Blogs from Madisonville, Tennessee, United States, North America

Be se to check out the second page of photos It is difficult for us to comprehend that one year ago this week, we returned to the States from our 7-month World Tour. Wow, what an exciting year. This is not a travel update; it is however, an update on our journey as we continue to live the dream. Our trip around the world enriched our lives like you would not believe. We immersed ourselves in local cultures and witnessed many eye opening experiences in the daily lives of so many different people. We met fellow travelers from around the world and shared stories, but more importantly, we learned so much from local people in the places we visited. We saw firsthand how people can enjoy life and experience genuine happiness without excessive material possessions or ... read more

The responses to our request for assistance in naming the monkey have been overwhelming. We have received some really creative input through comments and messages on this blog as well as e-mails and a tremendous amount of verbal input, both in person and over the phone. Lynne and I have had a blast receiving all of you inputs. Naming the monkey was an extremely challenging task for us based on the creativity of submissions. I know you may be anxious to see what our monkey’s names is, but we are going to force you to read the entire post in order for you to find out. Let’s take a look at all of the inputs we have received in no particular order. I will refrain from posting the explicit names for obvious reasons. If I ... read more

Effective tonight, Lynne and I are officially locked and loaded on the first two legs of our Round The World (RTW) journey. WOW—what a rush. We have officially booked our flight from JFK Airport to Reykjavik, Iceland. We will depart on the 6th of June and arrive in the early morning of the 7th. We will stay in Iceland until the 20th of June and head to London, England. We will tentatively plan on spending two months in Europe with no set agenda. We are still compiling our list of places we desire to visit in Europe, but will spend a significant amount of time in the Greek Islands. My grandfather was from New Cumnock, Scotland, so we will swing by they to check out his old stomping grounds. We have a few special friends we ... read more

Day 3 - Pancakes downstairs at the Comfort Inn. We found out the Madisonville Library is closed on Mondays and decided to visit the cemeteries. Big Creek Cemetery - Will all the Breedens please stand! (Oops!). No Breedens but found Joseph Divine! Headstone tells about his capture and murder at the end of the Civil War. He had 2 children by Bettie Raper while married to Nancy Hicks. Nancy and Bettie were cousins. I'm sure his murder was related to the war and not his extra-curricular activities. Stopped at Tellico Plains museum & gift shop. Off to Rafter to visit Mt. Isabella where Meredith Raper preached & in search of his mother Rutha's headstone (Giles-Roberts cemetery). Not as easy as it sounds! Mt. Isabella Church - Door was unlocked, so we went in. Tried to imagine ... read more