A fun trip.

So did I mention that I was going on a week long vacation?  I didn't?  My apologies.  To be quite honest, leading up to my vacay, I hadn't thought too much about it.  My mind was preoccupied with work and school, and I wasn't responsible for planning any of the trip so I wasn't caught up in any of the particulars.  I was just along for the ride!  The purpose of the vacation was actually to help my brother and sister-in-law move to Louisville, Kentucky, so Ethan can attend the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  It was a fun, whirlwind trip.  My parents, Ethan, Anna and I drove most of the way last Monday.  I had the pleasure of driving Anna's car while she rode with Ethan to keep him company.  It was fun blaring Yellowcard and driving through the winding mountains of Tennessee.

What better way to keep yourself occupied then snapping pictures of yourself?  And can we just marvel at how big my lips look here??  I have such little lips normally!  Too bad I can't remember what pose I was trying whenever I snapped this (probably a mid snap in between focusing on driving 60mph down a 6% grade and checking my rear view mirror to make sure I hadn't lost Ethan)...

I didn't snap pictures of all my meals, but I did include those of interest.  My first meal of the day was Crackel Barrel.  Go figure.





After this we pretty much drove, drove, drove, until we were sick of the road, and pulled off for the night in Bowling Green, KY, which is about an hour shy of Looavul (that's how the locals pronounce it).  The next day we made our way to Ethan & Anna's new abode and unpacked.  In 117 degree weather.  It was hot.

Very hot.  Did I mention that their apartment is on the second floor?  It's absolutely lovely, so be sure to check out Anna's blog for forthcoming pictures!  After we finished moving all of their furniture in (with the help of the ever so gracious downstairs neighbor who is also going to Seminary--neat how the Lord works!), we needed food.  Ethan, Anna and my mom wanted Chik-fil-a.  As they were giving us directions to Chik-fil-a, my ears immediately perked up when Ethan mentioned 'by Whole Foods.'  This made me veddy happy.  I think you know where this is going.  I hit up the hot bar for lunch!



Immediately when I got done eating, my stomach was killing me.  As in, cramps and pains that I haven't experienced in quite some time.  I attribute that to the beans and grains I ate which I have been avoiding since starting the paleo experiment.  My parents and I left Ethan and Anna and went back to the Legacy Center which is Southern's conference/hotel center.  It's the bomb.com.  Anywho, as I was discussing my stomach pains with my padre, he told me that I need to balance my food out and stop going to the extremes in regards to how I eat.  Smart guy, my old man. 

Anywhoozle, Southern is hands down the prettiest campus I have ever been on.  It's located right in the heart of the historic district of Louisville, so think rows and rows of beautiful big houses that modern day houses are modeled after.  The campus itself is exquisite as well.

A lot of the buildings actually remind me somewhat of UF, and the surrounding neighborhoods.  Except that the old historic homes that surround UF are much smaller, and part of the student ghetto, therefore in horrible condition.

The same day that we moved Ethan & Anna in, my parents and I decided to say goodbye since we planned to leave early Wednesday morning.  E&A had a new place to move into, and a new chapter to start, so we all thought it best to go ahead and part ways.  I'm not gonna lie, it was hard.  Not only are they my baby brother and baby sister, but they are two of my very best friends.  I am so, so, so thrilled for them to start this new adventure, but I am a little bit (ok, a lotta bit) sad for the Darty clan, my family and myself.  However, thanks to Skype and other technologies we'll be in each other's presence. :)  Anyway, enough of that, back to Louisville.

After we said goodbye, my parents and I headed out to find something for dinner.  We ended up at a Cuban restaurant (the only thing that was open around 9pm on a Tuesday).  I wanted to keep it on the light side, so I ordered a cuban salad and ceviche.

Pretty tasty considering Cuban isn't my preferred choice of cuisine!  After dinner, my parents and I were still in a bit of a dull, sad puppy daze, so we did the only rational thing we could do at a time like that.

We went to the Pie Kitchen Deli.  Then, I died.

This my friends, besides being an out of focus dark picture, is a Reeses cupcake.  Go ahead, drool a little.  I won't judge.  It tasted like...like...well, words just can't describe this epitome of perfection.  I ate it slow and savored every last morsel...of the top.  I didn't want the actual cupcake...just the top where all the good stuff was. ;)

Despite eating late Tuesday night, we were hungry again Wednesday morning.  I think I've vetted my love of breakfast on the blog multiple times.  I get that from my parents.  They are true breakfast lovers.  I got on Yelp (love that site) and did some research for the best local breakfast spot in town, and came up with Wild Eggs.  Let me just say that Wild Eggs did not disappoint.

I had the farmer's market skillet which came with tons of veggies and skillet potatoes topped with Monterey jack cheese located underneath two eggs (sunny side up for me) and a poppy seed muffin.  Oh, this muffin.  It was so flaky, so butter, so tasty.  They also had good coffee which was another major plus.  I will be back, Wild Eggs, mark my words.

After we left Louisville, my parents and I started the touristy part of our vacay.  We went to Lincoln's birth place and then to an underground river (very cool).  We then made our way down to Franklin, TN, to visit a plantation that my mom had read a book about.  Franklin is absolutely beautiful!  It's reminds me of Savannah or Charleston, but with a more country feel (versus Southern...yes, there is a difference).  I consulted with Yelp again, and determined that we needed to eat at Puckett's Grocery for dinner.  Thank you, Yelp, thank you.  Seriously, if you are traveling in the near future, download the Yelp app on your phone, or scope out Yelp online before you venture off.  It will provide you with restaurants and attractions that really give you a feel for the town you're in versus sticking with a chain restaurant or store by the interstate.

Back to Puckett's Grocery, it was an actual grocery store that has, over time, been converted to a restaurant.

With a stage!  This bluegrass band took the stage about halfway into our meal and did an awesome job!  It was good times.

For my meal, I chose the grilled chicken breast with a moonshine bourbon glaze (to. die. for.) with the vegetable of the day which was mashed sweet potatoes which made my day, steamed veggies and a corn cake.  I must have been looking kinda skinny to the cook because he gave me a bonus side of squash casserole.  Talk about it being my lucky day.

Seriously though, the best thing on that plate was the glaze.  It was so, so good.  My mom got salmon with that glaze on the side and we both agreed that we could drink it straight from the cup it was that good.  However, we abstained.  Instead, we went on the hunt for dessert.  As we were perusing downtown Franklin, we stumbled upon Sweet Cece's.  Sweet, indeed.

I got Heath bar yogurt (funny story: as my mom and I were looking at the available flavors I asked her what a Heath bar tasted like because I didn't know.  She didn't either but we both ended up getting that flavor.  Consider it Shannon & Mama approved.) with chocolate and peanut butter chips, two hunks of Reese's (they're my fav), and a cherry for good measure.  I figured the cherry would count as my serving of fruit for the day.  My parents and I enjoyed our yogurt sitting on a bench outside the store.  It was quite pleasant--both the yogurt and the company. :)

The next morning, I did some shopping at a little furniture & design boutique...

I look a little freaked out in this picture because I was.  I got to the counter to pay and couldn't find my wallet.  Luckily my mom was with me and paid (thanks, Mama!) while I ran out to the car to search frantically for my wallet.  Thankfully, I found it underneath the passenger seat (and I paid my mom back!).  I don't ever lose anything, so it was mildly traumatic for those few minutes that I thought I had lost my wallet.

Also that day, we ventured to the Carnton Plantation.

My mom had read Widow of the South some time ago (I actually bought it for her for Christmas) and she loved the story which is based on Carnton.  My mom is a sucker for the Civil War.  I think most people have a war that they like to learn and read about.  For my mom, it's the War of Northern Aggression. ;)  This plantation actually has a really cool story that I could go on and on about, but I encourage you to read about it if you are a history buff.  I plan on borrowing the book from my mom someday--hopefully before I finish my MBA.

After leaving the plantation, we made our way deep into the hills of Tennessee.  I'm not kidding you when I say deep into the hills.  Like, where family trees look like fence posts.  Our destination was this place:

Ok, so not exactly, but this is where we ate lunch.  I declared it the most podunk restaurant I have ever eaten at.  This would be the Iron Skillet in Lynchburg, Tennessee (population of 12.5).  I ordered a salad since I wasn't in the mood for something overly greasy.  I knew full and well that a salad at a wittle restaurant like this would simply mean some iceberg lettuce, an out of season tomato, and some meat.  I was pretty on point with my assumptions, but to my surprise (and delight), the chicken on this salad was pretty darn tasty.  I didn't take a picture because I was too busy shooing flies away from my plate, but I'd eat there again--that is only if my mom and dad were my dates.

The real reason we were in the backwoods of Tennessee was not to eat at the Iron Skillet, but to visit the Jack Daniel's distillery.  I couldn't help but find it ironic that we dropped my brother off at Seminary, only to visit a distillery a day later.  Don't worry though, we don't actually drink the stuff, my dad had visited when he was a kid and remembered how quaint the town was, and he wanted to see it again.  Not to mention that a tour of the distillery is free.  It was an awesome tour, too.  It's a pretty modest operation for the world's best selling whiskey--and that would be sipping whiskey, not drinking it as fast as you can and being an idiot whiskey.  Did you know that the distillery is actually located in a dry county which means they can't sell alcohol?  Funny, huh?  The reasoning dates back to Prohibition and the fact that the county is too small and doesn't have enough voters to overturn the no alcohol laws.  Crazy!  I will admit that I did buy something from Jack Daniel's: coffee.  I know, I'm a wild one.

After leaving the distillery (completely sober although smelling the whiskey smell that permeates the air in Lynchburg), we made our way to Georgia, stayed the night and spent the next day shopping at an outlet mall, then we drove home in the rain.

Overall a fun, fun trip.  I absolutely love my family more than I could ever express.  I'm so proud of Ethan & Anna and am happy that they are currently stationed in such a fun yuppie town like Louisville!  I can't wait to visit again, and have already looked up some more restaurants and other fun activities to do when I visit again.  I also had a blast soaking up time with my parents.  With Ethan out of the picture, I can be the favorite child again (just kidding...kinda)!