Honky-tonk Weekend

We spent this weekend in Music City, USA. My weekend started when my simulator was complete at 1:00am on Friday morning, so after a little nap, Candi and I loaded up the wagon, hitched up the team, and headed out for Nashville. It was a five and a half hour trip to the Tennessee capital, but it gave me time to dust off my boots. On the way we got to see where one of the tornados touched down in the last storm and nobody called to see if we were effected by…thanks for the concern everybody! I know this picture won’t do it justice, but it looked like a bunch of snapped off tooth picks stuck in the ground. It was incredible to see the swath that it took out right through the country side. Signs were twisted around trees and metal poles looked like they were that twisty kind of pasta. We made it into town in time to catch a Brad Paisley, Rodney Atkins, and Chuck Wicks concert at the Sommet Center. Candi isn’t a huge country music fan (hence she has no boots), but she humored me by going to the concert with me. I am not a huge Brad Paisley fan, but he does have a lot of hits. I was really excited to get to see Rodney Atkins, although not as excited as some were to see Brad. Usually it is the women, but I actually saw dudes high fiving each other when Brad would sing or dance around and then they held up lighters and cell phones on the slow songs...these dudes from Tennessee are a bit different!
Saturday we explored the Opryland Hotel and the Grand Ole Opry House. We saw a television star (the dad from Little People, Big World) while touring the hotel complex. We also got to go to a Dave and Buster’s Sports Grill. It is like a Chucky Cheese for adults. In addition to food, they have bowling, arcade games, and virtual reality games…that alone could have made the trip worth it for me…Candi, not so much!
Saturday night we went to the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium, which is the historic home of the Opry. They have it there in the winter time because there typically aren’t as many people and they can accommodate everyone at the more historic venue. We were privileged to see Rebecca Lynn-Howard, Little Jimmy Dickens, Jimmy C. Newman, Hal Ketchum, Mel McDaniel, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Del McCoury Band, Bill Anderson, Jack Greene, and Darryl Worley. It was a great show and something I have wanted to do for a long time…of course Candi didn’t sing along to every song, but she still had a good time as well.
I found a shirt that would go good with my boots...Candi wouldn't let me buy it with our joint account...don't know why...?We also saw Music Row (where all the music studios are), the capital, downtown Nashville, and many other historic buildings. The Country Music Hall of Fame was the last site that we took in before we watered our horses and headed back home. The travel to and from was pretty uneventful with the exception of the occasional XXX Adult Stores strewn about the freeway exits in TN. Very weird and different, but then again so were the majority of the Tennessee natives…they make Arkansas feel like you are on the Harvard campus! They make Larry the Cable Guy sound like he speaks the Queen’s English.
As for the reason I am not in Idaho, the rigorous flight training schedule saw we complete my first low level simulator this last week. It was really fun, but surprisingly hard to fly 500 feet above the terrain just by looking outside the cockpit. We have done so much training that requires a lot of flying by instruments that when you fly primarily without using the instruments, it just feels weird. We would simulate drops and you could actually feel and hear a load coming out the back end of the aircraft; it was amazing how realistic that sim can replicate the real thing. I have a few more sims this week and a few days of academics.

Lastly, due to the grave danger I have put my life into for my country, the Air Force is recognizing my efforts with a promotion. I lobbied for a Distinguished Fly Cross, but they are only going to give me a silver bar out of it. I am looking for a paper to be mailed to me and once I sign that document, I will be a 1st Lieutenant.

P.S. In Nashville they don't round to the nearest 5!