Tennessee...a state so beautiful we always visit twice a year! One of the joys of our annual Girl's Trip is the amazing hospitality from my sister Cheryl. I also need to add "relaxation" on the farm amongst all the beautiful animals.
Gammey, Skyler, Laney and I arrived shortly after 3 Wednesday afternoon. After our delightful greetings, Sky received an Easter bag filled with many goodies, including her favorite accessory....pretties from Auntie Cheryl!
Skyler wasted no time in putting on her pink cowgirl boots so she could collect fresh eggs with her new basket and also greet her furry friends. All smiles ahead.......
There were two new additions to the farm. Thelma & Louise, the sweetest & most friendliest baby goats you'll ever pet!
Mousse, the Donkey, is a huge Skyler fan. Each year we visit, this Donkey has always been quite fond of Sky, constantly following her around the property. I'm not sure if it's Skyler's sweet scent or if he just enjoys the camera!
After greeting all her four legged pals, she was on a mission to find George, the cat. He's 17 years old, moving slower, but still affectionate.
Uncle Charles got home from work and after a brief chat, they both decided to go for a quick dip in the pool. I wasn't brave enough for the high 70's water temps! Sky got a visit from her pal, Bob-Cat, before and after her pool excursion. It was a relaxing Wednesday evening and we all went to bed early to get ready for our Downtown adventure on Thursday!
THURSDAY:
We spent the entire day in downtown Cleveland. It was full of shopping, meeting up with friends and enjoying God's sunshine as we attended Papa's tree ceremony later that afternoon.
Lunch at Olive Garden was delicious and it was extra special to spend it with Brother Green & his wife, Miss Anita. Brother Green is Auntie Cheryl's Pastor. During Papa's illness, he traveled to Florida a few times just to pray with my Dad & Mum. He also gave a lovely eulogy at my father's funeral.
Gammey presented Brother Green with Papa's coveted Harley Davidson watch for his birthday. My Dad loved riding and cherished that watch, so we couldn't have thought of a better person to wear while biking through the mountains!
Brother Green was quite emotional, but loved the gift. He truly loved my Dad.
After lunch, we were off to Auntie Cheryl's office to meet up with members of the local Keep America Beautiful organization and some city councilmen. Sky always enjoys an elevator ride. This one was extremely fun for the Princess because it has glass windows that overlooked the scenic property.
Skyler made herself at home as we spent some time in Auntie Cheryl's office including the computer keyboard. Perhaps she was working on Auntie Cheryl's next landfill contract!
We headed downstairs to the parking lot and then made our way down the beautiful Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway Path. The trail is almost 4 miles that weaves it's way through the northern part of Cleveland. There are many trees dedicated along the path and now one includes a remembrance for Peter L. Green, a devoted husband, amazing Dad and loving Grandfather. Here are some pictures of our emotional ceremony. I will be doing a separate post about the Tree Dedication in my next blog. I also tend to share many pictures with a wonderful newspaper article.
Our family certainly had a beautiful day. We arrived back to the farm in the evening and relaxed. Because of George's age, he now sleeps inside. Skyler found George and cuddled up with him after dinner. She has such a passion for animals....big or small!
FRIDAY:
One adventure that we always look forward to is spending a full day in Chattanooga. Of course this includes dining at Big River Grille & Brewing Works for lunch. We first took Skyler to the Children's Creative Discovery Museum (pictured above) and it was a smashing good time! Sky is a member of our local Children's Museum and was eager to explore this facility, just like she does back home!
And explore she did....
The Princess is a music enthusiast so we were not surprised by the amount of time she devoted to the Music exhibit! See for yourself....
There was even a craft area. I'm certain Skyler felt as if she was back at Preschool.
Skyler even became a young Paleontologist. She dug in the simulated field site and uncovered dinosaur bones!
Here are more shots taken through out the Museum...
Once we arrived back to the farm, Skyler was ready to greet all the animals, especially Mousse!
They were not in the barn, so we roamed the 10 acre property. I just can't get over how the horses and donkeys gravitate to her. So sweet! Anyway, Gorgeous photos below.
SATURDAY:
On Saturday we were off to Dayton to spend the day at the Strawberry Festive. Did lots of walking around all the booths and then ventured back to downtown Cleveland for some more shopping. Thank goodness our Sweet Pea likes to shop. True girl indeed! We had a late lunch at Gardner's Market, a fresh delicatessen restaurant featuring a bake shop and imported foods, mostly from the England, stocked on their shelves for purchasing. Brought back some fond British memories. While we waited for our food, Sky enjoyed the over sized rocking chair and then enjoyed a fun hand game with Gammey after eating.
Check out all her eggs in the basket and also Thelma & Louise...
Another evening visit with George..
SUNDAY:
I woke up to my favorite day, Mother's Day! How wonderful to spend it with my own Mum and share it with my daughter plus sister. Although it was our last day on the farm, we still had a busy day planned. We enjoyed a uplifting service at Auntie Cheryl's church and then gathered at Cafe Roma (another favorite) for a fantastic lunch. Here's our Princess just before church...
I'm a lover for now & then photos, so you just had to know I was going to include a batch in this post. We've now made three Annual Girl Trips and I also take a picture of Skyler in front of Auntie Cheryl's refrigerator, so we can compare the changes, especially in height. My-oh-my how she's grown. I think she just gets prettier and prettier by the day. See for yourself!
2012 (above)
2011 (above)
2010 (above)
Ta-Da! Now-2012! (above)
Here's a quick photo taken during our delicious lunch with Uncle Charles, Auntie Cheryl, Gammey and Sky.
All smiles after a fabulous day!
The dreaded clock neared 3:30 and we knew it was time to travel home to Florida. Although we split the drive up into two days, we wanted to make it to our hotel before dark and get comfortable. It's always sad saying goodbye, but I try to reflect upon the many new memories we've just made, so it will bring a big smile to my face! Cheese!
Skyler made her rounds of saying goodbye...
Huge thanks to Auntie Cheryl for providing an abundance amount of love and fun! It certainly was S-P-E-C-T-A-C-U-L-A-R! Here's to next year's Trip #4 and counting!
Before closing, I just want to share my Mother's Day cards. I am truly blessed. I got cards from my Mum, my sister's Cheryl & Nicola, my loving Husband Tom, my Sister-in-Law Kevie and my friend, Brian.
I had to save the best for last......
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