Saturday, April 23, 2011

Rocky Mountain Tennessee Take II

Glammey, Skyler & I left Florida last Tuesday afternoon to begin our 2nd Annual Girls Trip. Just like last year, the drive went very smooth and we even stopped for a long dinner break at Red Lobster in Lake City. Sweet Pea was treated to a wonderful surprise during her lobster & scallop feast. Our table was situated right in front of a window, overlooking the restaurant's patio and to our disbelief, we spotted a monkey wearing clothes and holding a teddy bear. Well as you know, Skyler+ Monkey = excitement! The owners of this friendly pet were so kind to let Skyler pet this monkey, who we came to know as "Key-Key". The monkey had this cute little laugh each time our animal lover would pet her. Here' a great picture of that interaction.....

We made our usual overnight stop in Perry, Georgia for a good night's sleep and then after a hot breakfast, we were back on the road, singing tunes. Within a few hours, we had made it to our Cleveland, Tennessee destination. Since Auntie Cheryl was working on a huge NC contract for work, she was delayed only 45 minutes, so during her absence we let Skyler have a quick visit with the farm animals.

"Come here Horsey" were her first words after getting out of the car.


Bob the Cat soon found Skyler....
Welcome kisses, of course!
Auntie Cheryl arrived and after lots of hugs & kisses, she took us to the new addition on the farm.....the Hen House! Skyler got up, close and personal with chickens for the first time and never hesitated when it was time to feed them. Perhaps I need to buy her some cowboy boots and overalls for our next visit! Here she is wearing a gorgeous yellow summer dress from Auntie Nicola & Uncle Bogie that arrived just minutes before pulling out of our Florida driveway....a must take for the trip!

Our uptown farm girl feeding the hens....

And petting a chicken....
Retrieving fresh laid eggs......
Reacquainted with some friends with Uncle Charles.....

After a full day playing on the farm, we ate a tasty home cooked dinner and kicked up our feet to relax.

THURSDAY......

Auntie Cheryl, Glammey, Sweet Pea and I spent the entire day at the Knoxville Zoo, about 75 minutes away from C+C Farms. The weather was cool but gorgeous and we all had a super time.

Our first stop was at the petting area with the goats. A big favorite for Skyler. Once you entered the area, the zoo keepers handed out brushes to groom the goats. Very fun indeed!

This black-n-white goat took a fondness to the Princess and so did this little boy....lol!
After yesterday's practice of gathering eggs, Sky was ready when she entered this play area. Within seconds, she had her basket full of the make believe eggs.

Our next stop was a visit to the camel area. Talk about friendly. We didn't need any food to get them to come. Skyler's sweet voice did the trick!

Now the elephants......wish I could say the same about these huge creatures! Not friendly at all. In fact, it was mean. As we were hanging around the fence, one came charging towards us and then with a quick toss of his trunk, the elephant threw poop all over the crowd. Poor Glammey! She got the worse of it.

Here comes that mean elephant...little did we know he came bearing gifts!

After cleaning up, we enjoyed the remainder of the zoo. I thought it was so cool that Skyler could name all the animals. I'm looking forward to taking her this summer to our zoo in Tampa.

Once we got home and enjoyed another fabulous dinner, the Princess enjoyed some book reading....
FRIDAY......
This happened each morning during our trip.....Skyler would first visit with Glammey and play with her facial products while watching her get ready. She's become quite good at putting on pretend makeup and caring for the face. She even practices on Baby. Quite the mimicker!

Then after her facial treatments, it was off to Auntie Cheryl's bathroom to observe her getting ready and play with her perfumes and powders. She always walked away smelling very good!

Because the weather reared it's ugly side, we decided to stay local and shop in town. We began with a quick visit to Uncle Charles' barber shop. Skyler got a quick trim and then it was off to the amazing baby boutique and other lovely stores.

By 3PM we were back to the farm and just beat the heavy rains. The news alerted everyone of the tornado warnings. We were settled in for the remainder of the day and just played inside. You all know how I love those THEN & NOW pictures, so here's a grouping....

Someone has certainly grown from last year's trip!
SATURDAY......
The four of us spent the day in Chattanooga. It was chilly, but manageable. We had lunch at Big River Grille (my fav and a must do during a visit) It's such a lively spot featuring innovative cuisine and award winning ales & lager. After a great meal, we drove around the corner and spent the afternoon at the 4 Bridges Arts Festival. We viewed over 150 fine artists from around the country, but walked away convinced that Auntie Nicola & Uncle Bogie are much more talented! Auntie Cheryl bought one of these beautiful bird houses....

Once we arrived home, Sky wanted to visit with the animals and gather eggs for tomorrow's breakfast.

In action.....such a pro!

Entertainment during dinner....
and then helping with the cleanup....

Nightly fun....

SUNDAY......
We were spared from the tornadoes and awoke with some slight debris scattered along the acres. God was definitely watching over us. We spent the morning worshiping our Lord at Uncle Charles & Auntie Cheryl's church and then went out for an early lunch. Here's Miss Precious greeting Bob before heading out.

We spent our last day enjoying the animals before departing at 5:30. Sky couldn't wait to get down to the barn! I got the Ranger out so we could visit them all!

Sky knew to snap her fingers to call the animals.....

The car was packed and our 2nd Annual Girl's Trip came to a successful end. What a wonderful trip we shared. Family means everything to us and it's definitely an amazing gift!

One last goodbye, before we return for our Family Reunion in August. We've already marked the calenders for our 3rd Annual Event next April!
We had a safe trip home and Papa & Daddy were so happy to see us. Lots of hugs and kisses were shared. We went out to dinner that Monday evening and shared all our stories and new words that Skyler learned! We've been home for six days and she still calls out for the horses and screams out Chez & Charles. What a memory! What a trip!!


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