What a week it has been! We left on Friday, March 20, for Gatlinburg, TN. What a beautiful drive it was and the kids were very cooperative. We took our new car, which means no DVD player, and they read books and colored the whole trip! We really surprised ourselves by taking the little car. Usually we pack way too much stuff, but we limited ourselves to one suitcase, the toiletry bag, crockpot, and some food. We arrived at our timeshare around 8:30pm, checked in and then went for a very quick bite to eat as we were all dead tired from the trip.
Saturday, March 21, we woke up and went out for pancakes at FLAPJACKS! The kids had chocolate chip pancakes of course. Then we were off to play miniature golf. It was a great time, and the 18th hole challenge provided a free game to anyone who made the putt. Well, the only one in our family to make the putt was. . .Michele!! After golfing, we drove around and got to know the area a little bit, then headed to the grocery. When we arrived back at the hotel, we took the kiddos for a swim in the heated pool! Finally we had a nice dinner. I made grilled buffalo chicken salads.
Sunday, March 22, we ventured into Gatlinburg and toured the Ripley's Aquarium. It was awesome. The kids had a really great time. They have one of the biggest undergound tunnels I have seen with sharks, stingrays, and an abundance of fish swimming over your head! Then as Jackson would say we went out for a "fancy lunch" to a place called Desserts and More. They had one of the best chicken salad sandwiches I have ever tasted and a great potato soup! The kids had grilled cheese and PB & J!! Then we strolled down the streets and toured the shopping area. For dinner I made a balsamic chicken with rice and slices of watermelon on the side!
Monday, March 23, we drove to Asheville, NC. It took about 2 hours and the GPS had us driving some CRAZY roads! We had lunch at the Biltmore McDonalds. We saw this McDonalds on the Travel Channel and just had to take the kids there. It had a self-playing baby grand piano, a fireplace, and rod-iron galore (because it is in the Biltmore district it has to be built to code). Next, we toured the Biltmore Mansion and I must say. . .those people had the life! 43 bathrooms, an inground pool, a bowling alley. . .need I say more. After touring the mansion we took the kids to the farm where they got to pet the animals including two huge horses named Bert and Ernie! We ended our tour of the Biltmore with wine tasting for Chris and grape juice for the kids and I! We then drove back to Tennessee where we discovered that mountain cooking must be different than regular altitudes, because my spaghetti sauce that had been cooking in the crockpot all day had no water left in it! So we put the kids back in the car and went out for dinner at a place called the Flying Horse. They have a carousel in the restaurant and everyone gets a ticket for a free ride.
Tuesday, March 24, was a glorious 82 degrees! We drove to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and toured Cades Cove, an area known for its abundant wildlife. Check out this link:
http://www.cadescove.net/auto_tour.html
It was absolutely beautiful and we did see white-tail deer! I was hoping to see a black bear, but no such luck. Maybe next time. . .we will go back! The area still has the old buildings of the settlers that called the area home. There is a working grist mill still on the land and the kids were impressed at how they used water from the water wheel to make energy! After Cades Cove, we drove to the grocery and picked up some jarred spaghetti sauce (a sin) and revamped my sauce by added some of Emeril's tomato basil sauce. The kids decided they wanted to play mini-golf again, so we headed off to Davy Crockett's Mini-Golf and then off to Baskin Robbins for dessert.
Wednesday, March 25. We laid around the room for awhile. The kids did homework and journaling. Then we headed out to the Old Mill and area known for it's grist mill and pottery. We picked up some taffy made in the candy shop, watched a potter spin a bread bowl, and tasted some samples at the kitchen store. Next we headed to the Ripley's Mirror Maze. It was a blast. Jackson kept saying "the ultimate challenge is to make it out without touching any mirrors!" The kids had a great time!
Thursday, March 26. I laid in bed until 11:30am! I guess I do have allergies! Three days before this I was having symptoms and thought I must have a sinus infection or something, but now that we are back in Ohio we are attributing my sickness to allergies. When I finally made it out of bed, we headed to Olive Garden. . .I needed soup! After a couple bowls of soup and some peach tea, we headed to Ripley's Old MacDonald Mini-Golf where 4 of the 5 of us won a free game on the 18th hole. . .Jackson, Chance, Michele and Jen. . .Chris did not!!! Then we headed back to the room to start packing up our stuff. The last event of the trip we headed to a dinner show called the Black Bear Jamboree! It was a great time and the kids even enjoyed the 50's, 70's, Country, and Gospel Music.
The trip was just what we needed. . .relaxation and family time! It was soooooo beautiful and peaceful. We did have television, but no internet which was nice. Well, now that you've read my long post. . .enjoy the photos!!!
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