Ok, it's already the 2nd week in July and I'm
finally writing my first post of the month. I need to get on it! But I've been busy and on vacation for part of those two weeks. I went back "home" to TN to see some family and friends over the July 4th week. James wasn't able to take time off and come but I still managed to have fun without him. :) Check out some of the photos below from the trip!
I flew in
early Sunday morning (thanks to two delayed flights due to bad weather) and didn't get to bed til almost 3am. I haven't seen my best friend in sooo very long so I found it appropriate to get up at 6am, after only 3 hours of sleep, and meet her in Asheville, NC (about an hour away) to have breakfast. My mom, sister, and I were going to Charlotte for the day to see my nephew as well. So we took a quick pit stop and had breakfast at Ihop with Bethany and her mom. It was so fun but way too short.
My very best friend Bethany and I
After having a fun and yummy breakfast mom, Michelle, and I hit the road again and headed to Charlotte to meet up with my adorable nephew James. We had him for a few hours so we went to a local park to have a picnic, play on the slides, and swim in the lake. It was so good to see the little kiddo and I couldn't get enough of him! Sad to say goodbye...
Check out this cutie!
Feeding the ducks
Chasing the ducks!
Silly Aunt Jenn
Aunt Michelle and Jamers
He was pretty excited about drawing his name
Fun day at the park! Grandma & James
Beautiful view on the drive back home.
I love those gorgeous Smoky Mountains!
Monday and Tuesday of my trip Michelle and I drove down to Chattanooga to see some friends. I had a blast catching up with my close friend Abby and her husband Kevin (back in May I did a post from their wedding weekend!). It was a short trip but we had so much fun and got caught up on life. Abby, Kevin, and I went over to Barb's house for dinner and hung out (Barb's our 2nd mom and is an amazing cook!). I had to stop in and see Barb and her family and do our traditional Monday night dinner. It felt like I never left! Sorry Abby for the picture I'm about to post. I know we both look pretty busted but I had to share :)
We had a lot going on Wednesday. My dad's birthday, picking up Michelle's and I's childhood friend Corryn from the airport, and an evening in Gatlinburg, TN to celebrate my dad's birthday and the 4th of July. Corryn and Michelle have been best friends since forever ago and she's like a little sister to me. Michelle and I are both in Corryn's wedding in December and since the three of us live in three different parts of the US we decided to meet up over the 4th and do an early celebration for Corryn's wedding. Here are some pictures from the last few days of the trip.
Dad's birthday dinner at a family favorite Italian restaurant
Overlooking the lights of Gatlinburg after a fun dinner celebrating Daddy-o's birthday. Don't even ask what we are doing!
The clouds moved in while we were there. It was awesome!
Midnight parade celebrating the 4th of July
Birthday boy with his favorite pie to celebrate. Chocolate pudding!
This is my dad for ya! :)
One thing I did not appreciate about my vacation was that it rained literally like 98% of the time I was there! I've never seen it rain some much in TN in July. So strange. So yea, it rained most of the 4th but it stopped in time for the fireworks.
Yes, we are ridiculous together!
I've missed this countryside!
Home sweet home...
Like I said, it rained a lot, thus the umbrella! :)
As I mentioned before, Corryn is getting married in December. Saturday night we celebrated with a pre-bachelorette party. Friday we had gone out and picked up some new dresses. Before going out for the night we took some pictures downtown and than had a blast until the wee hours of Sunday morning :)
My sexy Momma!
It was a fast paced trip with a lot going on but I had so much fun. Just wished it hadn't rained as much and I could have stayed longer.
Look for a big announcement in my next blog post! :) I should be putting it up sometime later today!!
