Tennessee and Georgia "Spring" Trip-Part 1

I will start off by saying I feel bad about calling this entry a photo blog, I really have very few pictures for Part 1. If you are a picture person, please don’t give up on me yet and stay tuned for Part 2 of this trip. And I said I wouldn’t be as wordy as the first…that might be a flat out lie. When I don’t have pictures to fill the space, you get stuck with my words. Again, please don’t give up on me. 😊

Every “spring” Khadeja and I like to find a destination warmer than Wisconsin and hopefully more colorful. After a winter of snow and blah the south was a very welcoming sight. This year we decided to make a return trip down to Chattanooga, TN and then over to Augusta, GA to see the Home Free Guys perform. The end of the trip led us back to the Great Smoky Mountains where we visited for the first time a year prior when we followed the Guys to Knoxville. And trust me, this year the south was even more of a need than I realized during one of the harshest winters I can recall. The winter consisted of feet and feet of snow everywhere. Crazy deep snow drifts and piles. Ice storms. Power outages. Furnace outages. High winds. Broken screen door because of the high winds. Deep freezes. Rain. And where Wisconsin wasn’t white, it was brown and depressing.

Home in Wisconsin

On our road trip, as we drove into Tennessee, the more beautiful everything became, including my attitude. I have a deep love for Tennessee going back to my childhood, so just being there again helped. Green grass, trees blooming, and not a snowflake to be seen. The drive was a breeze even as we traveled through road construction in Nashville. No major issues until we came across an accident in the mountains heading into Chattanooga. Traffic was stop and go for about 25 minutes, but while stopped I noticed patches of beautiful flowers along the road and I just sat there and admired them. I also tried to take some pictures, but I swear every time I was ready to position the camera, traffic would start moving again. Then repeat two or three more times and I gave up on the picture and just went back to admiring the beauty. It had been months since I had seen flowers growing out of the land.  Chattanooga was rainy all day, but hey, it was 67 degrees, so who cares about some rain!  We saw the locals in their big, puffy winter jackets with sweaters on their poodles and mittens on their babies and we looked at them like they were crazy. Back home it was below 0 with the wind chills! And if you know me, you know I wear sandals until the snow is over my toes, regardless of temp and I don’t even own a winter coat. So seeing winter coats when it was in the 60’s was just absurd to me.

In Chattanooga we checked into our lovely Airbnb. A whole apartment to ourselves at a better rate than a hotel! Cute décor, super clean, multiple bedrooms, and spacious with a workout center just down the hall. If you plan to go to Chattanooga, look up host Camille on Airbnb and see what she has available: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/158996295. Also, if you are new to Airbnb and would like to save some money on your first rental, go here: www.airbnb.com/c/sarahj2081 for $40 off.

"Parking for Fishermen Only"-very fitting
Airbnb Apartment in Chattanooga

Airbnb Apartment in Chattanooga

Airbnb Apartment in Chattanooga

Before VIP that night, we went to dinner with a dear friend, Dana, who we happened to meet through Home Free a couple years prior when we were in Chatt. As I mentioned in my first blog, I have met some amazing people through these Guys, and Dana is no exception. We talk to each other almost every day but getting to spend time in person with her was something I had looked forward to for months. We planned a head of time to eat at a local diner attached to the hotel Dana was staying at, just a couple blocks from the theater. Look people, if you are hungry, dining on a budget, want a wide variety of food options, followed by more dessert options than you should ever run across in your lifetime, you will want to check out the City Café Diner (https://citycafemenu.com). I think we joked a few times that just looking at the dessert display was diabetes waiting to happen. This diner definitely knows how to make some pretty desserts! (Also, someday, if I get brave enough, I might just tell you about an adventure Dana and I had in Knoxville a year prior. It really does make for a good story if you can handle hearing about smelly, disgusting things. LOL)

City Cafe Diner Desserts

City Cafe Diner Menu Categories-over 450 items!

After dinner, we walked around in the rain for a little bit. It was warm and refreshing. The smell of spring rain is different than winter rain. My hair was already flat, so I didn’t even care about getting it all wet. The feel of a spring rain was worth it. Next, we headed to the theater for VIP followed by the show. I have been to a lot of Home Free shows since I found them in 2013, but there is something special about seeing them at the Tivoli Theater. In 2017 the show there was rockin’…part of why we wanted to come back. The show this year topped that and was one of the best Home Free shows I have been to. The crowd was wild and fun and the Guys just fed off that energy and gave it right back. When that vibe happens with the audience, everyone is in for a treat and the music exploded in Chatt that night. After the show even the Guys were raving about how epic it was for them and one of them said the same thing, “there is something special about Chattanooga”. If they play at the Tivoli again, and I am sure they will, I am hoping I can fit it into my schedule. This is a place I would come back to time and time again to see them perform.

Tivoli Theater Sign from my Instastory

Hillbilly Bone Clip-Tivoli Theater-2019

Go Rest High On That Mountain-Tivoli Theater-2019

Elvira-Tivoli Theater-2019

Ring of Fire-Tivoli Theater-2019

Austin Brown-Tivoli Theater-2019

Adam Chance-Tivoli Theater-2019

Adam Rupp-Tivoli Theater-2019

During the show I sat next to a 16-year-old high school student who was attending his first concert ever. By himself. He explained his mom bought him the ticket for Christmas, but she wasn’t interested in attending with him. So he was on his own. At shows I always try to connect with the people sitting around me to find out if it is their first show or not. I LOVE sitting next to newbies. Home Free blows them away every time! This kid was no exception. When the show was over I asked one of Home Free’s crew if I could get the set list from the stage for him. He thought that was pretty awesome and he was able to get the lists signed by the Guys during their post-show signing session. As everyone was leaving, he led his mom over to me and she thanked me for taking him under my wing and making him feel like he wasn’t alone at the show. Before the show he mentioned he was in an a capella group in school and his mom made him beatbox for me right there on the spot. The kid was pretty good at it too. Not on an Adam Rupp level, but at 16 he has plenty of time to get there if he keeps on with it. And, I think I convinced his mom to check them out next time too.

Home Free at the Tivoli-photo by Austin

As a piece of trivia for you, Chattanooga is home to the Moon Pie. We didn’t get to go to the Moon Pie Store on this trip, but did in 2017. Personally, I am not a fan of them, but Khadeja thinks they are something pretty tasty. And if you weren’t aware, Bass Pro Shops, one of Khadeja’s favorite places to go, sells Moon Pies in all of their stores. When leaving Chattanooga the following morning we made a quick pit stop at the Bass Pro Shop right outside of the city. And shockingly, not a piece of tackle was purchased. Most of you probably don’t know my daughter is big into fishing…she inherited the family fishing genes that I guess skipped by me. My mom taught her to fish when she was just a little girl, and she spends hours on the lakes and rivers trying to catch the monster. Her tackle collection is pretty extensive, so for her to walk out of BPS with only two Moon Pies and a bottle of water…well, that is nothing short of a miracle. (I hear the makings of a country song when I go back and read that out loud…Two Moon Pies and a Bottle of Water. I might just sell that idea to someone…If you hear it on the radio in a few years, think of me.)

The Original Marshmallow Sandwich

Bass Pro Shop-Chattanooga

And somewhere in here I need to mention that she is also a fan of Waffle House. And, as many of you may know, Waffle House isn’t something we have in Wisconsin, so when in the south, do as. Late during the night after the show we found one of ten Waffle Houses in the city and she got her first pecan waffle with peanut butter of the trip. I didn’t know someone could love waffles as much as she loves waffles. I had eggs. If you continue with my blogs, you will find this was not the only WH stop we made. When in the south, do as.

Those Famous Waffle House Signs

Part 2-We head to Augusta! Stay tuned friends!

(PS click on pics to enlarge them!)