Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge trip: Wonders of Flight

Up, up, and away... in a giant helium balloon.  Oh sure. That sounds like a great idea for someone terrified of heights!  But that's what the man of the house wanted to do, so I sucked it up and stepped on board Wonders of Flight: a 72 foot diameter helium balloon which takes riders 400 feet into the air.

Needless to say, I was more than a bit nervous as we began to rise into the air. 

But once we reached maximum altitude I was able to relax and enjoy the views

That's our shadow down there!

Pigeon Forge on Dwellable

30 Days of Gratitude & Thanksgiving: Day 22 (Thanksgiving Thursday)

“Rest and be thankful.”  ~ William Wordsworth

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

121.  A husband who is also a friend

122.  Children who make me laugh

123.  The blessing of a grand baby

124.  Family love

125.  The way God always provides for our needs

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge: Hollywood Wax Museum

The Man of the House and I are celebrating 20 years of marriage this week.  In honor of the occasion we decided to take a little 3 day weekend getaway and go somewhere we've never been before.  The destination was Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

I had never been to a wax museum before.  Neither had the man of the house.  So a visit to the "Hollywood Wax Museum" in Pigeon Forge became one of those "Sure! Why not?" kind of things to do.   The building alone was enough to draw us in!

Truth be told, a lot of the figures weren't that impressive, and some were downright bad.  But being able be silly and pose with all the "celebrities" was just good, goofy fun!!

Somehow I thought the man of the house would have a bigger smile on his face

We're in negotiations for Mr Freeman to narrate my life

Man of the House and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Who's Captain now, Sparrow?

I'm telling you... James Dean keeps staring at me!

Are you gonna eat that box of chocolate?

Man of the House - Mall Cop

I think you should fire your hair dresser!

I can't talk about it.

"If you're not first, you're last"

Shake and bake!



Team Edward



Beam me up!

So glad I'm not wearing a red shirt!

Look out!  Behind you!

I make this look good

Two of my favorite guys!!

I'm flying!  (one question: why does Jack look like a zombie?)

Ready for my close-up

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge: Mama's Farmhouse

The Man of the House and I are celebrating 20 years of marriage this week. In honor of the occasion we decided to take a little 3 day weekend getaway and go somewhere we've never been before. The destination was Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Our first night in Pigeon Forge, I was ready for some good Southern cooking.  We selected "Mama's Farmhouse" for our dinner. 

Mama's Farmhouse is southern food served family style.  No menus.  They bring whatever they are fixing that day out to the table!  The night we were there it was fried chicken, fried fish, meatloaf, soup beans, cole slwaw, mashed potatoes, and honey carrots.  Your choice of peach cobbler or banana pudding for dessert.

Best sweet tea I have had in a long time!

I wish I had more pictures of the food to share, but once it arrived I was so busy eating (and enjoying!) it that I simply forgot to snap more photos! 

The fried chicken was perfect!  Nice and crispy on the outside, moist and delicious on the inside.  All of the sides were simply southern perfection.  Nothing tasted frozen or canned.  It tasted, well... homemade!  I'm not big on cooked carrots, and I even had two servings of those!  That's how good they were.  The peach cobbler with ice cream was the perfect ending to the meal.

To be honest, I'm still thinking about that meal.  And a big part of me wishes we had gone back to try Mama's breakfast too! 

30 Days of Gratitude & Thanksgiving: Day 21 (Anniversary Edition)

 I AM THANKFUL FOR:

116.  20 Years of Marriage

117.  Love

118.  Passion

119.  Family

120.  The years ahead

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Trip: Titanic Museum

The Man of the House and I are celebrating 20 years of marriage this week.  In honor of the occasion we decided to take a little 3 day weekend getaway and go somewhere we've never been before.  The destination was Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. 

After the drive up I-40 through the Pigeon River gorge (or what I like to refer to as "Satan's stretch of road"... ugh)  we had arrived! 

A quick lunch at Joe's Crab Shack (meh... mediocre at best) and a stroll through the Tanger Outlets.  Then it was time to visit my sight of choice...

The Titanic Museum! 

Gasp!  The building even looks like Titanic!  Be still my heart...

Anyone surprised by this selection obviously doesn't know me very well.  Or maybe at all.  ;0)

Sadly, photography is not allowed inside the museum.  Oh... the pictures I could have posed for on that replica of the grand staircase.  sigh....

But I did snap away to my hearts content outside the building.

The exhibits were well done and interesting.  Whether you are interested purely in the historical aspect of Titanic, or simply a fan of the James Cameron movie, I would highly recommend this as a stop when visiting the Pigeon Forge area. 

Crescent moon over Titanic

Yes., that's me.  In Titanic bliss.

She Has Also Set Her Table

Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.  She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. ~ Proverb 9: 1-2

Wisdom has fixed her meal and set her table.

Like a family dinner.  Everyone eating together.  Gathered around the table she set to eat the meal which was prepared for them.  I'll have this verse, and this image in mind as we go through plans for our family Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

There is wisdom in the family dinner.

30 Days of Gratitude & Thanksgiving: Day 20

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

111.  Early mornings

112.  Lucky Charms (the cereal)

113.  Delicious, yucky colored milk in the bottom of the bowl

114.  Road Trips

115.  Weekend away with The Man of the House

Congratulations Cure for the Common Couch Potato Winner!!

Congratulations to Marianne - the winner of our Cure for the Common Couch Potato Giveaway!! 

The winner was selected by random drawing based on the number of people commenting/entering.  Thank you to everyone who showed an interest in our giveaway.  Please visit our sponsor: xenonproject.com .

 Marianne - please check your email for information on arranging shipment of your prize.

Miss Me?

Miss me?  Even notice I was gone?  Ha!  That's what I thought!  It's OK.  That's exactly how I intended it!

The Man of the House and I headed over the mountain to Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge for a three day weekend of anniversary fun.  Grown ups only.  Did all sorts of touristy stuff.  Took dozens and dozens of pictures.

That's right... Three days worth of blog fodder.

Stay tuned!!  Exciting trip posts to come!

30 Days of Gratitude & Thanksgiving: Day 19

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

106.  3 Day anniversary weekend trips!

107.  Potato soup

108.  The shapes of trees without their leaves

109.  Finding an old friend unexpectantly

110.  Starbuck's (skinny) peppermint mochas

30 Days of Gratitude & Thanksgiving: Day 18

“The whole of the life -- even the hard -- is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole. These are new language lessons, and I live them out. There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things. It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing. The moments will add up.” ~ Ann Voskamp

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

101.  Blue skies without a single cloud

102.  The Man of the House's steady breathing beside me in the dark

103.  John 3:16

104.  Glaze of frost on the grass

105.  Dinner with friends

Sunday Spotlight: Jeremiah 29:11

Each Sunday in November I will be spotlighting guest posts written by women who have blogs which inspire and encourage me. This week's Guest Blogger is:




"Bee" Alert

There used to be signs along the Interstate that said "Bee" Alert, with a big bumblebee to let drivers know they needed to stay alert to avoid an accident. Our sweet daughter, who was just a little girl at the time, thought there were actual bees we were being warned to watch out for. Yes, we laughed at her and explained what the signs meant. I read scripture recently that brought the signs back to mind....

I Peter 5:8 -

Stay alert!

Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.

He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Many years ago, as a Sunday school teacher, I gave an illustration of how sneaky the devil can be. The door to our life might be partly open....just a little crack, but enough for Satan to get a toehold. Once we allow him to get that far, then he proceeds to swing the door open a little wider if we aren't careful to see that our life might be headed in the wrong direction, until finally the door is wide open and we're in over our heads. The best thing to do is to grasp the thought, or the action as soon as it happens and to slam that door shut. Just as Joseph ran from Potiphar's wife, we need to run in the opposite direction that Satan is leading. In my own life, I have to stay alert by keeping in His word on a daily basis....praying....listening to Christian music....whatever it takes to keep me as close to HIM as possible!!!

Another thing is to make scripture personal to us.....

Hebrews 4:15

Jesus understands my weaknesses because He faced all of the same testings I do.

Yet He did not sin!!!

All of these things help me to "Bee" Alert!!!