Thursday, May 22, 2008

The Rest of Tennessee

During this past weekend, several of my in-laws took
the opportunity to tell me that
they think that I knock on the State of Tennessee too often.

And, they don't appreciate it.
I guess they think that I never say anything good
about their beloved home state on my blog.



I thought that I would try to regain my grace in their presence.

I love Tennessee.

Trust me, if I didn't love it here,
I think I could make my husband miserable enough to take me back where I came from.
There are a lot of other women who have done just that.

Sure, I know I show a lot of the quirky sides of Tennessee,
and natives don't always appreciate it.

But it's not because I want to demean people
or show the state in a negative light.
But, I do it because it's funny.
I would do the same thing if I lived in Utah or California.
Two words: hippies and polygamists.
But, just because I would show the extremes
it wouldn't mean that the rest of the state wasn't somehow lovely.
So, I am repenting, and asking for forgiveness. (I am really good at this)
I have made a goal to show you all the REST of the State of Tennessee.
(not just the bad parts)
I thought it no better than to start with one really nice feature of the South.

The rest stops.
(or Rest Areas as they are officially called)

Seriously, you have never seen such deluxe rest stops, unless you have visited.
They are SO nice.

People actually plan their trips around which rest stop that would like to visit.

I am still trying to adjust to the notion.
You just don't go to rest stops out West.

The only people that visit rest stops in the West are, well, the likes of polygamists and hippies.
In the rest of this country, rest stops are scary.

They are not a place you want to visit, much less, use their bathroom, especially with children.

So, if you are a Western transplant and you join the family for a picnic at a rest stop,

even if it is the Sabbath, and you are avoiding eating out, you feel dirty somehow.

Downright shameful.


So shameful that you just try to go unnoticed by snapping photos from the background.

Look, Michelle loved enjoying lunch at the rest stop on Sunday.


And, do you know what?

When you leave a Tennessee rest area, you actually feel rested.
And the rest that you get in a slower paced state like Tennessee is priceless.

And, it is the perfect place for a Western transplant to live.

P.S. In my defense, when just searching,

I found way more good posts about Tennessee than bad ones.

I think TN Natives can be a little sensitive and defensive at times.

But, that's not an insult, just an observation.

And, I would like to say, in my defense,

that I know Californians and Utahans can be defensive too.

4 comments:

ShEiLa said...

I love your K-town/Tennessee posts. People are quirky wherever you live. I sincerely appreciate getting to see a place I might not otherwise get to see. I sure want to see how REST AREAS are supposed to look. You just keep on posting... I am your most loyal fan and I love it!
toodles, Sheila

Renee said...

Southerners in general are very defensive and proud of their heritage. I think maybe more so because they're constantly getting made fun of.

I don't think you're a basher though. Sometimes things are sad but true! Why not laugh at ourselves?

tiki_lady said...

roflrofl, all my dh's relatives have since moved to TN, since my brother in law married his wife who is a native TNsean. Come on, it's TN folks! If ya don't have a sense of humor about the state you live in, it should be time to move. The south is always the butt of the jokes. We know its not all true, BUT HEY!! We have some real slick dressers here too, but when you get an opportunity like the pic LG took. Pictures do speak louder than words! I love TN. ( I don't live thar, but I shurrr liiiike to veesit! If we still lived in TEXAS my blog would be so much more interesting!! Think I should move?

The Dreamer said...

LOL! This yankee here that is living in Tennessee chooses to make NO COMMENT...cuz I LOVE your family and wouldn't want them mad at me....I still want that feeling of .."Y'all come back now..hear?"