The Best Vacation EVER!!!! {except when I was having to give driving directions!!}

{Finally.... ready to post!!}

Vacation 2009 to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Glendale Spring, NC

• Day 1 The first stop along the way was The Varsity. It was just about the halfway point of our trip and made a great rest stop. Not to mention that the boys had never been and they completely enjoyed it!! Simon loved the FO, Riley not so much!!
  
  

Day 2 we got up leisurely and decided to take a tour around. So we headed out to hit some of the Mountain to Sea trails that were close by. The views were just breathtaking!!! {And not in the Seinfeld way}

The boys had fun going through the stuff at the antique stores!! See it's not all boring going through the antique shops! Boone was a great little college town. Couldn't talk the boys into going there though.

• Day 3 was Sunday and we hiked some more. Went into West Jefferson and browsed another Antique store! Found some cute stuff but nothing I HAD to have! We also shopped the quaint little store by our house. I love looking at the wares of the local artists. I really wanted to bring home a piece of pottery but i decided that the pictures and my scrapbook would be the mementos from this trip.

• Day 4 was Monday and we trekked it down the Blue Ridge parkway to Grandfather mountain! WOW!!! The view is most spectacular!! I am just glad that I was NEVER the one driving all those curvy roads. They made me very nervous!! We packed a lunch and ate it there before we hiked up to the Mile High Swinging bridge {not my thing} The boys crossed to the other side but I have a huge heights issue and didn't do it! I plopped myself on a big rock and people watched. That was entertaining in and of itself!!rove into Blowing Rock! Ok, I could sooooooo live there!! It is just like here but just in the mountains!! I took pictures of these two churches...
  
  

Aren't they just so quaint! Can't you just picture a June wedding here??

• Day 6 Wednesday we headed to Elizabethton, TN to go rafting down the Wautauga River. It was a very dreary day but we had fun despite the rain! Our guide Julie was great fun. And the couple from Florida we met were alot of fun!! No pictures during the trip! Only at the outpost gearing up!
  

• Day 8 Thursday we went no where!! I think the boys might have gone down to the convenience store for milk but I didn't want to get in a car at all!!! So we hung around our little "outpost"!!


• Day 9 Friday we packed it all up and headed to Asheville to see the Biltmore!! Spectacular! Gorgeous! Amazing! I could go on and on and on!! It really is a show place. I loved just running my hand down the handrail and imagining all the guests who had done the same thing going down for a party, etc. Just amazing!! Of course you cannot take any pictures in the house {disappointing} but I did take some good ones outside!! Also we were able to see Rick Springfield warming up for his concert that night with Loverboy!! Would have loved to have gone but the tix were $50 and the boys had NOOOOO interest in going! Also we toured the Winery and were able to taste some when we were finished. YUMMY! And the boys said it was the best grapejuice that they had ever had!

Day 10 Saturday we headed back to Atlanta where we met some friends from back home, {before our move}. But before we met them we went to The World of Coke! Pretty amazing when you learn about all the products that is associated with coke. the different types from the different countries!! Some good, some not soo good!

Bottoms UP!!

Not so good!!

After Coke we headed to Turner Field! That is where we hooked up with our good friends!! We had a ball! And the Braves won!! bonus!! Afterwards we went back to their hotel to decide what we were going to do.... eating of course was the priority. So with the help of the front desk we ended up Six Feet Under!! It was by far the best meal i had had all week!! Then the hotel van picked us up, dropped us at our car which we had left in the lot and we headed to our hotel!!

• Day 11 Sunday time to head home but not before on last stop at The Varsity!! {My pics are on Number 1 son's camera} We met our friends again for lunch! Then they packed up our boys and took them to stay with their grandparents back home for the week!! {Needless to say it is very quiet around here!!}
  

McSweetie and I made it home safely and enjoyed a night to ourselves....

Now it is Monday.... {well Tuesday b/c I gave up on this last night!!} I spent the day catching up for tomorrow starts teacher in-service training. Back to the real world!

It has been a great summer and i hate to see it end! But as McSweetie so sweetly pointed out we can still have beach days on the weekend, true, very true!!