Miles 8369-8943: Parkville, Independence, Drive to Nashville, and Nashville
8/7
This morning, we got up to say good-bye to Leanne as she left for a conference. We hung around a little longer while we packed up, and then said goodbye to Chris. Reese wasn’t awake by the time we left, so if she happens to be reading this, thanks for being such a great host!!! We got breakfast at First Watch, which happens to also be in Winston; we finally found a good place that we can go to at home. I got a fruit crepe that was amazing and the perfect size. We stopped at Josh and Doris’ house in Independence so we could meet Josh, who had gotten home very late last night. They’re out on a small lake and it was a very beautiful view off their back porch. Their son’s dog, Elsa, was a German shepherd and a sweetheart. My mom, Josh, and Doris told some stories and talked about so many people, some I had heard of before, but many were new names. That last round of reminiscing ended our sojourn into the Kansas City area, and meeting of so many new people. We drove for about three or four hours to St. Louis and got lunch at Chic Fil A just past the city. Once we got into Nashville, we drove to another one of my dad’s friend’s house, Jason. He and his son, Ryman (6), were very gracious hosts. Jason’s wife, Alissa Moreno, and Ryman’s little brother were out of town in California. Alissa is a songwriter, who cowrote Every Day for Rascal Flats. Jackson and I slept in her studio, and it was full of guitars, records, a piano, and lots of event posters. We ate tacos for dinner, compliments of Jason, and watched TV with Ryman before getting in bed.
“I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse.”