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.