Good news! The medicine is working and I should be back to myself in no time! Does it seem like I keep talking about my sickness...because I feel like I have, but man does it make me appreciate when I am healthy. Traveling and illness do not mix very well and I have had a hard time these past few days as I have tried to get better. It's hard when I'm not in my own bed and around everything I need to get better. It's been an adjustment for sure..so if anyone has any ideas of what I could take to help keep me healthy for the rest of the trip that would be awesome! I'm currently taking vitamins and working out - that's about it.

Zack had work so I updated the blog, rested, and even went for a walk with our friend's dog Romeo. This dog is like my dream dog - so easy to walk and so happy to be on a walk with you. I had a dog growing up and he was the kind of dog that wanted to bolt the second he was out of the backyard. He always took _me_ for a walk, a run really! That partially had to do with that fact that I was 10 and easy to drag around, the other part is that he just loved to run.

Commentary by Z: He can't drag her around cause he's round like a sausage right now! Maybe a pepperoni? A peppeRomeo?
Romeo is such a good dog though that it made it easy for me to explore the outdoors of Nashville. Even in the neighborhoods it was pretty woodsy which I loved (is woodsy a real word?). It felt a little more secluded when I couldn't see house after house in the area, but I'm also not used to it. Living in Utah has made me more accustomed to seeing the whole valley in pretty much any location.

Tonight we tried to go see the Grand Ole Opry, but when we arrived they were having some private event so no one was able to get close to the building..it was all blocked off which was a bummer. Sooo we saw it from a distance but couldn't even get a good picture of it because the trees were obstructing the view :(. It was really cool to see but also surprising that a mall is right by it? I guess I always imagined it would be in the heart of the city surrounded by a park and sky scrapers or something. It was still cool to see...next time we come out here I want to go to a concert there, that would be amazing!! Carrie Underwood anyone?

We considered going back to Broadway for dinner but Tanner suggested we try an Irish pub, McNamara's Irish Pub and Restaurant, that plays live music. We figured we'd give it a shot since Irish music can be pretty cool (a little random but it's true). Turns out, we really liked that place! I tried Shepherds pie - for the first time I might mention - and I liked it! Shepherds pie kinda freaked me out for a long time..I have no idea why but it never appealed to me but when Zack brought it up as a food option I realized that it sounded pretty good so why not try it out? For dessert we shared a Ice Cream pie and the thing was MASSIVE! Four people could have shared it and probably wouldn't have finished it. It was three different types of ice cream with a chocolate crust and topped with chopped Snickers and chocolate syrup. So good. So filling. A sugar overload. I will probably dream about that dessert tonight it was so good, but also regret how much I ate.

just a little blurry..oh well
***Side Note - We were kinda lame with taking pics today. Sorry this post is lacking***

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Here's a little trick - if you want to go to Graceland (you know, Elvis' home in Memphis), but don't want to pay $40 per person to see it, show up from 7:30am to 8:30am and you can walk the grounds and see the Meditation Garden. That's exactly what Zack and I did. It would have been cool to walk through his house, but because Elvis is past my generation, it didn't seem worth it to pay that kind of money (please don't hate me Elvis fans!). Elvis' Meditation Garden was really pretty though and was on the side of his house so we had a great view of the whole property while walking to the garden. The garden had a swimming pool, fountains, and the tombstones for Elvis and his family members. There were a few historical plaques which gave a little background and hardly any tourists were there (because of it being the off season) so it was a nice quiet morning for us. Score!

Commentary by Z: Just realized I have heard of 0 other people named Elvis. Just had to look him up to make sure that his real name was Elvis and it wasn't just some nickname - yup, it's Elvis.









Zack and I also took a some time to see the National Civil Rights Museum in downtown Memphis. The museum was built around the Lorraine Motel - where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. They have preserved the motel and added a few posts on the sidewalk where people can watch different movie clips talking about MLK and the events leading up to his assassination. This was a really cool moment for me because I was reminded of a very important part of history. Growing up we talked about the civil rights movement in school and I have seen pictures and read stories/books about certain events, but being able to see these places for myself was a great experience. It gave me a greater appreciation for the things that many brave women and men have done. I think it's important to not only read about monumental events in history but to then go see where they took place for ourselves - it made an impact on me and was worth the time.

Commentary by Z: I had no idea that he died while supporting Memphis' sanitation worker strike. I always thought it was related to something else - something he was running and protesting for - but he just went to Memphis because they asked him to come speak and lend a hand. The more you know!









Our drive to Nashville was another pretty drive. What I love about this trip is that the drive is totally different everyday.

Commentary by Z: _Totally_ different. We went from brown plains in Kansas to slightly hilly brown plains in Oklahoma. What a change!
I'm not familiar with any of these places and so the drive is more exciting to me and never seems to drag on.

For dinner we met up with Tanner, one of Zack's lifelong friends and the friend we are staying with while in Nashville. He introduced us to Edley's Bar-B-Que, which is another great place to get bbq. This trip has offered us a LOT of great bbq. Good thing I'm not tired of it yet!

Commentary by Z: She's so tired of it.
Tanner had to go back to studying for his med test, but suggested that we head down to Broadway for more live entertainment (our favorite!). This street, much like Memphis, is famous for its live music in the bars - it was just a bit bigger than Beale Street with windier roads and a longer strip! The place was lively and a fun hangout if you don't mind loud music (mostly country) coming from every bar because many open their windows or doors hoping to attract a crowd into their place. It worked for us though because we stopped in places where the band caught our attention. We did this for a few blocks and then called it a night, which was probably a good thing because if you have forgotten, I am STILL sick and needed to get to bed. Don't worry though, I called the doctor and got meds to make me better!

8th leg of the journey: 3.5 hours. 224 miles.

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