Good-Bye Beehive State....Hello Volunteer State!

We are officially setting our sights to Johnson City, Tennessee on July 6th! In other words, we are moving to Tennessee. That's right, I can't believe after talking about moving to Tennessee (for nearly 2 years) the time has finally come. For those who are wondering why Tennessee? It's simple...Eastern Tennessee State University. Brandon will be studying for his Master's there. We are very excited for some new scenery, but sad to leave good friends and beloved family behind. I'm also pretty bummed that I'll have to miss the Jack Johnson concert in August. So, if anyone needs tickets there are 4 for sale. Don't worry, we will definitely be back for a visit or two. :)

Here are some fun facts about our future home state.

Fun Facts

• Nashville, Tennessee, is the country music capital of the world. The greatest stars of country music perform at Nashville's famous Grand Ole Opry.

• Each August, Memphis holds a citywide celebration honoring the King of Rock and Roll—Elvis Presley.

• President Andrew Jackson named Memphis after a city in Egypt.

• Each year the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is held as part of the Memphis in May International Festival. Lucky attendees can sample all kinds of succulent pork barbecue while the pitmasters duel it out in the "Super Bowl of Swine."

• Graceland, Elvis Presley's home and 14-acre estate in Memphis, Tennessee, was opened to the public in 1982.

• Dollywood is Dolly Parton's 125-acre theme park in Tennessee's Smoky Mountains. It features rides, entertainment and craft demonstrations.

• The Smoky Mountain National Park is America's most visited national park. It is home to 30 species of salamanders and an estimated 1,600 black bears.

• Pat Summit, the longtime coach of the University of Tennessee women's basketball team, is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history (men or women's).

• The architect of Tennessee's State Capitol Building in Nashville, William Strickland, died during its construction. He is buried within the building's walls.

• Tennessee's state tree, the tulip poplar, can grow to be 200 feet tall. Pioneers used the tree in the construction of their homes and farms.

Happy 5th Anniversary!!!

Cousins

My sister Stephanie, her husband Justin and their little boy Jonathon are in town from Orlando this week. We were able to get together for a little KFC and some geese feeding down in Layton yesterday. The weather was super chilly, again a little unseasonal for this time of year but it was fun seeing everyone again.

Memorial Day Week-end Getaway

This post is long overdue. We took a trip up to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone National Park over Memorial Day week-end. I've been too lazy to download the pics and take the time to type out a blog for the last month. So....here's my blog about our trip. I've never been to Jackson or Yellowstone so I was pretty excited to see what the fuss was all about. Unfortunately the weather was rather unseasonal for this time of year. It rained almost the entire time we were up there, which made walking around the town not to pleasant. Anywhoo...we did spend a day driving around Yellowstone which is really scenic. We hit Old Faithful and then went up to Lower Falls. We saw our share of buffalo, caribou, and moose. I was hoping to see a bear or wolf, but no go. I guess we'll have to sneak up there again in the next month or two. I've posted some pics of our trip, it was nice to get out of town, but it was even nicer to get home and be able to sleep in my nice big bed. :) Enjoy.