...The Girls Will Play

That's right.

The guys went away...so us girls decided to play!

Desperate times...

Mama, Kristin, and I decided to take a little trip while the guys were away.  Kristin and Mama got the itch to visit Gatlinburg after Russ and my trip, so we booked it.  Kristin's college roommate met us there.  She lives in Washington DC and always loves a chance to visit with her old roommate.

We laughed because we were in Gatlinburg for five days and never really saw a mountain!  Ha!  Quite different from mine and Russ's trip, but still fun.  We stayed busy...mainly making sure we ate at all the restaurants we wanted to!  Ha!  Calorie counting was not a priority for us on this trip...although it was fun trying to guess how many were in each meal.

Of course, we started our vacation with a trip to Pancake Pantry, where I ordered my new favorite - Swiss Chocolate Chip Pancakes.  We made a second trip before the end of the week, and I got my signature Silver Dollar Pancakes.  On that first day, the temperature was in the mid-70's!  Crazy!  Especially since we all brought long sleeves, sweaters, and boots.  We spent our day walking around downtown, shopping in the little shops, and talking about where we would eat supper!  Ha!

Kristin and Ally were obviously not a fan of mine and Mama's shop choices.  Ha!

I stopped, at one point, to get something cold to drink at a little ice cream shop we passed.  It didn't take long for me to recognize the cashier.  Yep.  She was a contestant on American Idol.  If you follow the show, you may remember the girl who lived in a tent from Gatlinburg.  This is her.  I never saw her after that first audition, but she informed me that she was later nicknamed "Patient Zero," because they blamed her for getting everyone sick.  I obviously have no pride, because I asked to take a picture with her for Olivia and Jule, my nieces.  They are huge fans of the show, and I thought they may like seeing her.  I was right.  When I showed them the picture, they were very excited.

Me and "Patient Zero" (not sure of her name)

One thing Russ and I missed out on was a trip to the Apple Barn stores.  They were closed by the time we arrived for supper.  So, we called ahead for hours and spent some time shopping around.  We laughed because, thus far, all our purchases had been on food and drinks!  Hmmmm.

You can't leave Apple Barn without some delicious apple cider!

Picking up a few things: apple butter, apple fritter mix, and other necessities.

Our supper was very yummy.  It was good ole Southern food...and LOTS of it!  We sat on the side porch and listened as our waiter called us all "sister" and "Mama."  Interesting.  Ha! 

Ally and Kristin

Me and Mama

When we got back to the hotel, we made even more plans.  After much deliberation, we decided to walk downtown to Crawdaddy's Restaurant and Oyster Bar.  Not for food!  For KARAOKE!  Yes, we were ready to show off our chops...until it was time to put our name on the list!  We listened to everyone else sing.  Some wonderful.  Some thought they were.  We danced.  We laughed.  Then...we sang!  Mama was in charge of video.  Need I say more?  No evidence of our performance.  Ha!  And that's FINE with me!!

Ally and Mama

Me and Kristin

I think we got back to our room around 2 am.  Well worth our trip!  We popped in a movie and eventually fell asleep one by one.

The next morning...or should I say, afternoon...included a lunch at Bubba Gump's.  Gatlinburg was a ghost town until Saturday.  Apparently, there was a Christian Youth Conference in town, and it changed the whole town!  We waited about 30 minutes to eat.  And, before you ask, we did check every other restaurant downtown before locking one down.  They were all 30 minutes or more!  Crazy!  It was very good, and our entertainment made up for our wait.  Let's just say that not all Christian groups have as much fun as the ones I've always been a part of!  Ha!  #learntolaugh

Me and Ally

We had reservations at Dixie Stampede and had to be there by 4:30.  So we decided we had time to ride the sky lift before heading back to the hotel to freshen up and get in this new-found traffic.  Once again, we paid $13 to ride the sky lift...just to get a picture of it!  Ha!  Well, you just can't really go to Gatlinburg without riding the sky lift...plus I would take what I could get as far as seeing mountains!  Ha!

Me and Mama

Kristin, Ally, and me at the top

Ally and Kristin headed down

We made it back to the hotel in time to freshen up before heading to Pigeon Forge for Dixie Stampede.  The traffic was quite insane, but we still made it with time to spare!  I know you may be thinking, "Why would you go back if you've already been?"  Well, when Russ and I went in January, they were still featuring their Christmas show.  Now they are back to their standard show.  It was great!  There were several new parts that we had not seen before.

The pre-show was different too.  Very enjoyable.

And, as always, the food was INCREDIBLE!  Oh my!  I would go back every month just to have that food!  Beyond yummy!  Man, I want some of that soup and biscuits now!

By the time we got back to the hotel that night, we decided to make one final trip to Crawdaddy's.  We had some ladies depending on us to perform with them, and they needed all the help they could get!  Ha! 

I had already announced that my karaoke performing days had already reached the climax, so I left it with Kristin and Ally.  We saw many things Saturday night.  Some funny.  Some interesting.  Some horrifying.  But, they all made for some pretty hilarious memories!

So...the guys can go away if they please.  Just know that when the guys go away....the girls WILL play!