Day 2 - Clingman's Dome

Clingman's Dome is one of the highest peaks in the Smokies, so naturally, we wanted to see it. The other factor in this decision was that there is a 0.5 mile paved path to the top of the mountain. We took a scenic and slow drive up to the trailhead, and walked up to the top. Sarah was lagging behind so badly that I wasn't sure we'd ever get there, but we did. My dad took all of the pictures of us, so I'm posting one from the hike on the way.

After our hike and picnic on the spot that the park was "dedicated", we went and did a total tourist thing. Gem mining. Sarah had a blast, and picked out every single colored rock. Every black one as well. It was so cute, seeing her getting into it. "Hey Mom, this not real gem mining is pretty fun!" That about sums it up.

Day 1

Our first day, we went to the Visitor's Center, of course. From there, we were able to hike a short distance to a small waterfall. The trail crossed some moderately dense wooded areas, so the kids had a blast. I was so stressed about them getting into the poison ivy and oak everywhere, but I just gave up and stopped yelling. I think.

The kids were not as resiliant as I figured they'd be. They both love nature, so I thought we'd be able to hike all day. However, they were done after 2.5 miles, and of course, we had to turn around. This was our first lesson in pacing ourselves to fit our children, instead of the other way around.

On Top of Old Smoky

Wow, what a great vacation.

We just returned from the Smoky Mountains (TN side) after a 4 day trip with my parents. We rented a beautiful cabin in Sevierville that was as big as our house. We had a yard for the kids, a hot tub, full kitchen, dishwasher...everything we needed. The last time we were in TN, Steve and I were camping in October, so by comparison, we felt as if we were in a castle! I will do separate posts for each day, since I am too lazy to figure out how to place my pictures throughout the post.

Memorial Day

We had a great Memorial Day get together with my family this weekend. We took the kids to the fountains to play, ate lots of good food, and visited until evening. My sister in law, God love her, looked beautiful as always, but also VERY ready to have her baby next week. I was secretly hoping that she would go into labor here, so I could visit her at the hospital and help out. Darn...my party was not exciting enough I guess!

Brian, my brother, spent much of the weekend with us, "helping" Steve drywall the garage. Brian pretty much did it, but I think that Steve learned a lot, and hopefully we'll be a little more self-sufficient for it. It looks so different now with the walls finished, and I'm sure it will improve our heating and cooling efficiency.

With the drywall mud mixed, I have started on my next project, which is the lower level TV/play area. To the chagrin of children and family, we only have one TV, and it's down there. The room has gotten no attention at all, since I hate the TV. So...I will fix nail pops, prime and paint the walls. I plan to do part of one wall in chalkboard paint. Maybe I'll actually want to spend some time down there...once the guinea pig is gone. PEEEWWWW!

Growth

Perhaps I should have inquired a bit more specifically about the growth rate of English Mastiffs. I knew that they got quite large, but my goodness. When Lola gets up in the morning, she's taller...every day. Literally.

House training is going fairly well, but in the morning, it's outside every 15 minutes to either pee or poop. This goes on for 2 hours, then slows down for the remainder of the day. We haven't had any accidents yet today, so that's not too bad for 1.5 weeks. So far, we are not regretting our decision!

Curtains...Kind of

Wow! I have two curtains hanging in my office. One of them is exactly how I imagined it. Double rod curtain on the door...looks nice. I think that my fabric was a bit wide, as it has a bit too much material to gather exactly as I'd like it, but I will not be reworking that one at all. The other is too short. Darn it! I cut the material prior to sewing anything, and I should have waited to cut the length. I am going to try to make a valance with that fabric and buy another length of the same fabric to make another door curtain. (As soon as I have a good coupon, that is) I am very proud of myself!

I also went to a sustainability conference this weekend. I learned a lot and met some great people. I have some personal changes that I would like to make, that I have been thinking about for some time, but mostly I went to learn about the sustainable communities movement. The other benefit to the conference was that I had a whole day away from home...without the kids!

Mom, Please Don't Be Mad!!!!

I have a confession. We have a new dog, and her name is Lola. She is going to be huge. I am 35 years old, and I am afraid to tell my mom!

The strange thing is, I was talking to Mom today, and she related a dream to me. It was about going to get a dog that was too expensive, so she didn't get it. Very strange.