"Thank ya... thank ya very much..."

I want to wrap this experience up by saying thank you to all the kind individuals that I met along the way... even if it was just a smile, a nod of the head, or a quick hello, I'm so grateful that we had a chance to connect... even if only for a brief moment in time...

To all the gas station attendants:  Thanks for taking a minute or two to chat me up while I was purchasing my sparkling water and Sour Patch Watermelons... those long stretches of highway got a little lonely at times... now I know where all those excellent country songs came from... hahaha!!!

To all the waiters and waitresses:  You all were AMAZING!!  I did not have one complaint with regard to any of the service I received... hope you each enjoyed your tips... you TOTALLY deserved them.  And thanks for all the insider info about your towns (if you provided such)... this solo traveler appreciated all the help she could get!!

To all the front desk agents:  Thank you all for being so kind and for answering all my many, many questions at check-in.  A HUGE SHOUT OUT to the front desk agent at Mountain Lake Lodge for not looking at me like I was a raving lunatic when I let out my schoolgirl shrill of delight after being told I was assigned to Patrick Swayze's room.  You, my dear friend, set the tone for my ENTIRE stay... thank you so very, very much for that!!!

To the lovely couple from Canada that I met before the Grand Ole Opry tour:  Thanks for telling me that my 40th year pilgrimage was one of the COOLEST you had ever heard of... thanks for also confirming that you would have never pinned the age of 40 on me in a million years... hope you made it back to central Canada on time!!!

To the lovely couple from Florida that I met during the Grand Ole Opry tour:  Thanks for taking me under your wing... any 84-year-old man who can rock a pair of lime green tennis shoes the way you did, sir, is A-OK in my book!!  Hope you made it to Wisconsin safely and hope you enjoyed your visit with your family.

To the other female solo traveler that I met at Mountain Lake Lodge:  Thanks for talking music with me, even if you ONLY like REM because you are originally from Athens, GA, and "that means you have to like REM or you get kicked out or something..."  Hahaha!  Thanks for the laughs!!!

To the older gentleman who owned the gift shop next to Graceland:  Thanks for taking the time to talk Elvis and Marilyn and Bettie and Patsy and Willie and Johnny and all the others with me.  Keep being cool!!!  Hope Willie ends up wearing that shirt you gave him... and hope you eventually get that picture you were promised!!

To the young girl at the gift shop inside The Guest House at Graceland:  That was the COOLEST Marilyn Monroe tattoo I have EVER seen... thanks for sharing that with me.  Hope you enjoyed the Marilyn keychain I found for you.  All the best in your future endeavors...

To my mom:  Thanks for taking care of my greatest treasure while I was gone... my sweet little Pixie Anne :-)

And the list could go on and on and on... but I'm tired... and I have to move on to all the new things waiting in my life... but I want to end this the way that I started...

So, as I pulled up to my driveway at 6:06 p.m. yesterday evening, one of my FAVORITE songs from one of my FAVORITE bands was playing, and I couldn't have planned the ending to this trip any better if I tried...

Signing off until my next trip in October... not exactly sure where I'm going just yet... until we meet again...

xoxo,
Stacy