Vacation to Chattanooga/Gatlinburg in July

 This summer, we took what quite probably will be our last vacation as a family of six.
We spent a week sight seeing and hiking in Chattanooga and Gatlinburg.  It was an amazingly relaxing and memorable trip.


Riding to the bottom of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga.

I was surprised by how much the kids enjoyed the incline railway.

But they enjoyed this monster treat even more

once we walked across the road from the railway station.

David and Joh shared this bad boy of a dessert.

This was the signature ice cream creation

at the local ice cream shop.

It was a simply (though ginormous)

banana split.

We also visited the aquarium while in Chattanooga.

There was a lot to see that did NOT involve water or fish.

But there was plenty enough water fun at the KOA.

After shifting from Chattanooga to Gatlinburg for a few more days of fun,

we enjoyed a fun dinner

at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.

Our meal for the evening looked like this.  Delicious, right?!

Notice anything missing?

You are served this wonderful meal 

and then are politely informed 

that there will be no utensils provided.

Yup.

At the Dixie Stampede,

you eat with your fingers.

Everything.

We then spent a few days

hiking in Smoky Mountain National Park.

When we weren't hiking or playing in the creek

or hanging out at the KOA

we were racing down the side of the hills

on the Alpine Slide.

We even went back for an extra trip down the slide

at midnight one evening.

Yes.  Midnight.

Our last full day of vacation was a trip even farther east.

We marked one very big house off of Emily's bucket list.

We visited the Biltmore Estate.

It was beautiful.

And there aren't enough words to describe the grandness of the place.

So I won't even try.

Happy Friday!!!!

Summer Fun - Still Catching Up

Finding something fun to do this summer 

when Grant was still in a cast

took a little effort.

We spent one day at the train museum

which also has an awesome play zone with mazes.

Emily and I enjoyed a two day orientation

at UK in June.

 These two students were some of her first college friends.
Of course, they've drifted apart
as they've made other friends this semester.


I saw this view a lot this summer.
That's Emily up front.

And this is what happened to Emily's car this summer.

Thankfully no one was hurt.

It happened in a parking lot 

when a guy backed into her car.

Being without a car for several weeks 

while the Explorer was being repaired

meant John and Emily once again

had to share a car or resort to walking.

They survived.

And the car was returned looking as good as new.

Fun at the pool

Celebrating the removal of his cast

with a first jump into the water in July.

We snuck in a couple trips

when everyone was able to swim together.

I'm sure this won't happen very often in years to come.

And fun at a friend's pool

Water parks make for an exciting day with friends

Loaded up with fireworksand headed to a party at the farm

for Fourth of July.

The city kids weren't very impressed with our fireworks,

but they LOVED the goat that was born early on the morning of the party.

She was only a few hours old when this picture was taken.

I named her Betsy Ross.

And John entertained our friends 

with the snake he found in the woods.

Some headed for the house

the instant they heard John caught a snake.

But others wanted a closer look.

Father's Day gift from us to David...

Okay.  Sorry for the lack of posts.  I think my computer is fixed.  Again.

Hopefully I can work on catching up again!

When The Computer Works

When the computer is in the mood to work, 

I can load pictures to the blog!

Grant's class took a field trip to the bowling alley.

This was in May at the end of fourth grade.

These guys are best buddies.

They are such a sweet, nerdy bunch.

You cannot help but laugh at their conversations.

They even chose to dress alike for the field trip.

Who needs a pillow when there's a dog close by?

Kids making a water slide

This was at a Fourth of July party

Grant's handiwork

Although he made an awesome flag from M & M's,

it made the thought of eating them less than desirable.

I mean, he's not the most diligent hand washer.

And he did touch every single piece in the dish.

I hope your Thanksgiving was good.

Thank you to everyone that helped make 

the Simms Family Thanksgiving happen this year!

First Buck

Grant shot his first buck last Saturday.

I think he will have to wait a lot of years

to shoot another one like this!

He was excited to say the least.

Computer not working well.

Phone not working well.

(of course)

The lack of posts is due to technical difficulties.

Hopefully, they will all be fixed soon.