Gatlinburg

Laurel Falls

Greg's parents wanted a family trip to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this summer. It just so happens that this summer also marks our 20th anniversary and the 10th wedding anniversary for Brad and Jessica. Everyone except Erin complied. She was not authorized to take vacation time from Subway and couldn't miss classes either.

Titanic?

Lauren and Makenna were hilarious the entire trip. They had a good time but the highlight for both was this.....

We don't have audio on our camera but let me assure you there was screaming and lots of it. And speaking of siblings.....Jessica captured a shot of the Baughman Brothers.

A mini golf course was included with the cabin rental. Ty repeatedly asked to "work on his golf game". If we kept score, Ty's version of golf would be considered cheating; however, we opted to call it problem solving. Ty uses a unique combination of golf, soccer and whack-a-mole to get those balls into the holes. Each time he makes it though, he celebrates as though he just made a hole-in-one.

The pool was awesome. Ty, for the first time since he was a year old braved the large body of water as though he was a pro. He even found the courage to go under the water several times.

Our trips into the mountains provided some fun family bonding. The scenery never disappoints and the kids enjoyed exploring almost as much as we did.

Just hanging out in North Carolina for a few minutes. Kate and I sat to chat on this rock and was approached by a young couple asking if they could take a photo of us together. We then returned the favor and took a few shots of them. Afterward, we went in search of the rest of the gang and found them loitering in Tennessee. (We were in the same parking lot but on the state line.)

We spent one afternoon in Gatlinburg and one evening in Pigeon Forge. The kids enjoyed it but Greg and I both left determined this would be our last visit to the over-commercialized area.

Gem mining was a highlight for Kate.

Kate couldn't choose a favorite activity. She thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience.

Ty reports the go-carts to be his favorite part of the trip. He was a natural.

 

Brad maintains Carol looks like this all the time when Dale is driving. It was hysterical to watch them.

The cabin had a theater room. The little ones enjoyed it briefly but the teens appreciated it the most after the rest of the family headed to bed each night. Greg drooled. He'd love to have one.

We celebrated Lizzie's sixth birthday while we were all together. She and Kate were fast friends and had a great time together.

And finally, the purpose of this trip was for Carol to get her Christmas card shots of all the happy couples.

We still like each other.