I Love Bluegrass Music

Staying at the Akemons was great because I got to hear real deal bluegrass music. Holly's dad, Phillip, plays the banjo and her brother Phillip Wayne plays the guitar. Every Wednesday night they get together at Phillip's Barber Shop and have a jam session. Holly and I went over and listened for almost two hours. I love bluegrass music and give thanks to my mission for introducing me to this great sound. (Holly's great uncle was Stringbean who was a regular on the Grand Ole Opry - how cool is that!) The other guy in the group is Kenny, and he plays the mandolin. Yes, he is single, and the Akemons wanted to set me up with him, but, well, I'm just going to leave it at that. If you want to assume he had brown eyes he didn't - they are blue! (He does have nice hands though. Yum!)

The little boy in the background is Holly's nephew Drew, and he had me laughing the way he was acting during my video taping - he's quite the character.

My Home Away From Home

Spring Break this year has lead me to my home away from home - Kentucky. Oh how Libby Loves Kentucky! The trip started out with some playing around in Nashville, TN. Then it was time to visit my old stomping ground of Beattyville and Paris Kentucky. I stayed with the Akemon Family (Holly's Family) in Gray Hawk, Kentucky. Don't try to find it on the map it's a small town, super small. After catching up on some sleep we drove 45 minutes to the even more small town in Kentucky, Beattyville. I served in this area for 6 months, and fell in love with the town and people. We spent the day driving around, visiting some of the still faithful members, met the missionaries, and went and ate at the Purple Cow - my favorite restaurant in Beattyville.The next day we went to Berea which is about 45 minutes the other direction of Holly's house, we went antique shopping, window shopping, and eating. When we went window shopping I found the dulcimer shop where I really badly wanted to buy me a dulcimer. I'll wait until I'm done with school and have time to teach myself how to play this beautiful instrument. The next two days were just spent visiting and hanging out.The last two days of my trip were spent in Paris, Kentucky. My next favorite area of my mission where I also spent six months. I have to say, it took my whole mission for me to actually have a baptism and when I did have a baptism it was a family (Ogden Family) and a sweet lady (Joyce Alexander). I stayed with the Ogden Family who have two girls and now have two grandchildren. Brenda, the mom, visited all day with me when I arrived, then we met up with Joyce (the sweet lady I got to help baptize) for an awesome dinner she cooked up for us. We had dinner and visited until as late as we could. The next morning before I caught my plane back to Utah we drove around the cute town of Paris and visited a few members.

It was sad to leave my second home, but I know that I will be back soon. Gosh, this trip makes for my third time back in six years of being home from my mission. So, I know I will be back - hopefully soon because Joyce just got her temple recommend and is getting ready to go through the temple so I know I will be back for that special day.

Nashville Baby, Nashville

The Loveless Cafe - best southern cook'n I've had south of the Mason Dixon.

The owner, the famous lady, and I can't remember her name. I know?

Sweet as can be, Holly and I! Getting ready to tour the town of Nashville!

Belle Meade Plantation - fascinating house. You can't see, but if I would've put a more "up close" picture you could see the bullet holes in the pillars on the front of the house that are from the civil war. Holy COW!

Beautiful small Nashville Temple! (Another reason I could live here!)

Carton Plantation (The Battle of Fanklin, TN). This house was used as a hospital and still has blood stains all over the upstairs bedrooms that are from the civil war. This house touched my heart and the stories told made me cry. Amazing family that lived here, amazing!

Fried pickles. Let's just say I don't think I'll ever eat pickles this way.

Downtown Nashville, just got done eating at The Wild Horse Saloon. Oh, I love this city!!!

Grand Ole Opry! So totally cool! We saw, just to name a few, Jimmy Dickens, John Conlee, Jim Ed Brown, and Marty Stuart. Again, SO TOTALLY COOL!

The Ryman Auditorium, where bluegrass began, and the first place of the Grand Ole Opry.

Inside the Ryman - I love this picture I took of Holly. This place really does have a nice spirit to it. Even some of the stories told here made my heart be still.

Taking a pose on stage. I'm so lame sometimes???

Nashville Baby, Nashville!!!

Gotta have my drink of choice, only found in Kentucky - Ale-8. Mmmm, that stuff is good, but as fast as it goes in it quickly needs to be disposed.

I don't know what it is, but every time I head east to go visit I fall in love with a new city. Nashville Baby, Nashville. That's my new favorite city. Oh my goodness how I fell in love with this city, and fell fast. I so badly want to move here and make this music city my home. Holly drove down (from Kentucky) and picked me up at the airport in Nashville then it was off to see the sights. We first went and ate lunch at a good 'ol southern restaurant where I met the owner and I got a picture with her. Guess what, she's famous for them there biscuits, and 'er biscuits arrrre good. Can you hear my southern accent I tried to pick up??? Now when I say famous for her biscuits she has appeared all over the Food Network and late night TV for them biscuits of hers. After salivating and eating as many biscuits as I could we then went and found our hotel and went to bed. Red eye flights are horrible for making me tired.

Saturday was super productive as we visited several historic civil war plantations. They were so historic and so cool yo. I learned so much and have decided that when I move back to Nashville I am going to be a tour guide at one of these plantations. The stories they told were so amazing, and even sent chills up my arms. I'm sure some of these homes have got to be haunted. After visiting these historic homes we went and saw the Nashville Temple. Hello - another reason I can live in Nashville, they have a temple! We saw the missionaries, took some pictures of the temple and then went to dinner at The Wild Horse Saloon. Very appropriate don't you think? Temple touring to drunk'n folk??? The Wild Horse Saloon is a famous saloon in downtown Nashville that has a huge stage, and dance floor. We got lucky enough to have a great table right in front of the dance floor and not to far from the stage to see the singers. We had some fried pickles, and a lot of fried food for dinner. Boy was it all good! After dinner it was off to the Grand Ole Opry. I loved the two hours we were there and hope I get the chance to go back very soon. Now that was a lot of fun. Seriously, so cool!

Sunday was church going time. We called all around and finally found the singles ward which started at 11:00am. We made it, scoped it out, had no luck on men, and left the chapel to go break the sabbath. We tried to keep the sabbath day holy by visiting the Historic Ryman - it is the building that started all this bluegrass, country music. The Ryman used to be a church in the heart of Nashville and has the second best acoustics next to the LDS Conference center (LDS has the best - if you didn't catch that). I loved that little bit of information. There was a nice little spirit in that church and the stories shared were also a treat to hear. After the Ryman tour we walked down town to hear all the different bars playing live music. Stopped in one and had one of the best cheeseburgers ever! Then it was off to fight the traffic of all the happy UK fans heading from Nashville back to KY. Did we pick the wrong weekend to be in town, heck yeah, cause the town was painted blue with excited University of Kentucky fans who had just won the playoffs and are now heading to the NCAA. (I try to go to Tennessee to visit Tennessee and was so confused because there were Kentucky people all over the place!)

That night we headed into Kentucky (stopping for an Ale-8, of course) and I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace that I was right where I belonged. Arriving at Holly's home and greeted by her sweet family just made me feel like I was just here yesterday.

13 Reasons Why

As you can see from my previous post I just read a book. Isn't that just neat. What I'm trying to say is the book was called 13 Reasons Why. Why did I read this book? BECAUSE I just joined a book club and I am SOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED ABOUT IT! We had one month to read the book and then we met up last night and discussed the book. Okay, I'm pretty sure all people know what a book club is and how they work, but again, I'M SO EXCITED TO BE APART OF ONE!!! Our next book is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I gotta get reading...

13 reAsOns WhY I Am sO ExCitEd to Be iN a BoOK ClUb!
1. Making new friends!
2. Reading books.
3. Broadening my horizon of different books and genres.
4. Getting the opportunity to discuss what we read. (I always want to talk about the latest book I've just read.)
5. Discussing books (for me) helps to reinforce things in my mind and helps me to retain information better.
6. I'm actually part of a real life book club - AGAIN, totally excited about that fact alone.
7. Food is involved (providing food from the book for our snack during the meeting.)
8. Being part of a book club makes me feel smart.
9. Helps me read my books faster - I like having a deadline.
10. Being apart of this book club gives me something to look forward to each month.
11. I think that being apart of this book club will help me to appreciate different types of books, example, Pride and Prejudice (my New Years resolution is to read this book...haven't started yet...but now it's out there for the world to see.)
12. (Ran out of reasons...) I get to be apart of a real deal book club!
13. I get to be apart of a real deal book club!

Book Review

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ugh. This book kind of drove me nuts. Now let me say this, the story did have a good message, in the way that it really makes you think of how you treat others and the choices you make that will effect others. I understand that people who commit suicide are usually set in their mind on doing it, but in this book the girl that the story is about was rather annoying. She just wanted so badly for someone to help her, and there were people who wanted to help her but she shut them out. So, I guess I don't feel so sorry for her. Does that make me a mean person??? I don't think anyone really knows the mindset of a person who is going to commit suicide, but this girl just doesn't want her "poor me" to rest. She was so miserable that everyone that hurt her needs to live miserably the rest of their lives. Will she be happy when one of the people on her list commits suicide because they felt bad about driving her to suicide??? I think people should read this book, especially high school kids because it might help them to not be so mean. However, I know high school can be hard for some, I'm not saying I didn't have some hard times in school, but there is life after high school. And, life does get better.

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BEST CAR EVER!!!

I just want to say that I have the best car ever! My sweet little car has been there for me in so many ways. Let me just say, I just got done spending $606.00 on repairing the struts and alignment. And, that was a HELL of a deal. It was going to be around $800.00 but the mechanic took off $200.00 for me. BLESS HIS SWEET AS CAN BE HEART!!! The best part about it was that the mechanic told me that the struts on my car were the worst he's ever seen! I guess it's pretty bad when your mechanic tells you that??? I got her fixed, and boy does my car purr like a kitten. I have never loved driving my car more especially since the rattling noises are all gone - it's a MIRACLE, A MIRACLE I TELL YOU!!! However, with all that done and said...my car still needs more work done on her. I've still got to put $400.00 more dollars into that kitty and then she'll run like a tiger! Grrrrr...

Let's get back to why she, my car, has been there for me...

1. My car has taken me many places...we all know the trip to Alaska and back. I partially blame that trip to Alaska for needing new struts. Very bumpy roads. (Quote from my bumper sticker: "I Drove the Alaska Highway both ways Dammit!!! I always feel bad when I park my car at the temple, makes me wonder what people must think...)

2. The Civic is truly mine - paid it off two years ago!!!

3. Has acted as a teaching tool - taught my friend Audra how to drive "stick"...kind of. ;)

4. A sleeping quarter, my bed...I don't care for sleeping in my car, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

5. That Tiger (my car) has 130,000 miles, and the mechanic told me it's good for another 150,000 - love those Honda's!

6. "U-Haul" sorta speak, I have moved a lot of JUNK with that Civic of mine.

7. For some reason my tiger of a car likes to drive fast, and has had it's fair share of speeding tickets and warnings. That cat is doing pretty good on slowing down and following the laws of the land...give her time...

8. Has been "backed into" 3 times. 3 times I tell you, and every time she got hit she was parked minding her own business! Takes a beating, but doesn't let it get her down...she just keeps on running!!!

9. Sports a tape deck and proud of it!!! Don't dis the cassette. (I know what you are thinking how on earth do I listen to my iPod...luckily they still make cassette adapters for iPods...I need to buy them out before they stop making them. Ack!)

10. People want my car, and they want it badly!!!

Here is to the Best Car EVER!!! Baby, I'm going to drive you to the bitter end - it's you and me Tiger!