Leaving tomorrow

We are planning to leave between 8 and 9 a.m. in the morning for Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Cherokee NC. Tessa is calling it our V-cation.

My cousin is keeping Rosie, our dog, while we are gone. I'm sure she'll have a great time because Kim has two small dogs of her own. We have to drop her off at my aunt's (Kim's mom) because she is working at a camp in the morning.

We are taking the scenic route to get there and are going to stop and look at waterfalls and mountain landscapes. We're going to take plenty of pictures.

Check-in time is at 2 p.m., our time, so we have decided to spend the afternoon in the hotel's heated pool. I know that will be fun. Brian and Tessa are going to spend some time in the hot tub, even though I can't. I know it will be fun for them.

Tuesday is going to be a very busy day. We're going to go to the Rainforest Adventures, which is sort of like a zoo, with exotic animals and even an Aussie Walk-About. I know it will be totally cool. After we are finished there, we will head to Gatlinburg for the Aquarium.

A friend on Facebook went to Gatlinburg this weekend, and she posted her pictures on there. I know it will be a great experience for us as Tessa loves aquatic animals.

Wednesday we are heading to Cherokee, NC and Maggie Valley. I can remember going there as a child with my family and visiting the Indian village. My mom bought me my first real piece of jewelry there when I was six years old, the same age as Tessa. It was a pretty little turquoise and silver ring, and I think I'm going to buy Tessa one, too, and start a tradition.

We are doing a zoo in Cherokee, which has native animals, including bears. They have a petting and feeding zoo there, too. Then, we are going to Santa Land, which also has a petting zoo. Tessa is going to get to feed reindeer and monkeys. This place also has some amusement park rides.

The rides are one reason we have decided not to go to Dollywood. I can't ride any of the rides, which I love. Tessa will not be able to ride them alone, and Brian hates amusement park rides. Plus, it is extremely expensive, and since we aren't going to be able to do all that much while there, we decided to go to less expensive places, which we can do more of.

I know we are going to have so much fun, but I am going to have to try not to overdo it.