Back from Vacation

Well hello to everyone. I must first apologize for no posts this past week, as I was on vacation in the Smoky Mountains...Gatlinburg, Tennessee to be exact. This was a vacation that we had been trying to plan and take all summer, but every time we were about to do it...someone in the family got sick. I had almost given up on a summer vacation, feeling strongly that the 'Vacation Gods' must be trying to warn us not to go. But then on a sudden whim....(as whimsical witches are prone to)...we decided to completely change destinations, make reservations, pack, call the pet sitter and take off in one days time. Atlanta was out and Gatlinburg was in. So 10 hours later, we were there. The weather was incredible...shorts during the day, and a sweater at night. It felt like the beginnings of Fall which had me strongly yearning to make it so. I kept desperately searching for any signs of color in the forest. I would occasionally find a red tree and close my eyes hoping that when I opened them again, all the mountains would be ablaze in color....but alas, my magic is apparently not THAT strong....drats!

We had a blast! We Ziplined for the first time and it was so much fun. If you haven't heard of this or tried it....Google it, or check out the link/video here, and then go find a place near you to give it a whirl. We also rode the sky lifts up the mountain, the alpine slides down the mountain, and played quite a few rounds of putt putt. No one wanted to actually return home, but we did so reluctantly. While we were headed home, we stopped in Cherokee because there was some strange sort of gravitational pull that drew me to a roadside stand...and when I got there, I immediately knew why. Yes...this Jack O' Lantern Jubilee was waiting there just for me. It was sadly one of the only displays of Fall I found in the whole area which was disappointing. I thought for sure there would be more Fall stuff in the mountains than here in Florida...but there wasn't. No worries though....as I did find these guys and one made his way home with me of course. So my birthday is Sunday. And in the past, I have actually been able to go shopping at a great little boutique store here that carries Bethany Lowe Hallowe'en items, and has their annual Autumn open house the weekend of my birthday. And I was looking so forward to doing it again this year. BUT...woe is me, it appears the store has been yet another victim of the poor economy and is no longer in business. I was somewhat down about not having my tradition to look forward to this weekend. But then my husband just called and told me to get ready....we are going out! Out for what? For some Hallowe'en shopping! He stopped by Home Goods today and they are chock full of Hallowe'en items and already selling fast. HOORAY! The Birthday fairy came after all. And he said there is lots of cool stuff to choose from. So I must get off of here and go get dressed. I will share my wonderful finds at a later date. Have a great weekend!