Movin' Mountains

This past week was our fall break, if you didn't catch the excitement from my previous post. I was a happy girl. Sleeping in was the name of my game on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday night, I had a test in my grad class (insert moan). But, I got an "A", so all that studying I did that day was worth it. The girls and I met for a much needed drink after that. Drinks on a Monday, you say?? It's Fall Break, y'all!!

On Wednesday afternoon, Matt came by, picked me up and we mosied our way down south and east to Gatlinburg, TN. I have only been one other time and it was in middle school for a dance team competition. When I would tell anyone that I was going, all I would hear about was food! Let me just say, this fatty was pretty excited. 

On the way down, we got stuck in traffic for about an hour. It was so frustrating. I was ready to get there and see all these restaurants that I'd heard so much about! You know how normally when you pass a wreck, you think to yourself, "If everyone would stop rubberneckin' and just go, we wouldn't have sat in all that traffic!!" Well, we couldn't HELP but rubberneck at this wreck. Just take a gander. 

That's some seriousness right there. A little ways ahead of that, there was a tour bus that hit the back of a car and then someone else was pulled over by a policeman. NO WONDER we sat in traffic so long! Still super frustrating, though. 

Once we made it to G-burg, we went to the condo to meet his Dad and Stepmom and then to dinner at a BBQ place. It was pretty great! Later that evening, his Stepbrother, Adam and girlfriend, Jenn arrived. Also, his Stepsister, Whitney, her husband, David and their 4 kids arrived. We all stayed in the same condo together. It sounds like it could get crowded, but it really wasn't. We had 3 bedrooms and a pull-out couch. 

My favorite place that we ate at was the Apple Barn! They give you SO much food and for a reasonable price. For an appetizer, they bring you apple fritters. Ohme. I ate 4 1/2 before my real food started coming. They also bring you a salad and soup (vegetable). Then the main course. I chose to get the chicken sampler. It came with chicken n dumplins, chicken pot pie, and 2 pieces of fried chicken. I got soup beans and macaroni and cheese as my sides. Then they bring you desert! All of this for $15. Seriously. I had to waddle out of that place. My belly sure was happy, though! 

Matt & I drove up into the mountains one day. It was just the two of us and we had so much fun! We saw 3 bears and a variety of other animals. 

This looks like the scenery from where I am from. It makes me so homesick! 

Turkeys!

Matty & I

There's a bear up there, if you look closely!

We also went to the aquarium with his whole family. It was a lot of fun! I loved watching the kids have a good time, but I also love going to aquariums (nerd alert).

Spotted Jellyfish

Caleb and Papaw (Matt's Nephew & Dad)

Love the seahorses!

These bad boys were my favorite. Shark Week is one of my favorite weeks of the year!

Sawfish

Petting the horseshoe crabs

Little Dave

Jacob

I loved the penguins! We watched them for a loooooong time! 

It was a good vacation. I enjoyed getting to relax and eat (a lot). I also enjoyed getting to hang out with Matt's family. I don't know his step sister that well, so it was good to get to know her, David and their kids a little better.

Where should I go on my next vacation?!

Thankful Thursday

It's that time of the week for one of my favorite Link-Ups with Julia and Jamie! :) Thankful Thursday forces me to stop and think about the good things in my life. This week, I have several things to be thankful for, but here are a few.

1. I am Thankful for good friends. Not only my blog friends, buy my RL Besties. These ladies and guys keep me going each week. They keep me sane and they put me in my place when it's needed. It sure is a love affair with me and my friends.

2. As silly as this sounds, I am Thankful that it is baseball season! It's one of my favorite sports, especially to go see! I'm excited for the REDS to have another great year. Bowling Green has a semi-pro {I guess?} team, The Bowling Green Hot Rods and their games are so fun to go to! They are just a fun summer activity.

3. I am Thankful for the fact that it is almost summer! That means so much for me! I am going to be babysitting two of my favorite kids ever, Emma and Will. I have a bachelorette party to go to on the beach in Alabama! We are still in the beginning stages of planning. We have a house for a few days and now are working on the fun bachelorette surprises. Any ideas, please...send them my way!

The summer also means that I will be going to LONDON with my Bestie, Lo. I am way, way excited about this trip! I have been wanting to go to England for a few years, but never thought that it would ever actually happen for me. There are honestly other places that are in my "top places to visit", but London is on the list, so I couldn't be happier!

Summer also just means lots of free time, because the graduate classes that I have left are not offered in the summer {Thank the Good Lord}, and I am a teacher. I plan to spend lots of time with friends, preferably around water, traveling, and relaxing. :)

So, tell me. What are YOU Thankful for on this fine Thursday?! Head on over to one of these lovely ladies' blogs and tell us all!

A Dream Come True

If anyone knows me, you know that I LOVE my Kentucky Wildcats! I grew up being a fan and have become an even bigger fan in recent years. I put on my 30 before 30 list to go to an NCAA Tournament Game. Little did I know that it would be the FINAL FOUR and the CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!! My friend, Erica helped make that dream come true this past weekend by going with me to Houston. We had such a great time!

While in Houston, most of our trip was basketball centered. We spent a lot of time at the Tip-Off to Tailgate Party and at the games. With one of our free days, we went south to spend the day at the beach and with some of our other free time, we went to the Aquarium and the Holocaust Museum. I have to say, it was a much needed, fun vacation away from Bowling Green. The 14 hour drives were horrible, but in my opinion, they were so worth the time in Houston!

I got to see the boyfriend last night when he got off work. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with him finally! I had an absolute blast with Erica, but I have to say that it was so nice to be back and able to spend some lazy time with him. :)