Journeys Of The Soul

Today, June 29, is the 2nd anniversary of the day we purchased my Kia Soul. 

Although I hadn't planned on buying a new car for a while at the time; the unexpected loss of my Vue left me without transportation. So, after some shopping around we decided on the Soul. 

 Here is the link to my You Tube video giving you the "nickle" tour or the brand new car parked in my driveway. Brand New Soul Tour

While cars are always look their best when they are brand new with a low number of miles on them, it's really the places it takes you that defines it's value. 

That's what makes me appreciate my Kia so much. Over the last 24 months the destinations Paula and I have reached by rolling down the highway in the Soul have provided some of the most memorable of my life. Here's are some of the journeys my Soul has been a part of in the last 2 years. 

Some of these trips I have written about before. For those I will include a link to the post(s). Those I'm mentioning for the first time will have a bit more detailed. 

Orlando, FL-December 2015

It's only fitting that the very first long distance road trip in my new Kia be to my personal favorite vacation area. This trip was to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. 

This was our 3rd trip South Central Florida since 2004. But this time it was more of an Orlando vacation and not just a Walt Disney World vacation. 

We went to Disney World but it wasn't the only place we spent time.  Also, for the first time, we stayed in a condo that was not on Disney property.  

We spent a day at the newly refurbished Disney Springs Area. Where we had some pretty good food and saw the holiday decorations.

There was a giant Christmas tree...

 a Muppet topiary...

and my favorite Lego sea dragon, Brickley. 

 Our other Disney day was spent visiting the resorts surrounding the Magic Kingdom. 

The Polynesian is where my wife enjoyed her first dole whip dessert. 

 The main reason we went to the Grand Floridian was to visit the full size gingerbread house. 

We then spent the evening at the Magic Kingdom enjoying Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party. 

We were able to get into the park while it was still light. We were greeted by the giant Town Square Christmas Tree. 

We were able to go to Tomorrowland and purchase a pair of souvenir t-shirts. 

We got to enjoy the "Enchanted Tales With Belle" and "Under The Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid" attractions for the first time. 

Paula met Tinkerbell (probably our best character experiences ever). 

The Cinderella's Castle, which was lit up, like it was covered in ice, the show featuring the "Frozen" characters that made it that way...

and the fireworks...

were my favorite events of the night.

The combination of our time at the Magic Kingdom, the resort hopping, and the time as Disney Springs gave us just enough Disney without wearing us out. 

One of our days was spend at Sea World. Among our favorite things there were: 

the trained seals show...

 and the Killer Whale show...

and the Dolphins show. 

But the favorite thing for both of us was the penguin exhibit. 

Without a doubt the highlight and most memorable day of the Soul's first long distance trip was the Tuesday excursion 90 minutes west to Clearwater Beach. 

Paula had been wanting to go to the beach for quite a few years. On her 50th birthday, along with a beach themed surprise party, I gave her a promise that I would take her to the ocean as soon as I could. 

It took until our 13th anniversary trip. But she really enjoyed the serenity she found walking along the surf of the Gulf shore and of course, she loved the company. 

The first big trip in the Soul was unlike any other vacation we'd taken before. 

It covered almost 1900 miles and was filled with quite a few first time experiences. But our excursions in the little blue Kia were only getting started. 

Walt Disney World-March 2016

3 months later, completely out of nowhere, our son and daughter-in-law asked us if we wanted to go with them to Disney World the first week of March. Although totally surprised and unprepared by the idea, we couldn't say "no" to being with our granddaughter when she went to Mickey & Minnie's house for the first time. 

So at around 4 AM on March 5, with the Conner family in their Jeep SUV behind us, I drove the Kia onto I-65 heading south once again toward Florida. 

I wrote a very detailed report about this trip in a 13 part series on my other blog, Goofyguy909 blog. The series are included in the posts dated from March 25 to June 6, 2016. You can find them all through this link. 
Walt Disney World Trip March 2016


Saint Louis, MO-September 2016
Six months later my Kia took us west of the Mississippi to somewhere I had never been before, St. Louis, Mo. 

This was a quick trip to spend some time with our friends, Mark & Patty, who had moved there earlier in the year. 

Although it was only for a day or two we had a good time. It was great just to hang out again. 

I shared the details of that trip as part of this post last November. 
10 Things From The Last 4 Months Part 2

I didn't take many pictures during that trip but I did manage to get several shots of the arch. I have never posted this one. BTW, The sign in this picture is not accurate. 

Pigeon Forge,TN-December 2016  

Our 14th anniversary trip was to what, as a couple, is our favorite vacation spot. On the 2nd Friday of December we headed to the Smoky Mountains. 

Just like Walt Disney World the year before, Christmas was a central thread throughout our weekend getaway. An unusual mid-December winter like cold snap was a very strong factor too. 

The most memorable thing about this trip was the discovery of an amazing holiday lights display.

You can read all the details in a 3 post series starting with this one.
Anniversary In The Smokies Part 1 

Destin, FL-May 2016
The Soul's last journey during my first two years of ownership, was something Paula and I had never done before. We took a week long vacation to a beach town. 

I posted a 3 part series reviewing out time in the Florida panhandle a little over a month ago. You can look at the May posts in the blog archives list to the left of this post.

So there you have the 5 major road trips Paula and I have taken in the Kia Soul over the last 24 months. 

Of course there are many other places we've been to: Lexington, Nashville, Western Kentucky and more. Those were day trips but nonetheless are part of the Soul's travel log. 

I've got yet another long road trip planned for later this summer and perhaps even another getaway to the Smokies in early fall. 

I really love my sub-compact crossover vehicle. As of this post I've put just a little over 33K miles on it and I would not be exaggerating if I added that along with the distance comes that many memories. 

I look forward to many more years and a lot more adventures as this man and his machine continue our journey. 

A Tour of Changes

It's been quite a while since I have written about the changes that are happening in the town where I live. 

Smiths Grove is about as small as town can get. It has 719 residents. 

But for such a small town it's a pretty busy place. It's not so much a destination but rather a stop off. The access to I-65 main reason. We get a lot of "stop & go" visitors. On a weekend or holiday, when I go to our one convenience store, I see cars from several different states at the gas pumps and in the store. 

Another thing that happens quite often is change. A few years ago I wrote a post that included the renovation of the McDonald's, the building of a quick stop grocery store, a new vet's office, and the expansion of a church.

As I walked down the main street last week I realized that there are a few other changes that have happened over the last few years that I need to show you.  Here are some of them. 

First is a change that helped me discover a bit of town history. The building that used to house our vet's office is empty again. 

It's last occupant was a gun shop. Now it looks as though it's going through some type of improvement or renovation. It's been stripped down. 

In it's current state it helped me discover something I never knew. The building at one point was the home of the town's government. 

Across the street is a Limestone building that's over 150 years old It used to be a bank. 

For the last 18 months it's been the home of Samgha Cafe which has been open since 2015. 

The business offers an interesting combination of a vegan restaurant (accessed through a side entrance on the left) and a yoga studio in the very front of the building. 

Just to the right of the Cafe is the building that used to be the home of the Paw Spa, where I sometimes take my dog to be bathed and groomed.

It is now the residence of another relatively new Smiths Grove business. Ivory Grace Events is a franchised business that specializes in wedding planning.  

If you look to your left while standing in front of these two buildings you'll see some of the shops on Main Street. 

Currently, these three properties house a pair of second hand stores and a fabric store where you can get some tailor services. This store (only half of it can be seen on the right side of the picture) is called "Psycho Granny's.

The owner is a very nice lady and she does good work. "The Foxhole" and "Weird Stuff Retro" have opened only within the last year. 

While they are all open for business now; this row is among the group of buildings here in the grove that seem to have a revolving door in regard to tenants. All of them at one time or another have been vacant for a period of time. 

In addition to this row that group includes: the building which used to be the local library, another building on the same street as the cafe and one on Main Street that I will write about later in this post. 

Across the railroad tracks, which bisects Main Street, there are other places that are new, have changed, or are changing. 

New, at least since my last post about my town, is a branch of The Bank of Edmonson County.

This is the only bank in town. Although I don't have an account there, I go to this bank a lot. I turn in my wrapped change, use the ATM or exchange large bills for smaller ones. The staff is very friendly. 

Across Main Street from the bank is a Mexican restaurant. We have gotten "take out" from there quite often since it opened. I've sung Karaoke there a few times recently. 

Up until a couple months ago it was called "Sol Azteca" but in early May it changed it's name. 

I have no idea why the name changed. I haven't been able to find out. But it is one of the changes I wanted to include. 

Since I'm writing about restaurants let's move on to the remodeling that's currently being done to one of the three of fast food restaurants here in town. 

The Wendy's restaurant is being given a makeover. The work has been going on for about a month. I will post a picture when it's finished. 

The last thing I want to write about has to do with something that happens in most places about this time of year. 

With Independence Day coming around in a week or so, it is the prime time for the purchase and use of fireworks. 

For such a small town, quite a bit of fireworks are seen and heard near my house during the two weekends before and after the 4th of July. It's safe to say that my neighbors buy a lot of them. 

Then it comes as no surprise that on June 10, in one of those often empty buildings, I mentioned earlier, someone opened a fireworks store. 

  This can't this being anything but a seasonal thing. The aspect of it being in a store front is unique; but it's not the first time fireworks have been sold here in Smiths Grove.

Last year, the Cooke family, who we have known for years, set up a tent just across the street from the Smiths Grove truck stop last year. This year they are set up again in the same spot. 

 Don't be fooled by the relatively compact size of their table and tent set up. 

 Their trailer has plenty of all the things you may want to light up, shoot into the sky, and make your family and friends "ooo" and "ahh". 

I know that this is a blatant plug but I have a couple of reasons for it. If you live, in the Bowling Green/Warren County but not in Smiths Grove, please, please, please, come buy some of the Cooke's fireworks. 

First, they are a great family and deserve to have success. Second, any of their products that are bought and used outside of Smiths Grove, out of earshot of my house, will make sleeping at night for us a lot easier. Thank you. 

So there you have a brief tour of our little town and some of the changes since the last time I "showed" you around. Hope you enjoyed it.  

RHFactors 2017 Digest #3

Hey there. 
Well it's time once again for a post that's a compilation of some of the things I want to write about but don't warrant a post of their own. 

SAD ABOUT THE CUP
This is my first post since the Stanley Cup Finals game 6 on Monday night. The series didn't end the way I wanted it to. 

The Predators picked the worst time to go into a scoring slump. You can't win without putting the puck in the net. They went 2 games without scoring. 

This was the first time I've had a vested interest in the Preds playoff run. I have to admit it hurt to have it end that way.

Even though he won the playoff MVP trophy the way Sidney Crosby assaulted the Predator's P.K. Suban during game 6 right in front of the official proves to me that he's a dirty player. Nothing's going to change that. 

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the season and all the exciting moments the eventual Western Conference Champions gave me and the rest of their fans all season. 

Their playoff run was about as successful as any 16th seed in a tournament could hope. 

Thanks to:

I am not looking forward to the 17-18 season for the Preds. My wife and a relative of my daughter-in-law have expressed interest in going with me to see a game. I enjoy going to a game solo but it will be fun to share the experience. 

Latest In Lego
This past Saturday night, I posted on Facebook a picture of what my wife and I did during our "at home date night". It was rather unusual, for most couples, but it was fun for us. 

I bought this Lego Ideas release in October of 2015. Finally it has been built and is one of my all time favorites. 

This model has to be seen to be appreciated. Here's a link to my You Tube video demonstrating the best aspects of... 
Lego Ideas WALL*E


Reconsidering "B&B" Remake
Another Disney element in my weekend was watching the live action remake of the animated classic, Beauty & The Beast, on home video. 

Back when we saw it in the theater in March, I didn't like it at all. I didn't like the character designs, especially the enchanted ones in the castle. I felt at the time that the remake wasn't necessary. 

But after watching it a second time I found I enjoyed it a little better. I was still bothered by the same things that I was the first time. Its not the perfect movie, by far. But this time I enjoyed production design and some of the new music. 

 One of the new songs, Evermore, sung by the Beast is an excellent addition. It really gives an insight to the emotions of the creature as he makes the ultimate sacrifice because of love. Here's a link to a video clip of the song. 
"Evermore" from Beauty & The Beast


Although it will never be as popular as the original this remake will have it's place in Disney movie collections.

Over the years it's going to be a nice alternative to those who like the story and want a take different from the animated version.  

Trip Counselor
If you know me at all, you know that my favorite place to go on vacation is Walt Disney World. 

Having been there 3 times in 10 months between December 2015 and September 2016, I will probably not be returning anytime soon. 

However, this week I got to do my second favorite WDW activity outside of Florida. I had the opportunity to help my niece, Teejai plan a trip to Disney coming up in a couple of days. She is going with her friend and her family. This will be her first time in "The World".

I gave them my suggestions for the "must do" stuff, the fun stuff to try and how to stay cool in the heat of Florida. I also offered tips on when to go to which park, how to make the most of their park time, and the best "Fast Pass" strategy.  

I think my best tip to them, given that they are both in their early 20s, is to make sure they spend some time in Disney Springs. 

I've asked them to share their pictures with me through social media. If they do I'll share them with you. 

Coloring Collection
An activity that has become popular over the last few years is coloring books for adults. 

Go into any book store, or retail or hobby supply store and you'll see a display like this. 

My wife is one of the many who have found sitting and coloring to be a way to unwind after a busy day or week. 

While I'm not into relaxing with paper and markers, I color using my "paint" program on my laptop. I have colored pictures that range from my own creations to my favorite Disney characters and park attractions. 

I posted about my "drawings" back in March but I've finished quite a few of them since then. Most of them are "hang on the fidge" type drawings but I think some are pretty cool. Here is a link to my album/gallery on my Facebook page. My Coloring Pages

Has It Been That Long?
Last but not least I want to mention that the day I am writing this post, June 14, 2017 is the 39th anniversary of the day I graduated from high school. 

I was part of Phillipsburg High School's class of 1978. Although I have never been to any of the reunions, I haven't totally lost touch with everyone I graduated with. I am blessed enough to have one of them in my family. a fellow classmate is married to my sister.     

Although it's no longer the official high school the building above will always be P'burg high to me. 

The way I want to honor the memory of my days wandering the hallowed halls of good old PHS is to conclude this post with the alma mater lyrics. 

Our high school you will be forever,

A guiding light that shines for all. 

We'll back you everyone together,

With you will stand, with you will fall. 

Loyal we'll be to you always,

And when our banner waves on high,

We'll send a cheer ringing loud and clear

And be steadfast to P'burg High. 

That's about it for this 3rd edition of the RHF digest. Coming up next time, I'll take you on a tour of my small town. It's been a while so I'll show you some of the changes. Put your walking shoes on and I'll see you next time. 

No "Wonder" For Me

This is going to be a relatively short and it will go against the common opinion. 

On Saturday, June 10, I went to see the new Wonder Woman film. It was it's 2nd weekend in wide release and did $100 million at the box office the first week.

Prior to going I had heard from quite a few good things about it. Most of them touting the fact that there's:
A: finally a good movie in the DC cinematic universe
B: a strong female super hero film

Based on the trailer I had seen and the positive feedback I was looking forward to enjoying my first DC feature in the theater. Add into the equation that one of my top 3 favorite actors, Chris Pine, is in it and you can  understand why I was anxious to see it.

When we got to the theater entrance there was a long line waiting to buy tickets. That is very unusual at this theater for the first show on a movie's second weekend. I took this to be an encouraging aspect too. 

Well,15 minutes into it I realized it was going to be a long 2 hours. I'd seen this movie before. In fact Marvel has made this film twice,only they were called: Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. Both of them were much much better films. 

Other than the character of Wonder Woman and her unique powers and weapons there was nothing original about this movie. Gal Gidot is beautiful and fits the model of Wonder Woman very well. But she doesn't change enough during the film. She becomes boring. 

As I mentioned earlier, I like Chris Pine but his character was very limited; kept under wraps. He was not allowed to take it over the top as he can. That made his ultimate fate at the end underwhelming.

 The story is unoriginal and predictable. The supporting characters are one dimensional predictable stereotypes. I immediately became bored and disengaged. The major plot points were not very surprising. The villains were not evil enough. The casting of an actor so closely associated with the Harry Potter franchise as Aries, the main villain, took away from the story as well. 

The ending was too drawn out and anti-climatic. It took too long to get to a payoff that wasn't worth waiting for. 

I was so bored with this film that I probably slept through 1/3 of it, including most of the ending. 

While most of the superhero loving movie goers are enjoying and even praising Wonder Woman as being a great superhero film I have to be honest. I was very disappointed. It may be making a lot of money but the first DC film featuring Diana of the Amazons was no wonder for me.   

A Rocket & Root Beer

In the more than 900 entries I've posted to this blog I've written about traveling to Nashville a lot. I like going to Music City and do quite often. It's about 80 to 90 miles away, depending on where in the city I go. 

Driving close to 200 miles round trip in one day just for fun is definitely something I've only allowed myself to do since moving to the south 18 years ago. Let me put it into perspective.   

Back in northwest New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York City were just about the same distance away from where I lived then as Nashville is from me now. I also had access to a major interstate highway as well. 

But driving to either of those cities was much more of an event for me back then than going to Tennessee's capital is for me now. 

Never have I ever (isn't that the start of a party game) gotten up in the morning and said "I think I'll go to Philly or NYC today" but I have when it comes to Nashville. 

I would venture to say that I have been to Nashville more times since I've been in Kentucky than I'd ever been to Philadelphia & New York combined. 

This past Thursday, the first day of June, I made my most recent trip to largest city in the Volunteer State. 

The initial reason for my trip was the reason for a lot of them. I was going to the Lego Store in the Opry Mills Mall. It was release day for the latest Lego Ideas product. I'd been waiting for it ever since it was announced mid-summer last year. I got to the store about 30 minutes after it opened. Upon walking through the door, a store employee greeted and and asked what he could help me with. I had him put what I came to buy aside for me while I searched for another great kit. 

The Saturn V is one of the best Lego sets ever.  I can't wait to put it together and display it. 

Along with the Disney Castle set I picked up earlier this year, I now have half of my Lego "Mount Rushmore". A large Statue of Liberty set would be the third part of it. And a Lego version of the Titanic would be the final entry. I have a Titanic brick model to put together but it's not Lego. 

The Space Shuttle Explorer set (31066) is probably the last time Lego will to this particular space vehicle. It's the 2nd one in my collection. 

Before I left the mall I made a quick stop at Bed Bath and Beyond. I picked up a couple of things we needed including a new electric mixer for our kitchen.  

The second thing on my Nashville agenda this day was finding a place that I've been looking for since 2015.  

Rita's Italian Ice and frozen custard is one of my favorite places for summer time treats. The cool fresh ice comes in a variety of flavors. My all time favorite is root beer. 

There are franchises is states all over the country. Unfortunately Kentucky is not one of them; but Tennessee is. Recently I discovered that there are two new Rita's in the Nashville area.  

Today I was going in search of the one in about 25 miles south of Opry Mills. I put the address in my car's GPS and headed toward Nolensville. 

The guidance system took me on a drive through a part of greater Nashville near the City Zoo. Nolensville Pike is lined with shopping centers, businesses, churches and schools. Overall it seemed like a very nice area. 

Finally after about 30 minutes of travel I found my destination. 

My timing was perfect because the store just opened and I was their first customer of the day. I shared with the 3 people behind the counter, (two employees and the store manager) the reason for and circumstances behind my visit. They were very friendly and were amused by my devotion to their product. 

Luckily, they had the flavor I was looking for and I got a large size cup of root beer Italian ice to enjoy. 

 The reason I like the root beer so much is because it tastes exactly like the twin popcicles I used to get as a kid. So not only is a treat cool and sweet; it's a trip down memory lane.

Having captured something I'd been counting the days to get and enjoyed a treat I love so much, my morning in Nashville was over.

The 8-mile trek back down Nolensville Pike eventually got me back to I-24 and then I-65 heading north back to Kentucky. 

My day on the road wasn't over. I had some other things to take care of in Bowling Green before heading home. I won't bore you with the details except for one thing. I stopped at the Toys R Us store to spend my $15 rewards certificate to buy yet another Lego kit.   

For the 2nd time in 30 days, I drove to Tennessee on the 1st day of a month to get something that was brand new in "Legoland." 

I will always remember June 1, 2017 as the day devoted to "a rocket and root beer." Thanks for coming along with me as I retell the tale of this wonderful day. 

I'll be back again soon with the next post in my effort to reach 1000 by the end of 2017. I appreciate you taking the time to come by the RHFactors blog. Later Gator.