OK. I wrote this Saturday but wasn't able to get it up until just now, so the foot of snow's still on the ground, but I'm out and about. I start my new class today at Southwestern Michigan College. I'm teaching English as a Second Language: Culture, Language and Civics. I LOOOOVE teaching history, and I get to do a lot of that in this class, so I'm excited about it. :D So, here's what I wrote on Sunday WITH the pictures uploaded ...
Went back to the hotel, took a nap, got up, and went to Red Lobster for supper and had an absolutely fabulous-o waiter, so that was really a nice touch to a vacation treat like Red Lobster. :D The meal wrapped up our marine biology day. (Didn't do that on purpose ;-) just realized it later)
Can't figure out why this one's still sideways, but anyway...
Love that expression ...
Went back to the hotel, took a quick nap, and got back up for dinner. This time we tried Tony Romas and had a good experience there, too. Look at the place next to it. Pretty cool, huh? It's like a big Science/Discovery Museum, and we wanted to do it and probably would have if we hadn't required naps. But as it was, I guess we saved some money this way, which is never a bad thing. Tony needs to get a light bulb for his "O".
Dirt Cake Dessert
I KNOW I flipped these pics before I uploaded them. Grrrr.... Computers ...
But then my husband did something really sweet. I'd been eyeing a Super Scrapbook Store that was in one of the outlet mall areas but didn't push the issue. He took me AND KEPT JACKSON IN THE CAR while I went in!!! What a good husband I have. (Keeping Jackson in the car was the best part ... tee hee) :D I spent an hour in there and he didn't even get upset!!! I really didn't mean to stay that long, but I, um, sort of accidently lost track of time. But I got some cool stuff to scrap our vacation with. ;-) We left from there and headed home. Got home around 10:00 that night, drug all our stuff in, let Jackson play with his toys for a few minutes while I started some laundry, and then we all went to bed.
It was a good vacation with lots of fun, memory-making times. The weather wasn't even bad. Actually, Saturday it was a balmy 70 degrees!!!!!! But the other two days, it was a bit cold/cool mostly in the 50's. A lot warmer than what we're used to up here, but still a bit cool to be out tromping around for long periods of time. I wanted to go to Dixie Stampede, but we couldn't bring ourselves to dish out that much money. And we thought about Dollywood because they say the Christmas lights at this time of year are just gorgeous, but did you know it's $50 for an adult ticket???!!!! That's ridiculous. That's what a Disney World park costs, and, sorry, but Dollywood doesn't have anything on Disney whatsoever. Anyway, I like what we decided on. Except for Flapjack's. ;0)
I know. I know. It's been longer than I anticipated, BUT I have been really busy, sooooo today's the day. (Doesn't have a thing to do with the almost FOOT of snow outside. ;-) Anyway, we're home today. Anywhoooo ..... here it is ....
So we finished at the aquarium, which ended my last post. Theeeennnnn.....
Next on the agenda was a Fannie Farkel. It's tradition to get a Fannie Farkel when we're in Gatlinburg. You just gotta do it! What's a Fannie Farkel? Why a foot-long corn dog, of course! ;-) It's hand-battered and fried to order, so they're hot and fresh. Yum!!! Didn't get any pictures of that because you have to eat them on the sidewalk (no seating) and it's kind of awkward to do anyway, so pictures would've been extremely difficult.
Anyway, then we "swung" up the mountain. Jackson was soooo excited about this one. He had a blast!!! And the view it offers is just so gorgeous. Loved the swings!!!
Went back to the hotel, took a nap, got up, and went to Red Lobster for supper and had an absolutely fabulous-o waiter, so that was really a nice touch to a vacation treat like Red Lobster. :D The meal wrapped up our marine biology day. (Didn't do that on purpose ;-) just realized it later)
Sunday was really our last day for vacation. We started with a place called Adventure Quest and had a blast.
First was the Mirror of Mazes. Way cool. They made you put on plastic gloves so the mirrors didn't get smudged. The mirrors were immaculate, so it was difficult to tell whether a "wall" was a mirror or an opening. Crazy stuff. Jackson though it was crazy, but fun. I thought it was neat because of the different sections. One part looked like castle hallways and another part was black with these pretty purple twinkling stars everywhere. Then you went through what looked like a vineyard with grapevines. There were other sections that I can't remember at the moment. Anyway, most of the pictures didn't turn out so great because of all the mirrors. The flash ricocheted and ruined the effect.
Next was the Pirate Putt-Putt. Jackson LOVES putt-putt and so do Anthony and I, so we had a blast in there. Jackson's pretty good, too ... for a four-year, but Daddy beat us both. (he always does ... grrrr....) But he only beat me by 6 points, so it wasn't too bad, I guess for 18 holes.
Can't figure out why this one's still sideways, but anyway...
Love that expression ...
We then took a drive through Cade's Cove and saw lots and lots of deer. Anthony kept hoping to see bear, but I lovingly *smirk* reminded him that the bear were probably *ahem* HIBERNATING!!!! Dork!!!! Anyway, I love that place. The vistas are breathtaking. Cade's Cove, by the way, is where the Christy shows were filmed.
Went back to the hotel, took a quick nap, and got back up for dinner. This time we tried Tony Romas and had a good experience there, too. Look at the place next to it. Pretty cool, huh? It's like a big Science/Discovery Museum, and we wanted to do it and probably would have if we hadn't required naps. But as it was, I guess we saved some money this way, which is never a bad thing. Tony needs to get a light bulb for his "O".
Dirt Cake Dessert
I KNOW I flipped these pics before I uploaded them. Grrrr.... Computers ...
Monday we slept in a bit (by this time I had started getting Jackson's cold) and took our time getting our things together, so we missed the hotel breakfast and had to go out. We decided on Flapjack's Pancake House for breakfast and had a HORRIBLE experience. I do NOT recommend that place. The food just didn't taste fresh. I ordered one of their skillets with hashbrowns, veggies, cheese, eggs, etc. The mushrooms were from a can and COLD, they didn't put any cheese on it, and the eggs weren't cooked over medium, as I'd ordered. They were still a bit slimy. YUCK!!! On top of that, it was a very small portion of food ... especially for what we were paying for it. I didn't eat but maybe one bite and sent it back for an omelette, which was a tiny bit better ... but that's not saying much. Even Jackson and Anthony's pancakes were rubbery. Now, when you've got a restaurant named Flapjack's, you thiiiiinnnkkk that they'd at least get the pancakes right. Nope. On top of that, the waitress was rude and the bus boy was SLAMMING stuff into that bus tub REALLY LOUD, which didn't help the ambience of the place. Left unhappy. Never will darken their doors again.
But then my husband did something really sweet. I'd been eyeing a Super Scrapbook Store that was in one of the outlet mall areas but didn't push the issue. He took me AND KEPT JACKSON IN THE CAR while I went in!!! What a good husband I have. (Keeping Jackson in the car was the best part ... tee hee) :D I spent an hour in there and he didn't even get upset!!! I really didn't mean to stay that long, but I, um, sort of accidently lost track of time. But I got some cool stuff to scrap our vacation with. ;-) We left from there and headed home. Got home around 10:00 that night, drug all our stuff in, let Jackson play with his toys for a few minutes while I started some laundry, and then we all went to bed.
It was a good vacation with lots of fun, memory-making times. The weather wasn't even bad. Actually, Saturday it was a balmy 70 degrees!!!!!! But the other two days, it was a bit cold/cool mostly in the 50's. A lot warmer than what we're used to up here, but still a bit cool to be out tromping around for long periods of time. I wanted to go to Dixie Stampede, but we couldn't bring ourselves to dish out that much money. And we thought about Dollywood because they say the Christmas lights at this time of year are just gorgeous, but did you know it's $50 for an adult ticket???!!!! That's ridiculous. That's what a Disney World park costs, and, sorry, but Dollywood doesn't have anything on Disney whatsoever. Anyway, I like what we decided on. Except for Flapjack's. ;0)
7 comments:
It takes you a while to do it, but when you blog you REALLY BLOG! Great post--love the pictures. :-)
The "swinging up the mountain" thing doesn't look fun to ME, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. ;-)
I would LOVE the maze place!!! I've always wanted to do one of those hall of mazes places and have never had the opportunity. That one looked SO COOL!
Putt-putt... fun! It's been years for us. Hhmmm... everything you did on your vacation looked like a blast. Maybe you should invite us to join you on your next trip! Ha!
Wa-Hoo about the scrapbooking store (those are SO FUN--and I know what you mean about losing track of time!), and double WA-HOO for a husband who sits in the car with the kid for an hour so you can enjoy it! 4 Stars for Anthony on that one! Way to go, man! :-)
Enjoyed the pictures!! Sounds like you all had a lot of fun!! Donald just love those corn dogs too..every time we go he thinks he has to have one. Me, on the other hand, has to have a funnel cake..YUM!!
That was sweet of Anthony to keep Jackson while you went in the scrapbooking shop...thumbs up for him!! I don't know that my husband would brave that or not..LOL..actually he probably would and then fall asleep while they wrecked havoc on the car..LOL!!
Well, Becki, you all are invited. We'll let you know when we're going. ;-) I'll tell Anthony he just earned himself four stars. Wait! Maybe I won't. He might ask to redeem those stars for something ridiculous like letting him buy something he doesn't need. *rolling eyes* I'll keep that one to myself until he owes me, then I'll tell him about his four stars and say we're even. HA!!!
Marsha, we did have lots of fun. I don't know what it is about Fannie Farkel's, but I understand Donald's need to get one. Something with the batter! HA! But, yeah, I'm surprised he didn't fall asleep while I was in the store. That would've been his norm, but he called his mom and he and Jackson talked her ears off while I was in there, so I guess that's what kept them from going stir crazy! Hey, we really enjoyed getting to see ya'll. Like Donnie said, we'll have to make it a tradition any time we head down that way. :D
That mirror place looks SO NEAT! That would be so fun to go there some day.
That picture of Jackson with his hands on his hips is cute. :)
That dirt cake dessert looks yummy! What was all in it?
That was so nice of Anthony to sit in the car with the kid and not get unset with you for taking a whole HOUR in the store. What a guy!
You got some good aquarium pictures! Those were fun to look at. That's funny how different the expressions are with "mom" and "dad" pics. lol When you touched the stingray, was it slimy?
Btw, I like your new glasses. You look cute in them. :) The second pair is my fav. I was surprised that you had short hair, but it looks good on you. When did you cut it?
The little attitude picture was my favorite too.
Yep. Slimy would be the descriptive word. I promptly went to the restroom and washed my hands for a few minutes after we got done. They keep the water pretty clean-looking, but you just never know. ;-)
Thanks for the compliments on the glasses and hair. Um, I got it cut sometime in August, I think it was. Sometimes I miss my long hair, but Anthony likes it short. He says I look younger, so I don't know.
The maze place was really cool. I guess you and Jacob and the kids will have to go back with us when Becki and James and their kids go, too. ;-) Wouldn't that be fun! It'd be so neat if the married VLBs could do some sort of trip like that some time, wouldn't it? Anthony gets great hotel rates, you know. :D
Oh, the dirt dessert. I think it was really just chocolate pudding with crushed Oreos and gummy worms. YUCK!!! ;-)
That would be sooo fun if we could all go someplace together! That would be a blast. :)
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