Southern Trip Part 2

Wednesday: We had a big drive this day – we drove about 9 ½ hours from DC to Louisville, KY. We got to Churchill Downs just after closing time and nothing was open except for the betting bars. We walked around for a minute but then headed to our campground for the night. The highlight of the day was finally being in ZAXBY’S territory. Brett fell in love with Zaxby’s when he was in Atlanta and often craves their chicken and sauce. We found one just outside of Louisville in a little town called Shelbyville. I would have to say that Zaxby’s does have the best fast food chicken I have ever had. Not sure that I will crave it as Brett does but it was good.

Thursday: We toured Churchill Downs and it was awesome! It is such a beautiful track and the surrounding buildings are quite something. The thing that surprised me the most was the location of the track. I expected it to be in a fairly nice neighborhood but it is in quite the opposite. It’s quite “ghetto-ish”. But it was very cool to be able to be at the track and know that lots of really awesome race horses/owners/trainers/jockeys/ sports stories have happened right there. I loved it! We didn’t stay too long in Louisville before we headed out of town about 3 ½ - 4 hours  to Nashville, TN. We spent the evening in Nashville, drove around Vanderbilt Campus and music row, walked around “the District” scoping things out, and ate the most amazing burger we have ever eaten at a place called “The Pharmacy”. YUM!

Friday: We had a very relaxing morning, took our time getting up and even did a load of laundry. We toured the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, ate some AMAZING BBQ at Jack’s BBQ and then headed to the Grand Ol’ Opry to watch a show. James Otto was the headliner for the night but I really liked Holly Williams, who is the granddaughter of Hank Williams. She performed with her husband and they did a really good job. Nashville wasn’t filled with lots of tours and hustle and bustle but was probably one of our favorite spots along our journey. It was such a fun city, didn’t feel dirty, and the people were unbelievably friendly. Both of us very much enjoyed our time in Nashville.

Saturday: We got up that morning and drove about 4 hours to Atlanta. We took our time getting into the city and meandered our way through some of the areas that Brett served in. We ate at “the original” Zaxby’s where Brett’s true love was first formed and arrived at the Shelton’s at about 530 pm. We ate dinner with them, played with their kids, and just spent the evening catching up on life.

Sunday: We attended church in the Conyer’s ward with the Sanderson’s. They were a couple that was baptized about a week or two before Brett was moved into their area. He spent a lot of time at their house and did a lot of things with them. He loves them very much and they are very dear to him. I remember talking to Mother Teresa (as he calls her) on the phone when Brett and I were dating. She is the sweetest person and loves Brett and Elder Harry (Brad Harris) to pieces. She is always checking up on them and making sure they are doing what they should. James was a true Southerner. He is hilarious and has a very think southern accent. We spent several hours after church with them just catching up and having some very good dinner. We found out that Bishop Scott Johnson (my mom’s friend from high school) who was a Bishop in an area where Brett served, has since been called the Stake President. We told the Sanderson’s about the connection with Bp Johnson and James said he would have to ‘raze ol’ Prez about a certain Ms. Gale from his youth…. We drove back to the Shelton’s stopping at a few of the church houses and other areas that Brett served. We spent another late night catching up with Shelton’s and speaking of “days gone by”.

 Monday: Spent the morning playing with Braelyn and Dane and then drove to the Sugar Hill area and drove around Lake Lanier. Brett had heard that the town of Dahlonega was a great place and he always wanted to go while he was there but never had the chance. So we headed that direction. We discovered that Dahlonega was the site of the first American Gold Rush and was a Boomtown just before the California Gold Rush. It is also the start of the Appalachian Mountains/trail. I fell in love with this sleepy little town. There are antique shops on every corner and a true southern country feel to the town. I told Brett that I could see us living there someday – doubt it will happen but a girl can dream right?!? We had dinner at the Shelton’s and they had some friends over. They had two kids and the husband is actually a PT student at Emory University, who will graduate in May 2014. They were very nice and it was fun to visit with them.