Lesser Evil

So, after I blogged last night I fell sound asleep. About an hour or so later I awoke feeling nauseous and weak. I walked in the living room, it was around midnight, and found Michael watching Duck Dynasty. I barely spoke to him before I turned around and sprinted back to the bathroom where I proceeded to vomit violently for the next 30 minutes. I will spare you the details. But I WILL say that I never want JT Hannah's or a piece of fudge EVER again!

I was trying to decide what's worse: food poisoning or riding all day in a cramped car with 3 kids 4 and under.... Hhhhmmmmmm....

This morning we woke up late, as usual. So we got ready, decided to get breakfast on the road, loaded the rest of our stuff and reluctantly said goodbye to our beautiful little cabin. Michael and I both were very sad about leaving. We also both agree that if we ever bought a vacation home- it would be right there in Gatlinburg. It's such a special place.

We have been on the road now since around 9am, and we're almost to Meridian (it's 3:00). So, considering the potty breaks (everyone likes to take turns) I think we're making pretty good time. These little girls that are a handful at home have been WONDERFUL on the road. I'm just so proud of them, because it's not easy for an ADULT to ride this much.

Since we've been riding, Michael and I have talked about everything. Mainly, we've talked about my mom. We talked alot about Thanksgiving (we're celebrating with mom's side of the family this Sunday). At one point, I even started crying thinking of my first Thanksgiving without her. Michael quickly changed the subject to make me cheer up and laugh. Im glad, because I didn't want to end the second best mountains trip on a bad note. I mean, the food poisoning wasn't great- but you know what I mean.

Anyway, if I get out from under the mountain of laundry long enough, I'll post some pics when I get home.

Sorry about all the typos this week- apparently spell check took a vacation too... It hasn't been working :/

Last Day And Night (For Real)

After we decided to stay, we spent a little while hanging around the cabin. Michael and I played a couple games of pool up in the loft and the girls cheered for us and ran around like crazy. When we finally left around 11 or so, we had no idea where we were going. So we rode.We rode and rode and rode. We rode on back roads that were narrow and winding. After an hour or so, I begged Michael to stop....I get motion sickness really easily. These roads we were traveling were not cutting me any slack. My mouth was watering and my head was spinning. So we headed for a main road back into town. As we were crossing into Gatlinburg from Pigeon Forge, we saw a park and decided to stop and let the kids play. It was FREEZING. But, they didn't seem to mind. We stayed until we couldn't stand the cold anymore. Then, we headed to grab some lunch at JT Hannah's. The place was AWESOME. I loved the atmosphere..It was decorated with rusty tin and old wooden barrels, but it had a modern flare as well.... Michael didn't care for the food, but my country fried steak was delicious. I worked so hard to lose the little bit of weight that I have lost, but it only took a few days on vacation to put it right back on. Oh well....You can't be on a diet while you're on vacation. That's just un-American.

After we left, we headed home. We put the kids down for a nap, then Michael and I played some more pool. We laughed and laughed, mainly about how horrible we both are at the game. We may be both horrible, but I'm a little less horrible than him....The big girls never took a nap. They just kept running back and forth. [Kind of like now. As I type, they are running from their room into the living room and back again...all while giggling. Mili is out cold. Michael is eating some leftovers and we are watching the Truman Show (one of my very favorite movies)]. So anyway, back to earlier....We finally gave in and let the girls come out of their room. Neva had talked her dad into buying her some ice cream, so we headed to a little market-Whaley's, about 3 or 4 miles from here. I have been eyeing it, but for whatever reason, we haven't stopped there. After we walked in, I totally regretted not doing it sooner. It was like we transported back in time. It was precious with fresh made candy, a meat market and homemade salads and goodies. I absolutely fell in love with it's charm. I hated that we had to leave, but my little girls wanted their ice cream, so we had to get on back home. On the way back, I talked about my desire to see a bear. I pulled up the bear hunt on my phone and the kids LOVED it! We did see (what we thought was) bear...um .....# 2.... in the road just down from our cabin. We took a few different roads, just to see if we could see one....But no luck. Then, when we got home, I practically ran from the car to the door again. I want to see a bear, but I really don't, ya know?

Once we arrived home, I gave the girls the ingredients that they needed to make a milk shake, and they had a blast making and eating them. Mili is pulling up on everything, and she was falling and hitting her head every couple of minutes. Everyone was getting kind of whiney, so we put everyone to bed. Like I said, they are running in and out of here, but since they didn't get a nap- it shouldn't take long for them to pass out for the night.

I tell you, it took a little while for this cabin to feel "homey", but it only took a split second and us loading most of our stuff for it to feel foreign again. Tomorrow this will not be "home" as I have been referring to it all week. It will be the "cabin we once stayed in". I'm about to walk out and take one last look at our view because this is my last chance to see it at night. Early tomorrow morning we will head out for our long ride home. But, a little piece of my heart will forever remain here.