Welcome to TN - Tales from TN Part 1

Have you ever had something happen that at the time made you so frustrated that you wanted to cry, pull your hair out, scream, stay in bed for a day or two, or maybe "run home to Mommy," but then later all you can do is laugh about it all? For me, that was my entire first month in Nashville, TN.

I moved to Nashville after graduating from college because I had been hired by a curriculum company to work as an editor/proofreader. I had only visited one time for my interview and even then I spent less than 24 hours in Nashville. So needless to say, it was all brand new to me! And it didn't take long for trouble to find me... A little less than 12 hours to be exact.

I arrived in Nashville in my new little white 2 door hatchback Hyundai Accent that my sister had lovingly dubbed "Lily." I had managed to purchase it, my very first vehicle, during the last two weeks before I graduated, so I had only owned it about a month.

Arriving with me in Nashville was my friend Andrea, who had taken her vacation time to help me move and enjoy some time away from OKC. My mom and her friend Nelda had also come with me and had driven the U-haul. We located and stayed the night in the hotel. So far, so good. Everything was going smoothly.

The next morning we all decided to test my new GPS (the best birthday/graduation gift ever and definitely a lifesaver for this directionally challenged girl in a brand new city) and find a coffee shop so we could get some coffee and breakfast.

First location: non-existent. No big deal. The next one was only a mile away... It ended up taking me into the heart of downtown Nashville which is full of hills, one-way streets, seemingly countless stoplights, tons of traffic, and zero parking spaces. I managed to find the coffee shop, but I did not manage to find a parking space. So there I was, my GPS going full-blast saying "recalculating" with three people making suggestions about where to go to try to find parking close by. I stopped at yet another red light.

I checked my rearview mirror only to see to my horror that the car behind me is getting closer and closer. I cannot pull forward any further because I have a car in front of me. I only have enough time to say, "Uh oh" while my racing thoughts screamed, "Please stop. Please stop. PLEASE stop." It didn't. I had been rear-ended. In my brand new Lily! On my first day in town!

The offenders were nice out-of-towners who were also trying to navigate the labyrinth they call downtown Nashville. Sadly, they were paying more attention to the street signs than their brake pedal. Their car had only been creeping along and it was also white like my little Lily so thankfully there was no discernible damage.

I was not discouraged. I knew that I was exactly where God wanted me. I was finally finished with college, moving to a new and exciting city, starting a new and exciting job, getting my very first apartment, driving my new first car... Life was all about the new, the different, and the exciting. Perhaps with such a welcome, I should have been a little more prepared for the insanity that would follow during my first month. But at that point, I was still blissfully unaware of all that was in store.