Christmas

Christmas Eve was a busy day. I cleaned house and Monte took the last of the boxes to our storage shed. After he dropped the boxes off, he did yard work. He was happy as a clam being back on his riding lawn mower. Our good friends the Fisher's stopped by later in the afternoon and brought us a goodie plate. Thank you Barb...the cookies and pretzels were yummy, but the divinity was awesome! Its been a long time since I've had some divinity. That evening, we followed the Smith family tradition of eating pizza for dinner and watching "Christmas Vacation" before opening presents. The boys mostly got clothes this year as they, especially Nate, have grown out of just about everything. Brady was happy to get his gifts, but Nate was a bit ungrateful and complained about it. Apparently he should have gotten nothing but toys, but hey, as the song goes..."you can't always get what you want". It was quite funny watching him complain and I just had to take a picture of it so I could post it on the blog.

Christmas morning was great. The boys actually let Monte and I sleep until 8 am. It was amazing, usually if we get to sleep to 6:30 am we're doing good. Anyway, Nate was quite happy with the gift from Santa. The whole family got a Wii this year! Along with an accessories kit (i.e. gold club attachment, baseball bat attachment etc), the Guitar Hero World Tour game and a guitar. We played the Wii most of the morning and then had to get ready for the day. Our good friend Mark, his sons Luke and Lance and Mark's dad came over for dinner. Oh, and Mark brought his dog Gator too. He's the beautiful chocolate lab I talked about in a previous post. We all talked, laughed and reminisced, ate a great Christmas dinner and watched "A Christmas Story" on TV. That movie is on every year and it never gets old for me. Mark and his family left around 5 pm that night and we hooked up the Wii and played it the rest of the evening. We've played it quite a lot since then too, as you can imagine. I'm not really coordinated to play the Guitar Hero game, but according to Monte and Brady, I just need to practice. I think we should save up for the Rock Band game. Brady and Monte can play guitar, Nate can play the drums and I'll sing. We could be a modern day Partridge Family....ha ha.

Well, take care and have a great New Year's everyone! God Bless! :)

Elf' Yourself

I first saw this last year when Devrea did it for her, Brandon and the kids. I had a great time doing one for us and was excited to get this new version this year from Ann, Darron and the girls. Check it out at the link below and send me one of your family if you do one for yourselves.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/4ZFtOscVfqXOpRrT2dsc

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone! God Bless! :)

Christmas Party

We went to Monte's unit Christmas party on Friday and had a lot of fun. Santa showed up in the Marine Corps hummer, the boys talked to him and made gingerbread houses and trees. There was ham and turkey with all the trimmings for dinner, a raffle and a DJ and karaoke for entertainment. We won a $25 gift certificate, which was cool, but the best part was watching the karaoke. It was great seeing those who were brave enough to do it, get on the stage and sing. After the party was over, we drove around town and looked at Christmas lights for a couple hours. Then we went home and watched the second to last episode of Lost, Season 4.



I finally convinced Monte to watch the show, so we've been playing catch up for the past few weeks. He's hooked just like me now and I love it. Now I have somebody close who I can talk to about the show. You know, speculate and hypothesize. Brady's been watching it with us too and is just as hooked. We're watching the second part of the season 4 finale tonight and are anxiously awaiting the premier of season 5 on January 21st.

Well, I better sign off. Monte needs help peeling the shrimp he's making for dinner. Have a great evening everyone. God Bless! :)

Thanksgiving? Its December 19th for Goodness Sakes!

Hey everybody. Once again, I've been slacking off when it comes to the blog. Sorry about that.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving this year. I think it was especially wonderful because we were not living in the camper. After dinner, Nate wanted to get out of the house, so we went for a walk over by the river on Camp Lejeune. We were pleasantly surprised to find a bunch of hiking and biking trails in the area. They also have boardwalks that weave in and out of the trees along the water with information plaques every so often telling you about the different trees and birds etc that you might see. We're planning on going back to ride bikes when the weather isn't so wet.

Monte and Brady went fishing with our good friend Mark the weekend before Thanksgiving. They had to get up really early to meet him at the pier so they could get to his favorite fishing spot before everyone else. You can see from the pictures that there were several boats near each other. They caught a few fish and they brought home a trout and a drum. The trout was the best tasting one. Not as good as the brookies from Montana, but not bad either. The lighthouse you see in the background is the Cape Lookout lighthouse. Brady had a great time, fishing as well as playing with Marks dog Gator (Mark's a Florida Gator's fan). Isn't he a beautiful dog? We can't get one now, but Monte and I are determined to have our own chocolate lab someday.



Well, that's about it for now everyone. Take care and have a great weekend. God Bless! :)

One Tooth Down & A Whole Mouthful To Go

Nathan finally lost one of his baby teeth the other day. He had been wondering when his were going to start coming out as several classmates had theirs come out. Instead of being excited about it, he was a bit nervous. I don't think he believed me when I told him that he would have big teeth filling in the empty spaces. He just thought all his teeth would fall out and he wouldn't have anymore. However, now that Nate has been visited by the tooth fairy and knows that his teeth are worth some money, he wants the rest to come out now. You see, he's saving his allowance and birthday money for a go cart. He saw one at Sam's Club and want one now really bad. I guess it was inevitable, considering how much the boy loves riding in Power Wheels. He drove Jayden's truck into the ground every time we were home on leave. Also, our neighbors here on Lejeune have a couple and he and the little boy ride them constantly.

Monte left for the field again this morning. While he was packing his stuff last night, Nate thought it would be fun to hide in dad's pack so he could go with him. It was too cute, as you can see from the pictures. Thankfully, Monte will only be gone for 9 days this time and then shouldn't be going out in December. Although, keep your fingers crossed as in the Marine Corps, I tend to follow a "Believe it when I see it" philosophy.

We went up to Chapel Hill on Monday. Brady had his first Diabetes appointment on Tuesday and since its over 50 miles from Lejeune, we get reimbursed for travel and a hotel room. The appointment went really well. They were all impressed on how well that Brady is doing. With is management as well as keeping his log etc. All of the people on Brady's team were great and we look forward to seeing them every three months. We had such an excellent team at Balboa with Dr. Bailey and Jen, that I think we were missing that while we were in Idaho. It just felt good to be back into the Peds Endocrinology atmosphere again. And UNC (University of North Carolina) is crazy huge. Its like its own little town there. Its a teaching hospital, so when you turn on to Manning drive, you immediately begin driving through apartment building that house the students. Then you drive into medical building on each side and in front of you. They actually sent me a map with my reminder letter so I could find the Children's Clinic. And, they have valet parking. It was crazy and amazing all at the same time. Its a really great hospital and Brady is going to get excellent care there.

God Bless! :)

Brady's 12th Birthday

So Brady turned 12 on the 6th. He was pretty excited for this birthday. All I know is the deer better watch out because the "Deer Slayer" is coming for them...ha ha.

I made his favorite meal for him for dinner, which is meatloaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn and dinner rolls. Since we have venison in the freezer, I used some for the meatloaf this year and it actually turned out pretty good. I have to say, I'm slowing getting back to being able to eat venison again. The deer they got isn't nasty like the last one was that Monte got when we lived over here before. Its been since that nasty thing that I haven't been able to eat venison. I still like beef better, but venison isn't so bad to me anymore. After dinner, we had double chocolate fudge cake with vanilla frosting. It was just a box cake that I made, but it turned out really good.

Darron, Ann and the girls came over to wish Brady a happy birthday and to bring him a gift. They got him a couple camoflage head/face covers, hand warmers and some beef jerkey. Brady loved it. He loves getting anything that is for hunting. He also got a pair of camoflage sunglasses and some money from Grandma & Grandpa and Monte, Nate and I got him his PSP and the Star Wars: the Force Unleashed game. Grandma Gloria has a card and birthday money on the way.

Brady wanted to go hunting on his birthday, but it gets dark so early now, that they didn't make it out. But, Monte got off work early on Friday, so he had everything ready to go out when Brady got home from school. All he had to do was change his clothes and they were out the door. Didn't see any deer though, except when they were in the truck and headed home, but that's how it goes sometimes.

All in all, it was a good day. We enjoyed some great family time and Brady loved the gifts he got, thank you again everyone. I am so proud of Brady. He is an amazing boy and a wonderful son. I thank God for blessing me with him!

Have a great weekend everyone. God Bless! :)

Sir Nathan & The Undead Warrior

Hey all! Halloween was a lot of fun. We all went over to Darron and Ann's and the boys and I trick or treated with Ann and the girls and Monte stayed at the house with Darron and helped pass out candy. The base had 3 hours designated for trick or treating, but the kids were done after almost 2 hours. They all got quite a haul too. We'll be set for candy for quite awhile now.

Nathan was a knight and Brady was an undead warrior. I guess its a character from the the Internet game World of Warcraft. I know Chris and Tyson will know what I'm talking about. Holly was a skeleton and Regan was Cleopatra.

Well, that's it for now. I've got Brady's birthday dinner in the oven and I need to get the rest of it done. I'll post again tomorrow. God Bless! :)

Brady's First Buck

Monte took Brady out this past Sunday and he got his first deer, a nice 3x3 buck. It was exciting for both of them, but I have to say, I think Monte was the most excited. He really enjoyed spending the time out in the woods with Brady. He was quite proud, especially when Brady got himself up into a tree, despite his nervousness about heights. Brady has been hunting since last year in Idaho. He wasn't able to hunt big game, but sure did get his fair share of birds (i.e. grouse and pheasant). He's been big on hunting since then, but now that he's got a taste of deer hunting, he's absolutely obsessed. The next outing is already planned for Saturday. I've already prepared myself for hunting widowhood....ha ha.

Nate is feeling a bit left out since hunting began and he has begun to plan some things that he and his dad can do together, without mom and Brady. He wants to go swimming first, then go and have lunch, play miniature golf after that, then go see a movie, stop at Toys R Us for a new toy after that and on the way home stop at a convenience store for a soda and candy. And this he wants to do all in one day. He doesn't want too much does he? Ha Ha. He has such an amazing personality and keeps all of us in stitches most of the time. You just never know what going to come out of his mouth or what he's going to do next. A most recent example was just after we moved into base housing. Now Nate loves boxes, always has, and couldn't resist playing with the ones he emptied out from his room. He kept telling me he wanted to sleep in the box he was playing with and I told him that he wouldn't be very comfortable and should only play in it. Well, some hours later, Monte and I realized that things had quieted down and we hadn't hear from Nate recently. And, you guessed it, we found him asleep in his box. He had a nice comfy bed made for himself. It was just too cute and I couldn't help taking pictures.

Anyway, I guess its time to get back to unpacking. Y'all have a great day and God Bless!

Slowly Regaining My Sanity

Yes, I am finally starting to feel like I am getting my sanity back. For a while there, I wasn't sure if I would. I guess its just all of the stress I've been under lately. Worry over not selling the house, my niece passing away, living in the camper, Monte going out in the field....and so on and so on.

I still haven't come to terms with my niece passing away. I think about her almost everyday and am sad that I never got to really know her. I wish I could have gone out to California with Monte for the funeral as I may have been able to get some closure. I find that when I am thinking about her, I look at my boys and wonder if I would even be able to live if I lost one of them. I imagine that I would just lay down and die. How does a parent get over (or better yet, just learn to deal with) the loss and move on? Its just so sad.

Moving into base housing has helped to keep me busy and keep my mind off of my sadness. I'm still a bit disorganized, but now that the boys are in their new schools and I'm slowly getting the house unpacked, I feel as though I'm starting to get back on track. Monte's been on leave since last week, so having him with me everyday has been helpful too. We've been able to spend some quality time together, both with the boys and without while they have been at school. I have enjoyed every minute he's been home.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Y'all have a great evening and God Bless!

Base Housing....Thank you Jesus!

I know, I know, its been two weeks since I posted an entry. I actually haven't thought about the blog until recently. There have been some things come up and with Monte out in the field and taking care of the boys, I guess it just got pushed to the back burner.

Anyway, onto base housing. They called last week and offered us a house! I was so excited I could hardly stand myself....ha ha. We sign the lease on the 14th and move in and get our TMO on the 15th. It will be so good to have my stuff around me again. Its been fine staying in the camper, but the walls are beginning to close in on me. The boys are looking forward to getting moved in and starting at their new schools. Brady will be going to Brewster Middle School and Nate will be going to Johnson Primary School. Our house is just across the street from Brady's school and Nate's is just down the road a bit. I'll most likely be taking him to school in the morning and Brady will walk down to walk him back home after school. Now that we are going to be living and going to school on base, I'm hoping I can get a job on base as well. It sure would make things easier for me. If I didn't have to go off base for work everyday, I would save a lot of money on diesel for the truck.

Monte will be coming home this Thursday. He will have been gone for three weeks this time around. He has totally enjoyed himself out in the field and just being back in the "real" Marine Corps. Whenever I talk to him, I can just hear the smile in his voice. He's going to be gone a lot while we are here, but I'll handle it like I always do, that's what we Marine wives do. And its worth it to hear and see how happy he is again.

My sister Jamie called me yesterday and told me her cute little Pomeranian had her babies. Shyla had 5 puppies total and they are just too cute! I can't wait to see pictures of them when they get a little bigger and are walking around. Brady and Nathan were so excited that they wanted me to put the news and the pictures on the blog.



Oh, before I go, here is a picture of Nathan greeting Brady as he walked to the camper from the bus stop. They may fight all of the time, but they sure do love each other. Have a great weekend everyone........God Bless! :)

Demolition Derby

So we drove to Kinston and went to the demo derby at the Leanor County fair on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and we only got mud on us once! We've been having some cooler days here with no humidity and its been great! Monte and I love this time of year in Jax (with the exceptions of the hurricanes of course).

Today, we just hung out and, as usual, watched football and NASCAR. The Packer game will be on soon, so this post is will be short. I need to get the boys settled and comfortable before the game starts. You all take care and have a great week. God Bless!

Daddy's Coming Home!

I am so glad that Monte was able to fly out to San Diego to be with Brandon and attend Bronte's memorial service. He's been out there since Thursday and while its only been 5 days, the boys and I have missed him terribly!

We spent most of the time at the camper, but did go and spend some time at Darron and Ann's on Saturday. It was Holly's birthday and we were so glad we could be there to celebrate it with her. The kids played the Wii and then Darron took Brady to the range to shoot some skeet. As you can imagine, Brady had a great time. He's now telling me that he likes Darron's over/under shotgun better than his own side-by-side. I just shake my head, I mean how many guns do you need? According to Monte, Brady and I imagine every other gun loving man in the country, you can never have too many. I guess if I relate it to something that I like, I can understand. I'm not that obsessed with shoes as a lot of women are, but I do like to have a lot of books. And believe me, I do have a lot of books. I'm working on my very own personal library. I've got it all figured out for our house when we retire back home. Monte will have his den where he can have all manner of manly things hanging on the wall. Things like deer and elk racks, Denver Bronco stuff and of course all of his Marine Corps items that we have been collecting since we joined. And then my room will contain all of my books, a big comfy Ches lounge to relax and read in and all of my crafts, neatly and conveniently stored away, with a big craft table in one corner. Hmmm....I can almost feel myself relaxing in my Ches with a good book, some smooth jazz playing softly on my iPod and an ice cold Cherry Coke sitting on the table next to me. A warm breeze gently blowing in through the open win....oh, sorry about that, I drifted off there for a minute....ha ha.

I saw the advertisement for the next James Bond movie the other day. Quantum of Solace comes out on November 14th and I can't wait. The boys just may be staying with a sitter that night while Monte and I go see it. I can't have any distractions while I'm getting my Daniel Craig fix....ha ha.

Here are a couple more pictures I took of the boys recently. I'll get these uploaded and then its time to cook dinner. Have a great evening everyone. God Bless.

Tropical Storm Hanna

We made it through Hanna and are thanking the good Lord that Hurricane Ike will not be hitting the east coast. We stayed in the camper during Hanna, but were making plans to go stay with our friends the Todd's on base for Ike. Hanna was just a lot of wind and rain and when we woke up Saturday morning it had already passed us by.


The boys needed to get out of the camper, so after lunch on Saturday, we took them to the beach. Monte and Brady hit the surf and Nate and I hunted for seashells. We didn't find too many as most of them are broken before they make it on the beach. We did see a jellyfish though and it was pretty neat to see one up close.

Its back to school and work for the boys and Monte tomorrow. Both Brady and Nathan are enjoying school. Nate loves riding the bus the most I think, but also feels very grown up about going to school all day and getting to each lunch there, just like Brady. Now Brady, he is really liking the middle school environment, especially his technology class. Brady's got school pictures tomorrow already and Nate's will be coming up shortly, I'm sure. As soon as I get them back and if they are good, I will get them out to everyone.

Well, that's about it for now. Goodnight and God Bless!

A Very Sad Day

We had some very sad news on Tuesday this week. Our beautiful little niece Bronte passed away suddenly in an accident. She was such a sweet and loving little girl who will be missed terribly by all of us. Please put our entire family in your prayers as we try to cope with this terrible loss.

Hello Again Everybody

Sorry I haven't updated the blog, but the WiFi here at the RV park has been iffy all week. When I've been able to get onto the Net, it wouldn't stay up for long. The manager mentioned they were getting a new WiFi setup this week, so I'm hoping that the problem has been solved. I'm using Darron and Ann's computer for this post, so I will not be able to post any pictures yet.

We've been at the Cabin Creek RV Park & Campground for almost a week now. We are slowly getting settled in. Nathan started school yesterday (Friday) and he absolutely loves it. I think he's going to do well in first grade. Brady doesn't start until Tuesday. School has already begun, but we have to see the nurse regarding his diabetes and then talk with the principal as well. He's looking forward to going though. When were there getting the enrollment process started, we talked with one of the counsellors and they told Brady about the electives he could take and the sports he could participate in. He's thinking being in middle school isn't going to be too bad after all. Nathan is a Southwest Elementary Pony and Brady will be a Dixon Middle School Mariner.

Monte checked in with the base and will be checking in with his unit at noon on Tuesday. Once he goes back to work and the boys get settled into school, I'll be able to start job hunting. I just hope I can find something part-time between the hours that the boys are in school.

We had a couple more people look at our house, so that's a good thing. The second couple to look at it really liked it too, but they won't be able to buy until they sell the house they are currently living in. Go figure huh?

Monte, Brady & Darron are out scouting the hunting (for doves) grounds they will be going to on Monday. Nathan and I are hanging out and visiting with Ann and the girls at their house. Its good to get out of the camper and be able spread out for a little while.

Well, that's about it for now. I'll update again as soon as I can. You all have a great holiday weekend and God Bless!

The End of the Road

So we leave Wilmington and roll on into Jacksonville in the late afternoon. Our friends were right, we really didn't recognize it. I mean, some businesses were familiar and the names of the main roads we still remembered, but there is so much that is new. Driving on base was an experience too. I kept catching myself before I said, "Oh look, there's a Marine or there's a Marine sticker." Monte just laughed at me, but he said we was feeling the same way. We went out to the base beach and are currently staying out here until Monday. You can only stay out her for two weeks at a time until November, so we will be moving to another RV park just outside of town. We need to get the boys registered for school and I need to start job hunting. I believe Monte will be checking into his unit on Friday and then will be going back to work on the following Wednesday (because of the Labor Day 96 weekend).

We went to dinner at our good friends Darron & Ann Todd on Thursday. It was so great to get back together with them again. Their girls Holly & Regan are just too cute and really made the boys feel welcome. Brady is a bit in awe of Uncle Darron as he is an avid hunter and you all know that Brady is all about hunting. He can hardly wait for his birthday in November so he, Monte & Darron can go out and get a deer.

Brandon came to visit and have dinner on Friday night. It was great to see him again. He says they got a solid offer on their house, so it looks like they will finally be selling. I'm so happy for them and can't wait for the day when I will be telling you that our house has sold. We had someone look at it again (finally) on the 19th....hallelujah! I just hope it starts to pick up and we sell it soon. Now that we are here, I don't want to live in my camper too long. Driving through base housing, just makes me long for my own place again. Their still in the process of remodeling the housing where we will be living, but the ones that are done are really nice.

Brandon's back again today and we are going to the docks here at Onslow beach to do some fishing. Brady has already caught a few fish (mostly sunfish) but he and Nathan are having a great time non-the-less. Well, that's about it for now. Again, you all have a great weekend and God Bless!

Day 15 & 16

Hey everybody. Sorry its been so long since I updated the blog. After leaving Statesville, I wasn't able to get back onto the Internet.

Anyway, we left Statesville and drove on into Mooresville, NC. We toured the Memory Lane Motorsports & Historical Automotive Museum, Petty Enterprises, JR Motorsports & the NASCAR Technical Institute. The museum was really interesting. It had cars, pictures and other things going back to the beginning of NASCAR as well as one of Jimmy Johnson's current cars. Petty was cool too as I got to see one of my favorite drivers' (Bobby LaBonte) cars being worked on. JR Motorsports was cool, just because its JR's. There was a replica of the wax model of JR that's in Madam Tousant's Wax Museum in France. It looks so lifelike and I was amazed that JR isn't any taller than Monte. For some reason, when I see him on TV he looks taller. The technical institute was okay, but really all it was was a school that people can go to to learn about NASCAR cars and just other automotive repair, engine building etc. Most of the people in our tour were parents and new students coming into the school in September. So, after that we drove into Huntersville to see Joe Gibbs Racing. Joe Gibbs owns the #20 Home Depot car driven by Tony Stewart (Brady's favorite driver) and also the #18 M&M's car driven by Kyle Busch (Monte's favorite driver). We got see all of the trophies and things that they've won, as well as viewing the garage where they work on the cars. We didn't get to see as much as we would have liked, but it was neat to see what we did.

After Huntersville, we drove to our RV park, which just so happened to be in South Carolina. We stayed at the KOA in Fort Hill, which is just across the border and right next to Charlotte, NC. On the way to the KOA, we drove by the Bank of America Stadium where the Carolina Panthers play. There was too much traffic though and we were not able to get to the exit to go see it. Once we got to the campground, we set up the camper and just hung out. The boys had a great time swimming in the pool, playing on the playground and jumping on the jumping pillow.

We got up and headed for Jacksonville the next morning, but only made it to Wilmington. Its about 2 hours away from Jacksonville. We were just exhausted from the trip and all of the driving, and just wanted stop early. So we got into Wilmington at about 3 pm I believe. We set up the camper, got a few groceries at Walmart and then came back to the camper. After dinner, the boys played in the pool and I did laundry (yea haw!) ha ha.

So that was days 15 & 16. Our vacation was winding down and we were getting excited to get into Jacksonville. I haven't attached any pictures to this post as I am not on my own computer right now. I'm borrowing Brandon's laptop so I can access the Internet. Thank you Brandon for the loan. I'll post some pictures later this week when I am able to access the Internet again from my computer. Everybody have a great day and God Bless!

Day 14

We only had to drive about 250 miles today and boy was it nice. We are at a KOA RV campground in Statesville, North Carolina. We pulled in about an hour ago (5 pm EST) and Monte and the boys just left to go swimming at the pool. I am enjoying some quiet, alone time in the camper.

We are planning on visiting some NASCAR racing team headquarters tomorrow. Joe Gibbs Racing, who Tony Stewart (#20) races for, is in Huntersville and then Junior Motorsports, Dale Earnheart Jr's Sprint Cup team, is in Mooresville. Mooresville (Racetown USA) is only about 10 miles or so from Statesville and Huntersville is in between the two. We may just hook up the camper and take it with us when we go to do the touring tomorrow. Then we can just slowly make our way toward Jacksonville. We're keeping an eye on the weather as Florida is gearing up for Hurricane Fay and if we have to, we will stay inland somewhere and wait for the hurricane to pass through NC before we head into Jacksonville.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. I'll update again when I can. You all have a great evening and God Bless!

Days 12 & 13

We're up at about 9 am and headed to the park at 10:30 am. It doesn't really hold a candle to Glacier Park, but the Smokey Mountain National Park is quite pretty in its own right. We spent all of day 12 and most of day 13 in the park. We only saw one deer in the park, but did get to see about 6 turkeys and 4 black bears. The first bear we saw ran right out in front of us and almost got hit. We were headed out of the park on the first day when he ran out in front of us. I didn't get a good picture as he was across the highway and up into the brush before I could even focus the camera. The other three bears we saw on the second day in the park. It was a mama bear and her two cubs up the side of a slope that runs along the highway. We would have never seen them, but thank goodness some wise tourist from Alabama decided it would be okay to stop his car in the middle of the road, turn on his flashers and stand on the side taking pictures. There were a lot of people who were quite of appreciative of this guy. Monte said he almost gave him a foot up the butt he was so appreciative.....ha ha.

We also stopped at a turn out across from a small field and couldn't believe all of the butterflies we saw flying from flower to flower getting out the sweet nectar. We got a couple good pictures and Brady even got one to land on a flower he had picked.

The park is in Tennessee and North Carolina. On the first day, we crossed over into NC so Monte and I could get our fishing licenses. Either state license works in the park and we thought we would kill two birds with one stone as we would need to get NC licenses eventually anyway. So we did a little fishing and Monte caught about 4 fish. He described them as looking like a sucker fish with a red tail. We never did find out what they were, but they were fun to catch.

After the park, we headed into Pigeon Forge to ride some go-carts and have some dinner. We ate at Corkey's Ribs & BBQ. Brady was hoping to get some hush puppies, but alas, it wasn't meant to be this night. We were surprised that they didn't serve them at this restaurant. But, we'll be in North Carolina tomorrow and we won't have any trouble finding them in that state. While speaking of food, Monte and I have been enjoying sweet tea since we were in Kentucky. Man, the stuff I make is good, but it doesn't come close at all to the real thing. Oh, and guess what. We stopped in at a grocery store yesterday to get a few things and we found sweet tea made with Splenda. Brady was so excited, he tried to open the jug and drink some before we even got back to the camper. The stuff is called Milo's Famous Sweet Tea and its pretty good. Brady says we would like to have a gallon of this stuff in the fridge at all times from now on.

Well, I guess we're all caught up again. We will be packing up and heading out for North Carolina tomorrow. Our destination is Mooresville and a couple of the NASCAR team headquarters. You can view the cars, the garages and of course, buy souvenirs in the gift shops. Brady wants to see Tony Stewart's car (#20) and then we will also be going to see Dale Earnheart Jr.'s Sprint cup team. So with that, I bid you all a good night and God Bless!

Day 11

Lets see, on day 11 we left Kentucky and got on the road to Nashville, Tennessee. We drove around LP Field, which is the stadium for the Tennessee Titans. There wasn't anything going on at the time, but it was cool to see another stadium.





We drove across this bridge after we saw the stadium. Its the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge and we thought it looked really cool with the white arches. On the other side and around the corner from the bridge I saw this funky looking tour bus in front of the Hard Rock Cafe. Pretty unique isn't it?





We drove through a good portion of Nashville and ended up at their Centennial Park. It was a pretty nice park. The pond was pretty and the boys got to feed the ducks and geese some bread.







In the park is a replica of the Parthenon in Greece. Being a fan of Greek and Roman mythology, I had to see it and boy was it amazing! The sheer size of it was awe inspiring (just look at the boys standing between two of the columns.



The museum inside was small, but had some nice things. I don't know much about fine art, but some of the paintings were really pretty. Anyway, upstairs there was this huge, gold replica statue of the goddess Athena. And in another room were miniature sections of the sculptures that were at the outside top of the North and South ends of the building. Monte walked through and read all of the descriptions for in about 20 minutes. Me, I think it took me about 45 minutes or so. I just kinda got caught up in all of the history and mythology and was excited that what I remember from my mythology class in high school was coming back to me.



So after we say the Parthenon, we went to the camper for lunch and then got back on the road and headed for Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We got to Gatlinburg at about 9:30 pm and as usual, set up the camper in our spot and went to bed.