Friday, April 27, 2012

Spring Breakin’ It!

Don’t get crazy and think we went partying at the beach or anything! We went spring breaking it maw maw style and enjoyed a nice, relaxing vacation in the Smoky Mountains. It’s our go-to place for peace of mind, and it holds so many memories for Colby and myself. Both of our families vacationed there on a regular basis during the summers.

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We had planned for some cool weather, but we didn’t plan for full blown winter weather. Don’t let all of the green trick you. It. Was. Cold. The weather took a major turn from the last time I had checked the weekly weather. It went from 60s for the highs to 50s, and it took a while for it to even get to that point except for Wednesday. My cute spring clothes didn’t come in real handy.

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On Sunday, we got into town and settled into our cabin. Then, we took a trip to the Old Mill Restaurant. Neither of us had ever been there, but we really enjoyed the atmosphere. Plus, we met a very friendly couple who lived in Monroe, LA. They knew the Duck Commander and his family. How funny is that! We certainly enjoyed our conversation with them. It’s always nice to run into someone that enjoys the south as much as you do.

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If you’re not familiar with the Duck Commander, here is a clip. I am warning you now. Beware of what you’re about to see…

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On Monday, we enjoyed our traditional first trip to Cades Cove, and it was definitely worth it. Turkeys and bears were everywhere. That evening we went to the Hatfield and McCoy dinner show, and it was hilarious. The food was quite good, too! Dinner and show….you can’t beat it. At the end of this post, I made a video of our entire vacation. You’ll see some people tugging at something through their clothes. What you see is a spoon attached to a very long string that goes down one person’s shirt and through another person’s pants. This alternates until you get to the end of the line. Since I wasn’t the ones up there, it was quite hilarious. Unfortunately for some, they were unexpectedly exposed. Funny for us…not really for them!

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We also went to a place in Gatlinburg where they make moonshine. I definitely recommend going {drinker or not}. It is a fascinating and fun place to go!

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On Tuesday, we went to Clingman’s Dome and Mingus Mill on our way up to Cherokee, NC. Needless to say, we ran into a bit of snow on our way up. Colby talked me into walking up to the observation tower at Clingman’s Dome. Remember how I said I didn’t pack the most appropriate clothes? Well….I wished I had at that point. Not to mention that the half mile walk up there felt like much more. It’s amazing how I can walk three miles effortlessly around here for exercise, but I thought I was going to die with the unbearable cold, not being able to feel vital parts of my body, and a steep {for me} incline. Without my motivator by my side coaching me on, I would have turned around. I was glad I didn’t though. We made it to the top and saw some people we knew! How crazy! On our way back down, there was a bear by the walk, so it offered some great video and picture opportunities.

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On Wednesday, we hung around locally and ate at Miss Lily’s Café, which was recommended by Southern Living. After eating, we decided to go zip lining at this place close to our cabin. It was so much fun, but now I wish we would have went to a place with more lines. Now that I know how much fun it is, it might be something we do on another visit.

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And to end the day, we took a narrow road up to the Lee Roberson Gallery. If you haven’t been there, you are missing out. He is an amazing artist and a very funny man to meet. We spent well over an hour there and left with three prints. I’ll share more of that with you later though. As a matter of fact, I have much more to share with you later about some particular happenings from our trip. Until then….enjoy this video I made that summarizes our trip.

Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. very jealous of this vacation. we go in march to see snow and it was HOT! oh well next time we need to all go! glad you and "uble" colby had a blast! but glad to have you home too!

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  2. It looks like a blast. I can't believe you are in snow with no socks. Yikes. I love the video. Good job. How in the world did y'all video and zip line at the same time?

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