Over the River and Through the Woods....

To the TOP of Mt. LeConte we go! 

Well, I have found someone who takes more pictures than I do... my mother. That must be where I get it from (when Sammy first met me, he was like you take sooooo many pictures all the time, he has since gotten used to it =) ), but I think my mom has me beat =) ... she took over 200 of our 6 hour hike (don't worry, I didn't try to put all 200 on this blog =) ). 
Anyways, my mom, Jack, and my sister Katie, came July 1 - July 6 (so yes, that means I am STILL catching up on posts to bring us up to October) to visit us in East Tennessee, and I was SO EXCITED for their visit!  The first morning after their arrival, we got up bright and early (5:00 a.m.), to try and beat the heat and hike to the top of Mt. LeConte (the 3rd highest peak in the Smokies).  I know the sign says 5 miles to the top, but it was actually 12 miles round trip!  6 up and 6 down.

What morning hike doesn't start with some "healthy" bacon and cheese McGriddles from McDonalds?

Katie and Jack

My sister Katie and I at the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center...we had to check and make sure we were going to the right trail

I'm crossing Bridge #1 of at least 5 on this hike

About 15 minutes in, and we already have a mini photo shoot =).. SISTERS

 Probably around 7:30 a.m., the sun is actually starting to come through the trees

Heading into the cave

 Another bridge...

 Only 2.6 more miles to go... but this part is STRAIGHT UP... buns of steel workout is what it should be called =)

Gorgeous... and now we finally have beautiful views

 A lodge .6 miles from the top... people can stay the night here and see the sunrise in the morning... Mom and Jack posing for a picture

 Despite the warnings (with the ripped sign for added effect), we've come this far and will continue

 My mom at the top... no good view, we're in the clouds, literally

Needless to say, we made it to the TOP and back down in under 5 hours (we had too, b/c Sam's dad had thought we couldn't do it =) ). 

Then, while my family was here, we also went out on the lake.  Brylee is ready to grab my sunglasses =)

This picture, and the one above it, got out of order... this is the cutie pie that was waiting for us when we got back from our long hike!

Jack and Sam look like they are having more fun than Jack and Mom

 My mom would much rather sit and ride in the boat

 Family pic =)

Lil Squirt and I took a turn

 And then we added Sammy

And then our boat ran out of gas, so Kt tried to pull us....

 This crew showed up to save us

Brylee in her 4th of July outfit from Grandma Sue

World's Fair Park festival, Sammy playing on the equipment... the lawn we got married on was replaced by the playground

 Brylee and I hanging out in the shade on this 100 degree weather day

The rest of their time in Indiana, ended with us lighting some fireworks at our house (the cute ones - they are my fav, like the $5.00 one that turns into a Chinese house, etc..), walks, mom taking a photo shoot of Brylee, etc...  I had a great time with them on their visit, and LOVE when I get to see them!

What Would You Do?

If this terrifying wasp landed ON YOUR STEERING WHEEL as you were placing an order at the local Taco Bell drive-thru?  Well, I unfortunately got to find out the answer to that question yesterday. 

I SERIOUSLY about had a heart attack!  I am terrified of bugs in general, much less ones that sting, and are about the size of half my palm (No, I did not take any of these pictures, I got them off of the internet after finding out the name of this stinging wasp). 

So I'm in the middle of ordering my "plain cheese quesadilla with sauce on the side" (Brylee and I split it), when out of nowhere this mammoth stinging bug lands on my steering wheel.  I jump out of our SUV screaming, and run around to the passenger side, back seat to get Brylee.  Brylee is allergic to everything else, who knows how it would affect her if something like this stung her!!!  Well, as I'm getting ready to unbuckle Brylee, I look up to the front at my steering wheel and don't see the bug.  So I'm thinking "Ok, maybe the bug flew out of the vehicle as I was running to get Brylee.  As this is going on, the Taco Bell lady is yelling "anything else today?" repeatedly. 

I look at the front of my steering wheel, and don't see the bug.  Great, good news for me, it must have flown out of the vehicle.  So I drive up to the window, and start to apologize to the Taco Bell lady (even though I wasn't slowing anything down, there were no vehicles behind me)... when I see the HUGE STINGING BUG fly from my dashboard onto my sun visor above the steering wheel.  It had still been in my vehicle!

I'm placing another picture here, so that every one of you reading this story, can truly identify with my horror at this moment.  I immediately jump out of my vehicle again, and frantically ask the drive-thru lady "Do you have a fly swatter????"  I run around the front of the vehicle to get Brylee out of her carseat, get her out, and come back to the window and the drive-thru lady HANDS ME AN ICE WATER.   I'm like "What is this ice water for?"  Drive-thru lady - "You ordered it!"  Me: "What?  I asked for a 'fly swatter!"  The drive-thru lady proceeds to tell me this is a restaurant and they don't have any fly swatters. 

Then this rude lady looks at me expectantly, like I should just get in the vehicle and drive off.  I go to tell her, I can't get back in my vehicle with this huge bug resting on the sun visor above my steering wheel, when she says "Something just flew out of your car."   I turn around and don't see the bug on the sun visor anymore... while I wasn't sure if I believed her (I thought she just might be trying to get me out of there)...I look at my dashboard and don't see it there either.  So I strap Brylee in her carseat and drive off.  Luckily, I have not seen the bug again, so thankfully, she must have been telling the truth!

For anyone curious as to what type of bug this is.... I looked it up.  I had no idea such things existed, but apparently they are fairly common in Tennessee, and come out in the late summer.  It is a wasp called the "Cicada Killer" because they kill cicadas (yes, HUGE cicadas) and fly off with them.  Or it is also called the "Ground Hornet." 

Who Wants a Can of Pop?

Or actually Coke to be exact? The last week of June, Sam, Brylee and I took a little road trip to Atlanta. It was one of those last minute type deals, that are a lot of fun, and do-able now that Sammy has most Friday's off! =) We got to Atlanta late Friday night, and decided to start Saturday morning with the Coca Cola museum. Here is Brylee, she is quite the people watcher.

I thought this pic was so cute, I had to crop it so you could get the full effect of her shades =)

And we're there

Can I please have a flat screen, or two?

Brylee is too fascinated by everything to look at the camera =)

The Movie... loved the title - great PR move

My fav characters from the movie

The Polar Bear... yes, had to make this one black and white.  I've spent a lot of time in the shade with Brylee this summer, not my fault our skin tones match the bear's! Lol

Iggy or Izzy?  Don't know the name, but it's the World Cup soccer mascot

After screaming during the 5 minute 3-d movie, Brylee is exhausted

For some of Sammy's European buddies that worked with him in Louisville (We miss you Tony!) =)

If you ever go, try Italy... it's the best ;)

And the camera died... so that's all the pics from Atlanta!

Sunshine & Summertime - June 2010

Well, June was the start of our first summer in the new house and back in East Tennessee! =)  Being busy with the house, I barely took any pictures this month either (well, barely for me anyways)!

Sam working on the fish tank... lol, I told the movers to lose it in the move (after we had 30 fish die while we were in Louisville, and I came in one day to find a shark had somehow gotten out of the tank and was on our floor! Yah, that was creepy) ... but anyways, here's our 80th try for trying to make this fish tank great again! We did have two fish alive when we left Louisville, the "kissing" fish that killed our entire tank of other fish... those fish are now happily swimming in the Ohio River.

Brylee begging Sam to quit working on the fish tank so we can go out on the boat "C'mon, c'mon!"

Our little sea captain

Of course she didn't want to stay sitting on the ride

Sam's brother, Stephen's kids... Danielle and Josh were visiting from Florida =)

Tubing

Brylee's favorite and everyone else's least favorite... THE HORN

Back at home... evening

Forget the ABC's, Sam teaching Brylee about bike pumps

A little engineer in training, she loved the lesson =)

Sam and his Marble Slab birthday cake

Trying to organize and get rid of clothes... Brylee picking what should stay and what should go

A date at Splash Country... just me and the hubs!

Brylee's exhausted after her first meal at Conner's (she did great there, we sat in the "kid row")

Brylee Boo

Brylee 13 months old (June 22)... she was helping me get clothes out of the dryer.  She loves wearing "necklaces"... so here she is w/ her clean underwear "necklace" - she does this all the time!