Christmas is officially over. My sanity returns!

Oh wow, what an overwhelming past few weeks. It seems (and feels) like I have been doing nothing but shopping, going to Christmas gatherings & shopping some more. It’s been a few days because I sadly encountered a virus bug that had been traveling around my office … and family for about a week so it put me behind schedule with everything else. Yes, I know … being sick during the holidays is no fun at all.

The great Christmas season started out with a delicious bang when my office has their annual Christmas party. My company is amazing. I am so thankful to have a great job with great people. This year we dined at Hearth and Harvest in Cartersville. Yummy, yummy! Each year we draw names (and it never stays a secret) but I had Emily’s name. So, the weekend before the Christmas party I was at the mall looking for the perfect present for her. I ended up picking out a “poofy” jacket with fur around the hood. (so cute) When we got to Hearth and Harvest and ordered our food the “head honchos” let us open one present … HOODIES! We each got hoodies & let me tell you, we were BEYOND excited to have these hoodies. Back to the food … I had a filet with a baked potato and salad. I didn’t dig the salad too much … it had cranberry’s and nuts on it & that just doesn’t make a salad to me. Too bad that I love food and ate it anyways. : ) After the meal we each handed out our presents and took turns (somewhat) opening them. Jessica had my name so I got a brown sweater with a white & brown scarf. PERFECT! Except … the weather hasn’t been cold enough for a sweater OR a scarf so I’m pretty sad about it. I guess that’s what happens when you live in Georgia …

Now the fun begins with more Christmas shopping! (not) I had everything done when I got hit with the ugly virus early Monday morning (before Christmas) Needless to say with two “sick days” at work later, it was Christmas Eve. I didn’t get to enjoy any holiday food & my stomach still hurt but I got a lot of nice things and spent some time with my family. For lunch on Christmas Eve my brother & his family came over to open presents and then that night, around 6:00 we ventured out to my Granny’s for more presents. I can’t complain about my presents but I’m not into Christmas for that reason. There’s so much more to it!

Merry Christmas!! Christmas Day morning was spent eating a delicious, traditional breakfast with the family and then me heading to my friend Crystal’s house to see what Santa brought her son, Eathyn. With no rest time it was off to BJ’s to exchange gifts with his mother. Rush, rush, rush because from there it was time to go to my Granny Joan’s. After we opened presents there I let out a silent sigh of relief. Oh, Christmas is over again! I did have a great time after present opening. I went to my cousin’s house to enjoy a few games of Rockband and on the Wii. I love the Wii … I think I need to get me one!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas & I hope you all got what you wanted from Santa. Stop and think about what’s most important this time of year. Be thankful for your friends, family and everything God has placed in your life. If you are alive, well, and have the Lord’s loving arms wrapped around you then you have everything to be thankful for. YOU are truly blessed!

Christmas, you can go away now!

December 16th? Already? Seems like this month … well, these past few months have flown by so fast that I can’t even stop to take a breath. December is a fast paced month with Christmas presents to buy, decorations to put up & in my case, finals. Yes, the dreaded finals!! My family just does not get into the Christmas spirit like a lot of other people and that fact is totally evident this year. Let me give you a quick run down of how Christmas decorating goes at my house: two weeks after Thanksgiving 3 Christmas trees go up, a snowman goes in the front yard, wreaths are on the windows & a spotlight is shining on our house. That is a typical Christmas, but no … not this year. This year we have one tree. That’s all, just one. Oh and this one tree went up last week without decorations, because those went up Saturday.

I attempted to finish up my Christmas shopping yesterday but did not succeed. However, I did manage to buy some things for myself, my brother, and my sister-in-law. Not too bad ... even though I spent a few hours at the mall. But Merry Christmas to myself! I still need to finish up presents for my parents but that will be accomplished on Thursday, or maybe Friday morning? Oh, I can't decide. I hate waiting until the last minute because that seems to be the only time everyone else in the world shops too. Crowds are not my thing … neither is the Christmas music the stores play, or the long lines that are not necessary to stand in to purchase ONE item. (yes, that almost happened to me at Ross) Christmas is so overrated. Shouldn’t we be celebrating Jesus’ birth instead? Sweet little baby Jesus ...

All-in-all I started wrapping my presents today. Mostly to get the clutter out of my room & because I have to have Emily’s (a co-worker) wrapped before our company Christmas party tomorrow night. Let’s face it when I start wrapping, I just can’t stop. So I got baby Andrew’s, Lee, Shalon (hers is already in a pretty box with a bow), Emily, and BJ’s presents all wrapped and under the Christmas tree. (it's beginning to look a little more like Christmas now) I have a few more left & thankfully, I will be done soon. I am pretty excited about spending time with the family. I love family time (as if you couldn’t already tell by my Thanksgiving blog) I also love watching my cats at Christmas. It’s always interesting to see what mischief they are going to find themselves in. With that being said I guess you could assume my favorite part is the present wrapping and watching my cats get into to “messy” situations. I’m just waiting on the holiday to be over & maybe we’ll skip it next year.

January = new vacation spots

This semester at school is coming to an end and with finals approaching I could not be more stressed out and I need a vacation! Now, I realize that I just got back from Tennessee but that wasn’t good enough. Of course I was with my family but I was constantly on the go so I never had a moment to rest or relax so I need a resting, relaxing vacation. With this being said I have decided to vacation in Spokane, Washington sometime after the beginning of the year. I’m thinking January? Is that a good month for traveling? I hate the cold weather but I like to see snow & since it snows in Washington … it’s perfect. But why did I pick Washington? Because my best friend, Nikki lives there!! I haven’t seen Nikki in over a year and the text message, e-mail, phone, and Myspace conversations are getting old. I want to hang out with her, meet her friends and just do “snow things”. I am taking a semester off from school because I am done with classes and just waiting to be accepted into my program so this is the perfect chance to go somewhere.

I will admit though, I am a little nervous. My first flight was to Hawaii but my parents went but this time I’ll be flying alone so you can see where my concerns are at. Hmm … I think I can make friends safely! I’m a likeable person!! (ha,ha,ha) For the past few days Mandi (thanks) & I have been searching for cheap airline tickets online and we have found that the “cheap” sites, aren’t so cheap most of the time. I have found some pretty good deals though and I’ve realized that it makes a difference on the time of the month and the day of the week that you leave. These facts are interesting to me. Where can all these people be going on certain times of the month and on Mondays? I think I have my dates decided on: January 20-28 so now all I need are tickets & a little time off from work. Oh how I love treating myself to special things. Christmas bonus money here I come!.

Now, for anyone who has ever been around me when it’s vacation time or if you personally know how I pack then this is posing another dilemma. I overpack. Well, over packing is probably an UNDER-statement for me. I just never can decide on what the best thing for me to wear will be on any given day. If I am going somewhere the temperature is largely different from my small town in Georgia then you can bet I’m packing all my clothes because you can add or remove any amount of clothes to better suit yourself for the temperature. Packing … is just so time consuming for me! Jeans, long sleeve shirts, sweaters … & jackets! I’ll need a big marshmallow looking jacket … any ideas? Oh, and I can’t forget boogins’, glooves and scarves. It’s not even time to go yet and I’m already packing in my mind.

Okay, that’s enough rambling. If anyone knows where I can get cheap tickets & if you can tell me what I can pack for this plane ride adventure then please … LET ME KNOW!!!

A Fun & Successful Thanksgiving Vacation

I hope everyone had a wonderful & safe Thanksgiving. I am so thankful that my family had a great Thanksgiving vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We headed up to Tennessee on Thanksgiving Day and ended up stopping in Athens to eat at Cracker Barrel. (oh, how I love Cracker Barrel) We arrived in town around 9:30 and headed straight to the cabin. We had a minor “getting lost” incident (my parents were in the lead car & apparently could not read the directions correctly) but we turned around and got the situation under control. We headed into “Sky High” with full force & started making decisions on which bedrooms we were going to stay in. My cousin, Anna and I decided to take the top bedroom because the view was better, it had a Jacuzzi tub and we could listen to our music as loud as we wanted to without anyone hearing it. (that’s girls for ya, right?) We unpacked as best we could and got ready to hit the hot tub. Ahhh, the hot tub … a perfect ending to a long day of driving.

Friday was a busy day for everyone. I woke at 8:30 to the smell of bacon, sausage and coffee downstairs in the kitchen. I just love breakfast food!! After breakfast Anna, Bryson and I started getting ready to head to downtown Gatlinburg to catch a few attractions. Our first attractions was the Hollywood Wax Museum. (and of course Anna and I had to take a picture with everything in the museum). After the wax museum it was Bryson’s turn to choose an attraction and he picked black light golf and a mirror maze. The mirror maze was so much fun! Bryson and I made it to the exit but had to go back and find Anna because she got lost. (poor Anna) We did have a quick lunch, that consisted of a corndog, from Fannie Farkle’s. After the “lunch” we headed back to the cabin to play pool and relax in the hot tub before going to eat supper at The Brewery in Pigeon Forge.

On Saturday morning I woke up to another breakfast being prepared and headed downstairs to see what I would soon be consuming. Mmmmm … eggs & grits! We just waited around the cabin and watched Saturday college football previews until it was time to leave for the Christmas show at Dixie Stampede. Dixie Stampede is always good and I had never been to the Christmas show before and it was wonderful. From Dixie Stampede Anna, Bryson and I went to Wonderworks in Pigeon Forge while the adults went shopping. (fun, right?) Wonderworks is basically a virtual reality attraction with tons of things that everyone will enjoy and you will need at least 2 hours to spend in there since there is so much to do. From Wonderworks we headed back out into the flood of traffic that accumulated over the 2 hours that we were inside and drove an hour (yes, an hour) back to Gatlinburg to our cabin. After a quick change of clothes (warmer clothes) Anna and I headed out to eat (at Taco Bell) while Bryson and my uncle went to the arcades.
Sunday was our day to leave and I was sad about it. I always hate going home from vacation, mainly because that means I have to go back to work and school and that’s not no fun. (kidding) But my lovely daddy had went to BoJangles (one of the greatest reason anyone outside of the South should come to the South) to get everyone biscuits. : ) I had to get my clothes together and get ready to head home on the most rainy day I had seen in a while. As Anna and I headed down the mountain there was a flipped 4-Runner at the end of Ski Mountain, but thankfully the people were out of the SUV and the people were already assisting them. Anna and I hung around town for a little while though to do a little shopping and enjoy a quick lunch with my friends, Michelle and Mama CThe drive home seemed quick, even though it was raining and very foggy in some areas and I was so excited to get home to my friends and lovely boyfriend. I missed everyone at home so much! I hate leaving from vacation but I also love being home. Since I can’t take all of my friends on vacation with me at the same time it’s great to be around them again. So I’m just glad that with a family my size & with everyone in the same cabin for 3 nights that no one strangled each other. (kidding) I only hope to have many more family vacations together.

Most favorite holiday ... ever!

So Thanksgiving is tomorrow and it is by far my favorite holiday, I mean, Christmas is good, too but for some reason I believe Thanksgiving is SO much better. No one has to worry about presents, you get to eat great food, you realize that you are thankful for everything you already have & not what people have bought you as a gift. I just love Thanksgiving! Just thinking about Thanksgiving literally makes me hungry because what is better than having all the ham, turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce that one can eat? Thanksgiving is typically a pretty busy day for my family and me. We go eat lunch at my Granny Joan’s (dad’s parents) and then supper (or dinner as my friends in the North would say) is consumed at my Granny’s (mom’s parents) so with two full meals (and sometimes even an extra one in there somewhere) I am a little stuffed and weigh about 10 extra pounds at the end of the day. I think that the older I get the more excited I get about Thanksgiving but maybe it's because I’ve realized that I’ve had another great year full of things to be thankful for. This year is extra exciting for me because I am going on vacation with (half) of the family to Gatlinburg, Tennessee!

Oh, the Smokies! After lunch at Granny Joan’s then my parents, my aunt and her family, my Granny, and I are loading up to head to Tennessee! I love vacations, I love my family & I love the mountains so I am looking forward to this trip. We are staying at a cabin (which is better than a hotel, in my opinion) in Gatlinburg called Sky High. It is such a pretty cabin and with a reat mountain view so I could not be more impressed with our "cabin renting" decision. We’ve got a great place to say so I have already started making plans for several attractions in the area AND I am already thinking about what restaurants we are going to while we are in town. Oh boy, if Thanksgiving wasn't my favorite holiday before it sure will be now! What’s the one thing that would make this vacation a little better? Some snow! So, until I post again … please keep your fingers crossed!

** Happy Thanksgiving! **

Gatlinburg Cabins

Ahhh, Gatlinburg, Tennessee what a great place to vacation! This small Eastern Tennessee town is known as the Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is one of the South’s most popular vacation destinations for visitors coming in from all over the United States. Gatlinburg has many attractions in the area for everyone coming with you to enjoy. With anything from miniature golf, the Ripley’s Aquarium, and arcades to Ober Gatlinburg, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum to the newly built Hollywood Wax Museum in downtown everyone can find something to do on their trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. So bring the family, bring your spouse or plan a youth retreat because all the fun in Gatlinburg is kid, and family, friendly!

Now that you have you attraction ideas you will need somewhere to stay but what is the best way to stay while you are vacationing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee? A Gatlinburg cabin rental, of course! If you need a small cabin for 2 people it is in Gatlinburg; if you need a cabin for 50 people, it is in Gatlinburg; you need something in between? Well, that is in Gatlinburg, too! It is certain that Gatlinburg, Tennessee has plenty of cabins for any size group coming to the area. Location for a cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee should not be an issue either. There are cabins so close to town you can walk and then there are some that will give you and your guests a breathtaking view of the ski slopes and the Great Smoky Mountains. Renting a cabin is the best way to go on when you are on vacation because a cabin offers you privacy and great amenities to ensure that once the fun stops in downtown it will continue inside the cabin.

oh, how I miss the beach

So, we are approaching the time of the year that I just really cannot stand. I mean I literally detest winter with every fiber of my being. I hate going to the dentist so let's put it this way: I would rather go to the dentist every day than have to endure the excruciating cold winter weather. When this time of year rolls around I start thinking warm thought of the beach, the sand, the ocean & the hot, hot sun. Oh, how I love hot weather! As I sit here & think about how much I miss the beach my thoughts start drifting off to my summer vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida.

A week ... a week in Florida. OH WHAT FUN!! 7 days and only 1 1/2 were rainy days. The half of a day just so happened to be the day we went to swim with the dolphins. It rained while we were waiting in line but after that it was "game on" ... or swim on in my case. We were lucky, just a little rain ... except on the morning of the departure, but no worries. We were leaving anyways. So on this vacation I spent my days on the beach reading, "Love the One You're With" by Emily Griffin (awesome, book) & the nights were spent playing putt-putt, shopping or going to eat. I swam with dolphins, learned how to snorkel (not a pro yet but at least I grasped the concept pretty well), and watch my boyfriend almost get his kneecap knocked off by a jet ski ... yes, a jet ski. We stayed in this gorgeous beach house on Thomas Dr. (compliments of my mom's bus driver friend, Margie). It was a nice family vacation with myself, my parents, the boyfriend & my Granny. :) Also, my dad's two brothers were there with their families so we had a grand ole' time.

I just love the beach. There's nothing better than eating watermelon & grabbing a float for the ocean. I must say I pull off the "sun kissed" look pretty well, considering I am a very "pasty" white person. I cannot wait until my next beach vacation ... the problem is it only seems so far away so until then I will have to suffer through the winter with all the other beach lovers.