Fallen Right into Fall 2011

Much water has gone under the bridge since our last posts of State Fair and Labor Day happenings!

To name a few, Aly began homeschooling this Fall and is doing a splendid job thus far, we enjoyed taking her to NQC 2011 for her first "Field Trip"...the music was, as expected, wonderful and we saw many friends and laughed ourselves almost breathless! We went to Greg's parents home for our annual "BD" trip...when Aly and Whitley are able to celebrate their October birthdays, together and this year Tanner joined in on the celebration! A triple party it was! The entire Indiana side of our family gathered together for a day of country fun "down at the Farm" and thanks to "Aunt" Nodi, we had a most relaxing and filling day! Of course, we have just come through the biggest event of all...Aly's 4th Birthday!!! "AN EVENING WITH PRINCESS BELLE" went very smoothly, the girls had a ball having "Tea" together and once again our family enjoyed a delicious meal, a specially made cake for the occasion and many stories and laughs!

Rather than going into too much detail and boring you, I'll allow the slide shows I've created to tell the story of how we have quite literally, "Fallen Right into Fall 2011"! ENJOY........

Labor Day Weekend 2011...PLUS!

We had yet another great weekend filled with fun and family! Needless to say, as usual we were completely awesomized by our time together!(You just had to be there to get that one!)The food & fellowship were equally life-changing, heart-skipping & chill bump-giving, as Harry Bunch & Larry Breeze would say!(Again, you just had to be there to get that one!)A good laugh & times with those you love dearly, are the best cures in any book & with that being said..... we'll not bore you with the details instead, we will allow the photos to speak for themselves! "To us, family means putting your arms around each other & being there." {Barbara Bush}

Labor Day Weekend 2001

BACK TO SCHOOL PHOTOS BELOW :

Back to School 2011-12

Indiana 2011 State Fair

WOW!!! What fun we had and the many wonderful memories we were able to make at this years State Fair! Deep Fried Veggies, Pepper Jack on Sour Dough with an original Dairy Barn Malt, Old Fashioned Corn Dog, Deep Fried Pizza, Lemon Shake Up or Pineapple Whip, Fried Oreos, Fried Milky Ways or the new Deep Fried B.R. Ice Cream...so many yummy things to choose from!!! Needless to say, we were feeling full and hoping to be heartburn-free at the end of the day, before we ever arrived on the fairgrounds! We do love the State Fair...especially on 2$ Tuesdays!!! We were able to use vouchers which allowed us on the grounds for TWO dollars (per adult) AND there were also several food vendor choices for only TWO dollars, as well! In addition to the delightful and unlimited Fair food, our visit included pony rides, petting and feeding lots of different animals, sightseeing, the Evening Parade, the Ferris Wheel, Wavy Slide, Bumble Bee and Strawberry Swirl rides, Roller Coasters and MORE!!! We certainly got our groove on again this year and are already looking forward to next year, y'all!!! The photo album will speak for itself, so view and enjoy!!!

2011 Indiana State Fair

An Indy Anniversary Celebration

We truly enjoyed our little overnight get-away downtown... an Anniversary Celebration deluxe! We began the day taking Aly to a "sleep ova" with her Mimi and Papaw, which included a tea party and a visit to the Children's Museum and one where she felt like a real life Princess. I relaxed with a much needed manicure and then we headed into the city. We had reservations at The Omni Severin Hotel, which was simply lovely! We enjoyed a delicious meal at Weber Grill, including a complimentary dessert of Chocolate Bundt Cake Wedge with Hot Homemade Fudge Sauce poured all over it and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream! DIVINE! Back at our room, we received Anniversary gifts and a note from the Omni staff, chocolates, chilled water, in-house bathrobes, late check-out, etc. This morning we walked to the Hilton Inn and Resort for their infamous Breakfast Buffet (you'll see some of the yummy details on the photo), before walking the city, the Canal and Circle Center Mall. We did a little shopping and grabbed Burgers and Malts before heading home to meet Aly. This was a weekend that will live on in our hearts forever! Thank you Greg, Mama and Daddy for a most memorable weekend!
Following a major accident a week or two ago, which involved our camera being ruined, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Anniversary gift (a new camera)... we have several photos waiting 'in the wings' to be edited and posted from other Summer '11 activities, so please keep your eyes open for their soon arrival! Trust you are all having a splendid Summer.......

Family Spring Break in The Smokies 2011 (incl. Mother's Day)

Arrived in The Smokies on Friday afternoon around 5, enjoyed a wonderful relaxing supper @The Pottery House, Aly loved being in the pool again and her "Duggar-style" suit was a big hit with everyone! We also spent a day @Dollywood, with supper following @Big Daddy's (where they cook with a wood fired brick oven~YUMMM)! Every day was a beautiful day on our vacation in the southern countryside! You will see "CAPTIONS" on the photos, if you right-click in the center of the Slideshow, itself! On Sunday, @Cade's Cove alone, we saw 7 or 8 deer, several wild turkeys and a half a dozen black bears! Later, @Three Bears, we saw another 4 black bears, up close and personal! Those pix were taken on a different camera and will have to be shared at a later date. Aly loved all of the wild animals and wanted to find some she could pet and feed... which will have to wait til our next visit or til we find a local petting zoo! We always love the home cookin' @The Old Mill, too! What INCREDIBLE days were enjoyed on this Spring Break!!! Aly rode rides "alone", literally, in Kids Country @The Track (Family Rec. Center) including GO KARTS, also "alone"!!! We all loved eating @No Way Jose's, late afternoon shopping for Mama and I @Tanger Outlet, afterwards, we stopped by for Christmas Eve Stew and Million Dollar Dessert @Partridge & Pear and had a nice chat w/Kirk Talley... later that night, I was thrilled to go on a nighttime horse 'n carriage ride, followed by a round of outdoor putt-putt and late-night snack @Five Guys, with my Man and Baby Girl!!! Such beautiful sights to be seen all over the Smokies !!! Sunny and warm, the whole week, with the exception of ONE afternoon when rain and temps began to fall, but it remained in the 60's and the rain was that wonderful "slanted, gentle" rain like we Southerner's love! Temps shot back up the next day and the sun was once again shining! We found a new “favorite” place to eat @New Orleans Sandwich Co., in G'Burg, and it will now be a "REGULAR" stop for us! YUMMO for REAL Cajun cuisine!!! One can't forget ice cream @Kilwin's, either! Brunch @The Applewood Farmhouse AND shopping @The Apple Barn, General Store & Cider Mill, as always was a hit! Nothing beats their delightful "fritters" & homemade apple butter, either! Though this was far from a stress-free vacation, it was a GREAT one with TONS of memories made, and I will always be grateful to the Lord for providing it for us!!! Ya just gotta love southern sunshine and believe me, the five of us are considering putting down stakes and calling the South “HOME” again, someday... just sayin'!

***I also added a couple of Mother's Day photos to this album for you to enjoy!!!