To Louisville

Although our visit to family back home was technically "bonus time", it sure felt hard to leave this week. After the surprise sunk in, Isaac and I realized we had a lot of planning to do in order to successfully transport our lives to Kentucky in such a short time.

After a lot of phone calls, googling and a few card swipes, it seemed like we had a decent grasp on the situation. The fact that the u-haul cab stank of smoke was neutralized by the giant alien face on its side. We quickly grew attached to our truck, for obvious reasons.

I think saying "goodbye" was especially hard because of how sweet our stay in South Carolina was. Getting to see all of these loved ones that we haven't seen in many months, and being spoiled by time with baby Emmett. But because the days flew by so quickly, there were many family and friends we didn't get to see at all, or only briefly.

Yet once we made it out past some light showers in Spartanburg, listening to Dad's mixtape (an SD card of music), the excitement began to trickle through us. The drive from Columbia to Louisville is an easy and scenic one - a few interstates through the mountains of western North Carolina, Tennessee and then Kentucky. Nice weather and no traffic, amazing circumstances for our first trip on these roads and Isaac's first time towing a vehicle. Here's a few of my favorite scenes. 

As we rose higher into the mountains, the trees became bare. There were few signs of spring's young, vibrant leaves, only the occasional bursts of pollen and buds.

When we finally grabbed some food at the Tennessee/Kentucky border, I spied a teen taking a picture of our u-haul. It made me feel like a proud mother of our alien truck all over again so I snapped a picture too.

As we sat eating dinner, we utilized the restaurant's wifi to make a dent in the checklist of moving to-dos. Crunching on french fries and sweet tea, I got my first healthy dose of what might be a Kentucky accent. The lady from Louisville G&E on the phone pronounced her "A" in a long, slow, stretchy and sweet way. Okay sounded like more like "Oh-ka-eye".
 

Evening approached and we grew excited seeing the pastures alongside the interstate, its grazers seeming to slowly transition from cows to horses. We decided to settle down for the night in a cute and quiet town along the interstate called Corbin, about an hour south of Lexington. Coasting up the exit ramp, a sign informed us that this was also the home of the Harland Sanders Café, the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

After checking into a hotel, we went to sleep pretty early. Without ever stepping foot in Kentucky, we had a place to live, renter's insurance and electricity set up. There was plenty of time still to sort out the thousand other details. For the moment, we needed to enjoy ourselves a little.

And that meant waking up without an alarm clock, enjoying the hotel's breakfast, and then checking out the birthplace of KFC.

As it turns out, the Colonel, Harland Sanders wore many hats before becoming the face of the now international restaurant chain. In Corbin, he created an all-inclusive roadside resort to cater to motor tourists in the '40s and '50s. His restaurant served more than chicken, priding itself on its breakfast plates with country ham. There were also hotel rooms and a gas station to meet all of the travelers' needs.

The place is cute now, a modest building made up of both old and new. There's memorabilia and artifacts from the original restaurant and hotel. Its dining areas are in the style of the original café, with a few rooms you can peer in like at a museum - roped off, with informative plaques. And then there is the modern KFC and drive thru, locals picking up food as if there is nothing noteworthy to see.

The Sanders Café was a nice break from the hustle of driving, making phone calls and moving cardboard boxes. A couple of hours later, we arrived in Louisville. Thankfully, our apartment and the area it is located are both nice and convenient. Just a minute off of a busy intersection with big brands of shopping and eating. We arrived here on Wednesday, and have spent our time since then settling in - juggling unpacking, shopping and resting.

I guess backyards are a thing for me. Growing up, I was spoiled by an endless backdrop of peaceful pine trees. Even if it's not ideal, whatever backyard I happen to end up with, I try to savor now. While living in South Korea, it was a building's rainbow lights and then endless rooftops. Now I proudly introduce our new backyard. It may not look like much, but behind that overgrown brush is a wide, tree-rimmed field. And in the morning, the birds sing, and their sweet sounds are about the only thing we can hear. That's definitely worth some appreciation.