More from Music City

Audrey and I had a lot of fun spending the weekend with Corrin in Nashville. Almost everywhere we went, someone would comment,

"All y'all look alike."

Gotta love the south! The accent is incredibly charming (and addictive) and the people really do seem to have a down-home, friendly attitude.

Corrin took us to her church on Sunday morning and we got to meet a few more of the girls she lives with at Mercy. As eager as she was to get away from Mercy for the weekend, she does seem to really be gleaning a lot from the program and has made many good friends. She will be graduating from Mercy on Monday and moving back to Oregon, so you can be praying for her continued success as she launches into this new stage along her long road to recovery. I'm really proud of her for all she's accomplished these past six months. Anorexia is a beastly disease and she has had to fight very, very hard for every bit of ground she's gained on it.

Corrin returned to Mercy Sunday evening and Audrey and I checked into Country Hostel for the night. We followed our MapQuest directions and were surprised when they led us down a driveway to a double-wide manufactured home. As it turned out, a middle-aged couple lives in half the house and rents beds in their two extra bedrooms. It was a comfortable stay for that night, but we opted to book our last night in Nashville at another hostel more centrally located. We spent our remaining time in Nashville visiting the Grand Ole Opery Museum, the Country Music Hall of Fame and listening to live country and bluegrass music (naturally). I suppose I can die happy now that I've seen Elvis' 24-karat gold-plated piano and stood on the hallowed ground where so many country music legends have launched their careers. Actually, I have to admit, I have gained a greater appreciation for country music after my Nashville visit. As many of you know, my radio dial is never set to country stations (and likely never will be) and I've even claimed to despise the entire genre until only the past couple years. But . . . (don't pull a dagger on me, Amy) there are some country artists that definitely deserve a listen - and perhaps even a position on my MP3 playlist. (Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn, to name a couple.)