Hunkering Down in the Storm

After we left Knoxville on Thursday morning, we traveled west toward Franklin, Tennessee. I had been scheduled to do a photoshoot there that evening, but as we drove closer, it was apparent that we would need to reschedule. Given the situation with the rain, we changed our plans to stop in Spencer, Tennessee, and decided to go straight to Franklin.  I was worried about the hills. We stopped at the Ozone waterfall, but as you can see from the picture, that waterfall wasn't much to see.  There was a gentleman there who was a local, and he said if we came back in a few days, the waterfall would be impressive after the rain. We pressed forward and made it safely to our hotel after getting some lunch.

The kids had Olive Garden with my mother, and I tried out a new place called East Bahn Mi, which has Vietnamese sandwiches and bowls.  The food was amazing.  The sandwich was made from true French baguette, and the pork was sweet.  Yummy.  We hung out at the hotel the next day as long as possible. Due to the continued rain, we didn't have the heart to go anywhere. Then we went to my mom's favorite restaurant in Franklin called Puckett's.  The food is authentic Southern cooking.  We all choose the smoked meatloaf with green beans and mashed potatoes. Then it was on to our friend's house, where we spent the rest of the weekend, including watching movies, the Connect 4 challenge, building Legos, playing beauty salon, gymnastics in the basement, and painting pottery at the Factory.  While the rain changed our plans, it was still a wonderful weekend with our friends.  We drove home on Sunday, and I am thankful that traffic was the only hiccup we encountered.  We were lucky that none of the roads were affected.  (photos in no particular order)

I am watching the new reports today, and my heart goes out to all affected by Hurricane Helene.  While we always expect coastal damage, seeing all the damage in Eastern Tennessee and North Carolina is unthinkable. I am grateful that God prompted me not to book our fall break in Eastern Tennessee as it was initially our plan.  I have also seen his hand as members of our congregation are already out there helping those in need.  Unfortunately, we were not able to go help as Addy hurt her foot this past weekend, and I am still healing from my accident two weeks ago. Roman has SATs this weekend.  We are helping in other ways. On Monday, I went through my closet and donated three large boxes, and we also donated other supplies to victims in need. Well, I need to run.  My mom is still visiting us, and I have some things I need to do.