Sunny and I had a great week. We woke up early Tuesday and headed to East Tennessee where we spent the first three years of our marriage. We make it back to Kingsport about once a year, so this was our annual pilgrimage. As always, it was great to visit with old friends. John and Alice graciously let us stay with them. Their son was equally hospitable; he graciously shared his toys with Joshua and Abby Kate. I grabbed lunch with Matt on Wednesday; Matt and I went to high school together and we were roommates at Lipscomb. (And, of course, we also shared an experience that I’m sure neither of us will ever live down as a part of the Amigo Tire Service.) On Wednesday night, I spoke at the Northeast Church of Christ where we worshiped and served for 3 years. Some of the finest saints you’ll ever find are a part of that beautiful congregation. It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since we moved from there. I capped off my Kingsport visit with breakfast with John, Eric and Ken. The conversation weaved effortlessly through some of my favorite topics: baseball, church, family — culminating with some prayer time. Thanks for letting me crash the party, guys. (I’m still cracking myself up by impersonating Singing Guy — “laaaa da da da dum.”)

Thursday morning, we loaded up and began the journey homeward. We stopped off in Chattanooga (or Chattanoona, as Abby Kate says!) and visited the Tennessee Aquarium. The kids LOVED it! I think their favorite part was seeing the penguins dive in and out of the water (which caused Joshua to exclaim: “They’re going fast, Daddy!”). Another favorite exhibit was the jellyfish kiosk and the Nemo tank. After two hours of fish watching, we crossed the street to enjoy some Ben & Jerry’s before hitting the highway to Huntsville.

2 nights away from home and 600 miles in the van…and the kids did great! They laughed and sang in the van and acted like such big boys and girls. All in all, it was a great trip.