More of Gatlingburg, Tennessee...

It was a beautiful morning just to stroll along the streets of Gatlingburg, enjoying the warm weather, cool gentle breezes, and this spectacular view...

we ventured into beautifully decorated courtyards,

and in and out of a variety of little shops picking up a few souvenirs,

sat and rested on the little benches that lined the streets along the way...

we took photographs of more beautiful things,

I especially loved those mountain views...

which we quickly learned were used to lure you in with things like,

"Free Tickets!" and "Dinner and a Show!" By the end of the day, both Don and I were

dodging those sort of things!

By the time we finished walking through most of this, we headed back to our motel for a nice evening swim before heading out again for dinner.

Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, Tennessee...

The one thing that I wanted to do more than anything else! Can we say someone was scared of heights and that it wasn't me? LOL! I can only imagine the views and the photographs that I could have gotten...

...moving along...

On Sunday morning, we drove to Gatlinburg, paid for all day parking,

shot this photograph so I could recognize where we parked...

{see, honey, my photography skills do come in handy sometimes, LOL!}

and the ball sort of reminded both of our hometown's mysteriously revolving ball...

and I could have stood here half of the day,

just breathing in the rose-scented mountain air that morning...

or took in more of the small, scenic, secret little hide-away's nestled in here and there...

We loved the views as we once again continued south on our journey.

Closer and closer to the edge of the mountains...

and would you believe that somewhere along I-75 S and once we'd crossed over from Kentucky into Tennessee, we see a welcoming wave coming back to greet us?

Can you believe we ran back into our buddy, JB! He saw us coming up behind him and we just had to pull up beside him and wave once again! I told you it was destined to be...

{sorry, I didn't capture that event on the camera but it wasn't too far down the road from where I captured the photograph of this one...} And as early evening began to fall, we arrived safely in Pigeon Forge...

obtained us a room for the next few days and nights, and after settling in, we ventured out for a nice ride into Gatlinburg, before returning to Lonestar for amazing Rattlesnake Margarita!

More photographs from Cumberland Falls...

We learned that the light surrounding a full moon attracts a lot of visitors to Cumberland Falls as they travel to experience and witness a pretty unique event that often occurs here, called a moonbow. A moonbow occurs 2 days before and two days after a full moon and when certain conditions are met such as good weather, water temperature, significant mist rising, wind speed and direction, water clarity, clear skies and moonlight... and I just have a feeling those conditions were met if our trip on the 7th of June was any indication. I imagined it to be quite a magical and mystical event, sort of like stargazing for the lone shooting star. Definitely something I'd love to see and experience myself one day...

{After arriving home I discovered this photograph taken on the 6th of June one day before our visit... but I swear the magic was still in the air! I also learned that there was once an hotel on the site named the Moonbow Inn, how much more romantic could it get? and I discovered this photograph {from the Cumberland Falls website, I believe} that shows a more detailed view of the entire Falls area taken from up the path that Don and I ventured upon... it will provide you with a better overview of where Don and I later on in our photographs...}

After continuing to follow the trail, {which would be the left of the photo above} Don and I discovered ourselves making friends and exchanging cameras with other visitors once again.... and by trails, I don't mean the strewn-with-tree roots and loose gravel kind... the paved pathways and carved stone steps made getting here very easy for Don.

I climbed up and over some rocks and a few small trees to capture this shot...

I don't believe either of us were disappointed...

The people we met, the views of the falls, the wet breeze from the mist, and only the sight of a moonbow could have made it any better!

Cumberland Falls!

After our visit with JB, Don and I hit the road again after learning we were only a few more miles away from the Cumberland Falls area. We just had to stop so I could capture this photograph below!

Isn't it gorgeous? It isn't long after that we arrived at the Falls and discovered ourselves enjoying more lovely views as we walked along with the river right beside us.

I swear the pounding of my heart in anticipation of catching that first glimpse of the falls is mimiced by the rushing water as my adrenaline begins to soar! As we continue walking, this quickly comes into view...

Isn't it amazing! So strong and powerful, a perfect example of Kentucky's unbridled spirit!
Another shot... one I cannot wait to have blown up and framed!

Along the way to Cumberland Falls, Corbin, KY...

We learned from our first travel brouchure experience to check for more attractions close to and not so far off our beaten path along interstate traveling down I-75 South, but as soon as I spotted an advertisement for Cumberland Falls, just outside of Corbin, KY, I knew we had to get off and travel this well-beaten path! And I am so happy that we did! What an amazing experience it was...

A few miles from the falls is a wonderful overlook area, it isn't too big, as you can see but the views were absolutely amazing! It was here that we made our first new friend, JB Arnold, a truck driver out of Athens, TN. Have you ever felt as if you were destined to meet someone? Well, meeting JB was like that for me. He reminded me of my own daddy who also drove semi-trucks for a living, loved riding his motorcycle {when he was younger}. we instantly made friends with one another, chatted like old neighbors, exchanged cameras, and provided us with a Tennessee map! Thank you, my friend.... the pleasure of meeting you was all ours!!!

{Picture we took of JB...}

{Picture JB took of Don & I}...
Look at those views! {Be still my heart! }

Tennesse Bound... from Ohio into Kentucky...

Our road trip, earlier this month, was fantastic! We traveled through Ohio, Kentucky, and into Tennessee and finally arrived in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area where we spent two amazing days shopping, sight-seeing, making new friends, and visiting the Smoky mountains.

We left early on a Saturday morning {@ 6:30 a.m.} and made our first stop for a light breakfast just outside of the Jeffersonville Outlet Mall before traveling on southbound on I-75 through the Cincinnati and stopping at the first visitor's center in Kentucky, where we picked up a lot of brochures!

We couldn't have asked for better weather, road conditions, or traffic than what we ran into. I browsed through some of the brochures while Don drove and together we decided our next stop would be in Berea, KY, home of an Artist's College/Visitor's Center and a town filled with artist's galleries and handcrafted items.

From here we traveled into Berea, spotted a lot of the art galleries and shops, stopped for gas, snacks, and a quick potty break before we we're on the road again.... again southbound on I-75, heading towards Corbin, Ky to visit the Cumberland Falls area.

{Note to self: this would make for a great one day road trip to visit again!}

{I'm sorry, babe, for not getting more of our photographs and details of our trip uploaded. I know you want to share with your friends, too!}

The truth is... I've felt pretty crappy since our return home last week {believe it's a combination of allergies/cold/sinus infection} and just playing up with the house, garden, and poor old Chaos has been taking all the energy I've got! I'll get to them soon I promise!

In the meantime, here's something for you to think about {LOL! You know I am!}

http://www.countryconcert.com/

Just a reminder: Sugarland's playing Thursday, July 9th!

{pretty please with cherries on top?}

It's "Road Trip" time....

Early Friday morning, Don took Chaos to our vet to be boarded for a few days so that we could hit the road early on Saturday. So, I researched several places to visit online during the day and narrowed it down to two options: visiting the Poconos or making the promised return trip to the Pigeon Forge and Gaitlinburg areas of Tennessee, right on the edge of the Smoky Mountain National Forest. We followed the weather channel's advice and choose to drive south vs. east and into the rain we'd received here the previous days before.

Although, it was a short 3 day road trip, we managed to have an amazing trip; filled with wonderful experiences. We took a lot pictures and some of them even surprised me! I've uploaded a few of my favorites onto my Facebook wall, click the link in the title above to view them. {I'll be adding them to my blog over the course of the next several days along with some of the behind the scenes detailed information...like this moonbow featured below:}

Stay tuned...

more to come, I promise.

Monday morning started off bright and early! Don and I were up at 5 a.m. and were out the door by 6 a.m. to go pick up Amber. Together, we'd decided it would be best for Alexxis to sleep in and for me to notify Chris immediately of any changes in her condition. Her outpatient surgery went extremely well, {as well as can be expected under the circumstances.} Thankfully, there were no further complications, and we {She and I} were back in her home around noon. Don and I made a trip to the drug store to get her prescriptions filled, purchased a sympathy card, before returning to their home. We ordered a light lunch which Chris picked up and after eating, Amber and I both grabbed a little nap before I returned to our home in the early evening.

On Tuesday, still feeling the stress and coming down off the emotional rollercoaster of emotions, I rearranged my entire living room. I think I just needed something mind-less to do, just to keep myself busy and my thoughts from wondering you know where. Needless to say, it did very little for keeping my thoughts from straying and my heart from breaking.

Wednesday, I awoke feeling totally exhausted... emotionally and physically. You know that "run over by a truck feeling" but I was able to pull myself together enough to drag my butt into the beauty salon for a new color, highlights, and cut. Talking to Rita, my hairdress, helped immensely... she is such a sweetheart! The first thing she noticed is the amount of weight that I've loss. Some of her family and friends who had stopped by for a visit asked, " what are you doing to loose it?" Just smaller meals, eating less, and increasing my activity level more, I replied. {I have no idea of exactly how much weight I've lost since late November, but I'm back into some clothes that I was wearing when I worked at Silverline a few years ago - so I'd say at least 15-20 lbs. is gone. My face looks much thinner...} After picking me up, Don took me out for a spaghetti dinner @ our local Moose, and we picked up a few movies on the way home. The last thing I remember is waking up at 11 o'clock and making my way to bed, LOL!

Today's agenda is to rest and take care of me. Think I'll spend some time in the garden, maybe soak in the jacuzzi, lay in the sun, finish watching the moving I saw the beginning of, LOL! and start packing our suitcases. Don and I have decided to take a little road trip this weekend; we don't know where were heading yet, but were going somewhere!