My Question is Answered

I figured it out! My age old question has been answered! This is what people do on the weekends when they don't play sports. 

They go to the local distillery with the family and listen to live music. 

They soak up the scenery and appreciate the simplicity of life in the country. 

They dance to the music and eat bottomless snow cones.

They watch the beautiful sunset. 

I could get used to this.

Rollin' on the River

Our summer of fun continued today with a scenic boat ride down the Cumberland River with the extended family. 

We rode along the bluffs and saw blue herons, turtles, and ospreys, but the kids were most impressed with the mallets used to crack peanuts at the snack station. 

The kids played bouncy ball games, observed birds with binoculars, and just enjoyed being together. 

What a perfect day!

I Told You So

Only two more weeks of summer and my summer must-see list still has must-sees left to see. The heat is oppressive and the real feel hit 102 before noon, but if we don't see the sites now, it will be next June before we get another chance. Poor us! We spent another day as tourists. 

We  toured Belle Meade Plantation, and we learned about the stud farm and the legendary horse, Iroquois. 

The boys were not eager to leave the house this morning; they've become hermits this summer preferring to spend the long hot afternoons in front of the tv, eating ice cream, and taking naps. Staying cool. However, they were both intrigued when I told them the slave that ran the stables and trained the horses ended up being the highest paid Black man of his time. They were hooked with that fact and wanted to know more, even if they would have never admitted it. Their disinterest and apathy were just a ruse. 

At the end of the tour they agreed it was worth giving up another re-run of Modern Family or Big Bang to learn about Nashville's history. I couldn't pass up the opportunity and said, "I told you so."

The Falls

I have been bummed for weeks about not getting a family vacation this summer. Wes has been super busy at work and hasn't been able to get away. On the upside, because we haven't been able to make it to the beach, I have made it a priority to see as much of the local sites as possible this summer. I made a list in May, and we are slowing scratching each tourist site off. Today's 3/4 Family Fun Day took place in Cummins Falls, the most beautiful place in Tennessee and perhaps the best reason we didn't get to go to the beach this summer.

We took a nice hike through the woods, then traversed the creek, climbed over rocks and reached here.

My picture isn't nearly as stunning; this was posted on the FB page. This place literally took my breath away. The boys swam, climbed to the top of the falls, jumped into the gorge, and explored every nook and cranny. We had lunch at the water's edge, and just when the heat became unbearable, we made our way back up the creek, through the woods, and to the parking lot.

The hike back to the car was tough, but it was totally worth it because I got to spend a wonderful day in a beautiful place with my boys. It was so perfect, this just may become a summer tradition.

Friends for Forty Years

How did these two East Texas girls end up living in Middle Tennessee? 

It's been four years since we have seen each other, and we only live 64 miles from each other! I can promise you our next lunch date will be sooner than another 1460 days!

"My Buddy is Back"

"I got my buddy back." This is what Keagan said just as the closing ceremonies wrapped up today at IU.

Evan does not look nearly as enthused. The boy was sunburned and in need of sleep! He slept all the way home and awoke with bloodshot eyes. The boy was tired! 

He and his roommate were runners-up in the cleanest room competition, and they both promised they showered every day! This is a miracle for any 13 year old boy, but especially mine!

The boys have already chosen next year's university program!

Road Trip Through Corn Fields

This is the summer of road trips. I feel like we have lived in the car driving through state after state, corn field after corn field, hitting every tourist site imaginable. This morning we are headed back to Bloomington to pick up Evan from soccer camp. We stopped half way in Evansville to see the WW2 ship LST-325, but Keagan got hungry before our tour began. Hungry Keagan is not very nice to be around, so I aborted our plans to tour the ship and went on a search for food.

Keagan and I made it to Bloomington and headed straight to campus hoping to sight Evan. Keagan admittedly has missed Evan the past few days. He has had to play World Cup with the cat and shoot hoops by himself. He's also had to race up the stairs against his shadow and that isn't nearly as much fun as beating Evan. He's called Evan at break time every day to share his progress in NBA2K and to ask how camp is going. Their bond is like none other, so Keagan just had to see him. We spotted Evan just as we were about to give up our search. All was well so we resumed our tour of campus, one of the most beautiful college campuses I have seen. 

Tomorrow we bring our young soccer star home.