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November 8, 2012
by likeasaturday 2 Comments

Rocky Top Vacation {Part Two : Smoky Mountains}

After our short, but fun stay in Nashville, we packed up the rental car and drove east towards the Smoky Mountains. The drive was beautiful, and I completely enjoyed all of the fall foliage on the way. We stayed in Sevierville, home of Dolly Parton, so we basically had a brush with greatness.

Sevierville is a really cute little town, and the bed and breakfast where we stayed was awesome. The inn keepers were fabulous, the food was delicious, and the view was unbeatable.

Our first night there, we decided to drive into town to find something for dinner. This brought us into Pigeon Forge and um……Pigeon Forge shocked us. We were totally not expecting it. We were greeted with an upside down version of the Parthenon, Mount Rushmore, King Kong climbing the Empire State Building, the Titanic running into an iceberg, lots of over the top mini golf places, elevated go-cart tracks, about a hundred pancake houses and lots and lots of bright video screens and lights advertising the many shows. It was kinda what I imagine Vegas would be like…but cheesier. We couldn’t stop laughing simply because we were so caught off guard by the whole thing. It was quite a sight to see.

We didn’t see any shows while we were there (how could we choose between The Dixie Stampede and lumberjack wars?), but we did eat a lot of great food. Like, maybe too much great food. That’s what vacation is for, though, right? We spent the next couple of days taking in the Smokies and visiting the craftsmen/artisan community in Gatlinburg. The Smoky Mountains were just gorgeous. Red. orange, and yellow leaves everywhere, cool, crisp air, and breathtaking views of the mountains. We loved every minute of it!

We did have one fantastic, slightly {read:completely} terrifying adventure. It all goes back to last fall when we were at Estes Park during the elk rut. I was so excited to see elk during our stay, and all I got was a passing, blurry glimpse of one whole elk. So, when planning for this vacation, I was reading about what kinds of creatures I might be able to spot, and I read about how the elk had recently been reintroduced to the Smokies. I was determined to find elk. Long story short…I googled from our B&B balcony where the best place to see elk would be. It pointed us towards Cataloochee Valley, which is actually across the North Carolina border. It said it would take us an hour, and part of the drive would be a windy dirt road. This sounded like a grand idea, so we used the GPS on my phone and headed out on our little adventure.

Um. When they said windy, dirt road….they weren’t kidding. And when they said part, they meant all. The road was barely wide enough for 2 cars to pass, it was definitely just dirt and gravel, and there were 100′s of tight, hair pin turns. And it was raining. And when I looked out the window I could see how far our fall to death would be had something gone wrong. There was hardly any sign of human life. Our hour long drive was more like 2, as we creeped along at about 10 mph on our road of uncertainty. I looked over at Tim and he was ghost white, and I was pretty much ready to stick my head out the door and lose my lunch. We had no cell service, and weren’t completely sure we were even going where we wanted to go. All I could think about was the news stories they would run about the couple who went into the mountains without telling anyone where they were going, how they would have to airlift us out of the bottom of the valley, and how we would ration our two bottles of water and bag of pretzel M&M’s.

We finally found some signage that signaled we were near our destination, and reached a paved road that was wider and not on the side of a mountain. I was ready to jump out of the car and kiss the ground.

I have to say, it was all totally worth it. We got to the valley and we saw this gang of female elk and calves walk out of the woods. I was jumping up and down in my seat out of excitement. Then, the bull walked out of the woods in a totally majestic way. Like Lion King style. There was another bull across the road, and you could hear them both bugleing. It.was.incredible. I have never experienced anything like it. There aren’t even words to describe the experience. I suppose pictures will have to do!

After we found an easier route and were on our way back, I asked Tim which adventure was more stressful : this, or when we got lost for an hour, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere….on our wedding night. He said this adventure won the most stressful award. So, good news everyone! I outdid myself! All in all, it was a fantastic, relaxing vacation and the perfect way to celebrate 3 years of marriage!

November 7, 2012
by likeasaturday 3 Comments

Rocky Top Vacation : {Part One : Nashville}

Rewind a little bit back to September. Tim and I went on a vacation to Tennessee to celebrate our 3rd anniversary, and to just get away and recharge a bit. I love traveling with the hubs!

This was the first visit to Tennessee for both of us. There was really no specific reason for choosing Tennessee over other destinations, other than we’re mountainy people (as opposed to beachy people) and we’d never seen the Smokies, so it just seemed like a fun idea.

We flew into Nashville and stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown.We chose the hotel basically because of the price, and we knew it was downtown so it would be easy to get to. We had no idea that it was right next to Vanderbilt, backed up to their football stadium, and was directly across the street from the Parthenon. Once we got settled in, we grabbed some Greek food for lunch and then headed over to Centennial Park and spent some time just relaxing and checking out the Parthenon. {On a side note : we weren’t even trying to be themey by eating Greek food before viewing a Greek replica. We’re just unintentionally awesome, I guess.} I loved it! The weather was gorgeous, and it totally gave me flashbacks to my Art History classes in college.

Our only full day in Nashville began by taking a look at the Vanderbilt campus. I love college campuses, so if we’re near one on a trip, I usually try to make a stop. They just tend to be full of great architecture and lots of trees, and you usually feel a little more intelligent…and you almost want to go back to school…for like a split second. Next on my list: Haaahhhvahrd.

We drove around town a bit, drove out to Andrew Jackson’s homestead, and then walked up and down Broadway.

I got out of the car and made my husband take this pic. It’s my lane! Also, the way my shirt moved up makes it look like I’m a) wearing a body suit 2) have abnormally long legs. Hint: one of those things are true.

My favorite stop of the day was Hatch Show Print. They pretty much combined all of my favorite things into one little shop: art, history, music {and coffee, if you count the awesome print I grabbed}. This place is incredible. They’ve been around since 1879 and have created posters for the likes of Johnny Cash, Elvis, Patsy Cline, and Duke Ellington. They’re still making prints for musicians and business, plus they make a lot of “just for fun” posters. I could have stayed there all day and just stared at the walls plastered with their creations, and watched them at work on the printing press. It all made me miss art school a bit.

After dinner that night, we hit up the most amazing coffee shop I could ever imagine, and I wish I could’ve brought the whole thing back with me. I actually heard about The Well first on The Handmade Home. Check out that post to see how beautiful this place is. Their coffee was incredible {this, coming from a total coffee snob} and it doubles as a non-profit organization. All of their profits go to those in need. All of their coffee is fair trade, plus they sell some beautiful, global items to help those who have been enslaved or impoverished.{They have an online store on their website, so you can still get a taste if you’re not in the Nashville area}. This place had the other half of my favorite things. I love finding awesome businesses like this that are missional and community minded. There’s so much more to life than hoarding cash and things.

I loved Nashville. I don’t know why I’ve never made it out that way before, and I definitely want to go back. The hubs and I talked about how we could totally live there, if we were forced to leave Texas and our incomparable Mexican food.

Part two will come tomorrow {for I’ve already talked too much today!}. Have a happy Wednesday!

October 10, 2012
by likeasaturday 1 Comment

31 Days to a Stress-Free Holiday : Make Travel Plans

Are you planning on traveling this Holiday season? It might seem like you’re adding an extra layer of stress on top of everything else. When you travel, there are so many plans to be made aside from booking flights and hotels. Many of these extra items on your travel to-do list seem to get forgotten or left to the last minute. Making arrangements ahead of time will save you time, stress, and maybe even some money.

Don’t forget your pets! Make arrangements for your critters well ahead of time. Kennels book up quick during the holidays, to make sure to book in advance. If you’re not planning to kennel, make sure to find someone who can pet sit or house sit for you while you are away. Ask in advance in case you have a hard time finding someone who is available. Everyone is busy around this time of year.

If you don’t have somebody who will be coming by your home daily to check on things, make sure to stop your mail and newspaper. A stack of newspapers in the driveway is only a signal that your home is empty and can make you a prime target for crime. It’s really easy to put a hold on your mail. You can do so by going to the USPS website. You can select which dates you’d like your mail to be held, and if you would like it all delivered at once or if you would like to pick it up from your nearest post office. You can do the same for some newspapers.

Make your packing and shopping list ahead of time as well so nothing important is forgotten!

To help keep us organized while traveling, I take a folder with me that has all important documents we may need while away. I print out flight, rental car, and hotel confirmations. I also print maps and directions to and from places I know we’ll be visiting in case we don’t have phone service (we usually use the map features on our iPhones to get around). It has always proven to be helpful to have these things organized and at my finger tips. It’s also a great place to stash other paper mementos you pick up along the way.

Also, don’t forget to check weather forecasts for your destination before you pack! I remember being shocked at how cold it was in Colorado in June and searching the world for a sweatshirt. (All this Texas girl knows about June is HOT! haha).

Have a great day!