Good news! We made it through the night in the sketchy hotel. Eventually the party quieted down and we got a little sleep...and by a little I mean very little because I probably woke up every time I heard a car door close, someone walked by, a leaf rustled in the slight breeze - you get the idea.

We arrived at Savannah around 1pm which was a little later than we wanted because some friends were going to meet us for lunch. They however were kind enough to wait on us (thanks guys, because I know waiting on people when you are hungry can be the worst). Where should you eat if you come to Savannah? Well, naturally they have a million restaurants, but we ate at The Shrimp Factory! It's in the historic district and right on the river. It had great food (I got the Shrimp Puff Pastry. It was kinda like a chicken pot pie but with shrimp obviously if that helps).
Commentary by Z: You know how some restaurants give you chips or bread or something to snack on while you wait for your food? Well if you put your name down to be seated and there's a 40 minute wait you should be able to put your credit card on file and eat snacks while you wait. That'd be amazing.
While we were looking up things to do in Savannah we saw great ratings for the Wormsloe Historic Site which is the oldest structure in Savannah. I thought it was going to be more like the classic plantations with the wooden homes, pillars..that kind of thing, but this plantation was much older. All thats left are some ruins, and one of my favorite parts, Oak Avenue that has 400 oaks lining the 1.5mile stretch leading into the property. The grounds were beautiful - trees _everywhere_, which is good because walking around and enjoy the grounds was pretty much the main thing to do. There is a small visitor center however with a movie you can watch about the historical significance, but that's about it. You are left on your own to enjoy the scenery and acres upon acres the Jones Family owned.
Commentary by Z: Why did people want 500 acres of jungle to "farm" in the first place? I can't imagine clearing a single acre of that and then trying to farm it, let alone 500. Better have lots of kids to help with the labor! Or you know, introduce slavery into the colonies. Should have stuck with larger families IMO.
After the ruins, we went back into the city to further explore the historical district. Downtown Savannah has beautiful planned communities with parks in the center of each block. Houses, churches, and shops then surround these parks making it very friendly and fun to walk through each street. We walked into the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist to sit and take in all the stained glass and intricate details in the church.

One regret I have is that we didn't do a haunted tour. Our friends recommended that we do one and said that they "LOVED IT", but we looked at tickets the day of and they were all sold out (dang it). This tells me two things 1) other people think they are awesome and worth doing because they are not just selling out the day of, but several days in advance! 2) We should have planned ahead. I was conflicted I mean I really hate being scared. I don't even like watching scary movies..sooo why would I want to be told scary stories in creepy buildings?! But I want what I can't have and now I just really want to go on a haunted tour! I don't want to miss out and I keep thinking about it! It will just be something we can do next time we come back!

Zack and I decided to save a little money today by staying at a motel which seemed like a great idea... buuuut maybe we should have spent a little more money after all. We are only in Atlanta one night so no need for anything extravagant - just something clean and above all, cheap! We thought about taking more time in Atlanta, but we are meeting friends tomorrow in Savannah so in order to make it on time we had to pass up really getting to know Atlanta.

The drive was going great. We stopped in Chattanooga (in Tennessee but right by the border of Georgia) for lunch and I kinda loved it. It was a lot bigger than I imagined with beautiful rolling hills and a lake just outside the city where people fished and relaxed in the nice 70 degree weather. Dreamy, right?? It made me wish in that moment that we had brought our Kayak with us on this trip to take advantage of that moment..too bad our Fusion can't handle a roof rack and a two-man Kayak on it ha.
Anyway, we stopped at St. Elmo Deli & Grill for lunch which had hot sandwiches! Yummy! It was in this cute part of town where they have a railway that goes up to Lookout Mountain (from our view it looked like a cute shed and platform at the top!). That would have been so fun to try, I'm kicking myself that we didn't.
As we got to the Border of Atlanta the traffic worsened. There is nothing more that I love than heavy traffic in an unfamiliar place! Honestly, I felt like the whole time I was gripping the steering wheel as I navigated around aggressive drivers. What can you expect from a big city though?? I get use to driving in the countryside so when I hit traffic I instantly tense up and my mood shifts from cheery to kinda cranky.
Commentary by Z: We had to shift our music selection to something a little more cheery and upbeat...
We made it to the motel room which brings us to the present and back to why this wasn't the best idea. Ya we are safe, but do we feel safe? eh, not really. Something about my window and door right up against the parking lot doesn't give me the best sense of security. We also have neighbors that decided to have a bbq and didn't think to invite us! Rude.
Commentary by Z: Hannah neglected to mention that their bbq is in the back of their truck and they're all outside talking and yelling at each other right outside our door. Super pleasant.
As the night goes on though, I can hear them getting a little more drunk and a little louder. Their radio is blasting though so maybe they were too nervous to ask us to join and thought that we still wanted to _hear_ the fun. Hmmm but as I write this, "Every Breath you Take" by The Police is playing, you know "Every move you make, every step you take, I'll be watching you"... I will try not to read too much into that.. Also, the neighbors upstairs are not shy! I can't tell if they are making it more homey by hanging up pictures on the wall or if they just like to play leapfrog haha. Well, it's all part of the experience, right??
To make you feel better and let's be real, me feel better, here is a picture that I just love SO much! I laugh sooo hard every time I see it! I can't get over it and it only gets funnier the more I look at it! If you go online you can find countless memes/GIFS of this little guy..so that's what I will be doing for the next hour before bed.
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***

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.

Happy Valentines Day!! I hope everyone is sharing the love with friends and family by doing something fun to celebrate! Zack and I once again had to say goodbye to friends and move on...but this time we were headed to Memphis - known for Blues, Soul, and Rock 'n' Roll!

We drove through Mississippi which had some really pretty landscape! In my mind, Mississippi was like the rest of the south, flat and a million trees, but there were actual hills on our drive. There were pretty ponds, farms, rolling hills and PLENTY of trees. I think it's one of my favorite drives so far but I feel like I keep saying that...am I the boy who cried wolf? It was beautiful though haha!
We stopped in Jackson Mississippi and found the Capitol. We are making a habit of it. I just love seeing how similar/different they are.

I have learned a lot of things this drive and one is that Salt Lake City isn't as small a city as I originally thought. It's definitely no LA but as we have driven through several big cities, we have seen small big cities, like Baton Rouge and Memphis. Of course Memphis isn't a capitol city, but it is a well known. A big little city.
Commentary by Z: It is kind of sad to see how such a historic and well known city can fall so far behind the modern century. Unless you as a city are keeping up with tech jobs and the industry, it's easy to fall behind and then once your industrial companies go out of business or relocate you suddenly have high unemployment and no money coming into the city. Then how do you get out of that? If you have no tech companies in your city it's not like anyone is eager to be the first. Sad to see Memphis struggling.
We got situated in our hotel and then drove to Beale St. which (thanks to my mom) we were told to check out. It's famous as an old time blues hotspot and is lined with a bunch of bars where musicians can play and audiences can grab a bite to eat or drink or both. Years ago, artists like Louis Armstrong and Aretha Franklin came here to play and entertain. So cool, right?? Zack and I walked the strip trying to decide where to go and I don't know if it was because of Valentines Day or what, but a lot of the places were closed. We settled on B.B. King's Blues Club, which at first I thought was closed because it was really dark...shows how often I go in bars! The place was packed though and the band was already on stage and playing for the crowd. They were SOOO good. There is something about hearing a live band vs. a recording. They may not even be the type of band you would listen to on the radio but when they are live, their energy and sound is so fun. I was still sick though so while I had a ton of fun, it was hard to really get into it all night long. Zack could have stayed all night and on a better day for me, I would have too, but today was not that kind of day. However, we had a great Valentines date and this reminded me how much I love places like this. I want to live near a place where we can have date nights and listen to live music.
Commentary by Z: Live music of any kind is my jam.
The Grizzlies play here and it was just one block over from Beale Street. We were both surprised to see it right there in the middle of the city...Maybe the parking lot was in the back? Not sure where everyone parks
7th leg of the journey: 7 hours. 397 miles.

Weelll I am back! Not 100% better, but it will do for now. Getting sick on a trip like this is the worst..we don't have a ton of down time and I don't want to miss out on a city so I end up pushing myself instead of resting. It's just a bad cold but the problem with colds is that you feel good enough to still do things but bad enough that you don't really enjoy it.

Today Zack worked again in the morning while I rested. Austin ended up coming home early from his morning med school assignment so Zack took a work break and we all took a walk in the park. In the back of the park there was a tree called "The Tree of Life". This thing was huuuge!! It was an old oak tree the was planted in the early 1700s that now had branches that were so big and heavy that they drooped down into the ground and back up again as if need a little more support.

The rest of the park was one of the prettiest parks I had ever seen. It was a quiet afternoon with a few joggers here and there. There were big trees everywhere and a pond that basically confirmed to me that I would love to live near a big park one day.
We also walked around some of the neighborhoods and fell in love with the houses. Have you ever seen "Princess and the Frog"? I was surprised that it was pretty accurate with all the homes and streets. The homes had gorgeous white columns and porches that I couldn't get over! Every time I walked past a house I thought to myself "That is my dream home" "No wait! That is my dream home!" too bad all the homes are several million dollars....I'll just start saving now.. :)
For dinner we went to a restaurant that was once a shotgun house! The food was classic New Orleans food - or what I think of classic - Gumbo, shrimp, cornbread, the works. It was so good..except I couldn't fully enjoy it because I can't fully taste because of the cold, so maybe it wasn't that good but because my tastebuds are out of wack it was way better.  
Commentary by Z: No. It was friggin amazing.
After dinner we drove do to the French Quarter were we stopped at the infamous Cafe Du Monde for some beignets. They pile the powdered sugar so high that I had to be careful not to inhale the slightest bit while taking a bite or I would choke! This was another first for me. Everyone I talked to when they found out I would be in New Orleans told me I HAD to try the beignets. Well I did and I loved it so for those that have not had them before, go to New Orleans and get yourself one.
Commentary by Z: Personally I thought the cafe we had heard so much about would look a little more vintage and less like a bus station cafeteria...I think I saw more waitresses on their phones than helping customers. Good beignets though!
We walked off (or tried to walk off) the beignets by exploring deeper into the French Quarter. Thanks to Austin and Annie, we learned all about the history and how to navigate through the streets. I had no idea how big it was and how many streets there were. There were I felt like a million different bars, shops, and restaurants which I loved. Of course we hit Bourbon Street, because that's what everyone does, right? Most of the streets were pretty quiet (the calm before the storm of Mardi Gras is my guess) but once you hit Bourbon street, every thing came to life. Neon lights were above every bar, music was blasting in the street and people were busy hitting up different bars. It was such a contrast from the rest of the area but it was fun to walk a few blocks and take it all in.

The last stop of the night was an ice cream break! My Favorite! Also if you haven't noticed..we had waaaay too much sugar tonight...totally worth it though.
Commentary by Z: apparently her new "favorite" is refusing to order something for herself and helping herself to my order. yaaaaay marriage!
Another "Guest" post by Z!

Good news everyone! You get me again today! Hannah's still not doing so well, her throat is better but she's super congested and not quite up to speed so I'm secretly writing the blog while she's sleeping since we're a day behind. I'll get in trouble for telling you that, but that's just the way it is.

We got up early to go to church with Mark and Krissy (my aunt and uncle) and see a baby blessing performed by one of their returned missionaries who apparently wasted no time in starting a family! It happened to also be their Ward Conference, which was good for us cause the talks were great and the choir was a-MAZ-ing. It's like they were a mini-MoTab. They sang the MoTab version of Redeemer of Israel, complete with crazy harmonies and two-man organ playing. The power! The grace! The sheet music! It was really good, I for one was left in awe and wonder and with a weird grin on my face.
After church with Mark and Krissy
Afterwards we said goodbye and got back on the road again, heading down to see our friends Austin and Annie Grant in New Orleans! It's fascinating to me to watch the land transition as we travel from place to place. We started our journey up in the mountains, crossed through the Rockies, dropped down into the plains, went south and felt the humidity get thicker and thicker, and now turned east into marshlands and woods. I just love it!
We stopped in Baton Rouge just because it was there, and I had no idea it was on the way to New Orleans. Turns out, it was my favorite place so far! I really liked how quiet the city was - it was a bigger city without being huge and crowded - and how it had lots of charming southern homes right on the outskirts of all the big buildings. Was an awesome hybrid feel of city + country, I just wish I had longer to explore. We went to see the capitol building, which is unlike any capitol building I've seen but is also my favorite. After walking around the park and taking a few pictures we had to say a sad goodbye and get moving again.
Finally made our way into New Orleans, and I loved to see the way the architecture takes on that classic Nola style. I want one of these houses so badly! Just not a million dollars badly, which is what it would take to get one.
We stayed the night with the Grants, who were nice enough to make us an amazing dinner which we shared with some other friends of theirs who lived nearby. Nothing like a nice home-cooked meal to give you a break from eating out all the time! We chatted way later into the night than we should have, especially with Hannah being sick, but you know how it is when you're catching up with good friends. A 15 minute chat turns into several hours and 15 minutes, and before you know it midnight has come and gone. Looking forward to seeing the heart of the city tomorrow! 6th leg of the journey: 6:25 hours. 374 miles.