Celebrating One Year in Tennessee

As of yesterday, August 1, we've lived in Tennessee for officially one year! Last August, when we pulled up to the little two-bedroom apartment where all 6 of us would be staying for the next few months until our house was finished, we weren't sure at all we were going to like it here. As we stepped out of the car into the blazing, humid heat, uncertainty shifted to realization--we would just have to suffer through the next 4 years. With sad faces and heavy hearts from all we'd left behind, paired with exhaustion from a 5-day, 36-hour trip, we embarked on our new adventure here in Clarksville, Tennessee.

In the beginning, nothing went like it was supposed to and it was a hard adjustment. But, after the rough start, I'm pleased to announce that we have learned to be happy here. Despite the horrible storms, tornadoes, and miserable summer heat, there are a lot of good things that Clarksville has to offer. It truly is a beautiful place to live. Among the things that we were concerned about on our arrival here: our house, our neighborhood, schools our children would attend, and our ward;they have all turned out to be good. But above all, the thing that has helped our transition the most is meeting good people and making good friends.

To celebrate surviving our first year in Tennessee and to give the kids one last little excursion before school started, we all went out to dinner in Nashville at the Cheesecake Factory. It was our first time ever eating there, although I've been wanting to go for years. The food was very good and we bought a cheesecake we'll be eating this afternoon.

Jarem outside the Cheesecake Factory

We bought 3 entrees for the 6 of us and we each shared with someone. (They don't have a kids menu, and their meals are big). It turned out just right, except the bill (of course). We were quite surprised at the bill of $143.00 for a small appetizer, 3 entrees, drinks, and a 10" cheesecake to go. That was an expensive dinner, but the kids felt they were being treated to a really nice place. Jesikah and Eric received hot wet clothes to clean their finger after eating the ribs, we got sugared rims of our glasses, and free refills even on strawberry lemonade. It is a very nice restaurant, and definitely more upscale than our typical fare. But, for the celebration, it was worth it.

The Cheesecake Factory is part of "The Mall at Green Hills". It is a very nice, upscale mall...definitely out of our league, but fun to window shop. So, we took some time to look around. Below, I took a few photos on my phone in the mall (quality is not the best, but I tried to make them look a little better with Photoshop Elements).

One of the stores that we all enjoyed was Pottery Barn Kids. Tessa loved this comfy chair.

Jesikah loved this realistic appliance set...it would be the perfect addition to her play restaurant at only $199.00 a piece on sale. (Yeah, right). She also found all sorts of play food that was very cool. (I experimented with the blur effect on Photoshop Elements in this picture).

Jarem was so excited to find this R2D2 chair. Eric also enjoyed a few nostalgic moments when he found that his exact Star Wars bed sheets from his childhood ARE BACK! You can see part of them in the above picture behind Jarem on the bed.

Here's a couple of the pillows that accessorize the Star Wars collection. There was also a really cool quilt of the Millenium Falcon. Eric jokingly had to ask if the sheets came in queen size. :)

The beautiful sunset outside the mall as we headed back home.