A Brookside Retreat

As I alluded to in one of my previous posts, Kenny surprised me at Christmas with a fabulous weekend away for just the two of us. He was so thoughtful to plan our trip to a very special place; where we spent our honeymoon. We found that "our cabin" (named Brookside, because it sat behind a babbling brook), was just as we left it 8 years ago! As the memories rushed back to us, we were amazed at how it seemed like such a short time ago, as well as such a long time ago, depending on how you looked at things.

We arrived Friday evening to our secret hideaway, settled in for a bit, then headed to Pigeon Forge for some evening activities. After eating dinner at a cute 50's Diner, we enjoyed a Magic Show! We both did not know what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised at what a good show it really was. The show contained a tiger, and other animals from Africa as well!

There were definitely some interesting characters in the audience with us, but that should be saved for another post all to itself. Our magician had received an award that was equal to the Grammy Award in the world of magic. He was in the company of other famous magicians to win the same award.

This is what happens when you take a picture and don't know it's zoomed in!

It was pretty late after the show due to the loss of an hour from the time change, so we headed back to Townsend, where our sweet little cabin was nestled.

On Saturday we slept in. For some folks, this may seem like a minor detail, but to those of us who have to get up when the kids get up, this was HUGE! We actually did not get ready and out of the cabin until lunchtime, so we stopped at a cute little cafe on the way to Gatlinburg.

We reenacted several poses that were taken the 'first time around.'

Unfortunately it rained off and on during the day, and was a bit chilly, but we still enjoyed our time walking the streets of Gatlinburg, reminiscing about the things we did the first time we were there. We had a caricature drawn of us, and both decided that we will stop having pictures made of us, and will just have drawings the older we get. She made us look good...as good as a caricature can look! My waist was super skinny; Kenny's neck was buff; what more could you ask for!?

We also perused through many shops along the way. This is what happens when you start getting a little bored.

We enjoyed an afternoon snack at Bubba Gump's. Someone snuck in the background of Kenny's picture!

I have never categorized myself as an adrenaline junkie, but after what happened next, I might start to lean in that direction. Kenny was very kind to encourage me to do something I wanted, even though he did not want to participate himself. He sat alongside me during the learning experience, then took lots and lots of pictures. What is this experience, you may ask?

Indoor Skydiving! Yep! I did it, and it was a blast! I've always wanted to skydive for real, and this is as close as I will get for a while. The experience was amazing! I loved how I was challenged to take a leap of faith and jump into a 130 mile per hour wind, while trying to manipulate the right form to stay flying. There were two other guys in the tunnel with me, and they both chose me to go first. It was fun learning the hand motions from the instructor, telling us what position our hands, arms, feet, legs, etc. should be. We witnessed a few other instructors before I "flew" who held onto their students the entire time. I was lucky to get an instructor who encouraged us to be independent. At some points, he let go of me completely, and I found myself soaring toward the top of the tunnel. Once, I even looked around because I thought was too high, and there was my instructor, halfway up the tunnel, flying alongside of me! The word I keep returning to is AMAZING! I wish I had more words to describe what a fantastic experience it was, but I should continue on with the rest of our trip.

After that, we found a movie theater and checked out show times. We planned to see Valkyrie, but had some time to kill before the showing. Kenny noticed a huge store called, As Seen on TV, and thought it would be funny to see everything inside. We laughed and laughed and took pictures. It probably won't be as funny to anyone else reading, but we made lots of memories and inside jokes.

The movie was very good, based on true events. When it was over, our snack from Bubba Gump had worn off, so we found a wings place called The Blue Moose where we enjoyed dinner, and Kenny got to watch a playoff game.

After dinner, we headed back to the cabin, where Kenny tried to start a fire with what little wood he found that was dry. We enjoyed the warmth until it ran out, then headed to bed after a dip in the jacuzzi.

Sunday morning we slept in a little bit, but needed to get on the road before lunch so we actually set an alarm. On the way home, we enjoyed music, stories, scenery, and 'the world's largest indoor flea market.' Nice. We were able to take our time getting home, and arrived before small group started.

Words cannot express how nice the weekend was. Being alone with each other, having a nice break from worrying about other people's needs but your own, sleeping in, not having to be on a schedule was nice (and much needed).

And there's no greater welcome than being bombarded with giant hugs from your favorite little people.

Viva Vacation!

So this is long overdue, but I thought I would go ahead and write about our trip to Florida.

We drove down on Sunday and were able to spend that evening and the next day with Kenny's mom, dad, brothers, sister (Tom, Jon, Kirk and April) as well as his grandfather. We were also able to visit the High School campus where Kenny graduated. He attended three different high schools, but I think he claims this one as his "home" because he went there his freshman, sophomore and part of his senior year. We also were able to catch up with some friends that Kenny went to school with. I feel like I know them because I met them when Kenny and I first started dating; then Barry was in our wedding, now 10 years later we still have kept in touch.

Tuesday and Wednesday we went to Disney World. It was truly a Magic Kingdom for Avery. It was fun to see her face and watch the joyous expressions as she discovered new things. I found myself, along with everyone else, 'overloading' her by saying, "Avery look at this! Wow! Look at that!" I finally backed off because I could tell she was getting a little overstimulated. I then realized she is her own little person who can observe things all on her own.


We waited in line to see Pluto, Donald Duck and Goofy. We also met Snow White, Cinderella, Belle and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). Avery explored Minnie's house and the Swiss Family Robinson tree all on her own. We enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean, Pooh Bear's Book, Dumbo, Aladin, and the Jungle Cruise as a family. An all time favorite of Avery and Braden's was It's A Small World. I still think the little figures are a little creepy, but by the end of the ride, both of my kids were hypnotized by the colors and happy tunes. Avery sang "It's A Small World" for days.


Kenny and I were able to sneak back to the park one night without kids to enjoy Space Mountain with his brother, Jon, and April. It was a great ride, but I realized how my focus has changed to my children instead of my own wishes since becoming a mother. I would choose to see Avery and Braden's faces on one ride rather than ride an adult ride 10 times.


The next day we drove to Kenny's 'home' town, Palm Bay. He doesn't really claim it as home because his family moved there when he went away to college, but I think of it as his home because that's where I visited him during our dating years. While there, we enjoyed a day at the beach!


On Friday we drove back to spend another day with Kenny's grandfather and family before heading home on Saturday.


This trip was so much fun, not only for our kids and the fun in all the hotel pools, Disney park, beach, etc. I especially enjoyed this trip because of the time we were able to spend with Kenny's family. It's been too long since we've spent quality time together, and I feel like I grew even closer to all of them. (And of course it didn't hurt that they were more than willing to watch the kids for us while we snuck in a date/movie one night!)


So, after seven days, six nights, two long road trips, millions of laughs, a few tears, Cuban food, Italian food, Chinese food and way too much fast food, we were home safe and sound.

Whirlwind

Boston: The historical tour was nice, but very similar to the trip we took a few years back. Lots of walking ensued, so it was nice to get in some exercise and build up my calf muscles while looking at beautiful buildings and historical markers.

Kenny and Dallas (one of the kids) decided it was necessary to take a picture with every single statue in Boston. If anyone else reading this has been to Boston, you know how often we had to stop, then run to catch back up with the group. I had a shin splint by the end of it all.

The first night in Boston included The Blue Man Group show. I must say that was by far the BEST show I have ever witnessed. It combined elements of art, music, humor, audience participation, videography, improptu, and so much more. Our seats were in the poncho section front and center, and was a show that entertained old and young alike. For those who may not be familiar with The Blue Man Group, they are the three blue men who appear on commercials and other shows who are in a constant state of discovery. My cheeks hurt from laughing the entire time, and at every turn, I was amazed at the talent and genious of those who put it all together. From the amazing druming performances filled with flying paint to the art of figuring out how to eat, it was fantastic. I could go on for an entire post solely about Blue Man Group, but others may not be as amazed as I was.


We topped the second night in Boston off with a Celtics game. I was excited to go to the game, but it soon wore off when we were bombarded with 'drunk, loud, obnoxious, nasty mouthed, 40ish year old men who thought they were all that' behind us. Three of our girls had beer spilled on them, with no apologies, only flirtatious remarks (to 17 year old girls, mind you). Needless to say, I have a bad connoation now about the Celtics and will forever cheer against them even though it's not their fault.

Canada was nice. We had more free time there, so Kenny and I got to spend more time with just us without teenagers around. That helped make the trip feel like a mini vacation. It's weird looking at the pictures and not seeing two little chillins in them with us. I guess that's how we looked three years and 10 pounds ago. We did the usual shopping, dining (at the Rainforest Cafe), and then we had an old timey picture taken. On our honeymoon we had one taken, and we said we were going to do that each anniversary. Seven years later, we finally got around to having another one taken.

Niagra Falls: The ultimate summation of God's beauty, power, might, and awesomeness. When we drove into Canada, the Falls were off to our left, and were semi far away. We all must have been expecting the same thing because although no one said it, we all had a sense of disappointment. Our hotel overlooked the Falls, and that evening we walked down to see them lit by lights. It was amazing, but still not as impressive as I imagined. It was not until the following day that my disappointment vanished. We were able to tour behind the Falls, and we literally traveled in the tunnels beneath the Falls to portholes that led behind the Falls. It was fantastic. While standing on the river banks overlooking God's creation, I was awestruck. We always say we are imperfect beings and not worthy of much, but I felt priviledged to say that the same hands who created the glory falling before us, also formed me.

On the flight out, we were able to witness the beauty all over again.

While we were in Boston, Kenny got news that his uncle had passed away, so when we got home Sunday night at 11:30 p.m., we re-packed for a trip to Nashville the next day. Early Monday morning, we left for the trip, spent some time with Kenny's family, then turned around and left Tuesday morning so we would be back in time for the Jr. High Championship track meet. That was a whirlwind trip in itself, and even though the circumstances were not good, we were blessed to spend time with Kenny's mom, dad, and brother, Kirk and sister, April. Avery was excited to get to ride back to Montgomery in daddy's truck with Uncle Tom, so that gave me a little time to catch up on sleep while Braden slept. It was sad to drive through Columbia, where one of my good friends from college lives, as well as have to pass Huntsville by without saying hellos to all of our friends there.

Now we're home safely with a our Sectional track meet this weekend, followed by State next weekend. Maybe things will calm down a bit...then again, football and volleyball start, so who knows if life will ever calm down again. My bet is probably not.

Beach Trip!

Thursday before Spring Break started, Kenny said, "maybe we should go to the beach next week." Of course I got excited for the opportunity to get away, have some fun in the sun, and I knew Avery would just love it!

We got there Tuesday afternoon after a trip in the car with Avery saying, "momma, I want to go to the beach" every five minutes for the entire three hours. Once in Gulf Shores, we went straight to the sand. Avery loved it! She ran in circles saying, "this is fun!" Braden thought it was pretty neat too, but decided he needed to take a nap while Avery and daddy played in the water. After taking a wave to the face, she decided it was time to build sand castles with momma instead.

Unfortunately, Wednesday morning welcomed us with rain and wind so we went bowling. Avery was all about it for five frames, then busied herself with other things. I bowled on to victory over Kenny! That afternoon, the rain stopped, so we took Avery by the beach again. It was frigid, so Kenny took Avery to look for seashells while Braden and I stayed snuggled up in a blanket. That night we went to Lamberts, home of the famous throwed rolls. Kenny and I enjoyed it, but the kids had other plans. Avery was spent from the day with no nap, and Braden didn't like all the noise. So, after a rushed dinner we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the whirlpool. Braden layed beside us, and Avery soaked her feet. After American Idol's castoff, we were off to bed.

Thursday's weather proved to be much nicer, so after checkout, we went back to the beach. Avery was unsure of the water at first, but finally dipped her feet in and let the waves slap against her legs. She thought it was fun to let the waves chase her back up the beach, and would momentarily let go of daddy's hand to do her running, but soon was back in the safety of Daddy's arms. At one point she was brave enough to sit down and let the water come to her. Meanwhile, Braden slept in my arms.

After a fall that broke open one of her existing scratches, letting in stinging salt water, Avery was finally ready to go "back to Montgomery." I spent the trip home in the backseat. Can we say cramped?

I know there probably is a lot that I'm leaving out, but I'm working off of three hours of sleep. Maybe Kenny can fill in the spots where I left out.

Vacation Time!

Kenny has already posted the highlights of our trip to Stone Mountain, so I thought I'd just add a few pictures.

Wednesday included a day of travel, but included fun stops along the way. When we got checked in, and after dinner at Mama Mia's Pizzaria , we stopped in The Family Fun Center to try to get a few games of bowling in. They were booked, so Avery enjoyed playing arcade games instead. Her reaction time to bopping the sharks on the head was a bit slow. She hit every one that popped up, just a second after the fact!

The next day was a full day of Stone Mountain sights. We enjoyed watching Avery take in all of her surroundings. She talked about the big mountain and how we were going to go way up high. She also talked about how she was going to pet the goats and sheep, and oh by the way David took care of sheep. Then he got Goliath. Little bit of a sidestory, but at least she's learning in Bible class! Kenny already mentioned the 4-D show involving the snake...but we all had fun taking silly pictures before the show began. (Why can't they make cute glasses?)

Also, who knew a tree could grow on top of a giant stone mountain? Avery also enjoyed "riding the choo choo tain..." and requested another ride the following morning. While we waited to board the big boat, we decided to go for a short paddle boat ride. Avery had fun, but not as much fun as when we fed the ducks. According to her, there was a momma, a daddy, and an Avery duck. It did look like a family with two adult ducks, and two baby ducks. I guess she assumed the last duck was the new baby. Other people started watching and feeding, so more and more ducks swam toward the crowd. Then, the fish got in on the action. Avery thought it was funny when they jumped up to try to beat the duck to the precious food. We decided the biggest duck was a bully because he kept turning and lunging at the other ducks who tried to get close to his feeding ground.

After a full morning, afternoon, and dinner, we headed back to the hotel for a break and a swim. We promised Avery since she had done so well all day that she could go swimming. Well, we know for the future to check out the temperature of the water before making such promises! It was frigid, but she held us to our promise. After a warm up bath, we rested in the hotel until the night laser and fireworks show. We warned her that it might be loud, but it would be okay and pretty. She talked all the way there, "be loud; but ok..." After the show which ended around 10:30, Avery fell asleep on the 4 minute ride home. After she was tucked into her pack and play, Kenny and I hooked up the headphones to his laptop and watched a $1 movie we purchased from Wal-Mart earlier in the afternoon. Cheesy movie, but a fun memory, all huddled under the covers so Avery wouldn't wake up from the light on the screen.

Avery slept in until 10 the next morning, so we bypassed our plan of playing a rousing game of Putt Putt before heading home. Once we were packed up and ready to go, it was almost lunchtime, so we got on the highway and headed home. We made a few stops here and there, but Avery had been patient long enough. She was ready to get home. We finally made it home in time for her to take a nap, then head back out for dinner. We were determined even though we were home, we were not going to let the vacation be over (especially since our anniversary is today!)

I'd say we had a fantastic time with each other, and Avery was a trooper as always. And now we know she doesn't turn into a terrible monster even if she doesn't get a nap!

Vacation Ideas, Anyone?

We would like to take a family vacation soon...it doesn't have to be extravagant...we're thinking inexpensive; within driving distance; fun for us and Avery....

Anyone have any ideas?

A View of the North Pole!

Below you'll see pictures from our fun filled day at the North Pole (two days after the blizzard and the day before the park closed for the season!) We got there just in time!

Cool Slideshows

A Taste of Things To Come

Here you will find some of our pictures in the snow, as promised. I get cold just looking at them.

It's taking a while for me to get them edited...who knew it would be time consuming to skim through over 430 pictures?!

The last picture is from our day at the Garden of the Gods. The last time I was there, I was a little older than Avery, so it was fun to go back and share that experience with her.

I'll post more later from our day at the North Pole.