Our Trip to the Smokies...

Well today has been a busy day...as it always seems to be after a relaxing vacation! Today was filled with nursing lil Emma Grace back to health, unpacking, and cleaning. It is amazing how dirty your house can get when NO ONE is here for a week??? That's one of those great mysteries of life???? Tonight we went to Bible study again and as always it was wonderful! It is so nice to have fellowship with other Christian women! It's also funny to realize that you are not as messed up as you think and that other women are just like you! LOL! It's a girl thing!

I promised you a recap of our vacation so here is the gist of it....

Friday - Arrive at Aunt Donna's house for the night in KY. We all bunkered down for a quick snooze and were out bright and early the next morning for TN.

Saturday - We arrived in Pigeon Forge, TN at about 4:00 that afternoon and spent the afternoon/evening exploring our new cabin...pics below! The cabin was absolutely great! Nathan and I got the dibs on the big master suite this time! LOL! Mom and Dad had it last time so we got a turn. It was so beautiful and it had a TV built in the wall as well as a heart shaped jacuzzi tub. The cabin had 3 other bedrooms as well as a game room with a pool table. It also had 2 decks, a hot tub, and a goregous view!!!! We were literally on the side of mountian....kinda scary drive up the mountian to get their but great view! That evening we went out to eat at a pizza buffet with my cousin and her husband/kids who came to see us for the day. We also went to Walmart to pick up groceries for the week.

Sunday - That day was spent in Gatlinburg. We did the aquarium and did some shopping. It was so hot that afternoon that we left early and headed back to the cabin for naps. After naps, Nathan and I went with my brother and nefew to play put-put golf. We had a lot of fun, which is a big deal becauseI am the type that gets made when I can't hit the ball right. I also get mad when people try to give me tips...so...Nathan and I don't play put-put that much! It isn't worth the argument. But, I will have to say that we all had a blast this time!

Monday - Nathan had to work all day that day so we went shopping at the outlet malls while my Aunt Donna kept the kids at the cabin doing crafts. It was nice to have some adult time. We made up for it with the kids though by going to Boyd's Bears and making bears with them that night. Maddelyn made a dog and Emma made an elephant...with daddy's promting!

Tuesday - We spent the day in Cades Cove having a picnic lunch and enjoying the wildlife. It is such a beautiful drive up in the National Park, but Cades Cove is the best! We were able to see 12 deer that afternoon and thanks to Brandon and Nathan...3 bears as well. Yes, my sometimes too daring hubby and brother go running off into the field with cameras in tow to take some pictures of the bears! All I kept thinking was he is going to be eaten alive and we are all standing here watching!!! Needless to say they heard a few words from the ranger afterwards about disturbing the wildlife and staying on the path. Nathan's exuse is that he was doing it for me to get great shots for my scrapbooks! I was like hun...I like to get great pics too, but I have never risked my life trying to get them! I am not THAT addicted to scrapbooking! That nightall of us went to play put-put as a family. Even the girls had thier little clubs taking swings at the balls. too cute! Everyone had a blast and the put-put course was themed after Old MacDonald so the girls had a blast just walking through the course! Afterwards we took my brother and nefew to a golf car track for a few races and had a blast.

Wednesday - We all went to Dollywood for the day. Nathan had to take some time outs with his lap top to work as he had been doing all week. Yes, he did tow his lap top around with him everywhere we went that week but he had to. Dollywood was great. There was something there for everyone, even little Emma Grace! There was one section of kiddy rides where you only had to be able to walk to ride on them...such as ...the Lucky Ducky, Pigs, and Flying Bumble Bees. It was so cute to see the girls riding them! After eating a huge buffet that night we were all wore out!

Thursday - We all kinda took a day to chill that afternoon. I had to drive Nathan an hour to the Knoxville airport to catch his plan to Iowa. On the way back I stopped at the Scrapbook Superstore. I liked the selection because I found quite a few new products as well as a larger selection of companies I already have seen, but the organization was crazy! Some places were organized by product, other by theme, and still other by company! You couldn't find anything! I did get me some new chipboard and some new Prima's that I hadn't ever seen.

Friday - We ate at the most wonderful catfish house...too bad prego's me can't handle anything fried right now beacuse the fish was amazing! We then did some shopping around Pigeon Forge while the guys went to look at all the cars that had come into town for a car show.

Saturday - We headed home and got in at about 7:00 pm, exausted form a long drive and a great trip!

I know that's not everything but you get the gist. We all had such a great time! The girls loved spending time with thier cousins and Aunt Donna which they don't get to see that often. We all had a great itme and are already looking forward to our next family vacation. Sometimes it's just nice to get away from it all.