Tennessee

We had a great trip to Tennessee this past week. Mom went with to do some geaneology and visit family, and since Chris had to leave from Knoxville to Orlando for a day she made great company for me. Katelyn and I hung out around the library reading Dr. Duck and being cute to every old lady in the place (I got to enjoy SewNews magazines when she slept,) and mom researched in the back.

We spent two nights at Chris's parent's house and Katelyn was glad that she got to spend some one-on-one time with her Grandpa West. (great video coming!)

We also found ourselves in the Smoky Mountain Park and Gatlinburg (surprise, surprise)! We ate Shoney's (gross! Sorry, but it was), and then we picked up some Moonshine Jelly for my dad and Chris's dad some Apple Pie moonshine as a thank you for "putting up with us" ...and cooking us an amazing dinner!

All of which you can clearly see in the collage above... what I can't believe I forgot is our number 1 ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS MUST (no exceptions) ALWAYS make a shop stop at... The Smoky Mountain Knife Works. Chris got all the info he needed to get his Gerber knife fixed, and bought himself a small pocket knife. I can't wait till Katelyn is old enough to get her first SMKW's knife. (hopefully minus the self-mutilation, haha)

 Mine had Popeye on it, and I sliced my finger in the first 15 minutes out of the store. My older sister, Casi, had gotten a "real" knife - but I was positive that mine was sharper than hers. So, naturally we found something to cut.... a small Sunny D container. Hers cut right through it. Apparently my knife wasn't made for cutting plastic, but it sure cut my finger good and I have the scar to prove it. (If you can see the tiny white line on the bottom right side, that's it.)

Dinner was great with family (some that I had never met before ). It is always great to gather with friends and family for a big bowl of Chili! So much to do, so little time. I could have spent weeks down there.

A Few Pictures: