Cade's Cove

While in Gatlinburg, we hit the town and bought lots of taffy and fudge.  We also went tubing down a river.  We stopped at Cade's Cove to see the beautiful Smokies and the history of the area.  We also stopped at Ober, Gatlinburg which has an alpine slide that is lots of fun and a very beautiful view...

And that's my vacation in a nutshell...  Now onto more pictures.

 Funnel spiders.  Yes, it was freaky cool...

 Mushrooms

 Before

 After (Jared's playing with the camera and it's cool!)

 It has a lock!!

 You can see a little of the infamous smoke.  It was kind of disappointing that the mountains weren't super smoky for Jared's first trip.  Oh well...

Reading

I have eight books to read before the middle of August.  At least I can renew the books if necessary.  But I'm feeling the pressure considering I spend about 45-50 hours at work each week.  And I still have a husband I'd like to interact with...

I've also decided that I need more time in my life.  I have all of these plots in my head.  And I need to start writing them down.  I found an excerpt I wrote a year ago and wondered if I had really written it.  My thought process went like, "Ooh, where's the rest of this book?  I could so read this.  Oh wait, I've yet to write it."  Nice to know that I write in the kind of genre that I read.  I just never find the time for it.  Work is exhausting.  And let's face it, I enjoy reading a lot more than writing.  But one day, I'll find the time.

Now onto more pictures from vacation.  On our second day, we drove from Columbus, Indiana to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Little did we know a semi had caught fire three hours before our journey.  Yes, it took an hour to get through a three-mile stretch of freeway that had no exits...  And the irony of it all?  On our way back, we had a two hour wait in this very same area due to another semi (spilling chemicals instead of catching fire).  So, yes, the drive was very tedious.  Anyways, we passed through Pigeon Forge which always has some interesting buildings.  We also went mini-golfing on one of our days in Gatlinburg.  If anyone knows me, we know I don't do well with a golf ball and putter.  It's amazing how many times I hit my ball off of the track (maybe not that surprising though).  And what's worse, when I tried to hit the ball carefully, it always went under the big objects that made it very difficult to get a ball out of (no normal person's ball would stop in these places).

 Bridges!!  Aren't they awesome-looking??

 What was left of the burning semi...

 Knoxville, TN (right next to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg)

 This picture is of the greenery, not the building.  The south has a type of vine that grows on everything.  People from the west have probably never seen anything like this.  It's eerily creepy sometimes...

 Why yes, that is an upside down building in Pigeon Forge...

 The Titanic has landed, in Pigeon Forge

 A view from our hotel cabin

If you want to feel good about yourself, challenge me to a round of mini-golf.  I can't guarantee to not hit you with my golf ball though...

Highlights

I got a library card on Monday.  Now I have a million books to go through in the next four weeks.  It'll be fun!!

Mosquitoes have been in hyperdrive lately.  I have a million and one bites now.

It's supposed to reach near 100 degrees next week...

Gizmo's not a fan of boarding and doggy daycare.  He gained about a half of a pound while we were on vacation.  Maybe the other dogs intimidated him because they were all bigger than him.  It took him two full days before he finally warmed back up to Jared and I.  Initially when we brought him home, he avoided us and slept in his own corner.  He wouldn't even cuddle with me.  Now, he's back to cuddling and constantly laying in my lap.

Now for some pictures from Columbus, Indiana.  Did I mention I'm an idiot when I said we were going to COSI?  We left at five in the morning all excited for COSI.  Then Jared ruined my hopes and dreams by looking at the website and telling me it was in Columbus, Ohio not Indiana.  Woops.  My bad.  Apparently I stink at looking at the correct state when trying to find interesting things to do in unknown cities.  Anyways, we ended up going downtown and wandering through the War Memorial.  They had letters from some of the soldiers who ended up being killed in action.  And let me tell you, these letters were very touching and brought tears to my eyes.  Makes me appreciate our soldiers and the sacrifices they make to keep us safe.  I believe it was a fitting end to our fifth of July...

One of my favorite quotes from one of the letters:  "They will never fully understand what war is about."  (They refers to those who didn't want to go to war and weren't oversees in the war - pretty much most Americans today.)

I'll post some more pictures from our vacation in another post...

Home

And I'm back from vacation.  I go back to work tomorrow.  Here's to catching up to the last week's worth of work.  Hope I can make it...

I might have more pictures later.  And more words.  I'll just have to leave you with the drive back was terrible.  There was quite a bit of traffic.  There was a spot on the freeway that was at a dead stop (on the way down, it was due to a burning semi; on the way home, it was due to a hazardous spill).  But we're home now.

Vacation

I am officially on vacation!!!  And I don't know what to do with myself...  I've watered my garden, gone sunbathing, bathed Gizmo, did the dishes, and now I'm sitting here debating on whether or not to clean the bathroom or just continue sitting.

It's been very hot outside these past couple of days.  Hot and humid.  My hair's gone very frizzy.  My plants are loving the sun and heat though.  My wildflowers bloomed, and my veggies are growing like crazy.  I have a couple of jalapeños and fresno peppers that are almost ready to be picked.  One of my tomato plants is almost three feet tall while another decide to grow out instead of up (it has a daily battle in its cage when it tries to grow out).  And all four of my tomato plants have a tomato growing.  Granted, they got another three weeks, but they're growing.  I'm so excited.  My corn's getting fairly tall also.  Gizmo likes to lay next to the corn in the shade.

If I have internet in the hotel, I'll post some pictures while on vacation.