Nashville News

We've been in Nashville two days and had a great time exploring the city. We've both been here before, but never for this length of time together.

We got in yesterday too late to visit any sites, so we went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. Eh; we weren't as impressed as the critics.

Following the movie, we visited the "Aquarium" restaurant at Opry Mills Mall. The place has two tanks filled with tropical fish and other sea creatures. You're paying for a lot of atmosphere, but it was really cool.

The best part of today's time around town was the visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame. I must admit, although I genuinely like country music, I'm a nominal fan at best. But I thoroughly enjoyed the history, music and discoveries of today's time at the museum. Our visit also included a stop at RCA's Studio B, the place where numerous chart-topping hits were recorded between 1957 and 1977. I'm sitting at the piano played by Elvis and Roy Orbison, just to name a couple. I don't care who you are, or what style of music draws you, touching that kind of history is incredible!

Serendipitous Spontaneity

We've had such a great time just in the 6 hours or so since we left Ridgecrest!

On a lark, we decided to take the scenic route from Eastern North Carolina into Tennessee. Generally heading toward Nashville, we drove far enough west to intersect with the Blue Ridge Parkway which then connected us to US 441 - the drive through the Great Smokey Mountain National Forest. Undoubtedly, the best decision we've made on this trip!

The mountains were amazing, and the drive was breath-taking, but our favorite part became our spontaneous decision to stop and hike a few feet down to the "river" (even in Texas we'd call it a creek). There, we found these gorgeous little rapids resulting from the springs and melting snow waaaayyyyy up in the peaks. We dipped our toes into its iciness, and filled our water bottles with the fresh mountain water. Delicious!

Once out of the park, we drove into Gatlinburg where we saw "Hillbilly Miniature Golf." Again, spontaneously, we stopped and enjoyed an incredibly unique experience and a really fun game. Once we rode the tram up the steep hill, we gradually played each of the 18 holes down the mountainside. I think we tied; we left the score card in the car, and we haven't tallied it!

Added to all this wonderment, we drove through seven tunnels! I love my spontaneous husband!

Last Day

I enjoyed the final morning of the conference, especially my devotional writing class (again) and the keynote speaker. He used an illustration about Theodore Roosevelt I'd never heard. Teddy lost his wife and mother on the same Valentine's Day. In his journal, rather than writing the details of the events and circumstances, he simply put an "X" on the page and wrote, "The light has gone out of my life."

He left his house and went on an extended hunting trip to grieve and cope with his loss. But while on that trip, he found a renewed calling and purpose in his own existence, recognizing that if he allowed himself to hide in obscurity and "nothingness" he would have no purpose or pleasure ever again. He resolved to actively pursue life and all things that mattered to him. You know the rest of the story.

Our keynote speaker's encouragement to us was to "step up to the plate." Regardless of the setbacks, discouragements and failures, try. Something. As he said, "No home-runs have ever been hit from the dugout." Even if I never publish a single word on printed paper, because of rejection or even quality, at least I was in the game.

Good words, huh?

Day #3 Cont'd.

I did end up leaving that class, and was glad for the exchange I made. It was much more helpful, informative and enjoyable. Plus, the instructor, a proofreading editor, seemed to think I was a grammar scholar, so it was a small boost to my ego. So what if I was sitting directly in front of him, and since he's hard of hearing, mine were the only answers he heard to the questions he asked? I'll take what I can get.

This evening, Darin and I hung around the room instead of attending the general session. He watched an episode of Andy Griffith (and maybe The Three Stooges - I can't remember) while I finished my writing homework, an assignment from my morning class. We were to write a devotional to be turned in for consideration in publication of the devotional magazine, The Upper Room. I reworked the story about my Grandma sitting on a snake; we'll see how it goes. I feel pretty good about it.

We had one other assignment, as well. We had to write 150 words/half a page about a topic we care about deeply. BUT we could only use one-syllable words. There were a few exceptions: proper nouns, contractions and words with five letters or less. It's harder than it sounds, or at least harder than I expected it to be.

I actually did it twice. The first I wrote about Darin, but I'm afraid I'll get emotional if I have to read it aloud tomorrow. So, I wrote one about Dodger the Dog just in case. I'll post them later with a note about my final day of the conference.

Day #3

So far, so good today!

Darin and I shared breakfast with the girl from New York I met the first night. I guess she decided she couldn't beat us friendly Texans, so she'd join us!

Heading from there to the morning session, she and I listened to the keynote speaker give her life story. Lovely lady, but I'd rather read the bio.

Nevertheless, the next seminar was great joy as we continued to discuss devotional writing for publication. I'm really connecting with this subject matter, can you tell?!?! Then, I had lunch with the instructor of that seminar only to learn that she was an "Almost Christian" from Abilene Christian University. She, of course, addressed the fact that I was a "Hardened Sinner" from Hardin-Simmons University. A not-so-subtle rivalry between our Abilene universities. I also got to meet her husband, a delightful and jolly man (I mean this in the truest sense of the word). He had a gregarious smile and contagious personality of joy, and he's a truck driver. I honestly think that he's been ignored by some of the "holier-than-thou, what-can-you-do-for-me, ivory-tower-dwelling, esoteric-thinking" writers, not realizing that he's a college-educated former manager who retired and drives a truck because he thinks it's fun. [I'm in a class right now talking about run-on sentences. I'm rebelling and including that last one on purpose.]

I visited with a Children's devotional magazine editor just before this, and it was encouraging. She read something I've written for some friends of ours and said the story kept her interested and intrigued enough to want to know how it ended. That's good news, I figure!

I may have to find another class. This one's turning into an English lesson. I'll let you know.