Jumping, Dancing & Jamming Our Way Through Walt Disney World! I'm With the Band Now!

[mickeystoontown]

Those plans were to make the drive through the Smokey Mountain National Park, go to Cade's Cove and then to Clingman's Dome. If we had time, I wanted to stop at one of the trails and make the hike to one of the waterfalls. I pulled out my handy dandy Mapquest directions and off we went. The National Park is so beautiful that you just have to stop and take pictures:

This is supposed to be some sort of Ninja pose?

It was a bit chilly outside and we were anxious to see more of the park so we jumped back in the car to see more sights. There was one pull-off further into the park that we stopped at and it was well worth the stop. It was lovely.

There were men fly fishing:

Across the road was a small waterfall but you can't really see much of it in this picture:

Down stream was another fly fisherman:

The water was so pretty:

After taking pictures, it was time to continue on to Cade's Cove. When we went in July, we saw bears and I was hoping we'd see them again this trip. The first animal we saw was turkeys:

Because we had stopped at several of the first few churches and cabins during our July trip, we decided to skip them and continue looking for wildlife. The views were amazing:

Then we spotted more wildlife. This time it was deer:

**Need to stop here. Boss is hollering about something.

 

[mickeystoontown]

The traffic in the Cade's Cove loop had begun to pick up a bit and we drove really slow which gave us time to look for more animals. Unfortunately, we saw none but did get a good look at the pretty views:

We came upon a cabin/homestead that we hadn't toured before and stopped to have a look around. There are only little pull-offs on which to park and we had to stop a good ways back and walk.

We went inside the cabin and noticed, right away, how many cracks in the floor:

The walls that separated the rooms had cracks in them as well:

There was an upstairs to the cabin but it was a very narrow set of steps and every time I started to go up, someone would be going down and I couldn't go. I gave up and walked around while John, Hunter and Lacey were upstairs:

We walked back to the car and continued our loop through the cove but never did see any other animals. I guess the bears weren't out or they were holed up somewhere. I don't know when they start hibernating but maybe it was time for them to.

Some views in the National Park:

The park's Visitor's Center was too crowded to stop on our way into the park but we found a parking place on the way back in the RV section. We walked around the center a little and then made our potty stop. While in the center, I asked one of the workers how long it would take us to drive to Clingman's Dome. She said it was 21 miles from that point. When I told John, we made the decision to save it until the next day because we did not want to get up there and then have to drive back to Pigeon Forge in the dark. I've driven those mountainess roads in the dark before and I didn't want to do it again.

***Something I forgot to mention earlier: Before checking in at the hotel, we stopped by Dixie Stampede to see about dinner tickets but they were sold out. They told us to keep calling back because they often had cancellations. We must have called a dozen times but nothing became available.

When we made it back to Pigeon Forge, we stopped and picked up our keys to the room and got directions. The inn was set off the main road which was nice. Before unloading all of our stuff, we went to see what the room looked like. The room furnishings were the old style hotel furnishing but the room, carpet and bathroom were super clean. I really liked the way it was set up. The bathroom and vanity separated what I called two "bedrooms". There was a television, dresser and queen size bed in each room. Lacey had the camera and I asked her to take a few pictures before we brought everything in.

She's such a ham:

The balcony:

The view:

Sometime during the early evening, Jesse called and said that he was on his way and would call us when he got to Pigeon Forge. We had no idea where we were going to eat or what we were doing that night since the plan for Dixie Stampede fell through.

When Jesse got there, we hopped in the car and started driving. We stopped at a place called The Old Mill. It was busy as heck but we dropped Lacey and Jesse off to check and see how long the wait was. By the time we made it through the back of the parking lot, they called and said it was a 1 hour and 45 minute wait. I don't think so! We looped back through and picked them up to find something else. We drove the strip until we came to a place called The Wood Grill. It was a huge buffet and came recommended by Mama, my sister and niece. Sounded good to us. It was the biggest buffet I had ever seen and was super clean which is a plus 'cause I'm sometimes leery of buffets. For less than $80, we all filled up on a scrumptuous buffet.

From there, we started driving the strip again trying to decide what to do. We ended up at the Jurassic Boat Ride which I had a coupon for. A picture of Jesse, Lacey and Hunter outside:

The outside/loading area:

The one picture that came out from the inside of the attraction:

If you ever go to Pigeon Forge and see this attraction......run!....drive!.....leave!.....do NOT go there! It was the biggest waste of $70+ I have ever spent and that was with a coupon for everybody. It was so lame! The sound system sucked. The movements of the dinosaurs was so jerky and some of them wobbled. Others had parts of their skin falling off (and it wasn't meant to look like it either). It was horrible! Even if I hadn't seen the quality of the animatronics at Disney World before, I would have thought the same thing.

When we got out of our boat, there was a large family standing there and they asked me if I thought the kids in their group would be scared. I told them I didn't think they would because they all looked so fake and didn't move correctly. I told them that there was no way on Earth that I'd suggest that anybody spend their money there. The ticket desk was right there and I know the guys working it heard me. Some of the other family walked along behind us. They stopped me in the parking lot and thanked me for the tip.

John went back to the desk and told the guy that he felt as if they should refund our money. The guy didn't know what to say other than "I don't have the authority to do that." John said not to worry about it because his wife would write about it on the internet, that she had lots of readers and would tell everybody how badly the place sucked. The other part of the family that was still behind us laughed at what John told the guy and said "good for you!".

So, if ya'll ever go to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, do not...I repeat...DO NOT waste your hard earned dollars at The Jurrasic Park Boat Ride!

For the remainder of the evening, we stopped at little stores and shops but didn't buy anything. We were just browsing and enjoying each other's company. Everything started closing up shop so we headed back to the hotel where we caught up with everything that everybody had been doing. It was nice to sit and talk with Lacey and Jesse. Talking on the phone is not as good as face to face talking.

At about 11 p.m., Jesse said that he was hitting the sack. He would have to drive back to Knoxville the next morning after breakfast so he could open the store. I had the laptop with me and took advantage of the free Wi-Fi and made our Disney ADRs. I got everything that we wanted which made for a nice finish to our day.

***Tomorrow? Facing my fears and freezing my tail off!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I LOVE your pictures of Smoky Mountain National Park! The animals and view are gorgeous. I have to go there someday, if just for the views. And the hotel looks nice in Pigeon Forge.

Sorry about the crappy Jurassic Park Ride. That is a ton of money to spend on something so bad. I love what John said, though I would have asked for a manager when he said he couldn't do a refund.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Facing my fears and freezing my tail off is what this installment should be named. As ya'll know, I am super scared of heights. I don't even like staying on upper levels of hotels. I get all discombobulated and start feeling funny when I look down from high places. That probably explains why I have no smile, whatsoever, in the following picture:

Notice how I am standing away from the railing? Let's try again on the other side of the balcony:

Woohoo, I was brave enough to actually prop myself up on the railing but I still forgot to smile. Let's try pictures of the rest of the family:

We tried taking one with the timer on the camera and I wish we had sat it up on something higher:

We set off through the Smokey Mountain National Park again and our goal today was to go to Clingman's Dome. I believe I told ya'll before we left that I had already let everybody know that I would make the hike to the Dome but I wasn't promising that I'd actually go to the top. If I didn't, nobody had permission to laugh or smirk or make gestures behind my back. They promised they wouldn't because they knew I was s-e-r-i-o-u-s with a capital S. Ooops S-e-r-i-o-u-s (didn't have that capital S in the first one. )

On our previous trips through the park, the trees were full of trees and were so lush and pretty. This time, it was a bit barren but still pretty.

When we were about 1/4 of the way up the mountain, we looked at the dashboard and it said it was 61 outside. As we drove the winding mountain road, the temperature continued to fall.

My quiet subdued children in the backseat:

Tunnel!

Look at this road sign:

Another tunnel!

John tried taking pictures of the streams but they didn't turn out so good:

Tunnel Number 3!

We decided to stop at one of the pull offs and take pictures:

We didn't linger for long because it was getting cool outside, the wind was picking up and we were shivering:

 

[mickeystoontown]

Awww, who gives a poo if it's cold, let me snap a couple more pictures:

Ummm, I give a poo! It was too cold for more pictures. We continued our drive up the mountain and towards the infamous Clingman's Dome. John and I made comments on how it looked like there were pebbles on the road as if it had been washed there from the recent rain. Just minutes later, we can upon a rock wall that was covered in ice. That's when we realized those pebbles weren't really pebbles, it had to have been salt that they had put on the roads. Can you tell we aren't from anyplace near where it ices over or snows? Duh!

We made it to the parking lot where we would have to park and make the hike to Clingman's Dome. The wind was blowing like crazy! I forgot to look at the temperature when we parked but when we stopped at the previous pull-off, it was 41. It had to be in the 30s and the wind chill was substantially lower than that. We pulled out the various coats that we had brought along and that's when John and Hunter started to regret saying they didn't want me to bring them a scarf along. John, Lacey and Hunter all had on long sleeve shirts and two hoodies a piece. I had on a sweater and a coat and a scarf. Lacey was smart enough to have a scarf too. Hate to say it John Boy but I told you so!

Before making the 1/2 mile hike (which, by the way, I believe they miscalculated because it seemed way longer than that) we all had to make a pit stop. When I say PIT stop, I mean it literally, they had pit toilets over an open hole. Stephanie, I took this picture for you since it reminded me of your side trip.

And then the hike began.

You can see how we were in the clouds and the pathway was wet in spots. We noticed that the mist in the clouds would cling to the trees and at times, the trees had ice on them. What you can't tell from these pictures is how hard the wind was blowing. I took video but, again, photobucket won't upload them.

I'm admitting it to you all right now.....we had to stop two or three times to catch our breath. John said his chest was tight and he had to take deep breaths. Lacey and I didn't have it as bad but we enjoyed the rests. Hunter did the best out of all of us. I attributed that to the fact that he had been doing daily workouts with his football team and to his age. After all, he is 31 years younger than John and I.

Just when I thought we were never going to get to Clingman's Dome, we caught a glimpse of it.

Yikes! Would I be able to do it? Would I climb the concrete structure of death? Would I? You bet I would! Was I scared every step of the way? You bet I was! But, I did it!

Now before you get to thinking that I was super brave and took the following pictures, think again. I might have been brave enough to walk up the walkway but I wasn't brave enough to lean over and take them.

Sweet Mother of Pearl we were up high! I was happy that I had decided to do it but I was not real comfortable up there. I sat down on the one tiny bench that was built in a circle around the main structure and I swear I felt it moving a little. Just in case you think I'm crazy, John said he thought he felt it as well.

**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

Had it not been so cloudy, we would have been able to see several different States from our vantage point. Instead, this is what we saw:

On the trek up the mountain, we were behind and then in front of a family and we talked with them a little here and there. Mostly, we laughed at our inability to make the hike without stopping, getting out of breath, freezing our tails off, etc. The mother had the cutest Mickey Mouse scarf on and I told her how much I liked it. See, Mickey Mouse is everywhere!

Anyway, the family was at the dome with us and she asked if I would take their picture. I told her yes and asked if she would reciprocate.

You can see from my hair and scarf just how hard the wind was blowing. I'm not kidding, it was freaking blowing! More pictures that I decided I could bravely take now.

I had to wait for the pathway to clear out a little before I could make my way down. If somebody had bumped into me or me into them, I would have freaked the heck out and probably fallen to my knees. It was better to just wait until some of the people were out of the way so I wouldn't cause a scene. Once we were down on solid ground, I took control of the camera again and took one last picture of the Dome....the Dome that I had conquered. Take that you Dome you!

Woo honey, the walk down was considerably easier than the walk up. I actually told several hikers this as they were making their way up with a "am I ever going to get there" look in their eyes.

Hunter had gone ahead of us and had chosen a fallen tree as his resting spot:

Almost down!

**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

On the way up, we had missed the store/information center that was at the beginning of the trail so we decided to stop in and see what they had. But, first, I tried taking pictures of the view:

We popped into the store and I think everybody else did too. They had a fire in the fireplace and it was a great spot to warm up for a little while. I took this picture of a medal of some sort so that I would remember where we had just been.

We bought a postcard and a coin for my mother and we were back out into the freezing cold. Hunter wanted to pose for this picture before we left:

Lift with your legs Hunter! Hold it! Okay, I got the shot.

I think our entire journey to the dome, on the dome and down was about 2 hours. Two hours in a gusting wind, freezing cloud mist and pure coldness. But, it was well worth it! We each took turns going to the pit toilets before leaving. In the meantime, we snapped pictures too:

These little buildings were the bathrooms:

***Need to stop here. Phone calls await me.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Stephanie, I took this picture for you since it reminded me of your side trip.

**Continued in next post

I love it! That is exactly what the ones in Utah looked like. The buildings look the same from the outside too.

 

[lledman]

I had to wait for the pathway to clear out a little before I could make my way down. If somebody had bumped into me or me into them, I would have freaked the heck out and probably fallen to my knees. It was better to just wait until some of the people were out of the way so I wouldn't cause a scene. Once we were down on solid ground, I took control of the camera again and took one last picture of the Dome....the Dome that I had conquered. Take that you Dome you!

I was wondering how you were going to get back down. I'm terrified of heights too, even underground, when we visit caverns or gorges I can't walk past anyone at the open areas, just can't bring myself to do it. Chris promises me that he'd push me to my demise before a total stranger would

 

[francis6306]

My girls are great! And can I say, that I hope that as my girls get older that they are as well seasoned at traveling and site-seeing as your kids are? I LOVE that you are so active in doing things with your kids and mom! Seriously, you never miss a chance to experience things. My husband and I are really trying to be active at seeing the world around us where we are living at- where ever it may be!

And… you didn't ask- but… I'm gonna share anyway!

 

[rndmr2]

Wow! I was behind and missed a lot of great updates. Your meal at Mama Melrose looked good, We went there in 2010 and really enjoyed it there. DH had the Chicken Parm and really liked it. The caesar salad was good there too. The video was great! You looked like you were having fun.

You got some great pics of your trip to Tennessee, too bad it was so cloudy/foggy when you were up at the Dome.

 

[aprilisis]

I was SO far behind!! I still have to go back & read a little more, but I wanted to comment first. I love your Fantasmic photos & the ones of you guys choking each other cracked me up. Your scenery photos from the mountains are awesome!!! I don't know if I could have made that walk- it looks scary!!!

 

[JanaJohn]

We made it to Pigeon Forge by about 9:30 a.m. or so but we couldn't find the Twin Mountain Inn which, according to Mapquest, was on the lefthand side of the road. With so many hotels, stores and pancake houses (I crap you not, there have to be at least 50 of them on that strip of road.), we couldn't find it.

Hi Lisa,

You might want to give Google Maps a try. It seems to do exactly what Mapquest does with one addition I find very helpful. When looking at the satellite view on Google Maps they show names of many of the businesses in the area. So when I just pulled up the map for the Twin Mountain Inn I saw it was just across the street from Cold Creek Resort and Bojangles' Famous Chicken. Depending on which way you were traveling it is just past or just before Cracker Barrel. When I travel to unfamiliar locations I find this feature invaluable.

I notice in MapQuest you can click on a button near the top and it will show motels but it just puts a number on them which you then need to look at the left of the screen to see which number relates to which motel. With Google Maps each motel is already labeled on the map.

Of course it may help that I really enjoy looking at maps. My wife can look at the same maps I do and still not have any idea of where she's going. She says it's genetic....she claims her family is attuned to "Magnetic South."

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

I bet the view would be beautiful on a clear day!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Oh Lisa, I have taken that horrid hike to the top of Clingman's Dome myself...I feel your pain. I got car sick on the drive up. My mom has a picture of a 16 yr old me sitting on one of the benches on the hike up with my head between my legs because I was so nauseous!!! Needless to say, even though we take our kids to Gatlinburg frequently, we do NOT go to Clingman's Dome!!!

 

[MissLiz]

Way to go on Clingman's Dome!!!! I made it about 10 steps on the ramp and changed my mind real quick!

We have a bunch of pictures of the girls on those rocks. We enjoyed climbing them. And the walk up was just as bad...and we had a toddler. We had to alternate between walking with her and carrying her, plus having to take many breaks on the way up.

I'm not sure if we'll be heading there again, but I did really enjoy the view.

 

[KatMark]

Lisa, I'm dashing for the train to meet Mark to drive to go see Markie. So I'm sorry I don't have time for a lot of comments. I did want to say that I love your Smokey Mountain update. We've not been there in probably 20 years or so and we always loved going through that area and shopping at the shops, etc.

 

[Practically_Perfect]

Hi Lisa!! Hope all is going well with you - I'm sure you're quite busy with Christmas so quickly approaching!!

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still reading along - way to go climbing all the way up to the top of Clingman's Dome!! I'd push myself to do it too, but freaking out on the inside

Just wanted to share some news with you - I just booked a CBR Pirate Room for me, my mom and my little brother for Feb 26 - Mar 4! So excited - and really looking forward to checking out CBR

 

[mickeystoontown]

Way to go on Clingman's Dome!!!! I made it about 10 steps on the ramp and changed my mind real quick!

We have a bunch of pictures of the girls on those rocks. We enjoyed climbing them. And the walk up was just as bad...and we had a toddler. We had to alternate between walking with her and carrying her, plus having to take many breaks on the way up.

I'm not sure if we'll be heading there again, but I did really enjoy the view.

I'm impressed that you made the hike up to the Dome especially with a toddler! I really had to talk myself into making the walk up that ramp and was really proud that I did. But, I can tell you this...if it had been a clear day, I don't know that I could have done it. With the clouds being so heavy, I couldn't see how high we were.

Lisa, I'm dashing for the train to meet Mark to drive to go see Markie. So I'm sorry I don't have time for a lot of comments. I did want to say that I love your Smokey Mountain update. We've not been there in probably 20 years or so and we always loved going through that area and shopping at the shops, etc.

The Smokey Mountain National Park is gorgeous and well worth a trip there!

Hi Lisa!! Hope all is going well with you - I'm sure you're quite busy with Christmas so quickly approaching!!

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still reading along - way to go climbing all the way up to the top of Clingman's Dome!! I'd push myself to do it too, but freaking out on the inside

Just wanted to share some news with you - I just booked a CBR Pirate Room for me, my mom and my little brother for Feb 26 - Mar 4! So excited - and really looking forward to checking out CBR

It has been quite busy around our household. John has a big cabinet job that he's working on so I've been doing most everything else around the house.

I was definitely freaking out on the inside and was silently telling myself that I could do it.

I'm so excited that you're going to stay in a pirate room! I have walked over to Trinidad South several times and the walk to Old Port Royale took me 6 1/2 minutes at a leisurely pace. I am always amazed when people say that it took them at least 20 minutes to make the walk. I want to ask them if they were crawling the whole time.

I LOVE your pictures of Smoky Mountain National Park! The animals and view are gorgeous. I have to go there someday, if just for the views. And the hotel looks nice in Pigeon Forge.

Sorry about the crappy Jurassic Park Ride. That is a ton of money to spend on something so bad. I love what John said, though I would have asked for a manager when he said he couldn't do a refund.

The views in the park are absolutely gorgeous! The hotel had the old-time hotel furniture but it was nice and clean and in a good location.

The Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride was crappy! If I had known how bad it was, I would have never suggested going there. There were two late teenage/early 20s guys working the ticket desk and no manager was on duty. Otherwise, we would have demanded our money back.

I love it! That is exactly what the ones in Utah looked like. The buildings look the same from the outside too.

I bet those pit toilets are standard in all of the national parks. While they weren't gross, I certainly didn't linger any longer than I had to.

I was wondering how you were going to get back down. I'm terrified of heights too, even underground, when we visit caverns or gorges I can't walk past anyone at the open areas, just can't bring myself to do it. Chris promises me that he'd push me to my demise before a total stranger would

I am like you....I am scared of heights in caves too but push myself to do the tours because I love seeing new things.

Tell Chris that I'm not exactly sure if those are comforting words or not.

My girls are great! And can I say, that I hope that as my girls get older that they are as well seasoned at traveling and site-seeing as your kids are? I LOVE that you are so active in doing things with your kids and mom! Seriously, you never miss a chance to experience things. My husband and I are really trying to be active at seeing the world around us where we are living at- where ever it may be!

And… you didn't ask- but… I'm gonna share anyway!

Thank you so much for posting pictures of your two beautiful girls! They are so cute!

Your words are so kind. John and I have always been of the frame of mind that "if our kids can't go, then we probably don't need to go". There are very few exceptions to those rules...like when we go to the casino every four or five years. Yeah, big gamblers we are.

Be sure to relish in every moment you get to spend with your kids. They grow up so very quickly and those memories are what get you through the hard times when you are missing them so very much.

Wow! I was behind and missed a lot of great updates. Your meal at Mama Melrose looked good, We went there in 2010 and really enjoyed it there. DH had the Chicken Parm and really liked it. The caesar salad was good there too. The video was great! You looked like you were having fun.

You got some great pics of your trip to Tennessee, too bad it was so cloudy/foggy when you were up at the Dome.

I really enjoyed Mama Melrose's as did Hunter. Of course, Hunter is in food Heaven anywhere that will make him a pizza.

I was SO far behind!! I still have to go back & read a little more, but I wanted to comment first. I love your Fantasmic photos & the ones of you guys choking each other cracked me up. Your scenery photos from the mountains are awesome!!! I don't know if I could have made that walk- it looks scary!!!

We often talk about the choking incident and have a good laugh over the memory.

The mountains were awesome and I hope to go back again one day. That was our third trip through the park but the first one that we got to actually spend an entire day exploring.

Hi Lisa,

You might want to give Google Maps a try. It seems to do exactly what Mapquest does with one addition I find very helpful. When looking at the satellite view on Google Maps they show names of many of the businesses in the area. So when I just pulled up the map for the Twin Mountain Inn I saw it was just across the street from Cold Creek Resort and Bojangles' Famous Chicken. Depending on which way you were traveling it is just past or just before Cracker Barrel. When I travel to unfamiliar locations I find this feature invaluable.

I notice in MapQuest you can click on a button near the top and it will show motels but it just puts a number on them which you then need to look at the left of the screen to see which number relates to which motel. With Google Maps each motel is already labeled on the map.

Of course it may help that I really enjoy looking at maps. My wife can look at the same maps I do and still not have any idea of where she's going. She says it's genetic....she claims her family is attuned to "Magnetic South."

Everybody suggests that I use Google maps but then I forget about it until we are already on the road with Mapquest directions in our hand. I'd love to see the maps with all the businesses named on them. That's what we needed when we were looking for our hotel.

I bet the view would be beautiful on a clear day!

I bet it would too! But, I probably would have been super duper scared if I had been able to see that far.

Oh Lisa, I have taken that horrid hike to the top of Clingman's Dome myself...I feel your pain. I got car sick on the drive up. My mom has a picture of a 16 yr old me sitting on one of the benches on the hike up with my head between my legs because I was so nauseous!!! Needless to say, even though we take our kids to Gatlinburg frequently, we do NOT go to Clingman's Dome!!!

Isn't it the scariest thing ever? I was so proud of myself for going up there. I can certainly see how you would have gotten nauseous on the walk up. John's chest was hurting him and I felt a little light headed too.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Good morning all my Disboard friends! I hope that everybody's doing well this morning. The last few days have been awfully busy around the McBride household. I have finished all of my Christmas shopping and have it all underneath a big old blanket in my bedroom. Even after my kids stopped believing in Santa Claus, we still put out their gifts just like he had come. They still get up on Christmas morning to a room full of gifts. So, there are not a lot of wrapped gifts under our tree. Especially since I haven't even had time to wrap most of them.

Lacey and Jesse will be coming home for Christmas! I am so excited to see them and spend Christmas with them. My side of the family has always gotten together on Christmas Eve and had an early dinner and then exchanged gifts. Because the family has grown over the years, we draw names. We do that in Easter so that we have almost all year long to look for that perfect gift.

John's side of the family is not holiday/get together oriented at all. IF they invite us over, they wait until the last minute to do it and then act as if it's a huge burden for them. Years ago, John and I decided that we would not make our kids get up from their Santa gifts and go to a house where we were not comfortable. If we do go to his parents, then we go later in the day and it's only for a couple of hours. We also have the excuse that we live over 50 miles away. Don't go feeling sorry for John's parents because, honestly, they don't give two hoots on whether we come or we stay at home. It's sad but it's true.

So, the plan right now is that Lacey and Jesse will be here sometime Friday night. We will spend the day with them on Saturday, go to my mother's Saturday night and then laze around our house on Christmas Day. Mama comes over and we all open presents.

My dumb boss hasn't said a doggone word about closing the office on Friday or Monday which is stupid because the entire courthouse is closed those days. What in the world is an attorney going to do with the courthouse closed? The answer would be a big fat NOTHING! And, I'm a bit ticked off at him because he informed me in an email that my Christmas bonus check would be less than in previous years. In previous years, it went up $500 each year. This year, he's telling me it will be $1,000 less. Believe me, I'm more than grateful that I even get a bonus check but I'm ticked that he didn't have the b's to tell it to me face-to-face and before I went out and bought my Christmas presents. I feel like sending Cousin Eddie out to find him! (Remember that scene from Christmas vacation?)

Oh well, it is what it is and I'll be thankful just to get what I get and to be surrounded by my entire family this Christmas.

I'm trying to finish up a document that has to be hand delivered today so it'll probably be this afternoon before I'm back with an update. Chat with ya'll in a little while!