Rocky Top Tennessee

This past weekend, Andy and I traveled South to Knoxville, Tennessee to celebrate his college buddy, Dustin, as he married his fiance Brooke. Dustin was a groomsman in our wedding and about a year after our wedding in the fall of 2011, Andy somehow convinced Dustin to move up to Northern Virginia to work with him at his former job. Dustin then somehow convinced his awesome girlfriend at the time, Brooke, to follow him up to Virginia. We have been so lucky to have them living only a few short miles away for the past 2 1/2 years. They are such a fun couple and a perfect match for each other. It was an honor to help them celebrate their big day!

Andy and Dustin at our July 2010 Wedding

 Andy and I began the 7 1/2 hour drive South on Friday afternoon. We got to the hotel and went immediately (even our luggage didn't make it into the hotel room!) to a local Buffalo Wild Wings, at 10:30pm, to catch the Dallas Stars hockey game. We made it in perfect timing for Andy to catch his team in the playoffs. After a few cold beverages and an unfortunate loss, we headed back to the hotel to actually check into our room and get some sleep after a long day.

We woke up early on Saturday to head out and check out the city of Knoxville. Andy and I had never been before so it was fun to get to check out the downtown area and then head over to the University of Tennessee's campus. Our first stop was at Calhoun's On The River for some food. If you ever head to Knoxville, DEFINITELY stop and eat on the outside deck. The food (BBQ is all the rage) was all delicious, the atmosphere was fun, and the views of the river with Neyland Stadium in the background under the bridges was pretty. Then we headed into downtown Knoxville to check out Market Square. There just happened to be a Dogwood Arts Festival going on during our trip so the area was all set-up with tents selling cute little goods, artwork and delicious snacks. It was a great afternoon to walk around in the sunshine and check things out. Afterwards, we headed toward Tennessee's campus. We really wanted to see the football stadium and to check out the basketball arena. It was neat to see the Pat Summitt memorials and see the big football stadium on the river. We also got to see where they tailgate and park their boats on gamedays- a very cool tradition!

After seeing the city, we headed back to the hotel to get wedding-ready. Dustin and Brooke had their wedding at a beautiful estate overlooking the mountains. We got to drink sweet tea out of Mason Jars, dance to country music and enjoy the gorgeous afternoon with their friends and family. It was definitely worth the long trip to help them celebrate! Sadly for us, Dustin and Brooke are going to be moving back down South very shortly. We miss definitely miss them in Virginia but will love to have an excuse to head back to Tennessee sometime for a visit! Congrats Robinsons!