You should never promise to..

#1 blog about your trip.
#2 post pictures on your blog.
#3 break a camera.



MM was ill from the time we left (We didn't go to Church the Sunday before we left because we were all ill to some degree...). He's allergic to pet dander and our first stay was with family. They have a dog and a cat - both indoor! It was great to spend time with them and eat and enjoy their company. I just wish that MM had been in better humor. Have you ever been to see any part of the TVA? You should. It's really pretty. The bridges and dams are huge in comparison to the dam that holds our river back... Since MM was ill enough I spent my sleeping hours sleeping and my waking hours chasing boys. But I did manage to blog a little while we drove...

We left Alabama for Chattanooga. As a kid I never understood all there was to know about Chatty. We stayed in a hotel and MM seemed to get better - a little. But I've already told you the fun we had there.

Onward to Boone, NC. My cousin and her family live near there. We watched the newscast for weather reports. The second night in Chatty brought cold cold wind and a little rain. Would we be driving in snow? One must know. I have always tried to keep the kids from getting too excited about things that may or may not happen. It's a fault of mine so when cousins started talking about frozen precipitation I tried to not let on that anything abby-normal was going to happen. Really, I just hate disappointment. The weather looked clear enough and it wasn't that far of a drive - just 5 hours or so...

The van was loaded and we were on the road. GPS was on and we were ready. If you are going to use one of those, be sure to have a paper map to go along with it. It helps avoid the back roads that are supposed to save you time but in the end lead you to a dead end just like the sign said. That only happened to us once and it was on this leg of the journey. I was driving - remember MM is still not 100% therefore I couldn't blog to my heart's content... Please accept my apologies. The construction signs all said "ROAD CLOSED to THRU TRAFFIC". I've always wondered what that meant - Now I know :o. You will drive until you are less than 2000 feet from your next turn and you will have to make a very tight u-turn to go back along the winding road from whence you had just come. It was a 30 minute diversion that left us at a gas station where the clerk spotted the boys right away and asked to give them a lollypop! She gave us great directions that the GPS hated and we were back on the road.

We finally arrived at my cousins' about an hour and a half past dark. Dinner was ready and we were worn out. The kids weren't terribly hungry - in fact they hadn't eaten well the whole time we were on the trip. All the time I kept saying "they'll eat anything" and turn around to one or the other complaining about what they were getting! UGH. So much for good manners. Guess I need to pull out that graces book I bought (NOTE TO SELF - Never buy books your local bibliovore is pushing...). By the next morning MM is feeling so bad he proclaims in my ear that he'll be packing up in the morning to take us all home. That would be an entire day early - and in haste!. What? Huh? The snow hasn't even fallen yet? How will the kids get to play in it if I'm busy packing their stuff? What are you saying to me?

Plan B begins: I call the GP at home and they can't do much for him since he's not feverish. Plan C: Visit local Doc in the Box and get something to knock out the illness or MM - I don't particularly care which at this point. We didn't get there until nearly lunch because of the road conditions. We don't and my cousin barely drives in the snow. The kids are out of school. My cousin and I laugh about family and growing up and raising kids. I realize I have been given something special - family. MM gets his meds by the rush of the Rx at Wallyworld who was going to go to lunch while MM suffered. I'm grateful for a measure of sanity in this blustery day.

We stayed one more night and began our trek home. After MM got us out of the mountains it was my turn to drive - the rest of the way home - therefore no blogging for me. HUMPH!

Enough from me, here are some pictures from the trip:


We really did visit family except I forgot to take pictures most of the time. But I did take some mental ones, and they're the best anyway-except I can't share them.









And here is M practicing his catching technique - we'll have to work on that.











This is MM's cousin's cabin in the woods!

This is what happens when S "Didn't see the step." and L couldn't stop his error.
Then there's the trolly ride all of 2 blocks.

And the sculpture of wood and railroad. You'll have to visit Chatty so see all of it...

The first time any of the kids play in the snow - S just doesn't know why mommy insisted that he get out of the warm car.

Then there's the first snow sledding of the season - a totally unusual snow in NC in mid November. Earliest my cousin has seen.













The next morning MM took this shot of the front door view as the sun rose our last day of vacation.










Then there's the donning of the layers. It's the only way I knew to dress the kids and not need snow suits for one or two days.

PS: My cousin has two dogs and two cats - both indoor. Amazingly MM started to feel better after he started his Rx but now that we're home, he's relapsing. Wonder if that's just where we live?