So today was a big day in small town adventures being that I wasn’t in our small town all day. Today…brace yourself…I went to TUPELO MISSISSIPPI!!! Oh yes, all of you Elvis Presley fans will know this place well (um…maybe). This town is birthplace of the King of Rock& Roll. It also happens to be the nearest town with options other than Walmart (by the way I did not have to go to today!!). Now don’t get too excited. There is no Target or Whole Foods here. I of course investigated this previous to moving. However I did enjoy a nice visit to Smoothie King. In traveling to the U-Haul store I was thrilled to find the property backed up to the street where Elvis’ birthplace was because it would be an adventure. I used to impersonate Elvis as a little girl and sing and dance in the living room. I learned a few things about him in my brief stop. One being that Elvis had a twin that died at birth. Secondly his father was in prison for a while when he was young. Jailhouse rock inspiration anyone?? I saw the Assemblies of God church that he attended and honestly felt the manifest presence of God on those front steps. I believe Elvis had to have encountered God in a tangible way as a young boy. This made me lead into streams of thoughts revolving around the importance of a solid father and the church’s responsibility to steward and encourage gifts of God. Elvis was a catalyst that changed the culture of an entire generation that is still being reflected in music today. What could that have looked like using it for righteous purposes? God has given placed incredible potential in all of us and it is our responsibility to walk that out rightly before Him.

In conclusion, the tree pollen is absolutely insane here. My car is red but appears green from certain angles. I’m learning to do small town things like leave my car doors unlocked in the day. I can’t get too comfortable with this as I am moving to Dallas soon. I have started to smile and wave at everyone I see and I’m learning to allow time for “small town” chats. Life in the “city” wore me out today!! This country girl is going to hit the hay ;-) ok not literally as I do have a bed.

Well today just like everyday in Hamilton entailed going to Walmart. Matter of fact I went twice today which is not that uncommon either. This resulted in two times more than I would have gone if I were in Tulsa. It may be shocking to learn that there is a Walmart here, but there are just enough people here to justify its existence. Now don’t get too excited and picture your typical huge scale Super Walmart ( like the every so scary& popular 81st& Lewis location in Tulsa), because it isn’t that large. However with very limited options, I find myself having to go there for everything. This Walmart is full of friendly cashiers that will without fail ask you on every transaction if you’d like to open a Walmart credit card. They will also highlight your receipt to remind you to take the survey (has anyone EVER done this?). As entertaining and enjoying as Walmart is, I’m longing for just two consecutive days where I won’t have to journey there for some random thing. My last trip tonight was to buy paint for my kitchen wall. Another story you will soon hear :-)

The picture below is of a dog I met last night. Walking up to a friend’s home with my arms full, I was approached by a fur ball running and barking at me. I was slightly intimidated but figured I could use the boots I was wearing if necessary (last resort of course animal lovers). I took a picture because I thought it was bizarre to see a dog just running around like that. It was so friendly and jumping on me and wanted to follow me inside. As I approached the door, I was now faced with the problem of getting inside where my friend’s three dogs were willing to attack this puppy. It became an entertaining feat but I made it inside safely leaving my new friend behind. I later learned that it is the neighbor’s puppy who likes to just roam around. This could never have happened with my dogs in Tulsa. If let out they would have attacked and killed too many things, and probably run away. Oh small town adventures…

As I’m posting this I’m hearing the lullaby of crickets singing and police car sirens. The later is a familiar sound from city life while the former is a new sound to hear so loudly from my bedroom. Goodnight all my city friends and new country folk!