Summer Vacations

At the beginning of the summer I went with some friends to Myrtle Beach and then I went to visit April and Joe for a few days. My road trips did not stop there. I have been on a few more since my NC post. A week and a half after I returned home from NC I went to Mississippi to visit my sister. I was there for a week. I did not get to spend a whole lot of time with her because she works and goes to school. I am, however, extremely proud of her and the amount of hard work that she puts in each day! While I was there, I did a lot of cooking, which you can see from previous posts, and I did some reading. When she was off work, we laid out by the pool and did a little shopping. We also went out to dinner a few times and went to go see Eclipse the day it came out! It is always nice being able to spend time with her, and I always dread leaving.

I got back from Mississippi on a Thursday. Then Jack and I left Saturday morning for Tullahoma. Jack is from Tullahoma, and his family and friends always do a big fireworks production. I was really excited to celebrate the holiday with him and his family. It was a great time. Saturday, his mother and grandmother cooked a delicious meal and then we set up to watch the fireworks. I am going to be honest...I expected them to be the typical Roman Candles and maybe a few big fireworks, but I was wrong. They really do go all out for the Fourth. I have never seen so many fireworks in my life. It was a GREAT show! The next day Laura (Jack's mom), Jack, and I drove to Sewanee. Laura was telling me how gorgeous the buildings were, but words could not describe how immaculate the buildings truly are. It is definitely a sight worth seeing. Later that night Jack and I had a delicious dinner with his friends Mike and Carla. Then we went to another amazing fireworks show. It was a great time, and I really enjoyed seeing where Jack grew up.

 Scenic Overlook on the way home

After being home for a week, it was time to hit the road again. Jack and I went to Gatlinburg for a few days. We stayed at a B&B outside of Gatlinburg. It was an amazingly relaxing trip and a great way to end the summer. We spent our time walking in shops, driving through the mountains, and simply enjoying each others company. We had an amazing time at an amazingly gorgeous place. I hated having to come back to civilization. Maybe we will go again next year............fingers crossed...............Our last day in Gatlinburg we decided to go to a Smokies game. We both LOVE baseball and enjoy seeing the Smokies and the Lookouts play. So, it was only appropriate that we went to the game on Wednesday because they were playing each other. Kim and Tye joined us for the game. We had a lot of fun naturally and were happy that Kim and Tye joined us. This was also Tye's first Minor League baseball game. He said now it is time for the Majors!

 Cheers

 
On top of old Smokey.......

Glad I live in East Tennessee!
 
 
The pressure from driving up the mountains filled the chip bag with air. I was amazed!