Vacation days 2 and 3

Yesterday, my folks and I headed out to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I wasn't sure what kind of weather we would be dealing with, so I brought my snuggie. It turned out to be a prop for many of our pictures.




It turned out to be a very spiritual experience..haha. Sorry, another bad joke.



Here are a few of my favorite photos from the parkway:









After we returned from the parkway, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the hotel where we had to switch rooms. I had unfortunately discoverd mold on the outside of the A/C vent before we left, so dad called and got us switched to a new room. We hurried to pack all of our things and move them to the new room before my mom's cousin Vickie came to the hotel for a visit.. We all went down to the hot tub/pool area and chatted for awhile. We headed back, changed clothes and went downstairs to the amazing buffet they had for dinner. I had to eat quickly because Harper was so exhausted, he was not himself. He actually fell asleep while lying on my chest like he did when he was an infant. It was really sweet.

Vacation Day 3
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Today was the day I was most looking forward to, because my dad and I were scheduled to go on a white water rafting trip. If you had asked me 5 years ago to go white water rafting, I would have told you to get lost. For whatever reason, I'm up for new challenges in my old age..haha. They even have a zip line that I would love to come back and try. My mom wasn't able to get any pictures of us manuevering the rapids AND babysit Harper, understandably. Luckily, the company has a photographer who captures several photos toward the end at the most swift rapids. They'll be on their website in a few days and I hope to get one. I had a smile on my face and didn't look terrified, so I'm proud of that. Our guide's name was Taz and he was your quintessential mountian hippie. Stained teeth, a long, white ponytail and a slow, wise way of speaking. He has been guiding for 28 years and knew everything about the rapids, the history of landmarks and the foliage. I really enjoyed listening to his explainations and corny jokes.

Here are a few photos after we changed clothes. I brought clean clothes but, like a dummy, forgot to bring dry shoes. I had to walk around in wet, squishy New Balances for the rest of the day.





We grabbed lunch at Subway and in the very same building, there was a TCBY. If you don't know what a TCBY is, it stands for "The Country's Best Yogurt." There used to be one in my hometown mannnnnnny years ago, but they up and left. Once I spotted the place, I HAD to get my old favorite; vanilla yogurt with wet walnuts. It was heaven, I tell you.


We headed back to the hotel where we tried to get Harper down for a nap, but he wasn't having it. I took him to the pool, where he acted up (only for me) as usual. It had been a long, tiring day for all of us, so my patience was wearing a little more thin than usual. My mom and dad were nice enough to take him out and about while I finished up some inital school work for the semester. We've hung around here tonight and my dad and I played Super Mario Brothers on the Wii for awhile.. I am the last one awake :)

Tomorrow, we are going to visit cousin Vickie again at her mom's house where they will be providing lunch. It should be a good time!