This past weekend I took off with Jenny & her niece, D.A., to pick up Faith & Curtis in TN. They were spending the week with their grandparents. This is the second time I've done with Jenny and I call it my therapy! I don't take my kids. I go to TN to relax and every year it's mission accomplished! We hiked with Jenny's dad, Wayne, we laid around like slugs and we ate, boy did we eat! When Jenny and I got in the car on Sunday to head home, we both admitted we might have indulged a wee bit more than we should have as we felt like garbage! Green smoothies here I come.
I love this girl! She taught me to play the game "Clue" this trip. Wayne, Jenny and I also hiked to a cemetery where we found an 11 year old girls plot (Vanny). Wayne has a hiking book that not only gives you directions for the trails but the stories behind them. Apparently in the late 1800's a fire was started by feuding families and a firey tree branch fell on Vanny's arm. During the time that the women were trying to nurse Vanny, in a desperate attempt to save her life a dove flew onto the window and watched Vanny. For two days that dove remained on her windowsill until she drew her last breath (2 days later). Very sad story but I love stories like that. I love the history! I would have taken a picture of Vanny's grave but the lighting wasn't right.
We have a saying in TN and it goes, "Only in TN!" This year Jenny told me about how this summer a family (who lives close to Wayne but it's not his neighbor and he doesn't live in the mountains) had a family reunion and one relative decided to never leave. After the reunion this person set up a tent in the bed of his pick up truck and lived in it for months or at least until the weather got colder. Then when winter came he built himself the smallest log cabin you've ever seen. I'm really kicking myself that I didn't get a picture of it because it's quite clever. This guy even put a small fridge on his front porch and a small propane tank (that you use for grills) is hooked up so he can get some heat inside his cabin. This cabin is probably big enough to fit a very small cot in it. I kid you not, it looks like a small child size play house. Only in TN can you have a family reunion where the family just doesn't leave but instead sets up shop in a child size log cabin in your back yard!
Finally I couldn't wrap up this blog without writing about how much I love Jenny! I have more laughs with her. She is so good to me. As soon as we crossed the TN line she cracked open a beer for me (which is legal in TN) - what a friend! In all seriousness, I'm truly blessed to have her as my friend. I pray my boys have a friend like I have in Jenny and Mike has in Mike in their lifetime. Friends like Jenny are truly a gift from God and I'm so very thankful.
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