Rocky Top

We made it to Tennessee and went over to my Aunt Val's house. She's got a great new place, which she has fixed up marvelously. She even has a pond in her backyard! The fish that lived there were all eaten by a local heron bird, se la vie.

We were able to get in early enough to just relax and talk for awhile. It was really great to just see her. She took us out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant where I got to create a meal from their sides. I ended up having some parmesan spinach, mac and cheese, squash casserole and baked potato soup. This sides meal is awesome because I got a little bit of lots of delicious things.

The dog in the picture with me is her's. The dog's name is Baby and is an adorable itty bitty Papillon. This dog is awfully sweet and dings around the house in excitement when you get home. She shows her affection licking any part of you she can reach, and she even raises her leg for you so you can scratch her tummy while she stands next to you. I am a big fan of this little Yoda dog.

We left the next morning to visit with another one of my aunts, my Aunt Nancy and my Uncle Don. We showed up at their house, had the chance to of course chat and discuss Korea, and then the day's planning commenced!

We are all not very decisive people. Aunt Nancy being the most decisive, gave us options for the day. It took a long conversation and a delicious lunch for it to be decided that going to the lake to go tubing is the best idea ever.

It was such a beautiful day on the lake. a nice breeze, good sun, and it was hot enough that you most definitely appreciate the refreshing water. It was a short matter of time before both Sean and I were out on that tube.

Before we went out we lathered up with sunscreen, put on the quick dry shirts, and Sean donned the bandit face cover (very effective in case you were wondering).

Tubing was awesome! I had so much fun!!! Sean and I struggled at first to figure out how to keep both people on the tube for any extended period of time outside of the wake. After numerous run throughs I do believe we got the hang of it.

Although Sean looks worried in this picture, he is not. The camera just caught him on the way to a smile =] We both had a great time even though my shoulders ache and ache and ache.

It was a good relaxing time out on the lake. We both just got to sit back and talk with my Aunt Nancy and my Uncle Don. It was so pleasant to just sit in the water and let my body go limp, weightless after so much stress that has passed and is yet to come. It was a beautiful day for us out on the lake, could not had asked for more.

That night my Aunt and Uncle took us out to eat in downtown. We were treated to yet another fantastic meal! I actually had some macaroni and lobster and cheese dish that was absolutely to die for. It unfortunately was very very very rich, I could almost not finish the side portion I had ordered.

After our dinner excursion we headed back to their house. On the way home we wanted to drive through University of Tenn. campus. The campus is huge and is spread out in all directions! I was not sure how I felt about that when trying to find the building where my parents spent the majority of their college lives. Surprisingly and luckily we found the building in question purely by chance!

Being by the same building as my parents went to school in, that's how they met one another, I was literally staring at the foundation to my very being. It was a bit unreal. They were doing a bagillion construction projects on campus, tearing down buildings and starting on new ones.

I of course needed to show off the stadium.

The following day we were pressed for time! We left relatively early in the morning following my aunt and uncle through the mountains. We wanted to have a bit of a scenic drive and boy did we get one, it was absolutely beautiful. Definitely worth the extra time we added to our whole journey.

We were suppose to stop at the top to stand at the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina but unfortunately we forgot. We've been listening to a really good book on tape and just kept letting our eyes enjoy the beauty around us as our minds absorbed the story.

Everything went smoothly, only hitting a bit of rain at the end of our drive. We arrived safely in South Carolina to enjoy a few days with his family.

On the Korea front: We have already received word of our plane tickets and our passports arriving in Miami with our visas stamped inside. The anticipation has really set in and I am freaking out! Sometimes I wish it was like a band-aid and I could just be overseas already. Other times I wish I had weeks more to spend with my family before the journey commences. I think what I have to understand is that a year is a year. No amount of time beforehand will ease the pain of not seeing them for 12 months but I will see them again! I need to be focused on the beauty of my adventure and, not succumb to my fears and my doubts.