"I've Got Some Bad News and Some Worse News!" 11/14 Last chap!

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Well, just between us DISers, I've been sweet on him ever since you said he played soccer. So no danger in me turning him in. And no danger to Taylor either, just to be clear.

Plus, your TRs just would not be the same minus one.

 

[javamom]

No hiding from it when the reality hits you smack in the face. He may come home again but he has had his own home now and nothing will ever be like it was before that moment.

I sort of know what you mean. My son just left for Marine Corps Boot Camp. Everything is different now.

 

[mentul77]

Dawn, I love hearing people talk about my home that way - I was born and raised in East TN and currently live right in the foothills of the Smokeys (right behind the airport Treyner flew into over here). It is just a 30 minute drive for me to be in my favorite place, Cades Cove. You need to come down a weekend in the fall (3rd weekend in October is usually peak but also usually crowded) and drive the Cades Cove loop. It is 11 miles around but can take a couple of hours depending on how many cars are on it and how active the wildlife is. You can see tons of whitetail deer and sometimes a few black bears but those are more rare. Also, the Foothills Parkway and Cherohala Highway are gorgeous in the fall.
Here are a couple of pictures from Cherohala last October:

I can't imagine living anywhere else (even as much as I would love to be closer to WDW!)

 

[YukiPhnx]

I sort of know what you mean. My son just left for Marine Corps Boot Camp. Everything is different now.

I've been living away from home for about 3 yrs now cause of school. I just can't imagine ever permanently living back at home again. It really changes you, after learning how to take care of yourself and be on your own schedule.

 

[Whitleigh]

Dawn, I love hearing people talk about my home that way - I was born and raised in East TN and currently live right in the foothills of the Smokeys (right behind the airport Treyner flew into over here). It is just a 30 minute drive for me to be in my favorite place, Cades Cove. You need to come down a weekend in the fall (3rd weekend in October is usually peak but also usually crowded) and drive the Cades Cove loop. It is 11 miles around but can take a couple of hours depending on how many cars are on it and how active the wildlife is. You can see tons of whitetail deer and sometimes a few black bears but those are more rare. Also, the Foothills Parkway and Cherohala Highway are gorgeous in the fall.
Here are a couple of pictures from Cherohala last October:

I can't imagine living anywhere else (even as much as I would love to be closer to WDW!)

I agree with Cade's Cove, LOVE it! Both times that I have been in the past few years, I have seen bears. People are REALLY stupid though. For some reason they think they can get very close to them. Like 5 feet away. I don't think they understand they are wild. Anyway, once we saw a mama bear and her cute little baby cubs. Also, lots of deer, but you know, I see those all the time, so nothing super. Definitely a place to visit though!

 

[ddstratton]

I totally agree with your feelings on the Smokies. I love the area. Would move there in a heartbeat if I could. We've taken a couple of vacations in the area, renting a cabin each time. Loved it!!!

This was my Mom (57 at the time). We were at the picnic area at the beginning of the Cade's Cove loop.

Beautiful little cabin we stayed in. It had a hot tub on the deck and a pool table & air hockey table in the basement.

Charlie's a cutie, but boy is that gonna be a big dog!

Smurf cr@p!! Just priceless!

And I can't complain about our mini-Booger. It's got over 201,000 miles on it. It's taken us to the Smokies, to BIL's house near Asheville, NC, and to Disney World.

 

[manntra]

Caught up again
What a sweet but very, very sad story about your future home. Poor, poor guy
Such cute Kizzy pictures!!! She is adorable!
That was quite funny about the "cooler." I may have laughed a bit too hard at your expense on that one

Tracy

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Okay, Dawn, I'm not sure which thread/TR/PTR you posted recipes on, but I made your banana bread recipe a while ago, and my family LOVED it. Then I went to make it again, and didn't have any sour cream, and could not find where I put the recipe. So I made my old recipe. It was so dry, we ate it, but had to slather butter on it. The kids said they liked it better the way I made it the time before.

SO today - I went, found the recipe, and was going to substitute yogurt for the sour cream. But then my kids ate all the eggs for dinner and I had to go to the store anyway. Got the eggs, got the full fat sour cream and made the bread. I just added some mini chocolate chips instead of pecans (DD9 doesn't like nuts) and it is FABULOSO!!!! I will never go back to the old Better Homes and Gardens way again!

I just wanted to thank you for sharing it. My family is eternally grateful (as is my stomach!!)

 

[Dizneydawn]

I sort of know what you mean. My son just left for Marine Corps Boot Camp. Everything is different now.

Ohhhh...ya got me all teary eyed. There is such a dichotomy in being proud and your heart being in pain isn't there? I hope he excels and you are able to get some sleep at night. I know Treyner's BF who went into the Marines is getting deployed to Afghanistan in March and his Mom is a wreck. I think she hoped he would get a nice place like Japan although I truly think with everything going on, North Korea is not a place to be close to either.

Well, just between us DISers, I've been sweet on him ever since you said he played soccer. So no danger in me turning him in. And no danger to Taylor either, just to be clear.
I let him know he was safe from the fuzz and he said Thanks!
Plus, your TRs just would not be the same minus one.

It is bound to happen that they will not all travel anymore. Everyone is growing up.

It is just a 30 minute drive for me to be in my favorite place, Cades Cove. You need to come down a weekend in the fall (3rd weekend in October is usually peak but also usually crowded) and drive the Cades Cove loop. We are totally going in October! Now you have convinced us!!!
Here are a couple of pictures from Cherohala last October:

So pretty!!!

I've been living away from home for about 3 yrs now cause of school. I just can't imagine ever permanently living back at home again. It really changes you, after learning how to take care of yourself and be on your own schedule.

I get it. I was married at 19 and had a kid and was not just on my own but a full fledged adult swimming in big girl pants, paying bills, up at 2 am feedings etc. My ex MIL, still thought she could treat us like we were 5 and it drove me nuts.

Once, when I was 24, they rented a cabin and we all went. I was sick during the night and got up later than everyone else had breakfast. I was looking in the fridge for a piece of fruit and was told that I had chosen to miss breakfast so I had to wait for lunch.

I wanted to tell her she had chosen to be a witch so she would have to wait for someone to like her but I shut my yapper and took my fruit and gave her a look that started with a F and ended in an Off.

I totally agree with your feelings on the Smokies. I love the area. Would move there in a heartbeat if I could. We've taken a couple of vacations in the area, renting a cabin each time. Loved it!!!

This was my Mom (57 at the time). We were at the picnic area at the beginning of the Cade's Cove loop.

Great pic!!!
Beautiful little cabin we stayed in. It had a hot tub on the deck and a pool table & air hockey table in the basement.

Can you send me a PM of where the cabin is at?

Smurf cr@p!! Just priceless!
Carsyn just realized it was on Leah's FB page last night!
And I can't complain about our mini-Booger. It's got over 201,000 miles on it. It's taken us to the Smokies, to BIL's house near Asheville, NC, and to Disney World.

We are just now talking about getting rid of the Booger. Selling it and waiting till next year to get a better conversion van....it only has 165,000 miles on it though so I feel like it is strictly for cosmetic reasons and usually I am not a shallow person. But man is it ughlyyy!

Caught up again

That was quite funny about the "cooler." I may have laughed a bit too hard at your expense on that one
Tracy

That's alright - if you would have been there, you would have undoubtedly laughed harder!

Okay, Dawn, I'm not sure which thread/TR/PTR you posted recipes on, but I made your banana bread recipe a while ago, and my family LOVED it. Then I went to make it again, and didn't have any sour cream, and could not find where I put the recipe. So I made my old recipe. It was so dry, we ate it, but had to slather butter on it. The kids said they liked it better the way I made it the time before.

I am so glad you like it!!!

Okay ready for a fab new dip I concocted over the weekend?????

It is ahhhhmazzzing!!!!

If you like jalapeno poppers...this is better by a landslide!!!


Dawn's Jalapeno Hot Dip

1 small can of diced green chilies
1 small can of diced jalepenos
2 pkg of cream cheese
1 cup of mayonnaise (This time I used Dukes)
Shredded Parmesan (get the good stuff in the deli section that is refrigerated, not the powdered variety.)
1 1/2 tsp of garlic salt
1 tsp of pepper

Set the cream cheese out 1/2 hour ahead of time in bowl to soften.

Drain the jalapenos and add them and the green chilies(not drained) to bowl. Add remaining ingredients (You can add more or less garlic salt and pepper depending on personal taste.)

Once mixed, add to pie plate

Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese to top of filled pie plate.

bake at 350 till bubbly - then enjoy with veggies or good Tortilla chips. Invest in the kind in the brown bags they sell that are not as processed as any usual name brand variety. The chips that are as close to what you would enjoy at a Mexican Restaurant will make the huge difference!

This is 100% my concoction so as usual I did not write down exact ingredients for the garlic salt or mayo but it is very close since I know what I put in. Next time I make it I will measure. I just did not know how good it would be and then it was gone at Dinner. Dan who does not like really hot things, said it was probably one of the best things he had ever ate that I had made and for sure the best dip!!

I think it would be great in burgers before you fry them, added to a pizza crust for a Mexican pizza, added to a scrambled egg bake etc... etc. My head was racing with all the possibilities!!

 

[Pollito916]

ooh, that dip sounds amazing - I'm going to go to the store tonight to get the ingredients I don't have!

 

[DONTMINDME]

My guys love spicy so it is one I am definitely gonna try. We do a family reunion in West Virginia on the Cheat river and the rental houses we stay in look exactly like the one in the Smokeys. It really is relaxing, no phones or cell service so we spend time as a family swimming and walking the dogs. It really is a wonderful.

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

MMmm.....

And after I eat the whole thing, I'll need to do lots of these!!!

 

[Dizneydawn]

Day 3: Part Deux
After Carsyn's pit debris-ing and showers all around, we went to Panera for some food.

And free wi-fi for Treyner to take his test. Panera is just a few minutes from Treyner's place so a great locale for him to get to if needed for free wi-fi. We ordered chicken oriental salads for all of us but Carsyn who got a summer strawberry one and Leah ordered a bowl of soup. It was nice to have a light meal and no heavy starchy things.

Treyner got his test done in less than 20 minutes and we were ready to make our first stop to pick up the 2 amigos crazy enough to join this gang for a few days.

You see an adventure is not the same without bringing others on your coo coo ah choo happenings. I had talked with this friend who lived near Treyner and when she had said her and her daughter had no summer plans and wanted something fun to do before school started, I said, the campground is big enough for plenty of people so why not come along too?

She and her daughter talked it over and decided to give camping a shot. The plan was to carpool there and then spend some time together and some apart. No pressures and just a laid back good time.

So we swung by and picked up Kristi

and Marissa

who not only had a lovely home but had a lovely laugh at finally seeing the awe inspiring Booger! They loaded into their car and followed us to drop off the U-haul and then were on our way to Charleston. We were leaving in great time and should be there by 6 p.m. at the latest! They had GPS in their vehicle as did we (with sound on Thank You!) so the open road was an easy drive and we never hit any traffic issues. We did though, hit the issue of the Booger needing more coolant for the AC. Pulling that darn U-haul really did a number on the fluids!

We found a Walmart about half way to Charleston and the heat was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced. Literally take your breath away hot and I was thinking this camping experience might be an issue. A serious issue. While Dan and the boys were sweating their hineys off with the van outside, the girls and I picked out some food for the campsite and the paper products we had neglected to pack. I had recently seen the website for People of Walmart and I will have to say the South has a way of enhancing the Walmart viewing pleasure.

I have never seen so many neked beer guts hanging over shorts in my life and that was from the women!

Soon we were on the road again, stopped to refuel Kristi's tank since she drives a normal sized vehicle that does not haul a small circus and then, on the stretch of highway that leads to Charleston that is wooded on both sides, we got a call from Kristi to watch a motorcycle dude fast approaching on our right. It seems this guy had a need to dance and the mere fact he was on 2 wheels was not about to prohibit him getting his groove on.

He was John Travolta on wheels.

I think he was doing his potty dance.

Charleston was easy to navigate but finding the campground was a bit harder. The area is very remote and is on a creepy road. The facilities once we were there though, were amazing. Dog park, climbing rocks for all ages, small water park and the campground.

Now remember that we were in primitive camping locale because all the spots with electric were full. The primitive site was a huge, mowed, open field and was first come, first served. You could stake out as much or as little property as you could want.

This was not roughing it like many campgrounds we have seen. In MN, you are wiping your butt with birch bark if you say you are roughing it.

Here, there was a nice trailer, air conditioned, with flush-able toilets that were separated into a woman's, man's and family unit. Plus running water in the sinks.

The parking lot was right next to the field so it made unloading easy and the showers were a mere 4 minute walk away in the main campground area.

I think this would be a fine place to stay if it was not 120 heat index.

Being that hot, made it like camping in Hades.

We had brought with our 8 person, 2 room tent as well as our small 2 person dome tent.

Kristi and Marissa were new to camping so they were going to borrow our 2 person tent. In fact Kristi was concerned that Marissa, a self described girly girl, might not like the camping experience so she was thrilled she had agreed to go at all. In fact her hair ribbons she had donned in her pony tail, lead Baylor to have the assumption she was a Cheer Leader!

We laid down a huge tarp before we put up the tents to prevent moisture or a load of sand being drug into the tents and soon, the site was looking pretty good.

I got the grill going and began cooking hot dogs. We also enjoyed spinach dip and Hawaiian bread. The kids ate Smores after the food was done and we sat outside, lathered in bug spray and assessed our surroundings.

To the right, on the opposite end of the field were a troop of scouts.

These were the type of scouts that get wedgies at school.

The type that argue over which is the better Star Trek movie. The type that will spend more time arguing over method of putting up a tent vs just actually doing it.

Treyner and Baylor thought up of ways to torture them if they did not calm down their antics. It sounded like a 3rd grade girls slumber party rather than a bunch of teens camping.

Then there was the people who outsmarted everyone. They staked a claim next to the biffy trailer so they could run extension cords for their fans off of the electric the trailer had. The sounds of their blades whirring in the night air was as close to instigating Harry Carry as one could stand!

Soon, we were all exhausted and ready for bed so we climbed into our tents for some shut eye. Only to find the unbearable heat was excruciating to sleep in.

It was so hot if anyone breathed too deep, it brought the humidity levels up in the tent!

Heat stroke will bring on delusional behavior and thus, it lead to slap happy sessions between the tents.

Marissa singing. Us telling her she should find a new job. Stories and jokes yapped back and forth.

Carsyn and Leah getting giggle fits and the boys threatening to drag them outside in the woods on their blow up mattresses if they did not pipe down.

Which only lead to more giggling.

It was so hot that Dan and I wondered at what temp is it possible just to combust? Like we envisioned us just imploding and the calls are family would get from the local rangers.

"Well, ya see it seems that they plumb done just blew up. Never seen anything like it round here in these parts. Peculiar really."

Then at around 3 a.m. a light rain fell on us through the screen roof and Treyner and Baylor went out to cover us back up a bit. The rain brought a cool breeze at times though so we were so blessed every 5 minutes. You would have thought we won the lottery.

Morning could not come soon enough and we all drifted back to sleep with thoughts of swimming in the ocean and cooling off as our sweet dreams!

 

[Dizneydawn]

ooh, that dip sounds amazing - I'm going to go to the store tonight to get the ingredients I don't have!

Let me know after you try it what you think!

We do a family reunion in West Virginia on the Cheat river and the rental houses we stay in look exactly like the one in the Smokeys. It really is relaxing, no phones or cell service so we spend time as a family swimming and walking the dogs. It really is a wonderful.

That is like Burn Camp for us minus the dogs. I love it!

MMmm.....

And after I eat the whole thing, I'll need to do lots of these!!!

Amen!!

I just posted an update and it is 1/2 the length of the original. I highlighted to make it red and bold etc., and the whole thing erased. I had been typing for almost 2 hours and I was so close to taking a sledgehammer to the stupid monitor!!!

So I was not in the mood to expand or try to recreate the funny. I will though get another update done today! I finally have all the photos!!!

 

[lovealldisney]

I had recently seen the website for People of Walmart and I will have to say the South has a way of enhancing the Walmart viewing pleasure.

I have never seen so many neked beer guts hanging over shorts in my life and that was from the women!

I love the People of Walmart website! That would be the type of people my DH would attract! Rememeber the KAVORKA!

If you want to see people of Walmart you have to go to the Walmart in Maquoketa, IA! Just don't go there when there's a full moon. That's all I got to say about that.

 

[mousetravel]

..... but had a lovely laugh at finally seeing the awe inspiring Booger!

I was laughing with the Booger, not at it!

 

[PixiePlanner]

These were the type of scouts that get wedgies at school.

The type that argue over which is the better Star Trek movie. The type that will spend more time arguing over method of putting up a tent vs just actually doing it.

Treyner and Baylor thought up of ways to torture them if they did not calm down their antics. It sounded like a 3rd grade girls slumber party rather than a bunch of teens camping.

DS started Boy Scouts this spring after finishing Cub Scouts. Some fit this description to a T.

I will give him warning and a description of Treyner & Baylor before his next camping trip and make sure his knot tying skills are well practiced.

Too funny! I have camped in the heat before and it is no fun.

 

[mousetravel]

You see an adventure is not the same without bringing others on your coo coo ah choo happenings.

I have never seen so many neked beer guts hanging over shorts in my life and that was from the women!

I think this would be a fine place to stay if it was not 120 heat index.

Being that hot, made it like camping in Hades.

Heat stroke will bring on delusional behavior and thus, it lead to slap happy sessions between the tents.

"Well, ya see it seems that they plumb done just blew up. Never seen anything like it round here in these parts. Peculiar really."

 

[Dizneydawn]

Day 3 - finalizing some important details- a cling on if you will:

In my haste to re-post the evening activities after the darn computer erased my diatribe...

I forgot to mention that Dan and I went on a cooler run after dinner. We were realizing that having a cooler that only could be plugged into a vehicle that is so old, the engine needs to be on in order to get juice, meant that the food we had bought would be bad very fast. No food poisoning this trip please!

So we headed out, in search of anywhere that sold a cooler and wished the gang well at camp. We took a right out of the parking lot of the campground and it was like Sleepy Hollow. Moss hung down from oaks that shadowed the road. I was re-checking the locks because I was sure we were going to get captured and offered up to the Red Neck Gods, for some sort of Northern Lima Bean stew.

We ended up coming upon a grocery store that only had small, Styrofoam coolers and they would not hold what we had. So a nice gentleman offered to direct us to a Walmart that was just up the road a piece.

We found said Walmart and again, could have played bowling for Rednecks and ghetto fabulous persons of interest in the isles.

What we could not have done, was played bowling for employees.

What is up with Walmart running a 2 man zone after 9 p.m.? Every Walmart I am in, you could yell and run neked down the isles and nobody would notice after 9 p.m. Dan and I were in the cooler section, agreed on one with wheels but there was no price. So we tried to check out the isle for signs of human life but alas, the aliens already had landed and the life was gone.

So we wheeled our cooler up to the front where Koolaidquandria was working and she had no idea what to do about the price. So she called for back up from the Walmart 4 miles away since ya know there is only one other person working this Walmart at 9:41 p.m. and he is the ever needed door greeter.

While waiting for Moqueefeshira to hop in her boyfriends Impala and hussle over here, Koolaidquandria, was helpful enough to take the order of a gentleman who came to buy his wife some aluminum foil.

Now he was aghast when the price of said aluminum foil was well over $4.

I nodded and said I had just bought the same thing on the way to Charleston in a different Walmart and it was not that expensive.

Koolaidquandria was a helpful sales associate. Wanted her picture under employee of the month for August, so became chipper and cheerful and offered this advice.

"I would never buy this here. I would just go to the dollar store and get it for like, I don't know, around a buck."

The guy explained that he was indeed a man and his wife sent him to do the shopping so he would just buy it but would tell her that the next time she wanted aluminum foil, she could price it out better at a dollar store. He was not going to go traipsing across the country to save a few bucks.

Well, Koolaidquandria, miffed he did not like her valuable advice, rang him up and waved him off.

Just at that moment, Moqueefeshira came in, looked at our cooler and decided to have a gander at the cooler isle to see if she could figure out a price. She did come back and give us what she thought was accurate and by 30 minutes later. I was like aluminum foil man.

I did not care.

So we bought the cooler, and then, it occurred to me, Detective Dawn, why the poor sucker had spent over $4 on his aluminum foil.

Koolaidquandria had rung up the ice we were going to purchase first, and then never cleared her order to ring up aluminum man, while we were waiting for Moqueefeshira to get up to the front.

So aluminum man, bought our ice, although we did buy it again. So if you are reading this aluminum man, Walmart owes you a 10# bag of ice!

When I informed Koolaidquandria of my guess BTW, she looked surprised for a moment. Almost as if she had a flaw called work ethic, then that light faded from her eyes and she shrugged her shoulders and said, "Oh well."

So we ended up with a nice cooler, on wheels that can keep things cold and does not accidentally boil your cheese.

***Sorry for the digression but it was a great memory of our trip and you deserved to know it!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Love the names!!!
This is another reason I can hate Walmart. (as if I needed more).