Matt checking out his handy work. Our littlest Penske truck wasn’t very full at all, but it’s the smallest we could find. I don’t think we could have fit everything into a minivan, and this truck actually had a small engine, so that was nice.
We couldn’t sleep in Tupelo and not go see Elvis’ birthplace. We got there before they opened and they have quite a nice outdoor arrangement. This little walkway was called “reflections” and it was all about his beginnings in Tupelo and how he stayed humble as he got larger than life. This statue is him as a boy and then performing later in life.
♥️
We loved the 2 couches this boat had for seats. Who needs seatbelts?
My adventure buddy.
Neither of us knew that Elvis was a twin, but his twin was stillborn 30 minutes before he was born. That had to have been a sad, scary, and nerve wracking 30 minutes for his parents.
We swung on the porch swing for a bit. Since they weren’t open yet there weren’t many people around.
In a circle around the house they had these big slabs with every year he was born. Matt found his birth year.
But sadly, Elvis passed away a year before I was born.
Such a cute and tiny home!
He does all his own poses.
They moved the little church where he first learned to sing.
I love the words above the door. You are welcome. I wish everyone felt that at church. My prayer is that as churchgoers we embody that, but I think we have a ways to go.
We also walked around the store, because duh.
Another Matt pose.
While we were enjoying Elvis in Mississippi, the girls went with the Frazier’s to do a Just Serve project.
She said they were delightful human beings, which we think is true, but sometimes it can be hard to see.
Always grateful for opportunities to serve.
A break in her work.
The crew! We were sad to miss, but glad the girls got to go.
Not long after we left Tupelo, we came upon signs to the Tammy Wynette Legacy Center. Of course I started singing Stand by Your Man, and then my man surprised me by heading straight there.
It was such a fun surprise and such a cute and cheesy little museum in progress.
They’ve got an area set up for local bands. Thankfully Matt didn’t get in trouble for trying out their drums.
We got to Alabama just after 10am.
Matt wanted a picture in the middle of the freeway, but then cars came around the curve so fast that they surprised both of us. He’s such a goof.
Woo hoo! She’s got her own memorial highway!
Cruising the big sunshine across the USA. Matt laughed at me because I love a car nap, and these seats didn’t go back at all so naps weren’t happening.
We listened to conference as we crossed the Tennessee river several times. Another favorite day.
It was so beautiful. The reason I’ve never been to Arkansas is that I always take the southernmost route to be as close to the gulf and ocean as I can, but this route was amazing.
Tennessee! Matt passed the sign, but then found a turnout that we stopped at and walked a good 1/4 mile back on the freeway. A very sweet older gentleman saw our truck, flipped around and came to check on us to make sure it hadn’t broken down 🌟.
We ate lunch at a Zaxby’s and listened to the 2nd session. This was the first day I didn’t love our figure out a hotel on the go plan. I had initially planned to get us almost to the Tennessee/Virginia line, but several hotels were sold out or a ways out of the way. It was a little stressful. But then i came up with the idea to stay near pigeon forge and found a hotel with good reviews. Then I looked up what to do in Sevierville and found a state park called Seven Islands.
It was amazing. A nice trail up a mountain with the prettiest views. It wasn’t too cold and it was getting close to sunset.
Matt hunted around for rocks and I communed with God. Perfect. 🌟
I set up the camera on a timer, but this is the worst angle. 😂
Only mildly better. I love this guy.
Always exploring.
I have never been a mountain person, give me water or give me death, basically. But I do love a hilly/mountain hike. I wish we had something like this close by.
So happy and peaceful.
We hiked all around the hill, then back to the bird sanctuary, then to check out the bridge.
The water in the river here is super shallow and we saw a water snake slithering along and then a giant fish jump out of the water. We were so excited, because we’re big nerds.
I mean, look at that sunset.
I looked all over the map for ice cream, but the only thing near our hotel was a Wendy’s. The dining room was closed, so we checked our clearance and took big sunshine through the drive through. Matt ordered 2 frosties and a cookie, and the sweet employee gave us 2 frosties and 2 cookies on the house! 🌟
We took our dessert feast back to our room and listened to the Women’s session of conference. Start to finish, it really was a perfect day, I loved it so much. 🌟🌟🌟
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