Strawberry Festival in Portland, Tennessee

Had the chance, which would be a venture that I will always look forward to, witnessing a lovely celebration of Strawberry Festival in Portland, Tennessee. The sun was out and the sky was clear. Hubby’s co-worker friend Todd and his wife welcomed us to their beautiful elegant house and backyard before going to the venue.

Side-by-side truck ride

They gave us the incredible side-by-side truck ride. Todd, is truly a master of timing, drove well made me screamed through the twists and turns, jumped along and above the mounted ramps. It was so cool and a hard core experience with a group of friends (wish my daughter were here).

In Portland, Tennessee

So, it’s a perfect weather for everyone here. The Festival is well-organized, walking around I am constantly in awe of the things i have the opportunity to see and experience. It’s an all-in-one affair of the beautiful creations of the display of the produce, the beloved strawberry. A huge celebration along with the program of events that entertains the whole family, pets… to include my favorite, horses.

I was just singing the song “Old Town Road” silently. “Yeah, i’m gonna take my horse to the old town road. I’m gonna ride till I can‘t no more”

The celebration has so much heart and culture, I would say this is a piece of diversity in unity put together. The place has the most appealing charm, I can see and feel a very bright picture of the variety.

Takin’ it easy

Since I’ve been here in the US, I saw so much beauty and strength in every differences which I find comfort, not something to fear, it made me embrace myself more than ever and being proud of who I am at the core of being a Filipino.

I am a person with renewed eyes here. Subconsciously, I have created tons of little pockets of additional information and honestly at the very present it’s still a lot to absorb, yes it’s hard to absorb at one time. I am like a watchful child, literally like a mind of a child… thriving, constantly watching and listening. Most of the time, I’d give hubby and friends flood of questions and I know sometimes I just have to open my eyes, no need to ask, no need to worry because being too inquisitive can lead into an unpleasant situation, as curiosity kills the rat if I may say.

Everyone is asking how’s everything going with me here, well.. a slightly more honest answer is that sometimes I got disoriented with the unfamiliar ways but everything is going well and good.

Day by day, inch by inch I am growing with this culture. Diversity truly brings people to maturity. Everything is useful in confirming my understanding of how things worked here. I’m wishing for the day that I can tell myself, just for myself “i knew well enough here”.

We weren’t able to catch the parade but there’s a concert giving people some kind of a groove on, the band is satisfactory.

A surprised expression hit me joyfully when I heard them singing the song “Tennessee Whiskey”. That song gave an emotional impact on me, still fresh from my being. A night before, me and hubby were singing those karaoke songs on YouTube trying how the microphone and speaker work, he bought before I came. He sung the song on his own silly version. We enjoyed that moment totally knowing that our voices are only for us to hear, we had so much fun. Oops I mean I can also sing, in the bathroom I believe I have a very good pitch and everything sounds okay.

Strawberry – as a premier crop of Tennessee

So, how do the festival started? I learned that it goes back many years, strawberry was once declared as premier crop of Tennessee in the early 20th century before it became a county-wide affair.

The celebration gained it’s wonderful progress which flourished into becoming a local attraction here. There are food booths serving yummy food to dig into, rides, arts and crafts, antique stores and a whole lot more. There was a long line for some strawberry purchases, worth it though, we got fresh strawberries to go. And the strawberry lemonade, Yo! it’s another special version of something refreshing for me, it’s a berry blast.

Being here made me think deeper and vibrant in a way that makes me hold my breath saying… Carpe Diem. I always try to seize the moment and to be more than I already am. As Gary Allan said… Life ain’t always beautiful but it’s a beautiful ride.

I am a happy wife.