I've found it...

I have been looking at this house since July. Months later it is still for sell. I have decided that it is going to be the next house we live in. Here's a look at it...

The Mabrey's Future Home...

Rocking chairs on the front porch


Living Room
I think I would go with a lighter color of course, entertainment center against the wall, two couches facing each other (I always loved that) and a little desk and lamp in the far corner.

I'm picturing a chocolate brown for the walls, our dinning table in the middle, buffet against the wall with a big mirror over it, china cabinet in the corner you can't see, and my two red chairs in each corner. I can so see Christmas Eve dinner here...

I'm seeing the wallpaper coming down, the walls painted red, a brownish color granite counter tops, and stainless steel appliances. It even has a pantry!


Red walls of course and my new round table from the folks in VA would be perfect for this spot and my black hutch next to the window on the right.



Of course, a master bath with a tub I can soak in

So there are a few pictures. I seriously check once a week to see if it is still on here. It's in Griffin in the neighborhood that we love, which is filled with mostly older homes and lots of trees. The first time I looked at it I knew it would be perfect for us and somewhere we could stay awhile and it is in our price range! I'm not even going to tell you because you may run out and steal it from me. If it does happen to sell before I can get to it, you will hear me cry. I am in love!

I'm one of those people...

So hate me if you must, but I'm one of those people....those who want to start celebrating Christmas the day after Halloween. I love the fact that the stores playing Christmas music already or the Christmas decor to be displayed in the stores. I love it and the longer, the better.

First, in my defense, I'm not much of a Halloween person. Never really have been. Anyways, Halloween isn't what it used to be like when I was a kid. No one trick or treats anymore. Everyone goes to the trunk or treats and I think it takes all the fun out of Halloween. Maybe if I had kids I would feel different, but I can't promise my feelings will change.

Anyways, it is not so much the actual Christmas day that I love as it is the Christmas season. I love the decorations, the music, the get togethers with family and friends, the movies and tv specials, and the fact in general, most everyone is in a better mood this time of year. I love the lights and the cozy nights that seem to come with the season. I love the nights spent driving around looking at Christmas lights. I love how everyone's home looks more like a home with the tree and decorations all around the house. Think about it, doesn't your house seem empty for about a week when you take it all down?

But, that's why I don't see what the problem is with starting to celebrate the season after Halloween. In my eyes, it means two months of the season instead of one. Don't think I am forgetting about Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving, especially the food. Thanksgiving for me is like a trial run for the Christmas. I know that I am not the only one in this boat. One of my best friends has already put up her tree. She does it every year after Halloween. Plus, we both sent each other text when we heard Christmas music on the radio this past Friday night. I won't lie, I have debated putting up my tree next weekend...I will be out of town the weekend before and after Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving comes late this year....that's my argument atleast.

So, I say...Let the Christmas Season Begin!

It's Official...

So, we found out on Sunday but we were not allowed to tell anyone till yesterday...David was officially promoted to a District Manager! He was checked into his three stores Monday. He is very relived after three months of running something that he wasn't even being paid for. Which we are blessed in the fact that they have decided to pay him retroactive pay for his last three months of hard work. So tiny Tim, there might be hope for a Christmas after all!

He is still in the Griffin/Thomaston area. We would rather him stay there awhile so we could start looking towards maybe renting something down there. Especially since I go to school down there. But, they have told him not to get to comfortable and not to move. So, that sucks. I am ready to settle down somewhere and preferably not Henry County. But time will tell. That also meant good news for the FIL. He was checked into a store yesterday. So, for right night everyone is happy.

Day 3 &4 in Pigeon Forge

Sorry it's taken me a couple of days, I have had a lot of school work that I have been catching up on.

Day3: Cades Coves & The Variety Show

We started off our morning taking a trip to Cades Cove. In all the times the in-laws have been to Pigeon Forge/Gatleinburg area, they had never been to Cades Cove. So we decided it was time to take them. Cades Cove really is a beautiful place. It is hard to imagine being that disconnected from the rest of the world. If you have never been there...Cades Cove is apart of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. It is a community that formed in the early 1800's in a valley that is surrounded by the Smokey Mountains. I believe that Cades Cove is a few thousand acres and a few hundred families had lived there for over a hundred years. It has several of the original houses that these families lived in. It is amazing to see how people lived. Here are a few pics...

Can you imagine this being your driveway?
There is a house up there

The surrounding mountains
Notice the orb...I'm pretty sure its a ghost.
David said I've been watching too many ghost shows on the Travel Channel.

There were actually three big bucks standing there but we could only get a picture of one.

More deer...

We in the Mabrey Household thought we had it bad...
12 Children & 2 Adults in this 1 room house



I liked this one! It had a kitchen off the back



Hubby & I

Even though it is a beautiful place Cades Cove does come with its downfalls. Biggest problem being that it is FREE so it attracts tons of people staying in the Pigeon Forge/Gatleinburg area. This witch causes major traffic and backup at the cove. We headed out there on a Thursday morning with no snacks. Our 11 mile journey ended up lasting from 10 am and wasn't over until 2pm. Needless to say, I was cranky and hungry. That seems to happen when my blood sugar drops. And to the stupid red truck who had to stop every 60 seconds to take a stupid picture. You had 30 cars behind you and it was lunch time. It would have been polite for you to pull to the side and let all the hungry people go by. And to the stupid park ranger who got on to me for stopping traffic to take a picture of the deer, where were you when the stupid red truck stopped up the traffic in the whole entire place? I don't recall you telling him he needed to "move on."

Unfortunately we didn't get to see any bears while on our tour of Cades Cove, but we did get to see some at the Black Bear Jamboree...

I know your probably thinking WTF? And yes, it was as hokey as it sounds, but it was VERY entertaining. Our group decided on the Black Bear Jamboree due to the fact it offered a little bit of everything, oldies, country, christian, Hollywood, patriotic, and some comedy. I have to be honest...I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. It was hilarious and the singers were really good. The story line of the show was a like dorky, but they pulled it off well. Plus, the food was really good. I am already planning on going back because want to go back to see the Christmas show. If you want to have dinner and a show I would highly recommend it.

Day 4: Horseback Riding & the Best Dinner Ever!
Sorry I will go ahead and apologize but I don't really have any pictures of us horseback riding. I did buy the souvenir photos, but I currently cannot find the cord that plugs the scanner into the wall. We went to the Ponderosa Ranch and had a great time. Our guide David was super nice and gave me some great advice for my future horses. The place had a ton of horses (84 to be exact) and they all were very healthy looking. People must buy a lot of those souvenir photos. I rode a horse named Dakota who was extremely pretty and very sweet. David got to ride a horse named Mountain Dew. It was said that anytime you put a mountain dew near him, he drinks it up like crazy. It was pretty fitting since Mountain dew is the ONLY soft drink that David will drink.

That night we went to eat at the Old Mill. THIS IS THE BEST RESTAURANT IN PIGEON FORGE HANDS DOWN!!! The place specializes in southern food and they give humongous portions. Every meal comes with an entree, corn chowder (very good), a salad, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and your choice of desert. Seriously you get all that for no more than about $16.99. As I said in an earlier post, I ordered the turkey and dressing. It was amazing. It tasted just like my Grandma's. I ate mostly the dressing and took most of the turkey home to the dogs. You must eat here if you go. If you go at lunch, it is only $10 we didn't know this until we got there. Plus a tip...when they have a busy night and a long wait, they give you the option of setting with another family so you can get in faster. We chose this option and sat with a nice family from Indiana. It was nice for a change of conversation plus we got seated in about 15 minutes opposed to an hour. I recommend this place if anyone goes there. It was every one's favorite meal the whole week.


We headed home on Saturday. We had a great time. We seriously were already planning our next trip back. The trip home was not as eventful as the trip up there thank God! We did a little shopping before we left and made it home by six. Which was good because I had a ton of homework that had to be turned in that night by midnight. Here is a picture of the trip home...

Not Me Monday...

It's that time again...

It wasn't me who ate entirely too much while on vacation. It also wasn't me who talked everyone into eating only at the restaurants that I wanted to eat at while in Pigeon Forge.
But hey...I didn't hear anyone complaining.

It wasn't me who was jealous of the girl who was my age and her baby who sat next to me at the family style restaurant. Yes, her baby was extremely cute and had the best personality of any six month old I've ever seen, but still, she had something I wanted and it seems the more I want one, the more everyone else has one and the more everyone keeps coming up pregnant. I was nice though and talked to her even though she keep rubbing that baby in my face. It was almost as though she knew I wanted one.

It wasn't me who ordered the $16.99 turkey and dressing dinner at the best restaurant in Pigeon Forge and then proceed to eat only two bites of turkey, two of the mashed potatoes, and the entire plate of dressing. That's just wasteful. I also didn't proceed to take the turkey I didn't eat home and give it to the dogs. More than likely the dressing was just stovetop stuffing, but it was good.

It wasn't me who pitched a fit for my hubby to buy the souvenir photos that the horseback riding place offered of us horseback riding. I wasn't me who felt bad as the lady started to give me her spill about how the money from the pictures goes towards the horses shots and medical bills. It's not me who is a sucker for horses (or dogs). So, it wasn't I who paid $22 for two photos that weren't really that good just because I fell for the saleslady sad story pitch and wanted to make sure my horse "Dakota" got his shots next year.

It wasn't me who got up with the husband on Sunday morning and drove thirty minutes to the nearest krispy kreme. That is just sad.

It wasn't me who accidentally broke an ornament at the Christmas Shop in Pigeon Forge and then proceed to hide it on the shelf were it couldn't be seen and then run away from the scene of the crime. I do feel bad, but it wasn't even that cute and $8.99. No one should have to pay $8.99 for an worm ornament even if it wasn't broke. Plus, there were no signs that said "you beak, you buy."

And that is what I didn't do this past week.

Day 1 & 2 in Pigeon Forge

To keep from making the post too long, I'm going to make a few posts.

Day 1: Getting There...
Well, luckily day 1 of the trip was the worst and it only got better from there. I had a test in Family Law Tuesday morning, so the plan was to head out as soon as I got home from school which would be around 1pm. I got done with my test around 11am so I was home and we were on the road by 12pm.

Mistake number one was that we printed directions off of mapquest. Do not ever do this, your better off just winging it. The ride was good until we got around Cherokee NC., then the directions became a little misleading because it didn't tell you to turn when you should. So instead of turning onto 441, we stayed on 19 which takes you the long way around to Pigeon Forge. After about 30 minutes of driving and discussing how none of this looked formilar, we finally stopped and asked where the hell we were. The guy was nice and told us how to get there from where we were. Surprisingly, the "pass" (the shortcut through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park to Gatlienburg) was closed due to snow, yes snow, and so we ended up in the right direction without even knowing it. They were just as surprised as we were that they already had snow. A few people said it was the first time since anyone could remember that they had snow before Halloween. I took pictures because I knew y'all wouldn't believe me...

So, we continued on our merry way until we stopped at the next rest area. The attendant kindly gave us directions when we asked and a nice little map with directions highlighted. We drive along this road for about a good thirty minutes and then David has to open his big mouth and say "two more bends and it's gonna turn into dirt." He was wrong...three turns later the road turned into dirt. The problem with the road turning into dirt was A. we were pulling a trailer with two motorcycles on it, B. it was on a mountain with a ton of curves and a steep side with no guard rail (yes, I know that these won't save you if you go plunging off the mountain, but it still makes me feel better). and C. it was a very narrow way. To put it nicely, the three passengers started to get nauseated and we had to ride with the windows down in 30 degree weather. We proceeded to drive down the dirt road (there was no way to turn around) for the next hour. Finally, we ended up at a crossroad with a sign in the direction we were supposed to go saying closed due to snow. So all that for nothing. We took a left and ended up two exits down from the rest stop we originally go the directions. Basically, we made a huge circle.

So, once we took the route I originally said to take, we made it to Pigeon Forge in about forty-five minutes. I won't say "I told you so." Luckily, when we pulled up we were welcomed to this...

A very cute little cabin. It was perfect fit for the four of us and two dogs. They allow you to bring your dogs because "dogs need vacations too." It was decorated cute, had a hot tub and jacuzzi, and a pool table. We enjoyed it immensely. After we arrived and dropped our stuff off at the cabin, we headed out to dinner. It was late so we headed to Bennett's BBQ. The bbq was alright, but the fried dill pickles were to die for. Sorry to my Nashville crowd, but their pickles were better than Toot's and are now my favorite. So, that was a end to day one. Our four hour trip turned into eight, but we finally made it.

Day 2: Amber's Dream Comes True...

Day two consisted of a dream coming true for me. I finally made it to Dollywood. Yes, it was something to check off of my to do list before I died. Laugh all you want. I love Dolly Parton. I've watched several shows about her and love her. Behind the big hair and big boobs, she is seriously one of the most generous people around today. She is compeletely honest and real about herself and her life and I really do respect her for that. Ok you can all laugh, but I am serious.

So, everyone agreed to take me to Dollywood and I LOVED IT! It truely is the most cleanest, friendliest, family oriented amusement park around. I would recomend everyone to go. It doesn't have a ton of the most thrilling rides, but it does have tons to do. The park is set up in several different towns. They were all decorated cutely and extremely real like. The park has obviously put a lot of time into it. Here are a few pictures from the day at the park...

We had a great day at Dollywood. The only problem was that the over sixty crowd loves Dollywood. We went on a Wednesday, even though the high was only in the forties, and evidently the sixty and over tour groups like to attend on that day. Needless to say there was not a wait for the rides. We rode in front on all of them and did not stand in one line. But, we could not get in to see the shows. The shows were packed. That is the only reason they go. And watch out for the rascals. I have not seen so many anywhere in my life before and you better watch out they will cut in front of you, take you out, and not look back. My ankles were clipped several times. Seriously, there were only about 50 people under the age of 50 there. Other than the old people problem running over us in their rascals, we had a blast. I cannot wait to go again.

Of course the highlight of my day....I had my picture taken with Mrs. Dolly!!!

Okay, not really. It was really just a cut out at the place we bought our discounted tickets. But I couldn't go to Dollywood and not get a picture with Dolly. It's not the best picture of me due to the fact we were all laughing so hard. The people in the office thought I was crazy!

We're Back!

We just got back into town today. We spent five days in Pigeon Forge, TN. and had a blast. I got tons of pictures. I will post as soon as I get done catching up on my school work.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!