfield Cemetery - Billy Tripp's life story since 1989. Sandra wrote comments, where appropriate - the notes page - then we continued onward. We
searched for a non-existent fruit
stand, mocked Sandra and continued onto the Nashville Holiday Inn Express on
Broadway. It was nice, but
definitely a step down from the Marriott.
We took a few moments to freshen up before heading out to the Blue Bird
Café.
The
traffic caused the 13 mile drive to take over 40 minutes (and several heart
attacks). 
The Blue Bird Café sat
unassumingly in a small strip mall on the outskirts of town. We had a reserved table thanks to
Sandra (a week ago). 
Our concert
by Walt Aldridge and Nate Barnes left us wanting hours more acoustic guitar and
stories, the two girls seemed to be fillers. 
We ate a delicious dinner as we enjoyed to perfect
“ambinance”. This café is known as
many a musician’s kick start to fame, including Taylor Swift and Garth
Brooks. Walt has written many
famous songs we knew and sang one about dads that made us all teary. Nick is an up and comer dad, if he had
a CD we would have purchased said CD.
The Blue Bird Café sat
unassumingly in a small strip mall on the outskirts of town. We had a reserved table thanks to
Sandra (a week ago). 
Our concert
by Walt Aldridge and Nate Barnes left us wanting hours more acoustic guitar and
stories, the two girls seemed to be fillers. 
We ate a delicious dinner as we enjoyed to perfect
“ambinance”. This café is known as
many a musician’s kick start to fame, including Taylor Swift and Garth
Brooks. Walt has written many
famous songs we knew and sang one about dads that made us all teary. Nick is an up and comer dad, if he had
a CD we would have purchased said CD.
On
our way back to the Holiday, we stopped at
the Parthenon at the edge of
Vanderbilt University. It is built
like the original, but this one was assembled. We had another photo shoot, testing the lighting and the darkness. The bugs swarmed and drove us away. We
went back to the hotel and were almost lulled into a quiet night indoors, but
finally we all shared one bathroom (for better and for worse) and took the
Holiday Inn’s shuttle to the downtown lights. Which happens to be one strip of bars and souvenir
shops. We were hit upon by older
gentlemen and crazy people, because those were the only people around. We ditched that scene and spent much of
our time trying on cowboy boots.
No one purchased any boots (we all regret it to this day). We stopped
and bought ice cream where famous people are shown in a wedding-style video
playing in the shop. We walked
home after less than an hour on the town, worried we would be scared, but it
was very safe...and hot.
the Parthenon at the edge of
Vanderbilt University. It is built
like the original, but this one was assembled. We had another photo shoot, testing the lighting and the darkness. The bugs swarmed and drove us away. We
went back to the hotel and were almost lulled into a quiet night indoors, but
finally we all shared one bathroom (for better and for worse) and took the
Holiday Inn’s shuttle to the downtown lights. Which happens to be one strip of bars and souvenir
shops. We were hit upon by older
gentlemen and crazy people, because those were the only people around. We ditched that scene and spent much of
our time trying on cowboy boots.
No one purchased any boots (we all regret it to this day). We stopped
and bought ice cream where famous people are shown in a wedding-style video
playing in the shop. We walked
home after less than an hour on the town, worried we would be scared, but it
was very safe...and hot.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
Wild traffic into the
Holiday Inn Express Nashville - popcorn and cookies in the lobby, quick clean
up
Dinner: Blue Bird Café - a music club in Nashville, Tennessee that opened in
1982. The club is famous for intimate, acoustic music performed by its
composers. Walt Aldridge • Garth Brooks • Brooks&Dunn • Mary Chapin Carpenter • Kenny
Chesney • Rita Coolidge • Cowboy Junkies • Billy Dean • Dixie Chicks • Melissa
Etheridge • Art Garfunkel • Vince Gill • Patty Griffin • Nanci Griffith • Ty
Herndon • Faith Hill • Indigo Girls
• Alan Jackson • Carole King • The Kindleys • Brandon Kinney • Patty
Loveless • Kathy Mattea • Brad Paisley • Bonnie Raitt • Rascal Flatts •
SheDaisy • Frank Sheen • Blake Shelton • The Sky Donna Summer • Sweethearts of
the Rodeo • Taylor Swift • Pam Tillis • Keith Urban • Chris Whitley • Trisha
Yearwood
We saw Walt, Rachel, Kathy , and Nick. The men of the group were more involved, talented and story
tellers. Walt and Nick were
comfortable joining in each other’s songs.
JUNE 28, 2012 THURSDAY
NASHVILLE TENNESSEE day two
We woke up early to beat the
crowds to the Ryman. We had a
delicious hotel breakfast - eggs, cereal, and yogurt.
Two men beat us to the
doors, but the doors hadn’t opened yet.
We were the first people in the doors. Sandra signed up for a personal singing recording with the
Ryman. The acoustics are “second
only to the Mormon Tabernacle” as they stated in their informational
video. 
Sandra was able to record a
song with Joshua, where other musical geniuses have recorded.
Sandra was able to record a
song with Joshua, where other musical geniuses have recorded.
The auditorium first opened
as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in
1892. It was built by Thomas
Ryman (1843–1904), a riverboat
captain and Nashville businessman who owned several saloons. It was used for Grand Ole Opry broadcasts from 1943 until 1974, when the Opry built
a larger venue just outside Nashville. The seating is a reminder of the
auditorium's origins as a house of worship, hence giving it the nickname
"The Mother Church of Country Music".
We went back to the strip to
check out some famous places Sandra knows about. We stopped at the Gruhn Guitar shop. We checked out the guitars that cost
more than my car and Sandra purchased a guitar strap and we all got some .50$
guitar picks. Onto the printing
press of old school printing - Hatch. 
If you follow music, art,
and culture of the American South, sooner or later you're bound to run into the
letters, images, and unmistakable "look" of Hatch Show Print. We're
one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, and over the
years our posters have featured a host of country music performers, ranging
from Country Music Hall of Famers Hank
Williams, Bill
Monroe, and Johnny
Cash to contemporary stars such as Garth Brooks and Wynonna.
We were so hot, it was time
for some popsicles! These were not
your everyday popsicles, but special fancy cicles from Los Plantas. The girls ordered lavender, rose petals,
chocolate covered avocado - who knew?!
Then we say goodbye to Nashville. With no plans for lunch, we decided to go easy
and eat at a Tennessee staple, White Castle. I ordered the sliders, turns out they are grilled in
onions. I made it clear I COULDN’T
eat onions. They were not happy
about it and let me know that my burgers would be cooked on a grill made for a
lesser grill. The burgers were
okay. I drank Mellow Yellow that I
thought was lemonade, and it made me ridiculously coo-coo the rest of the day.
An unexpected surprise was
the treehouse in Crossville, TN.
This is a 6 story minister’s house built among the trees. There is a chapel somewhere around the 4th floor. The builder ways he was told, by Jesus,
that He wanted a church in the trees.
We climbed around, carefully, for almost an hour, among several other
tourists...children. Impressive.
DOLLYWOOD or BUST!
Hello Pigeon Forge, Ali
welcomes you and everything you stand for. The drive through town was like a family style Las Vegas;
packed streets, big animated buildings, lights, and hotels with fancy water
parks. It was a lot to take in all
at once, but we did it with big smiles on our faces. Sandra maneuvered us through town and finally into the Smoky
Mountains.
We met Rachel at the
Dollywood cabin clubhouse. 
Ali
almost fainted with excitement.
Sandra helped reorganize the plans for the Dollywood tickets and we were
on our way to The Beary Special cabin. We wound around the mountain roads until
we arrived at our perfect weekend getaway. We were giddy and excited. We toured the cabin from top to bottom and loved every inch. We unpacked the van, but we were
starving so we picked pizza and headed out. Sandra navigated us through the back roads to avoid the main
street. 
The pizza did not
disappoint, HEAVEN! We came home
and spent a relaxing evening in the hot tub.
Ali
almost fainted with excitement.
Sandra helped reorganize the plans for the Dollywood tickets and we were
on our way to The Beary Special cabin. We wound around the mountain roads until
we arrived at our perfect weekend getaway. We were giddy and excited. We toured the cabin from top to bottom and loved every inch. We unpacked the van, but we were
starving so we picked pizza and headed out. Sandra navigated us through the back roads to avoid the main
street. 
The pizza did not
disappoint, HEAVEN! We came home
and spent a relaxing evening in the hot tub.
JUNE 29, 2012 FRIDAY
Ali could barely contain her
excitement, for it was Dollywood morning.
We arrived bright and early with our VIP parking pass, feeling oh so
VIP. We were given lanyards to
hold our ID; VIPs are offered free ice water any time we asked, and a G-BOT
(Q2Q) to hold our place in line at the rides. We wore our badges like royalty and looked down on the
commoners. With the weather over
100 degrees, we relished our theater breaks and our free ice water (which we
later found out is offered to everyone).
Q2Q reminded us of our Dreamland Drive-in time slot. We searched for food and found random
too-hot-for-summer food and did the best we could. We were led to our reserved seat section - VIPs.
The shows contained talent
above and beyond the teenagers we’re used to at our Lagoon shows. The show kept us glued even to the
point that we gasped and some yelled “NO!” when the wrong girl kissed our main
character (causing the audience to laugh). There were no real lines (due to the heat) so we were able
to ride all of the rides before noon!
Wild Eagle is the new ride, the only one of its kind with wings of
people off of the track. The other
rides were your typical roller coasters:
Barnstormer, Blazing Fury, Daredevil Falls, Mystery Mine, Mountain Sidewinder,
Tennessee Tornado, Smoky Mountain River Rampage, and Thunderhead. Q2Q
bleeped again for our next show, luckily we were VIPs because the Gazillion
Bubbles Show was packed with families. 
This show fascinated the audience and drew us in for an hour mesmerized
with bubbles. The lights and music
drove the show forward. Our
favorite part included the 3 small children volunteered to participate. One little boy kept reaching out and
popping the bubble the Bubble master kept putting around them. She finally made him put his hands in
his pockets and then the other girl started to pop the bubbles too. We laughed til our stomachs cramped and
smiles hurt. It snowed bubbles - magical!
It literally snowed gazillions of bubbles.
This show fascinated the audience and drew us in for an hour mesmerized
with bubbles. The lights and music
drove the show forward. Our
favorite part included the 3 small children volunteered to participate. One little boy kept reaching out and
popping the bubble the Bubble master kept putting around them. She finally made him put his hands in
his pockets and then the other girl started to pop the bubbles too. We laughed til our stomachs cramped and
smiles hurt. It snowed bubbles - magical!
It literally snowed gazillions of bubbles.
Because of the lackluster
lunch, our wet clothes
(my wet clothes needed a belt), and the heat, we ditched out early and headed to The
Old Mill for dinner. The line
contained families all bigger than our table of 5. We melted into the waiting chairs, tired and exhausted, and
slept until they called our table. 
Perfect dumplings satiated us until our food arrived. Heaven on Earth. Fell into bed without much fanfare.
(my wet clothes needed a belt), and the heat, we ditched out early and headed to The
Old Mill for dinner. The line
contained families all bigger than our table of 5. We melted into the waiting chairs, tired and exhausted, and
slept until they called our table. 
Perfect dumplings satiated us until our food arrived. Heaven on Earth. Fell into bed without much fanfare.
JUNE 30, 2012 SATURDAY
Dollywood take 2. Because we had such a successful first
day, we were able to relax and enjoy meandering the grounds for a short second
day. We hit a few rides between
museums and photographs, but mostly tried to cool off in the 105 degrees. 
The park bustled with families, much
more than Friday’s trip and we weaved our way from the County Fair section to
Dolly’s museum. 
Yes, we’ve been in
Dolly’s attic and tour bus! Our
shows today were outdoor shows and our energy melted every second we sat in the
heat. The first show was moved
into the burger joint (wish I’d known about these burgers the day prior) and
the fun acappella group singing and dancing. Next, Dolly’s extended family performed some old favorites
to a crowd of old and young.
Dripping in sweat we dredged ourselves into the air-conditioned souvenir
shop. Overpriced trinkets call to us and win.
The park bustled with families, much
more than Friday’s trip and we weaved our way from the County Fair section to
Dolly’s museum. 
Yes, we’ve been in
Dolly’s attic and tour bus! Our
shows today were outdoor shows and our energy melted every second we sat in the
heat. The first show was moved
into the burger joint (wish I’d known about these burgers the day prior) and
the fun acappella group singing and dancing. Next, Dolly’s extended family performed some old favorites
to a crowd of old and young.
Dripping in sweat we dredged ourselves into the air-conditioned souvenir
shop. Overpriced trinkets call to us and win.
Lunch was across the street
from yesterday’s dinner at The Old Mill Square Pottery House Café &
Grill. My salad satisfied my
hunger and I would vote that it was my favorite meal
. We strolled by the stores, the candy store with the giant
gummy bears and gummy worms drew us in.
We bought taffies of all flavors and fudge. Mmmm. It was
lounge around time. YES!
. We strolled by the stores, the candy store with the giant
gummy bears and gummy worms drew us in.
We bought taffies of all flavors and fudge. Mmmm. It was
lounge around time. YES!
Dinner was leftovers...
We rented a movie from the
Redbox - “Love and War’ and fell asleep before it ended.
JUNE 31, 2012 SUNDAY
Church @ 10am. We took a wonderful drive through the
backwoods of Pigeon Forge to church.
The ward was just like any ward in the world, I love it. The testimonies in Spanish made me
happy. The spirit is the same no
matter where you go to a testimony meeting, thank goodness.
Leftovers for lunch, except
Ali and I didn’t have leftovers so we pulled over into a Subway (after trying a
Chick-Fil-A who is closed on Sunday - I salute you!). I wanted to take a nap and play games, but we had plans to
hike, even though none of us enjoy
hiking. We drove through the Smoky
Mountains after a quick stop at the smelly information center. The green mountains feel like Utah but
look nothing like it. After
several winding one-way roads we found Grotto Falls hiking trail
. Water packed and workout shoes on we
started up the trail. The trail
curved to and fro over rocks and tree roots.
Sandra swore at the world in her head refraining her urge to
kill things while the rest of us stared at the ground wondering why we are
hiking. 
The waterfall had the
potential to be amazing, had it been earlier in the spring perhaps. The water quenched our thirst and our
bitter feelings and we rested among fellow hikers in far better shape than
ourselves. 
My diadora indoor
soccer shoes gave up the ghost about a fourth of the way down, it made for
goofy down hiking. I guess 18
years is a long time for a pair of shoes.
. Water packed and workout shoes on we
started up the trail. The trail
curved to and fro over rocks and tree roots.
Sandra swore at the world in her head refraining her urge to
kill things while the rest of us stared at the ground wondering why we are
hiking. 
The waterfall had the
potential to be amazing, had it been earlier in the spring perhaps. The water quenched our thirst and our
bitter feelings and we rested among fellow hikers in far better shape than
ourselves. 
My diadora indoor
soccer shoes gave up the ghost about a fourth of the way down, it made for
goofy down hiking. I guess 18
years is a long time for a pair of shoes.
(View of Dollywood from the cabins)
A cold freezing shower kept
calling my name so I complied, to the benefit of everyone in the cabin. Sandra whipped up a royal dinner and we
feasted on bread and pasta, yum!
We were slaphappy silly during dinner and the feeling never went
away. Ali slowly walked her way
down the spiral staircase. 
Showing
her paisley, rubber, cowboy boots first then the pink sweatpants from Dollywood
under a denim skirt from ThighHighJeans, and a thick torso covered in souvenir
t-shirts. Amanda and Sandra
laughed until tears fell. The
staircase walk was followed up by a striptease of t-shirts until she made it
down to the Sun Studios and denim skirt - quite a cute combo. I took many photos of both Ali and the
laughing audience.
Showing
her paisley, rubber, cowboy boots first then the pink sweatpants from Dollywood
under a denim skirt from ThighHighJeans, and a thick torso covered in souvenir
t-shirts. Amanda and Sandra
laughed until tears fell. The
staircase walk was followed up by a striptease of t-shirts until she made it
down to the Sun Studios and denim skirt - quite a cute combo. I took many photos of both Ali and the
laughing audience.
We played a rousing game of
Clue, a game of strategy that failed me yet I won on an almost accidental
effort. (steph, in the cabin, with
the VIP pass). It was at this
point we realized we had forgotten the mustaches purchased at Lamberts. Then the night just became more slaphappy
than it could possible have gone sans stashes. 
We photoshooted around the cabin before talking ourselves
into a night on the town of Gatlinburg (Tennessee’s Park City).
We photoshooted around the cabin before talking ourselves
into a night on the town of Gatlinburg (Tennessee’s Park City).
We piled into the family van
with Ali at the wheel and stashes on our faces. Downtown bustled with street performers and loitering
people. We had seen a sky ride
that will take us atop the city and give a view of the nightlife. So we headed directly to it but had
some parking stress. While waiting
at a crosswalk, patrons crossing the street pointed and laughed drawing more
attention from others and we were then the greatest attraction in Tennessee. We found parking for $10. As the parking attendant came to the
window he gasped, laughed and walked away. We exited the van and his wife came over to us, confused by
her husband’s reaction, then also pointed and laughed. 
Mine looked like snot, she said.
Mine looked like snot, she said. 
We rode the ski lift to the
top of the mountain. Ali and I
enjoyed watching the people’s slow reaction to our mustaches then seeing Amy’s
then Amanda and Sandra’s, it really threw people for a loop. “I mustache you a question” was on a
shirt and we relished the phrase the whole night. “I was going to say welcome ladies, but shall I say
gentlemen...” was our greeting at the top. How old are we?!
More pictures, more funny looks, and comments, then back to the
city. Ali and I had the
“chu-man-fu” (Ali’s name) - hers black and mine grey, the rest had blonde
random stashes. At this point only
3 of us continued with the mustaches while we strolled the streets of
downtown. Even this late at night
the air is muggy and hot. It was
our last night and we were reluctant to head home, but we were exhausted and
called it a night.
JULY 1, 2012 MONDAY
MMMmmm...sad face... our
last morning in Tennessee. I ate
scrambled eggs at the cabin before anyone awoke. We packed up the van and headed to The Apple Valley Farmhouse for breakfast. 
We through our pennies over our
shoulders into the wishing well, wishing our individual wishes then found our
seats. Again with the dumplings,
it’s a miracle everyone doesn’t weigh 300 lbs+ I inhaled my French toast (off the children’s menu) and sat
back stuffed and happy.
We through our pennies over our
shoulders into the wishing well, wishing our individual wishes then found our
seats. Again with the dumplings,
it’s a miracle everyone doesn’t weigh 300 lbs+ I inhaled my French toast (off the children’s menu) and sat
back stuffed and happy.
