This post
represents another installment in The Big Switcheroo series – tales from last
spring’s epic journey from the northeast to the Florida Keys and back –
involving family, friends and an extraordinary range of adventures. You may want to grab your favorite beverage
at this point and settle in for a time.
I realize this is a long post, but I didn't want to split up our Nashville visit into too many posts. We still have a lot of miles to cover on this trip!
Alan’s and my most recent memories of Nashville date back
approximately 23 years to when our son Ryan was just two years old, and our
daughter wasn’t even a twinkle in anyone’s eye.
During that visit to Music City, we were traveling with my Mom and her
niece, my cousin, Annie. At the time,
the Opryland theme park was still in existence, our visit to Nashville
coincided with the holiday season, and we enjoyed a wonderful (but brisk) walk
through Opryland to take in the lights and shows. Unfortunately, we happened to be there during
a cold snap, and I can still recall the wicked temperature of 17 degrees on the
evening of our excursion through Opryland.
(It was not a problem that a large mug of hot chocolate and the pleasure
of being with family couldn’t fix.) On
that trip, our budget allowed for one night at the Opryland Hotel and, rather
than drag Ryan’s camper crib in for just a single night, Alan and I decided
that we’d let him sleep in the bed with us.
Big mistake. We discovered that
our two year old traveled about 4.5 miles in his sleep at night, and Alan and I
woke a number of times with Ryan’s various body parts in our faces or poking us
in the back or belly. Lesson
learned. Never again.
