Tennessee

This past weekend, we made a long drive to Tennessee. James and I had this brilliant plan to leave at 3am. We figured we would get on the road, and Cullen would probably sleep the first 4-5 hours of the trip. As usual, Cullen chose to prove us wrong. He slept for maybe 45 minutes, woke up, and told us it really was a long drive to Tennessee. In his mind, I'm relatively certain that he actually thought he slept for awhile. 

He watched more movies than I intended, no one got enough sleep, and James drove the entire way. At least we remembered some healthy snacks...

Towards the end of the trip there, Cullen was a bit delirious. He kept telling me he loved my arm and resting his face on my hand.  

We were beyond thrilled to finally arrive in Tullahoma. I always thought I grew up in a small town, but Tullahoma proved me wrong. Cullen couldn't fathom why our phones didn't always work, we couldn't always get to PBS Kids (due to a lack of 3G access), and the satellite radio sometimes cut out even when we were under open skies. We belong in the city. 

We made it out for dinner with my college roommate who was kind enough to make the drive in after Cullen's carsickness wore us all a bit thin. It's always so good to see Katie. When we got back to the hotel room, we had this precious basket full of goodies waiting for us. The mother of the groom had gotten together a grab bag of native Tennessee treats. They proved to be great extra snacks during our stay, and it was such a fun treat to find in our room. 

On Friday morning, James got out early to play golf with some of the guys. Cullen and I didn't sleep in, but we didn't do a whole lot either. I spent some time knitting, and Cullen did plenty of coloring.

That evening was the rehearsal dinner. 

The Harrisons did a fantastic job of putting everything together. The event was at a non-functioning mill on the river, and it was really neat to be right on the water. 

There were lots of great speeches, and it was nice to catch up with so many people we hadn't seen in a while.

In an effort to make the most out of the wedding weekend/family vacation, we headed out early to the Jack Daniel Distillery. I had a tough time with some of the smells in there, but it was still a really neat tour. 

The main area before the tour had a lot of neat information. I didn't read up like I meant to, but I think the tour helped us learn what I didn't teach myself.

I loved getting to see this old fire truck. It's an REO Speedwagon. And suddenly that album cover makes all the sense in the world.

Two of my favorite boys taking a look at the fresh spring that starts each drop of Tennessee whiskey.

James with the Jack statue. The tour guide told us that he was only 5'2", so they added a bit of height for posterity and placed the statue on some rocks to make him appear just that much taller. Since Lynchburg is in a dry county and the tour doesn't serve samples, this was our "only chance to get a shot of Jack on the rocks" during our tour.

The grounds were remarkably beautiful. I'm sure we would have enjoyed them a whole lot more if it hadn't been raining the entire time.

I think this is such a great slogan hanging in Jack's original office. How often do we just put in the hours? I want to find a way to make this a bit fancier and put it in the kitchen. It can be applied to my cupcakes or life in general. Every day should be our best. 

The spring running next to one of the barrel houses. 

After the tour and our lunches, we ended up back at the hotel for some play time. Grandpa Wiley helped Cullen build multiple forts. After repeatedly knocking them down, Cullen used the couch cushions to make a train on the floor. There wasn't a spot for me or James, but Grandma Lynn and Grandpa Wiley were willing passengers.  

That night, we attended the wedding reception. It was at a really neat aircraft museum. Cullen has always loved airplanes, but he wasn't too pleased when he saw how big they were up close. This model was much better for him.  

There were so many fantastic food options out for snacking. At the rehearsal dinner, it was revealed that the groom really loved ranch dressing. At the reception, there was an actual ranch fountain. While stocking up on bell pepper, I overheard two women from Tennessee discussing the fountain. 

"I've never seen anything like that before. It must be a Texas thing." Sure thing, lady.

Cullen made himself a pretty solid dinner of graham crackers and marshmallows. James tried to introduce the chocolate fountain to make a modified s'more. Nothing doing for this kid.

Cullen was a good sport about sharing his marshmallows on a stick.

Handsome boys 

Cullen loved watching the bride and groom dance.  

As soon as Cullen recognized a song, he decided it was time to dance with Mommy. It isn't a flattering picture, but it was so fun to be out on the floor with my little man. He had the best time dancing and running around. 

The closest we could get to a family photo... 

The next morning, we got back on the road to head home. The trip home was so much easier than the drive there (said the passenger). We stopped twice for gas, but that was it. It was so nice to be home and back in our own beds. 

I took Monday off of work to get some rest. Instead, I took care of every chore our little household had. Oops. I'm still paying for that one. On an exciting note, I finally found the little brother onesie in a newborn size that matches Cullen's big brother tee. Now all we need are diapers. Or something like that.

As each week passes, we are getting closer and closer to welcoming our sweet baby boy. I feel like I should be doing more to get ready.

xoxo ashley