Vacation

Thursday

Hubby and I left here about 1pm. Before leaving, we cleaned out a bunch of junk/remodeling the bathroom debris from the house--it was amazing to see how full the dumpster ended up being! We even found a place for our sandbox--someone decided they wanted it AFTER we threw it in. :o) I had asked several people and they didn't want it. Glad it found a home. We also finished painting and cleaning the house.) We drove to Southern Wisconsin and stayed in a hotel. It was a bit disconcerting because the room had three different decors going on that did not coordinate, let alone match. Also you had to move the trashcan to close the bathroom door! It wasn't a low end motel either! Mike thought I was a bit weird to notice the decor!

Friday

We went to Illinois and spent several hours with some friends from college who are missionaries back on furlough. It was great to see them again and meet their kids. They were at our church sharing their ministry on the Sunday we were gone. We stayed in Kentucky at a cheaper hotel WITH matching decor and a bathroom door that closed WITHOUT moving the trash can!!!

Saturday

We drove the rest of the way to Tennessee and to the cabin we were to stay in. We stopped along the way for groceries and discovered that you DO NOT want to drive through the Sieverville/Pigeon Forge area on a Saturday unless you like to drive VERY slow and stop A LOT! I took us over an hour to go about 10 miles. The drive from the main road up to our cabin has the potential to strengthen or end friendships! It is about 3.5 miles on a rather narrow road with NO shoulder, some with a rather steep drop off on MY side and some rather tight turns and steep inclines. We also went to my brother and sister in laws and met our nephew who is seven weeks old. We played pass the baby and most of the time everyone played together nicely. :o) "E" and "K" really enjoyed holding him when they could get him away from their aunt. :o) The drive back up in the mountain in the dark was NOT good for the nerves.

Sunday

Church with the in-laws, then to their house 'til after church then back to the cabin. My father in law got the stomach flu, so I ended up sleeping in the basement with the girls. "K" is like sleeping with a flailing octupus!

Monday

We hung out at the cabin and relaxed. The kids enjoyed the hot tub. All the in-laws came. It was kind of nice to be able to just hang out and visit.

Tuesday

We took the kids tubing down the Little Pigeon River. It was a little difficult to keep the kids on track. They seemed to find places to get stuck and having to be rescued!

Wednesday

We went to the forbidden caverns under the Smoky Mountains. My brother-in-law's parents came over and went with us. It was a nice cool place and quite beautiful. Also educational for the kids.

Thursday

We went to the Smoky Mountain National Park. It was amazing to see the mountains and wonderful to be reminded of God's care in creation.

Friday/Saturday

Traveled back home.