Touring Tennessee: Amish Country

Laura and I made a last minute decision to travel to Amish country for our second adventure.  After checking out the area's website, we had high hopes.  I've always heard people rave about the goods that the Amish have to offer, so we packed up the car, strapped in Laura's son, Ethan, and off we went! An hour and a half drive to a small Tennessean town by the name of Etheridge.

 The website that we had found, featured what they called the "Amish Mall." Promising a one-stop shop for all your Amish needs.  Covered wagon tours were advertised, and they also promised a few local restaurants, one of which boasted of the "best fried Bologna sandwich in the south." With those images in our heads, we arrived in Etheridge. Our mouths were watering, our stomachs grumbling, and both of us speaking words of comfort to hungry Ethan riding in the back. We find and pull into the Amish Mall, only to find....

We are the only people there.  So we drive fifty yards down the road to the next establishment with a sign that says "Start Here." There are signs for a restaurant and wagon tours...maybe this is it!  So I walk in to check it out, and maybe pick up a map.  I walk in to what looks like an antique shop, and a few antique-looking ladies sitting behind a the counter.  I ask about the wagon tours-"Well he just left, but he should be back in an hour and a half." I ask if that's how long the tour is, she says "yes."  I tell her that we were hoping to eat at one of the local restaurants, and she replies "Well, the place next door is closed for renovations, but will be open in the next few days.  And the one behind the store has a party of 100 people, and they probably won't be able to seat you." I ask if there's anywhere else to eat close by and she points us down the road to either a BBQ joint or a local deli. 

The BBQ joint ended up being Ricks BBQ, which is a chain, and we were feeling a little more adventurous.  So we decided on the local deli...which turned out to be a gas station.

This was beginning to look a lot like Tennessee is depicted on Television, I'm afraid.  This "deli" featured the usual gas station fare, home goods (dust ridden decor from the 70's), VHS movie rental, and in the back...the deli.  Which was run by a few ladies and what looked like a 5 year old girl.  However, it was a great BBQ sandwich, and we were trying to stay positive.  With 3 full bellies, we decide that an hour and a half wagon tour of the Amish community may not be a good idea if Ethan gets fussy.  So, armed with a map I picked up, we take the self guided tour in our car.  Yeah, that's Yoder Rd!

Driving through this community is like traveling back in time.  The Amish settled this region in 1944.  They arrived in a railroad car loaded with their horses, farm equipment, and household goods.  There are around 250 families in Lawrence Co, and make up the largest "Old Order" Amish settlement.  "Old Order" means that they have no modern conveniences: no cars, no tractors, no electricity, no running water. 

Their three main values are religion, family and love for the land.  They sported dark colored clothing, and feel that not wearing bright colors keeps them from standing out in the world.  They follow the peaceful examples of Christ in all they do.  The children attend school in a one-room school house until the 8th grade.  They study reading, writing, arithmetic, English, and German.  They make their living by working the land, so I suppose continued education would be a waste of time for most of them.  They do not believe in having their picture taken, so us shutter-bugs had to show some restraint.  Every view was picturesque.  Small children working in the gardens or driving horse-drawn wagons donning wide brimmed straw hats or bonnets. It struck me how much responsibility is given to children.  We saw a young boy, who couldn't have been much older than 8 or 9 driving a donkey while father worked the plow behind.  I was all of a sudden grateful for my care-free childhood. As we drove we realized that each home who had something to sell had signs at the end of their driveway that listed the things they sold. 

So essentially you could shop around.  We, however, needed to warm up to the idea of driving up the driveway, knocking on the door, and then possibly leaving without spending any money.  We drove and drove looking for the least ominous house...there wasn't one.  Every house looks like the one before.  Gravel driveway, white clapboard siding, screen door, dark open windows, clothesline, red barn, minors working in the garden, ladies picking from the fruit trees staring at us as we drive by. Most would wave, but we felt so alien in our car with airconditioning and radio...with our bright colored clothing and short shorts.  So each sign we passed, we'd peer down the driveway, look at each other, look back at the road and keep driving. 

We drove up to a community pavilion and witnessed a produce auction.  It looked as if a family could bring their fresh produce and auction it off to other Amish families or even outsiders.  We saw an Amish man holding giant spears of broccoli while the auctioneer called for "fifty cents a pound. I see fifty. Sixty cents. I see sixty. Seventy. I see seventy. Seventy five cents..."

We also stopped to take pictures of this small church with an.....that's right....OUTHOUSE! Can you imagine?!

This family, I would guess, mills wood for their living. 

It was impressive to see the men working at the wood mills.  There are rows and rows of whole logs, then a place where each log gets cut and spliced, and maybe another area where longer boards are planed.  All without electricity!  We later took a look at some of the furniture that these men make, and it's beautiful.  The seams sanded to perfection, screws nearly invisible.  Just solid, well made furniture. 

This community is self sustaining.  Almost every house had a small garden, a few fruit trees, maybe a goat or a few cows.  Some had wood mills.  Some made rugs, quilts and baskets.  They rely on each other, and there is something very noble about that.  So simple.  No fuss.  No muss.  Just the land, family, and the basic needs of life.  I am impressed.

Well, 4 hours later, we worked up the courage to drive into a driveway.  We were greeted by the stares of children from their garden.  As we drove up, the smallest boy dropped his garden tool and ran inside (the messanger, obviously).  They watched us as we shopped their small stand of canned goods, bread, plants, soap, and cookies.  When they knew we were ready, the oldest of the children, a girl, greeted us and took our money.  She went inside, and told her father what we had.  Up close, and peering through the open screen window, I could see a kitchen.  A counter along the wall and a small table.  Bare and unfinished wood floors, and the sound of an infant or toddler inside.  Nothing on the walls.  No sound of a television or radio like would be playing in my home as "background noise." I think I might have heard the faint sound of a rocking chair or a creaky kitchen table chair.  Her father's voice, speaking in what I assume is German.  I turn around to see the three or four younger children behind me and staring.  Maybe expecting entertainment?  Conversation?  Looking at my bright yellow silk top, and our fashion sunglasses, I'm sure.  The one to my right pushes a broken piece of wood off the end of the porch...apparently embarassed that it was there to begin with.  Then the screen door opens and the oldest returns with our change.  We thank them, grab our mason jars of fresh goodness, and walk quickly back to the car.  We did it! And it was only moderately awkward. 

While this trip didn't go exactly as planned, it served its purpose in leaving us educated and in awe of a local culture.  I love my modern conveniences, but it has inspired me to live a little simpler.  Maybe turn the television off when I'm not watching.  Maybe be grateful my hot showers and electric stove.  While I'm not sure I'll make that drive again any time soon, I will take my son Carter when he is old enough to appreciate the way they live...and ultimately appreciate the way he lives. 



Cause I gotta' have faith, faith, faith-ah

While reflecting on my state of faith, I stumbled upon my growing testomony.  I've shared parts of it before, but it seems to deepen and grow with each new season of my life...so I'm writing down what God has revealed to me so far.

After graduating with an Interdisciplinary Studies Education degree from Middle Tennessee State University, I was off to start my first job...my career...my calling.  Teaching seems to come naturally to me.  Surprisingly, I've never really been comfortable around kids...but somehow in a classroom I transform.  Kids, specifically middle school kids, became my passion.  I hated middle school as a kid. It was awful. Some of my worst school age memories stem from middle school.  Most middle schoolers have no idea who they are, what they stand for, and are morphing each day into a young adult.  They are little balls of hormones and un-tamed emotions.  As their teacher, I wanted to create a safe space...where they could succeed.  Where they could make good choices and be rewarded, but also where making mistakes wouldn't mean the end of the world.  So 7th grade Science was the perfect place.  The nature of science is all about try it, analyze it, and if it didn't work...try something else- a valuable life lesson in itself.  I loved my classroom.  I loved my curriculum.  I loved seeing metaphoric light bulbs go off above a kid's head, and being able to witness when things "clicked."  I loved taking a complex notion, simplifying it, and presenting it piece by piece.  I loved making it fun, and making it seem easy to kids.  The best compliment I could get as a teacher was "that's so easy!"  Because ease comes with mastery...and mastery was my goal.  My first two years were tough and exhausting, but I knew I was making a difference. 

Half-way through my second year, I found out I was pregnant.  It shook my world and turned my professional plans upside down.  I had planned to get my masters in Administration...I had planned to teach for 5 more years before applying for a principalship.  I had plans, but I knew God had others.  I won't lie and say I was excited that he was taking me down a road that I didn't necessarily choose myself, but I decided that if I was on it...I might as well do it well.  So I decided that I could do it all.  I could be a great mom, a great wife, and a great teacher.  There were plenty of women in my building who seemed to be doing it all and having it all...so why couldn't I?

Carter came at the beginning of my 3rd year of teaching and I began to sing a different tune.  I agonized over having to return after 12 weeks of maternity leave.  I believe that mothers have to overcome every part of our DNA to leave our babies. {We can talk about what that would have meant thousands of years ago...but I'll save that science lesson for another time}.  It was tough for me.  I cried on the way to work more mornings that I can count...leaving my son in my  mother-in-laws arms to go and teach other people's children.  I loved teaching, and was often happy once I got to work...but I was never 100% present in the classroom.  One foot in my classroom as a teacher and one foot at home with my son.  While teaching 7th graders about animal cell parts, I was still mentally checking off feeding times, naptimes, and playtimes that I knew were happening at home as the hours rolled by.  I wasn't the Heather I used to be.  A new Heather was born on September 3, 2009. 

Going out with friends wasn't the same...I now had "mom" things to talk about.  Milk, poop, rice cereal, bottles, pacies, and tummy time.  It was all I could think about, but that's not acceptable happy hour conversation...is it?  I wanted so badly to be the old Heather....only what did she talk about?  I can't remember.  So...I just stopped talking for a while.  "Check, please." 

I continued to drag myself away from my family every morning for the next few months, put on a happy face, and do my job...my other job.  But I was slowly wearing down...like an old crayon.  I was once sharp and bright and pretty in my job...now I was worn...paper torn away.  After a long school day and a not-so-encouraging parent conference I walked down the hall, grabbed my bag, walked out the door, got in my truck, took off my lanyard, pulled out of the parking lot, and knew that this would be my last year.  I didn't know how I'd tell my husband, my boss, my co-workers or my students...but I was done.  I had become a teacher who hated her job.  Not because I was no longer a great teacher, but because I couldn't continue to be a great teacher, a great mother, and a great wife.  Something had to give...and that something was my career.  So I took the long way home that day and prayed.  I knew the feelings I had were too big to be my own.  I didn't know what God's plan was, but I was stepping out in faith to follow it. We had bills to pay, money to save, and projects on the list...but somehow God would take care of it.

So, fast forward to now...a year later.  My husband has received numerous raises and bonuses (in the throws of a recession), and God has taken care of us! My pastor recently said something that stuck with me, "You'll know you're in the right place when God continues to bless you." We have been blessed beyond what I could have imagined.  I believe that because I stepped out in faith, God showed up.  And he continues to show up every day...showing me new things.  Challenging me.  Growing me.  It hasn't been all butterflies and rainbows; in fact my day-to-day is more challenging than it was a teacher, but I know that this is where I'm supposed to be.  It was a terrifying leap...but I'm glad we took it.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

"Me" Time

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.  ~Rajneesh

I found this quote shortly after I gave birth to my son, Carter.  It gave me peace to know that it's okay if I don't have all the answers or make a few mistakes.  Because, after all, as a mother...I'm as new to this world as my child is.  And while being a mom has given me hope and joy that nothing else ever could have, it is a challenging road to tread.  That child, right out of the womb, may as well have had WARNING labels printed all over him. Some might have read: "WARNING-the first 4 months are sleepless and thereby putting you on edge 24 hours a day. Your patience will run out, your temper will flare, and tears are inevitable", "WARNING- the entire world is hazardous to this baby, so try not to kill him" or "WARNING-you are no longer the center of your own world and will temporarily lose your mind and therefore lose yourself indefinitely"
Some mothers aren't prepared for or willing to heed these warnings...but I'm a pretty practical gal and assumed the worst when I found out I was pregnant.  It was a bit of a surprise, and I wasn't prepared to rearrange my own plans just yet.  However, there was no turning back...so I mourned my old life for 9 months.  I had no delusions that this would be easy, but I assumed at some point, I would pick up life where I left it post-pardum.  This is where I was wrong.  Little did I know that when Carter Stone was born, Heather Michelle was reborn.  Everything I knew before was useless in this new world.  I had fresh new skin and everything penetrated it in a whole new way. Time itself even changed.  The conventional hours of a day no longer applied. I now operated on a 2 hour schedule.  I began to eat, breathe, feed and sleep 2 hours at a time. I restructured my existing life around this schedule, and somehow managed to take most things in stride.
Slowly I began to work parts of my old life into my new one, one piece at a time.  Happy hour with friends-I'll take that.  Fitting into my size 4 jeans again-I'll take that.  Staying out all hours of the night- I'll leave that, thank you very much.  One by one, I've been sorting through those pieces...taking some and leaving others.  I think the most important piece I chose to take was for myself- 2 days a week.  That's right...Carter goes to my mother-in-law's 2 days out of every week.  I don't feel bad about it, I lose no sleep over it, and I look forward to it.  I usually take him on Wednesday morning and he comes back on Thursday evening.  Which means I get a weekly date-night with my husband, a morning to sleep in...or not...whatever I decide.  I get 2 days when things happen on my own terms.  I run on no schedule but my own.  These 2 days actually came as a solution to a problem.  See, we had hired my mother-in-law to watch Carter during the day while I worked.  When we decided that I would stay home (that blog to follow soon) she still wanted to see him regularly.  At first, I didn't think I'd need it every week.  It seemed a little excessive, but it later became essential.  It might sound silly, but those 2 days have helped me find myself again.  I am a better mother, a better wife, and a better friend because of my 2 days. 
So I encourage all mothers to take some time!  It may not be 2 days...it may only be 20 minutes in the bath tub...but take it!  All women need time to hear themselves.  To know who we are in this new skin we wear. 

Touring Tennessee: Leiper's Fork & Franklin

"I used to have this appetite for my life, and now it is just gone.  I want to go some place where I can marvel at something."-Eat Pray Love

That movie, and more specifically that line inspired me to get up out of my every day routine, dust off my map-reading skills, and go! Where? Well, being a stay-at-home mom & living on a single income surely narrows the choices.  And while I may not be able to buy a ticket and fly across the world, I can surely hop in my Jeep and travel across the state!  Who says you need a passport to marvel at something?  There is such beauty in my home state of Tennessee, and while I have lived here all my life, I have yet to see so much of it.  We have great culture, food, and natural wonders of our own, and I intend to experience as much as I can in the coming months.  So, welcome to my newest project, Touring Tennessee.

The first thing that I did was google "things to see in Tennessee" and I found http://www.tntrailsandbyways.com/ that features tours, complete with printable tour guides and maps, in each region of the state. I chose the Old Tennessee Trail to start, since the first stops are in Franklin, TN, just a short 30 minute drive from where I live in Murfreesboro.  So first trip planned....now for a sidekick.

The first person I thought of to tag along on my journey is one of my best friends, Laura.  She has a love for photography as I do, so I knew I wouldn't feel bad about stopping on the side of the road to "marvel" and take pictures of random Tennessean moments.  She is also a stay-at-home mom so we have the freedom to pick up and go during the less-crowded weekdays, which is a major plus. 

So Laura, her son Ethan and I loaded up and hit the road to see historic Franklin and Leiper's Fork. 

Somewhere in Franklin, we got a little turned around...not a surprise if you've traveled with either of us before.

So I pulled out my handy smartphone loaded with a navigation app, and we got back on track and headed to Leiper's Fork.  This location was important hunting ground for Native Americans more than 4,000 years ago, and was later settled by Revolutionary War veterans who were given land grants as payment for their service.  It thrived as a small community with general stores, lumber mills, blacksmiths, churches, a school, and the Middle Tennessee Railroad. Today it's still a quiet but cute community, and it's the only historic village on the Tennessee portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  Our tour suggested Puckett Grocery as a popular eatery, so that's where we headed first.

It's known for great burgers and BBQ, so I naturally chose a chicken salad sandwich, haha!  The food was great, the people were nice, and the atmosphere was nostalgic.  From the outside, it doesn't seem like much.  In fact, it seems a little "sketch" but once inside, I couldn't help but love what I saw.  Good people taking a break to eat good food.  And Ethan had a fantastic time.

After lunch we walked next door to the gallery to check out the work from local artists.  I was drawn to the kids' shoes made from cement...go figure :)

We walked down the street to snap some pics of the Hillsboro United Methodist Church.  The original portion of the church is 100 years old, and was once shared by Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Church of Christ on a rotating basis.  Can you imagine?

Our last stop in Leiper's Fork was a great little Antique shop owned by a girl named Alex.  I envy her job, and the view from her back porch.  She had everything perfectly placed and organized, and was easy to talk to.  She gave us the inside on a few of the local traditions and invited us to come back.  We snapped a few pics of some of her finds before we left.

yeah, those are artfully hung....from the ceiling

I had to snap a shot of the Ford...I'm guessing a 50's model because it reminds me of the '51 chevy I drove before I got married...love!

 After a challenging diaper change for Ethan, and a septic tank mess-step (my shoes still smell), we hopped in the car and headed back to....

We stopped at the historic Carter House...which is known as the most bullet-damaged building still standing from the Battle of Franklin...but they charged a $15.00 admission so we declined and headed to the square. 

We admired the Franklin Monument, erected in 1899 to commemorate the Confederate  soldiers, while window shopping at the square. After walking around we decided that downtown Franklin deserves its own day...so many places to eat and see.  So we rewarded ourselves with Starbucks coffee and headed back home.

 It was a great day, and I'm so excited for the next trip. Spelunking at Cumberland Caverns, tasting local wine and maybe some Yazoo beer, Purity Dairies, historic homes, Rutledge Falls, George Dickle, state parks, honky-tonks, southern food, and everything in between.  I'm gonna see it all...So here's to traveling without a passport, and being a tourist in your own state :)