Things I've learned in Tennessee

Well, we finally made it home today. After 1750 miles, ~85 gallons of gas, 3 billion hours in the car, and more lapses in sanity than I can count, we're resting in our own beds tonight. Okay, so it wasn't that bad - but Lil'er E did wake up at 4:00 this morning and never went back to sleep, so we're all a little exhausted tonight.

On a different note, here are a few things I've learned while we've been visiting in Tennessee.

1. Tennessee has a lot more hills than Texas. Okay, so that's not so profound; but that does not mean its not true. Sure, Texas does have the Hill Country, but Houston is a coastal town and the biggest hills are the speed bumps in parking lots. Where I grew up in West Texas is even flatter (what flies out of your mouth when you sneeze from the dust significantly alters the elevation of the landscape there). So, I got used to driving up-hill everywhere I went - and the old joke of walking to school in the snow up-hill both ways actually makes some sense, now.
2. It's harder to play the driving alphabet game in Tennessee than in Texas. You know, the game where you have to find a letter on a road sign (using cars is definitely cheating). All because of one letter - "Q". In Texas, you can find a "q" every five minutes, as you pass the next Dairy Queen. They don't call it the Texas Stop Sign for nothin'! But, alas, it's not the Tennessee stop sign. We spent an hour trying to find a "q", and nearly gave up hope and quit in the process.
3. I've never before attended such a cool fireworks display. Oh, I've seen better fireworks, but temperature wise it was actually bearable to be outside to watch them. The July weather in Tennessee was quite pleasant, nice even, never getting above the upper 80s while we were there. This is compared to the hotter-than-hades July 4th celebrations I'm used to enduring. I'm sure, of course, that it gets hotter there in August; but in Houston in August people are known to pray for a quick death before having to go outside. It ain't pretty here (but there it was).
4. There are some mighty nice people who live in Tennessee. We had a great time with our old friends in Jackson, and we got to spend a couple of nice days with another set of old friends in Memphis. And of course there are some very nice people in Nashville, as well. We had the chance to eat a little pizza with Brody and Kristin and their three boys. We did not have the chance to meet with Stephen or Chaotic Hammer, though - maybe the next time we are in the same geographic region we'll have more time.
5. Other parents have some funny stories about their kids. I mean, really funny. So I mentioned our friends in Memphis. They have two boys about the age our my kids. We spent the 4th riding the trolley through downtown Memphis (past Beale, saw the site of MLK's assassination, etc.). They told us, though, about their oldest boy's growing curiosity about the differences between his own equipment and daddy's. Then they told us about finding him, with a black marker, drawing pubic hair on himself and his little brother - to be more like daddy. (This space is intentionally left blank for your laughter.)

Well, we'll talk more once I've slept tonight. And maybe tomorrow night. And the night after that, too. Pictures will be forthcoming, as well.

Do you have any good memories of Tennessee?