The Mountains are Calling, and I must Go (July 2020)

So, COVID has been pretty much cramping everybody's style, and definitely put a kink in our summer plans.  However, when our friends were able to take leave to head up to the Appalachian Mountains last minute and asked us if we wanted to come along, we were like, "For Sure!!"

 We went in on a cabin in Pigeon Forge with plenty of space and a whole basement for the girls to hang out in.  We were only there 3 full days and 4 nights, but boy did we pack in as much playing as we could!

Day 1 - Hiking, Playing in the River, & Downtown Gatlinburg 

It was in the 90's the whole time we were there (but not as humid, which was awesome!), but we found a nice shady hike leading up to an ice-cold waterfall that we could cool down in once we got there.

Or you could just dunk yourself completely in the waterfall.  Either way works!

The views from the hike were amazing!

Next up we found a waterfall to just splash and play around in.  

After we cleaned up for dinner and went to this famous burger joint - delicious!

Next up was walking around downtown Gatlinburg.  Kate had a very fond memory of her Dad buying her a funnel cake last time we were here and she made me promise that if we got the chance we would buy another one - and we did!

I am not a huge fan of the downtown Gatlinburg scene - it feels much like a county fair to me, but there is this village of one-of-a-kind shops in there that I love.  It makes you feel like you're in Europe.  Loved all the fountains and architecture in that place.

So, funny thing.  Supposedly masks were required in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge; there were signs telling you it was mandated and everything.  It seems that nobody got the message though, as hardly anyone was wearing them on the street.  I saw this picture on my friend's Instagram and it seemed fitting. 😷😜  Whew!  What a fun, action packed first day!

Day 2: Dollywood

So, people may have been lax about masks out and about, but at Dollywood it was another story.  You had your temperature checked before you could enter the park, masks were required, and they squirted you with hand sanitizer before every single ride.  It's the most sanitary I've ever felt inside a theme park.

And I have to say, our day at Dollywood was lovely.  Going to an amusement park at 25% capacity makes all the difference.  There was hardly anyone there, which made everything feel more relaxed, and the kids (and adults) could just walk onto rides with no wait and ride as many times as we wanted to.

Kylie was super excited to finally be able to ride all the roller coasters, and boy did she ride roller coasters.  At first she was a little scared (deliciously scared), but then she became the pro who never wanted to stop.  From loop-de-loops, to massive swings, roller coasters that went backwards, and free falls, Kylie loved them all - multiple times.

Dollywood Chicks

The only thing that was hard was the heat.  The heat index was at 100 degrees that day, which became stifling with a mask on.  Luckily we had cooling towels, lots of water & slushies, and WATER RIDES! We went on this river rafting ride early on and got sufficiently soaked, which helped cool us off.  Well, as we were leaving the park, the kids wanted this to be their last ride.  Due to the fact that there were no lines, they rode it FOUR TIMES in a row!!  Everyone was drenched by the end, but they loved it.

I also managed to find myself an ornament for my Christmas tree, which made me happy.

When we got back to the cabin, the girls had to try out the hot tub - just cuz it was there.

Day 3:  White Water River Rafting and Tubing down the river.

A lot more time in the water this day, so not as many pictures, but still tons of fun!  The first thing we did was go whitewater rafting.  The girls had a blast - and we got dumped in the river.  But that's part of the adventure, right?

Somehow they lost the pictures of our second boat, but at least we have these to show how much fun it was.

After River Rafting we had a quick bite for lunch, then took a beautiful drive through the mountains over to where we could tube down the lazy part of the river.  After all that paddling it was a nice way to relax and just enjoy the beauty of the area.

So yeah, all in all a great, fun-filled trip.  Good food, good friends, and fun.  What more could you want?

SOTOCANO (July 2020)

So, after two weeks of quarantining (is that even a word?), Chris was finally able to venture out of his hootch, as he calls it.  Freedom!!  Anyway, once Chris was able to be out and about it was time to, you guessed it, get back to work.  Chris' Change of Command was on July 14th.  The awesome part was that, due to COVID, they streamed the ceremony on Facebook live so I got to watch it and screenshot some pics!  (Hooray for technology - and for not having to get dressed up 😉)

So, Chris is now officially the Installation Commander of SOTOCANO in Honduras.  It is a very different world from his usual SF gig, as he is now working with mostly civilian contractors and Honduran officials.  I know this assignment is going to stretch Chris, but what an opportunity to expand as a leader, broaden his skills, and practice his spanish!  I know he's going to do an amazing job and I'm excited to (virtually) support him on his journey.  Way to go Chris!!

4th of July (July 2020)

So, growing up, the 4th of July was always a two day event, beginning with the sleepover on the 3rd at my grandma's house.  And even though we weren't in Utah for the 4th this year, and it's way too hot and humid to sleep outside in Florida in July, I wanted to recreate that 2-day celebration feeling.  So on Friday, the 3rd, I hosted a movie party where we watched "The Sandlot" - I love that movie!  There was pizza,  salad, fruit, veggies, popcorn, and homemade raspberry ice cream (another family tradition).  We had about 20 people from 6 families represented.  It's always so much fun to get together with everybody!

I always love Kate's themed outfits.

On the actual 4th we went to a multi-family BBQ/Pool Party with fireworks.  What could be better?

Florida fireworks are pretty tame, but each of the kids got a turn to light some and they loved that.

The sparklers were also a big hit.  Kylie loved dancing around with hers like she was a fairy.

Once it started to get a little darker, we brought out some glow sticks and the kids loved it.  It was especially cool seing all those glow sticks in the pool.

Another successful 4th of July down in the books.  So grateful for this nation, our freedoms, and for those that fight to keep them.  God Bless America.