My parent’s drove down to Maryville,
Tennessee the end of last week and on Friday June 21st brought back my two nieces for a week’s visit with the family.  The girls are wee youngsters – about 7 and 5 years old and both of them are a lot of fun.  There are a plethora of activities planned for them but the first was a visit to Knobels amusement park (http://www.knoebels.com/) which warrants a post completely of its own.  I have never been there so my plan was to drive up to the farm early Saturday morning, make a Horning’s run (again – deserves its own post) and then caravan up to the park with my parents.  
 
However – I did not have a lovey week and I really needed something with a kick to get me going, so on Friday, I created the following play list (that I tested while doing errands) and concluded that it would do just nicely!

UPLIFTING playlist:
 
Pretty in Pink – Psychedelic Furs
Walk into the Sun – Dirty Vegas
Know for Sure – 10 Silo Deep
Busy Child – Crystal Method
Tenderness – General Public
We Got the Beat – The GoGo’s
Whip It – DEVO
 
So why did I choose these songs?  Ok so here we go!!
 
I had decided I needed an 80’s sort of vibe and since the playlist was called ‘UPLIFTING’ – I felt a perfect place to start was ‘Pretty in Pink’. 
 
‘Walk into the Sun’ was the perfect #2 for the chorus alone but if I ever needed a nudge to encourage me to learn to play bass, this song would be that nudge – it has a simply perfect bass line.
 
‘Know for Sure’ – the first lyrics of the song are ‘I’m tired of talkin…’ – and after a week like mine – it was a perfect choice. And if I ever decided that I had a yen to be a choreographer – this song would be the impetus – there are so many layers to this song and rhythms that can be applied to so many different styles of dance, well… the mind boggles. 
  
‘Busy Child’ I chose because I felt the rhythm fit in with the other songs and it seems to mix things up a bit and I like that.
 
‘Tenderness’ – again 80’s vibe; now – if you could listen to a song and feel someone’s personality then that is how I feel about this song because
listening to it feels like my friend Janie – one of the best intelligent, witty,
funny and clever young writers out there (http://youlifeisnotsogreat.wordpress.com/about-you-life/) and a genuine
wonderful soul. On her blog read the ‘about this blog’ page and it will tell you
almost everything there is to know about her – except her truly spectacular
fashion style, her utter passion for books and all her glorious fandoms. She is
wonderfully uplifting. I don’t really care about the lyrics of this song but when I hear it – it’s like I just spent 4 hours with her at the Keswick coffee house sprawled on a couch conversing. (Thanks Doll!)
 
‘We Got the Beat’ – excellent drum parts and guaranteed to cause chair dancing and bopping even while driving.
 
‘Whip It’ – come-on – who DOESN’T know the words to this song? And honestly – can’t be any more inspired with lyrics like ‘if a problem comes along, you must whip it’ or ‘whip it – into shape – shape it up – get straight – go forward – move ahead’ right?
 
I have to say – it was an uplifting mix – and after the 300 plus miles I drove yesterday and as many times as this mix played (it is only about 30 minutes long) – I can tell you I did not get tired of being uplifted!
 
Hey – the weather is lovely – make your own mix and get out there and have some fun! Let the fresh air, sunshine and good music lift you!



Author's note: all songs I use in my play lists come either from albums I have purchased (or have been purchased for me) or MP3 singles purchased via Amazon.com.

My Focus 'Fleet' a photo text that I sent to my dad the day I picked up my 2012  Fcus last March.

I already had a 2004 Focus that I purchased used in 2007 - it was my second one and I loved it! I had just finished paying it off in March 2012 when I sold it to my niece, Samantha, who was in need of a car.  Wisely, I used the cash as an excellent down payment on the 2012 - the very first brand-new car I had ever purchased! For a brief few days, however, both cars were registered to me so as a joke, I referred to them as my fleet!

So .....
here I am a little over a year later and I am still in love with my Focus.  What I am not in love with, however, is being out of work. It is crazy that while I have time to actually take a trip, there is the small matter of $3.51 per gallon for gas which is THE deterrent to an out of work adventurer.

But I can dream and play the 'what if' game. So where would I go? Well that's a bit hard to say because I have recently watched Ken Burns' National Parks documentary and have realized how many parks in my time zone that I have not yet had the privilege to visit. 

If I could throw a bag into the car, I'd head to Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee. I've never been to Tennessee or Kentucky so it would be virgin territory all the way. 

Since the famous Route 66 takes a dip through Tennessee, I'd travel a bit of that highway.  The postcards are probably awesome!

I'd like to take a stop in Pigeon Forge, TN which is the birthplace of the spirited Dolly Parton. While I'm not a fan of amusement parks, I hear there are some excellent displays of local crafts & artisans at Dollywood and I would love to explore those.  

I would also make a side trip to Knoxville and take a drive past (but not visit) The Body Farm, a forensic anthropology center at the University of Tennessee (http://fac.utk.edu/).  I am a great admirer of Dr. William Bass and the work he started at UT.  

Of course there would be a stop in Maryville, TN to visit two of the most adorable nieces an Auntie can have!

Other places I might visit:  Appomattox Courthouse and Shenandoah National Park (both in Virginia) and Gettysburg's battlefields and cemeteries in PA.

Sigh.

Sounds like great fun doesn't it?  Well in the meantime, I will go online and order every piece of free tourist materials available and embellish my plans until the day I can dance a jig and hit the road!

Don't worry - photos & travelogue to follow should I ever get to make this expedition!  

If you are interested in visiting any of America's wonderful National Parks and Monuments, click on the 'Road Trip Suggestion' button on the website's main page - it links to the website of the National Park Service!